Hi guys, 17 Super Sport Camaro 6 Speed manual here, running the Lil' LT1 engine. Badass performance engine. 455hp 455lbs Tq and still get 27mpg on the Highway.
This is why GM needs to present an SUV with the LT1 as an OPTION. It can come standard with a tame 4 or 6 banger, but design the engine bay to accept a 6.2L V8. Build it and they will come, Chevy !
Guys, I’m not talkin bout the pickup truck framed Tahoe or Yukon, I’m referring to something more midsized to compare to Ford’s Explorer. Ford made a great move switching the latest iteration to a rear-wheel biased SUV but they still only offer, albeit powerful, a V6. Chevy needs to answer this with something equivalent since Ford is killing it ! Offer it with the LT1 and keep it under 5000lbs, but don’t slap any SS monikers on it, if they want it to appeal to women. If you do the research, I’ll bet you’ll find that the majority of the drivers of powerful Yukon Denali’s or Explorer ST’s are WOMEN, but most of them will never sign off on it if it’s called an “SS” !
@Giovanni Luchetta um v8s now a days aren’t really that bad on gas? Last time I checked even with the Silverado and the 5.3 I know someone who’s putting down over 450 to the wheels and is still getting close to 28 mpg on the interstate. So no your comment is quite frankly wrong.
Every time I hear or read about the new LT engine technology, I start thinking of spending money. The positive comments on the old iron block 6.0 engines reminded me my Jeep works perfectly for our needs. It would be fun though. Thanks for putting out such good reliable content.
Jeremy Lee. I’m glad to own a VE Commodore V8 with Manual transmission which I will keep as long as I’m able to. A piece of automotive history now unfortunately. RIP Holden.
I remember being hesitant about kicking my carbureted big block to the curb for the new improved fuel injected LS engine admittedly being one of the no replacement for displacement kind of guys but eventually I did and now I’ve graduated again to the LT I fell in love after buying my C7
A couple years back they had a car show by me. People came from all over. They usually do. We have a lot of hot rods by me. 7 brand new corvettes showed up. The asked where they could gas up. A Citgo by me was recommended. After they filled up and drove away all seven of them broke their crankshafts. VVT and really bad gas. Big law suits. I used to mow my neighbor's lawn for him and he asked me what he could do for me. I told him get me some high test and gave him a can. He got the gas at the same Citgo. It stopped my mower. The alcohol in the gas made it like a light gelatin with white specs all through it. I had to drain the gas and burn it. Contaminated. I use alcohol free gas since then. 40% better mileage and was better performance. I have an LS truck. A boat mechanic explained to me what that gas can do to an engine. I was stunned. Bacteria grows in it because it absorbs water because of the alcohol. The fermentation process causes bacteria and the process starts all over. Try running jello in your engine.
Unfortunately here in Australia 6.0 or 6.3 LS is our only cost effective option at the moment, and even the 6.3 ls second hand is demanding premium dollars. Hmm wonder if the wife would mind a parts finding holiday to the states?
Lots of people seem to bitch about GM, yet their pushrod v8s are the most common swap in the world it seems and even their Ecotec III Gen. 5 4.3L v6 is a pretty damn nice swap as well if you have the resources. The LV3 is based of the LT1, just 2 cylinders chopped off. I hope there becomes an aftermarket it too. Not to the extent of the LS or LT, but cam upgrades, intake for port fuel injection, etc. I have a Grand National, I was ready to swap a Buick 3800 Series II block into it then I seen someone swap the LV3 in and it's much better, especially the heads. The aluminum block LV3 is probably very close in strength with the TA Performance Aluminum block and LV3 heads unported flow almost as well as the TA Performance Heads after a P&P. The LV3 heads, cost $170 for a brand new pair and out of the box they flow almost as well as $3500 to $4000 set of aftermarket performance heads. Sorry to deviate from the original title, but GM knows how to engineer and build great pushrod motors. Shit even GM's first generation 2.4L ecotec block is in a dragstrip car running 5.95 at 230mph. In your face 2jzed boyz.
Thank you for sharing your insight and knolledge and clearifyng the difference between the two engines I'm sure you have many satisfied customers, jeep is out of my reach but still on my bucket list do not change a thing in your formula for success it is golden keep it up
They are both good mills, but would go with a Mopar motor since the Wrangler is one. They made many SRT8 Jeeps with the 6.1 as well as 6.4, and then there is the trackhawk with the 6.2 Hellcat engine. I know that the GM offerings are cheap, but always prefer OEM and Mopar over the others 💪🏼😎
Im not complaining about a forged crank but I mean on the gen 3 and gen 4 people like Richard holdener have made like 1200hp with a 5.3 and like 1500 with a 6.0
And the IRON L8T gen 5 LT is making 2000hp with the stock block the center counter weighted FORGED factory stroker crank that pre Biden was $563 across my local GM dealers parts desk... The gen 5 blocks are stronger and have larger cylinder head bolts so they will hold more boost...superior in every way ... Btw Holder doing that in a controlled environment using air to water intercooling a few hits isn't the same as racing it and driving it on the street.... Without getting into the weeds, one pull to 1200hp on his dyno with perfect water and oil temps is a single run to let's call it 7000rpm.. Just a single pass with an A8 would be 7 back to back dyno pulls....water won't he 156 degrees and oil won't either at the end of a run like that...its WAY harder on an engine and then it's not 4-10 times for a video it's 100s maybe thousands of times...plus heat cycles....most engines don't pop on the dyno for a reason....but they pop all the time at the track.... Also your talking strictly turbos the harmonics from crank driven superchargers greatly decrease what a gen 4 cast crank can take by a LOT over a period of time... Forged is better period, the blocks are better period if your scared of DI just get a port converted intake it's economical.....
I've read a lot about people complaining about them being heavier and anecdotally being less reliant, but I would love to find a video with this kind of depth covering the reason why, I'm looking to restromod an old dodge RC, and wanted to stick with chrysler, but LS and matching transmission (according to the internet) is a better choice for price, reliability, and durability, but again everything i find is mostly anecdotal, and I'd like to see some sort of stress tests or legit figures to back all of that up.
Well, Chrysler transmissions (prior to the Hellcats) are entirely known for self-destruction across all their models. Excluding that, you're talking about more power, more reliability, easier to repair, and most of all... you are getting something that can be worked on by almost anyone... If you're looking to boost reliability and fuel economy (something Jeep owners want) an LS is your cheapest, fastest, and most reliable option you can get.
The original 1963 Chrysler Hemi puts everything they make to shame today everything Chrysler makes now requires a massive computer and completely unreliable think about it
As an owner of a gen3, gen4, and gen5 v8 engine, I can say without a doubt the gen5 is the best. So much more power, fuel economy and refinement. They’re all great but gen5 for the win.
I prefer simplicity. Im a ls3 fan due to its simplicity and reliability. You could make it home with a bunch of cylinders down, as long as you have cam and crank signal it will keep going.
I have a 2014 Tahoe . I bought the AFM disabler from Range Technology 9 months ago, It really does the job but you have to keep plugged in to your OBD2 header so it will be busy all the time. It costed me $200, I regret buying it because I found out later that for a similar amount of money I could have tuned it instead. BUT, if your vette has warranty and you don't want to void it for some reason, u can buy the AFM disabler which can be disconnected and it will go back to stock tune. I definitely recommend you disable AFM because it ruins the lifters making the engine burn more oil than normal as it gets more mileage. Yeah GM disappointed me a lot with that, and they still haven't fixed it.
The best for engine longevity is a total AFM delete kit using quality lifters. I have a 19 SS 1LE and when it's warranty is up I plan to delete the AFM components and a manual car like mine doesn't even use the AFM, but a LT1 is a LT1 regardless of whether it's in a manual or auto car so they use the same hardware inside them and are all built with the AFM components whether they utilize them or not. The issue with AFM isn't a software problem, it's a hardware problem. The lifters fail and that can cause big problems in the engine. Even in a best case scenario you're replacing the lifters which requires removing the heads, so right there it's already an expensive fix if you're not doing the labor yourself.
The LS series is obviously hugely popular with a giant aftermarket, and is fairly inexpensive to mod. With that said the new LTx series has some flaws that need addressing for serious power, but if you're willing to take the heads off this motor it's HP potential is extremely impressive. 600+ WHP N/A is fairly easy (not necessarily cheap) to get to with a factory bottomend. Select a knowledge LTx shop, of course you're going to cam it, port the heads, port match a MSD manifold to them, get a large and/or ported TB, go E85, some good longtubes, delete the cats, get a tune from the knowledge LTx shop, and you can be at 600+ WHP. While you're doing all that get rid of the POS AFM(DOD) lifters, and the VVT will likely get delete when you cam it. Two less things to have to worry about going wrong in the motor. In stock form the LT1 is an extremely broad and linear motor to be N/A. Almost feels kind of like a positive displacement blower motor on low boost. At worst they make at least decent to good power everywhere in the motors RPM range and they're very responsive to throttle inputs. They're pretty strong everywhere, but start to fall off a little bit towards redline.
What about the LS3VR9 with inverted sequential defibrillators!? I swapped the QuadraMagna for a Scatback Valve Residual Displacement. I much rather prefer high altitude bottom-end torque right at the oil pan sump pump! Just my opinion tho.
odiggler you’re running inverted seq defibs, bold move that vr9 version should handle the dynamic swirl atmospheric induction vortex for sure. Be sure to install a positive vacuum magnetometer to monitor bore volume eccentricity.
SFI was NOT required directly, it was necessary to meet federal emissions requirements, it is an important distinction, just like catalytic converters are not required per se, but are needed to meet emissions levels
Which of these is more compact. Are both these engines higher in profile that the older lt1's? I mean as far as fitting under the hood of a smaller car without having to cut a hole in the hood. This is why I have the old lt1 in the car right now.
Well yeah, they're iron blocks and in most cases, are running turbos... which is exactly what they're good for. Not to mention, there are 100523092349234923409234 of the blocks out there that are in junk yards
extremely well done and interesting. I wish LS7 were included in comparison, though I know it is different size. I have a 2006 GTO that I plan to do an LS7 crate. but now I am wondering if LT1 might be better. but what about the ECM? if I stay in LS family, I only need to swap the engine, the ECM remains, correct? it is simpler right?
Douglas Myers Just buy a Texas speed 427. They use a 5.3 and sleeve it. It’s stronger than an LS7. I broke my C6Z piston and picked up a TSP 427 long block for 14K, good for 1,000 hp. I will rebuild my LS7 for a future project. Just my 2 cents.
@@TheTmshuman thank you for the suggestion, I do not really want to go the iron block route. and then if i went to an engine like that, I would have to redo everything, cooling, trans, TC, fuel pump. have you completed install already? is it still comfortable on the street? with an LS7 crate, all I need to do is strengthen the 4L65 a bit. plus, I do not need to be the absolute fastest, just want to move ahead of all the standard current crop of muscle cars, which an LS7 in a 3700 pound or so GTO should do.
I find it funny when people say tq wins races. I daily drive a ram with a cummins . I have tuner, large injectors and large turbo. I make over 1400 lbs feet of tq . Most stock high performance cars could whoop my truck if they wanted. There is a balance. Tq gets you moving hp mast you fast.
I think you're absolutely right, but at the same time carmakers, journalists and a good number of people tend to take part in an "horsepower race" where the only thing that matters is your power figure at top RPM, I think he meant to remind that a 30hp difference alone, expecially in n/a engines, is not meaningful if for the most part of the rpm range the other contendant makes more torque, and thus more power
Yea but diesels are not meant to go fast. Don't get me wrong, you can make them fast but comparing a diesel to a gas is not ideal. The gas engine rpm where as a diesel does not. So basically the initial takeoff is the only spot where a diesel has advantage.
@@bryanloewen5011I wasnt comparing diesel and gas engines more so the statement that TQ wins races. Its a complete package That gets the job done. My example was the best way to explain that.
@@bryanloewen5011 no man your cool it's cool. I hope I didn't come off wrong. I was just trying to explain what I meant better . Your a 100% correct in what your wrote.
Well it was the precursor to LS3 so I’d have to agree. My auntie told me a long time ago that Chevrolets were good cars and I’d have to agree. Although there are faster vehicles on the road, my Camaro is my very first Chevy and it has never, and I mean never, not ☝🏽 once disappointed me performance wise. Chevy engines are more reliable than all the foreign performance engines(BMW M, MB AMG, etc) in which they had better be considering they’re domestic vehicles. My BMW was absolutely T-RASH. I live in Dallas and I kid you not I once drove 10 miles on the interstate and counted 6 BMW vehicles broken down on side the road. I owned a Charger R/T before the Maro and it wasn’t fast enough but it didn’t give me any problems. People overpay for foreign vehicles to break down and under perform
If you slap some forced induction on the LT1, damn! My little v6 with 27 PSI slams me back in my seat in my Grand National. The Grand National engine block, 109, is a junk block. Crazy how some people got fooled into thinking the Grand National was some bad ass car, but the truth is the shit 109 block will split at around 725-750 crank horse power. Love to put a stock LT1 in my Grand National, run 8 or 9 psi of boost and it would be faster that the fastest stock block Grand National/T-Type and I wouldn't have to worry about $15k built POS 109 block breaking. Yes that's right, I spent $15k rebuilding a 109 block with forged internals and aluminum heads, only to find out that if I push it much pass 600 horse power the block will split in the lifter valley. Should bought an LM7 or an LT1 and paid the extra so I wouldn't have to worry about blowing up a $15k grenade.
Charles Lowe - if you “slap some forced induction on the LT1”, you’re basically just trying to build your own LT4, but without the internal engine upgrades that GM has done
The LT1 has higher compression due to the direct injection similar to diesel technology. Me personally, I'd rather have the LS3 for the fact you'll have less carbon build up. Not sure what GM has done to fix this, but I'd like to research it. When it comes down to it, if torque reigns supreme in a heavier vehicle, then a diesel would be the best yet...especially in a JKU or JLU.
They say carbon buildup typically happens at higher mileage and affects horsepower and performance. I bought my Camaro with 16k miles and I’m currently at 83k hoping to trade it in before Christmas, but performance isn’t lacking
Tru That , but diesel is history outside of industrial uses. Emissions insurmountable for personal vehicles. Most euro cites have banned their entry. No diesel cars have been sold in USA for yrs
@@2015_Rubicnn Tru That. Push to electric is running into roadblocks. Commodities needed to mfg them have rapidly escalating costs(lithium up 1200% in 2 yrs for ex.) Diesel emissions got better w/15ppm sulfer limit & Add'l Urea Furnace to burn Exhaust , but hardly made it the emission Poster Child that SULEV's engines are today.
Robbie, have you figured out how to do these LTV swaps on JLUs yet? Any update here or recommendation? Would love to hear some progress. Thanks for the great vids.
If you are building a super high horsepower engines with all that is available, then the LS is a better choice by far. There are some extremely impressive heads and blocks available for the LS, not so much the LT, at least not yet.. If you want a stroker motor bigger then 350 cubes the LS is also a better choice.
@@devilsreject5343 you are correct but not giving the whole spectrum. The LS3 came in both the C6 vette (2008 and up) and the 5th gen camaro. They made the same power. The LT1 comes in the C7 vette and the 6th gen Camaro. The test doesn't matter that its a 2010 camaro or a 2014 vette, because regardless if its a C6 vs C7 vette or a 5th vs 6th gen camaro you will get the same numbers. The final drive ratio may have some effect but the point of the graph is to show the power and torque difference in curvature rather just pure numbers. Like he states, pay attention to the way it graphs, not just the numbers. Hell, even a Silverado could have been compared since they share the LS and LT platforms. Those are a whole different topic though. Bottom line is you can't compare an LT and an LS in the same car without having an entire swap done to one of them. Its just pointless really. The vette and camaro are perfectly fine to compare since they share engines between the two models, and only really start to differ in the higher end models such as a C6 Z06 and a 5th gen ZL1. The Z06 has an LS7 (7.0L LS) and the ZL1 has an LSA (supercharged 6.2L LS, based on the LS3). Then at that point it would not be an accurate comparison.
@@houndsmaster34 I was merely informing him that those vehicles had the motors in question. You are correct the Corvette had it as well. However, comparing the trucks to the LT in the Vette/Camaro would be incorrect, as those are an iron block in the trucks, vs. the aluminum in the cars.
@@devilsreject5343 sorry I should gave clarified. I was referring to the Silverado LS and the Silverado LT engines. I know the LQ4 is a cast iron but I think the LQ9 is forged aluminum? I may be wrong. And I know you were answering the question but I just thought I'd add to it to show that it doesn't matter one is a camaro and one is a vette. Sorry if I made it seem I was doubting you! Lol
Just remember when your going to an LSX build route, besides the obvious Cast Iron Block, it will have a higher Deck Height as GM puts more up top as well as longer sleeves so you can build some nice Stroker motors. Now you'll have a lot of options with this block, but keep in mind that you have to factor in the increased deck height when buying headers and fitting under the hoods of some vehicles. Off the shelf headers probably won't fit with the increased deck height.
So the new direct injection is better.... I get it... but my question is if I find a used 6.2 or any newer direct injection engine can I pull the LT head's and intake off and bolt my LS head's and intake on.... I don't have the newer intake so I'd rather just use what I have because it seems like it would be a nightmare to convert a LS over to a LT as far as the wiring and the computer.... I doubt my LS computer will work but if I'm wrong someone school me on this please
NO Among other things, the intake and exhaust valves are reversed on the Gen V LT1 95% of LS parts are not direct swat with the new LT1/LT4. Your LS ECM is not designed to run direct injection.
Very good info. I'm not in the market but if I was, I worry about long term quality. GM products have and getting a worse reliability problems. I was a Chevy die hard since 1970 to 1988. Just Toyota's for me since. Good maintenance and they last forever.
@Sho Dog bunch of reasons... aftermarket support is going to be much more on the LS . Cost for any of the stuff on LT's going to be more. Also tunability going to be much cheaper on an LS platform especially because of the direct injection on the LT. that's going to be a big limiting factor the direct injection. Also anything you can do on an LT you can make an LS do. The only place that the LT might shine a little better...is in gas mileage and low-end torque. But the low end torque differences you probably wouldn't even notice.
Dude get in a old big block car. You haven’t felt torque yet with these engines. My BUICK, 455. Has 520+ ft lb, starting down at 2800RPMs. And gets 22 MPG in a 4200lb car. The car is a 69 riviera. The engine is a 73 block and bored .03. Plenty of passing power, good highway cruiser. And if put a hitch on it. It would pull better then my 2004 Denali.
Is anyone out there mixing parts between LS & LT engines yet? The head bolt pattern looks the same, the difference being the locating dowel locations. Is it possible to use an LT bottom end with a LS top end?
I’m sure you found an answer by now, but in case you have not... No, almost nothing swaps from an LS to a Gen V LT1. Valves are reversed, so no on the heads. Cam is different w fuel lobe for High Pressure Fuel Pump, etc, etc
@Nedd Flandersplease educate me. A c7 lt1 comes with some better internals and tuning from the factory than a 2014 camaro ss does correct? Thus the hp difference between the 2 models. Please give me more information than thinking i am wrong. I would like to learn. Thanks in advanced.
Anyone know the weight of the LT1 vs the LS3? No transmission, no exhaust. Any ideas? From what I can read online the average guess is that the LT1 is about 50lbs heavier than the LS3
From what I gather: LS3 = 418lbs LT1 = 465lbs Weights on engines are tough to nail down because they publish different weights at times. Sometimes it’s the dry weight, sometimes without accessories, sometimes without the flywheel/flex plate. Not sure why the Gen 5 LT1 would actually weight 11% more than an LS3 in real life. Maybe it’s the increased gusseting around the cylinder liners?
@@kyleallen3857 thanks for the response. It’s definitely hard to nail down, and I know that everytime we search for info on that, it often feels like apples to oranges, unless you actually have the equipment and can select all accessories and put it on your own scale. I think the biggest reason is probably the variable valve timing system. I’m not really sure what hardware that actually is, but I imagine it would weigh more than the LS’s simpler system. Maybe direct injection, so whatever extra fuel pump you need? Yeah, idk. Doesn’t really seem like that should all add up to 50bs, maybe 25, but not 50. Who knows!
@@rabidlenny7221 It’s not the VVT. That’s maybe one pound. You will laugh when you see what it’s actually composed of. www.superchevy.com/how-to/engines-drivetrain/1808-advantages-of-vvt-cam-in-gen-iv-v-engine/ The High Pressure Fuel Pump for the Direct Injection maybe weighs 1 1/2 lbs
History has taught me to be leary of new engine technology until after a few years of proving itself. The great thing about LS engines is they’re proven.
Lt1 team American Racing Headers x pipe . Dsx E85 Flex Fuel Kit , rotoFab CAI , Motorad Thermostat, Callies Ultra Beam Rods and WiseCo Forged Pistons, CamMotionCam , Johnson Lifters , C5R Chain , VVT Lock Out , ARP Bolts and Studs , Brian Tooley Lifter Trays And Valve Train Components, Valves Springs, DOD Plugs, Head Gasket and Head Bolts
Over head valve????? Lol No and over head Cam is what you were probably thinking about and it's not that either!! The LS3 is actually just a great pushrod engine just as the LT1
Boy if only that confidence was backed up by knowledge. These are OHV engines. OHV is basically a redundant term on modern Piston engines but it's not inaccurate. This is as opposed to old flathead engines with valves in the block. Here ya go en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhead_valve_engine
do you know why there’s always Jeeps in his videos? Because Robbie’s company, Motech, is specialized and keeps themselves quite busy swapping LS’s and LT’s into: Wranglers. their website is LSWrangler.com, and they’ve done hundreds, (probably well over 500 by now?) of custom LS & LT swaps into Jeeps. I had them put an LT1 and 8L90 into my 4-door Wrangler Rubicon, and the difference is amazing!! can’t imagine ever going back to the OEM’s cute little 3.6L.... noting like a >70% increase in HP & torque to make your Jeep drive the way it SHOULD drive.... and until they start offering V8’s in Wranglers, there will be a market for companies like Motech.