The LS engine series debuted in the year 1997 and its manufacturer, General Motors, referred to the first model as Gen III Small-Block. Here, the iron-block version was used in trucks while the all-aluminum LS1 used in the new C5 Corvette. The LS engine series can be referred to as a new design meant for V8 engines implemented by General Motors’ line of RWD cars and trucks.

In a car engine, LS stands for luxury sport, meaning it is majorly used in high-end cars that offer great performance like the Chevrolet. In a Chevy, the LS engine is the main V8 mainly used in General Motors’ line of rear-wheel-drive cars.

Reasons to Choose Chevrolet LS Engines

Chevrolet LS engines offer exceptional performance making them a go-to for anyone looking for LS engines. This part of the article gives reasons to consider Chevrolet LS engines over others.

Offer High Performance

The reasoning behind the word luxury sport (LS) is to create a sporting engine that is mostly used for luxurious reasons. This was the idea behind creating LS engines. Chevrolet designed LS engines that offer great horsepower and torque. Their heads flow at 300+ cfm, similar to NASCAR at that time. Chevy achieved this through modern technology to test different port lengths and come up with the best performing head design.

Chevy also designed the best intake manifold using the same technology. Their goal was to make an LS engine that produces usable power quite low in the RPMs but decent power up high. In addition to this, they highly focused on the cam size to create a massive cam core that can fit a .600+ lift cam, which will not be too harsh on your motor. Chevy LS engines respond to modifications quite well and even an intake or exhaust should gain you a lot of HP because a simple head/cap swap has been known to add over 100HP.

Very Strong

Chevy LS engines are quite solid. The car model, Chevrolet paid a lot of attention into making a strong engine because they understood that the strength of the block would be crucial. General Motors made the Gen III LS engine like a Y block, which increases the rigidity of the engine. Other blocks did not have this kind of design, meaning their new LS engine was superior.

The Y-block design enables these engines to be fitted with 6-bolt main caps on the crankshaft. There will be two bolts fitted horizontally and four of them fitted vertically. This design is referred to as the snap-fit cross bolting and it leads to great block rigidity in the crankshaft and overall block. Apart from this, Chevrolet also went ahead to create a strong top end too. They did this by designing the block to allow for more head bolts, which go deep into the block.

The Price

LS engines were put in very many cars, meaning there is an overabundance of these engines. Due to this, the prices are quite low because the demand can easily be matched by the supply. The rise of LS swaps has also led to the continued reduction of these prices because one can easily walk into a junkyard and get a good LS engine in just a couple of minutes.

Replacement parts are also quite cheap because Chevrolet is a huge manufacturer in the United States and many other companies make parts for their products.

Size

Although LS engines offer high performance and are very strong, these engines are also lightweight. For instance, a Miata 1.8L weights 340lbs while an LS engine weighs around 460lbs. This means that by fitting an LS engine into your car, it will not increase the weight that much. The LS engine has smaller proportions compared to its competitors. This makes it quite easy to do a swap into your car with small engine sections.

Despite this, LS engines are quite compact because of their pusrod design plus other contemporary designs used during the designing of the engine block. This unique design cannot be seen other modern engines fitted with overhead cams. Although you can have better performance and economy when using an overhead cam, the cost will be higher and you will have a heavier engine.

Luxury Sport (LS) engines are the main V8 engines used in General Motors’ line of rear-wheel-drive cars. These engines are quite powerful, strong, and lightweight, making them a go-to for many car enthusiasts that love a mix of luxury and performance.