Note to those who bemoan the passing of the musclecar era and the horsepower that will never be reclaimed-we don't want to hear it. This is the new musclecar era. The engines coming out of Detroit today are more powerful, easier to drive, longer-lasting, and vastly more efficient, and they generate far fewer pollutants than anything we could have wished for in the late '60s.
So it is that we decided to jump into a fun, four-color tour of a selection of these new engines, starting with the '05 Corvette's Gen IV LS2. Next month, we'll do the same with the new DaimlerChrysler Hemi and follow that with something new from Ford. From there, we'll keep you guessing. We would also encourage your input. For example, if you'd like to see a series of glamorous studio shots of the classic performance engines like the '69 Z/28 302 in full dress, or perhaps a Buick GS 455 or an eight-barreled Street Hemi with mile-wide valve covers, let us know. For this month, we'll concentrate on the LS2.
GM refers to the LS2 as a Gen IV engine because this effort is an improvement over the original LS1 that debuted in 1997 in the C5 Corvette. The LS2 has also grown, with a larger 4.00-inch bore now displacing 6 liters (actually 5.97), which pencils out on our steam-powered calculator to 364 ci. With more compression at 10.9:1 and better LS6-derived heads with 2.00-/1.55-inch valves, the LS2 for the Corvette pumps out 400 hp at 6,000 rpm and a guttural 400 lb-ft of torque at 4,400. Even more impressive is that this is no peaky spinmeister. With an excellent 1,600 rpm between the peak torque and horsepower rpm points, this promises a broad torque curve. In fact, GM claims the engine delivers no less than 360 lb-ft of torque between 2,500 and 5,800 rpm. There's a torque curve for you. This is significantly stronger than the original LS1's 345 hp and 350 lb-ft of peak torque.
Structurally, the LS2 appears to be more evolutionary than revolutionary. Recall that the LS1 was a complete redesign of the original small-block. In fact, GM redesigned just about everything other than the classic 4.40-inch bore center dimension. Consider the LS2 to be closer in content change to the shift between the original '55 Gen I design and the LT1/LT4 version Gen II.
With that down, there's still plenty to talk about. The LS2 is still an all aluminum engine, and it speaks well of the redesign since the engineers were able to trim an impressive 15 pounds compared to its LS1 cousin. The block has been significantly changed, with revised oil galleries, and provisions for external knock sensors. The flat-top pistons now sport lower tension rings and full floating pins. With a 90mm throttle-body and revamped intake manifold, GM promises a 30 percent reduction in inlet restriction while also delivering another 10 percent on the exhaust side. The cam offers more lift while the oil pan has also been reconfigured to handle the Corvette's improved handling, eliminating the wings and reducing the capacity from 6.5 quarts to 5.5, not counting the filter.
Think about it-this is a 364ci, 400-net-horsepower small-block that will easily deliver 25-plus mpg and idle stone stock ... and this isn't even the hi-perf version. Chevy will wait a year before delivering a Gen IV version of the LS6 that promises even more power. With all this incredible power, these new-era engines are making today the new musclecar era.
By Courtesy Of GM Powertrain
Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!