Chevrolet LS Motors: Old Dog, New Tricks

Spend some time in the car community, and get serious about performance and power, and a trend quickly emerges; people put LS motors in everything. Representing the pinnacle, generation after generation, of Chevrolet's gasoline powered V8 motors, almost every gearhead has had some experience with one. Now decades old in design, and based on the small blocks our grandfathers still rave about, they power modern sports cars, pickup trucks, and sport sedans, and can be swapped into about any platform larger than a Fiat. Those uninitiated masses in society, scraping along in their anemic little economy cars, wonder why this motor's use is so prevalent. Simply put, the Chevrolet LS platform plain kicks ass, and for three main reasons. One reason is of course engineering, the second is size, and the third is the "modability" if you will.

As one would expect, engineering is everything when it comes to a high performance motor. More than just displacement and configuration, the engineering of individual motor components and how they interact is where true power is made in this technology heavy era. Being a largely naturally aspirated platform, LS motors need an expert level of engineering to continue to evolve and become increasingly more powerful to keep up in an era of forced induction. When we are talking aspiration and induction, we're talking air, and few motors make better use of it than the LS. A motor needs more air to make more power, and when we dissect an LS we see that everything from the intake manifold, to cylinder heads, to intake ports is designed to flow a whole lot of it. We're talking volume that only race motors used to be able to flow, available in any turnkey LS motor on your showroom. Second in engineering is strength, equally as important for a high performance motor. LS motors are built as a "Y-Block" meaning the angle between each bank of cylinders is much tighter than a traditional V8. This lends inherent strength in creating a thicker cross section in vital areas of the motor. Combine that with six bolt mains, with four down each cylinder bank, and two running across them, and LS motors are virtually bomb-proof. Lastly, especially in regards to the aluminum block models, LS motors are very light. Historically, V8s have been big, heavy motors; about the heftiest you can find in a standard production car. One finds, however, that the LS motor has been engineered in such a way that it's generally no heavier, and in some cases even weighs less than its V6 and I-4 counterparts. One of the primary reasons for this difference is that the LS motor is actually quite compact.

Ford 4.6L DOHC V8 (Left), Chevrolet 5.7L LS1 V8 (Right)

Here we find one of the first big shocks regarding the LS motor; despite displacement, it's a tiny V8. No other motor on the market cam boast such large displacement and massive output in such a small overall package. Take the photo above, in which a Ford Modular V8 severely dwarfs the larger displacement LS1 V8. Why is this important? Motor swaps. You can fit an LS in anything, transforming it into a fire-breathing V8 powered boulevard bully.

Yes, anything...

This is very important for builders, as it represents an easy option for making big power from a swap alone. Merely replacing the stock motor with an LS generally means a big boost in output and reliability, and as mentioned before at little to no weight penalty. Once there, builders find that their newly acquired LS motors also represents one of the most "moddable" platforms in the world.

Entire catalogs have been dedicated to aftermarket parts for the LS motor. Full companies exist exclusively selling and building them. Simply put, the options as far as modifications for an LS are limitless, and they each have a profound impact on the motor's output. Some say it's an expansion of the engineering behind the motor, I like to think it's voodoo, but the LS loves new parts. It's your go to when you need to make big power for little money, and each individual mod represents a giant leap in horsepower and torque. Installed a big camshaft? There's forty horsepower. Threw headers on the car? There's another forty. Giant flashy intake manifold? How about another forty. Don't even get me started on adding forced induction to this platform; the numbers seem ridiculous, not to mention make me jealous. Best of all, it's an amazingly easy motor to work on.

All in all, you have a well engineered, light, compact, easy to mod motor that makes big power and with amazing reliability. On it's face it's no mystery why they've been so successful and for so long. Add in more subjective elements like the vicious sounds they make, the aesthetic beauty of the platform, and the high availability, and you can easily become a convert. If you're not already, find a car with one, roll the windows down, and drive it; drive it hard.

See you on the road,

Alexander