LS3 details released.

[crYnOid]

These details are for the 2008 Corvette but I'm sure HSV will have to run the LS3 due to it superceding the LS2.


Engine – A new, 6.2L LS3 small-block V-8 is the standard engine in Coupe and Convertible models. It is rated at 430 horsepower (321 kW)* and 424 lb.-ft. of torque (586 Nm)* with the standard exhaust system; with the new, optional two-mode exhaust system, power ratings increase to 436 horses / 325 kW and 428 lb.-ft. / 592 Nm. As a result, the standard Corvette is true supercar, capable of 190 mph. The LS3 with the six-speed paddle-shift automatic is the fastest automatic-equipped Corvette ever, with 0-60 mph capability of 4.3 seconds.

This new iteration of the storied small-block family features a revised, larger-bore cylinder block – 4.06-inch / 103.25 mm vs. the previous 6.0L’s 4.00-inch / 101.62 mm bores – high-flow, LS7/L92-style cylinder heads; larger-diameter pistons; revised camshaft and camshaft timing; revised valvetrain with offset intake rocker arms; high-flow intake manifold; high-flow fuel injectors from the Z06’s LS7 engine; and a new engine beauty cover.

The LS3 features an aluminum cylinder block with cast iron cylinder liners. In addition to its larger bores, which help create a 376-cubic-inch displacement, the block casting also features revisions and machining in the bulkheads that enhance its strength and improved bay to bay breathing. But while the bore of the 6.2L engine is increased when compared with the previous 6.0L engine, the engine’s stroke remains at 3.62 inches (92 mm). The pistons for the larger 6.2L engine also are new and are designed for its high-rpm performance capability.

Breathing for the new 6.2L engine is accomplished via new, high-flow cylinder heads. They’re based on the large port/large valve design found on the LS7 engine and other GM L92 engines, with larger-capacity, straighter intake ports. The design optimizes intake flow to the combustion chamber and the exhaust ports are also designed for better flow.

Complementing the larger-port design of the heads are commensurately sized valves. The intake valve size alone increases from 2.00 inches (50.8 mm) to 2.16 inches (55 mm) – an increase of nearly 9 percent. The intake valves feature lightweight hollow stems, which enable the engine’s 6,600-rpm capability. The exhaust valves also are large, measuring 1.60 inches (40.4 mm) in diameter.

To accommodate the engine’s large valves and enable more direct intake port flow, the intake-side rocker arms are offset 6 mm between the valve tip and the push rod. Actuating the valves is a new camshaft, with intake-side lobes providing more than a 5-percent percent in increase in lift, from 0.521-inch to 0.551-inch (13.25 mm to 14 mm). Exhaust-valve lift remains unchanged from the LS2. The camshaft timing was revised to optimize performance with the higher-lift intake cam profile.

Ensuring the cylinder heads receive all the air they can handles falls to a new, acoustically tuned intake manifold. The composite design is manufactured with a “lost core” process that improves runner to runner variation and reduces airflow losses. An acoustic foam material is used to reduce radiated engine noise; it is sandwiched between the outer top of the manifold and an additional “skull cap” acoustic shell. Also new beauty covers atop the engine shield the rocker covers and also feature a noise-reducing, acoustically tuned insert to provide a more refined engine sound.


Engines
6.2L V-8 LS3


Displacement (cu in / cc):
376 / 6162


Bore & stroke (in / mm):
4.06 x 3.62 / 103.25 x 92


Block material:
cast aluminum


Cylinder head material:
cast aluminum


Valvetrain:
overhead valve, 2 valves per cylinder


Fuel delivery:
SFI (sequential fuel injection)


Compression ratio:
10.7:1


Horsepower
(hp / kW @ rpm):
430 / 321 @ 5900* w/ std. exhaust
436 / 325 @ 5900* w/ opt. exhaust


Torque (lb-ft / Nm @ rpm):
424 / 575 @ 4600* w/ std. exhaust
428 / 580 @ 4600* w/ opt. exhaust


Recommended fuel:
premium recommended but not required

[HSVJPL]

HSV E series II gets the LS3, durability testing in already underway in mules.

[CV860L]

I remember Pickles mentioning a "big surprise" from HSV at this years Motor Show in October (I have secretly had my fingers crossed that it would be an LS7) maybe this is the "big surprise".
Any increase in cubic inches or horsepower/torque is fine with me :idea:

[JBonDSS]

It sounds like the L92 that in the Chev trucks with a L76 manifold, given a new name for HSV consumption. but a very nice base :)

4.00" crank =416ci or 4.10" crank = 454CI :)

cheers

[Tre-Cool]

HSV E series II gets the LS3, durability testing in already underway in mules.

You would certainly hope so, considering they should have done it before they released the first series.

lol to all those that baught one. Gonna be VT series 2 days all over again.

ripped

[[Mitch]]

Might have to put off my E-Series purchase till later on. Any idea on when the Series II will be released?

[lowriding]

not really ripped. it's rated @ 321kw ,they are at 307kw now. Ls1 VT went from 195kw-215kw to a detuned VT2 250kw overnight . The LS3 sounds like an evolution

[HSV,_I_GOT_ONE]

Ok bigger displacement yes its cool. But bloody hell how many engine changes are they going to go through??? How old is the LS2? 4 or 3 years? Engines are supposed to be cycled over a decade not over months. Maybe I'm just jealous :(
But in all seriousness I bought the LS1 pretty much on the premise that the old 5L was around for a very long time thinking the LS1 would be around for a while too but boy was I wrong!

[Tre-Cool]

I look at it in the sense of what engine is going to give the best potential once modified and ls3 is going to win hands down against the ls2.

1) Better heads
2) Better intake manifold
3) More cubes to start with.
4) Bigger block to allow for more cubes with a stroker crank.

It's a win win situation with the ls3.

Hsv should have used the same engine as the ve ss's and put the cam shaft in from the ls2.

the ls3 looks to be a stroked L92 engine.

[Danv8]

Me wanteeeeeee!!!!!!
:yahoo:

[bsbozzy]

They better put something better in the GTS, MRC and a few other options are not enough IMO

[Angelo_XLR8]

They better put something better in the GTS, MRC and a few other options are not enough IMO

bring on a set of thrusters and a chute :-)

[teamkiwi]

HSV E series II gets the LS3, durability testing in already underway in mules.

Isnt it gonna be seen in the Maloo first??? Remember reading it somewhere on here.

Also could make sense to drop it into the GTS And R8 and reintroduce the base Clubsport with the LS2 in it, i recall reading somewhere else that HSV where gonna be re-releasing the clubsport at a later stage @ a cheaper price point, this could be it!:yahoo: Or it could be the release of a supercharged HFV6:yahoo: either all will be fine!!:thumbsup:

[Ridin-High]

Imagine the king of all luxo barges 6.2 grange

[vysandman]

I'm sure HSV will market it as 327....kw !

[Stevotski]

I am going to have a cranky friend who ordered an E-series last week !

[Carby650]

I am going to have a cranky friend who ordered an E-series last week !

Maybe, but he has still got a bloody good engine.
Whenever we buy a new car we know that within 12-18months there will always be an upgrade or improvement.
Just some upgrades are bigger then others.

cheers
Carby650

[pushrod4life]

Isnt it gonna be seen in the Maloo first??? Remember reading it somewhere on here.

Also could make sense to drop it into the GTS And R8 and reintroduce the base Clubsport with the LS2 in it, i recall reading somewhere else that HSV where gonna be re-releasing the clubsport at a later stage @ a cheaper price point, this could be it!:yahoo: Or it could be the release of a supercharged HFV6:yahoo: either all will be fine!!:thumbsup:

The XU6 will rise again! :thumbsup:

How about the GTS-R returning with 373/375kw (actually what was the engine used in the concept model? Stroked LS2?) and the other V8 models getting 237kw variants? And how about a.....hmm *thinks of ideal power for XU6* :idea:

[Vulture]

Another thing to keep in mind for those who are jealous is that the after-market side of things takes a good 12-18 months to really come on line. An LS2 and even an LS1 is still a brilliant engine for those wanting to fiddle as the upgrade pathway is well-trodden.

[Alex(AUS)]

When does LS2 production stop?

Alex

[Marco]

325 odd killowatts sounds like just the thing HSV needs to properly differentiate its products from the SS and SS V - at the moment I look at the Clubsport in particular and can't see where the extra money goes (cloth seats?!)

[Alex(AUS)]

325 odd killowatts sounds like just the thing HSV needs to properly differentiate its products from the SS and SS V - at the moment I look at the Clubsport in particular and can't see where the extra money goes (cloth seats?!)

Yes ... but I heard that the Holden range is also getting it ... perhaps in detuned form?

This is the reasoning I followed when I purchased the Senator.

- Brakes
- Wheels
- MRC
- Body Kit
- Engine
- Calibration (Engine, Gearbox, Stability Control)
- Headers
- Side Vents
- Rear Lights
- Interior
- Guages
- Engine beauty cover
- Cluster
- All the crap HSV sends you

Whats all that worth? Is it worth the extra cash as comapred to a Calais V?

Alex

[Vulture]

Whats all that worth? Is it worth the extra cash as comapred to a Calais V?

Probably, particularly if you are not going to mod it much.

[Alex(AUS)]

Probably, particularly if you are not going to mod it much.

Yeah no mods ...

Or maybe accidentally slip on one of the new Harrop chargers on it. ;)

Alex

[Vulture]

Yeah no mods ...

Or maybe accidentally slip on one of the new Harrop chargers on it. ;)

Alex

:lol: you could nose it in at a forum sponsor's garage and come back in a week and see what has been accidentally grafted onto it...

[Alex(AUS)]

:lol: you could nose it in at a forum sponsor's garage and come back in a week and see what has been accidentally grafted onto it...

Well I like the sound of the supercharger because it is easy to fit and remove and comes with injector rails / injectors ... it is a "bolt-on" mod :D You know nothing too drastic ... if it can push out 350rwkw on say 6psi (or as low as possible) it should be enough for a run to the shops.

I might order one and give it a go one saturday morning ... I have done it before so it wont be the first time.

Alex

[Rad Kane]

All sounds very promising.

Maybe this will go into the standard HSV's and the GTS will be blessed with the LS7??

Oh, I better stop dreaming.

[jasper361]

Gees they are pretty impresive power figures, you have got to wonder when the battle of power will ever stop! ....... Hopefully NEVER !!!

[GEN III]

Gees they are pretty impresive power figures, you have got to wonder when the battle of power will ever stop! ....... Hopefully NEVER !!!

It will when ACA and TT start capturing images of them wrapped around trees and poles.

[planetdavo]

You would certainly hope so, considering they should have done it before they released the first series.

lol to all those that baught one. Gonna be VT series 2 days all over again.

ripped
There aren't too many people around that are unhappy with the performance of the HSV E series LS2.
If this story is actually true, it's hardly another VT2 LS1 upgrade in the making....


325 odd killowatts sounds like just the thing HSV needs to properly differentiate its products from the SS and SS V - at the moment I look at the Clubsport in particular and can't see where the extra money goes (cloth seats?!)

VT2 SS 220kW. HSV 250kW (non GTS in all cases).
VX SS 225kW. HSV 255kW.
VY1 SS 235kW. HSV1 260kW.
VE SS 270kW. HSV 307kW.
E series really isn't any different to how it's always been...

[[J]]

This is really exciting stuff. Sounds like another jump in torque and power which is never a bad thing. I wonder when it will be released for the series 2?

Plus anything that makes the value of LS1 and LS2 crate engines go down is a good thing for any project car builder. Bring on the supercedes!! :bday:

Sparky

[mustanger]

This won`t be out for another 18 months so lets not get too excited

[Alex(AUS)]

This won`t be out for another 18 months so lets not get too excited

How do you know that? Is this specific information or a guess? From what I have read the LS2 is about to stop production early next year and the LS3 is going ahead in the Corvette right now ...

Personally, I hope that it takes quite some time so that we can enjoy the latest for a while but progress is also good.

Thanks,

Alex

[GHZ28]

This won`t be out for another 18 months so lets not get too excited

You have to remember that the new year model is released in September in the US.

So only 4 months until these are on the showroom floor over there.

Even here now the new year VIN series start in September/October.

gh

[spank]

Imagine the king of all luxo barges 6.2 grange

im already there, imagining that is!

[Rad Kane]

This won`t be out for another 18 months so lets not get too excited

I hope you're wrong (not commenting this in a nasty way).

I think we are well overdue for the LS7.

[VYBerlinaV8]

Wow, Holden / HSV sure have gone through a lot of engine and tune combinations. The second hand market is starting to look niiiiiiice.

[NickS]

You would certainly hope so, considering they should have done it before they released the first series.

lol to all those that baught one. Gonna be VT series 2 days all over again.

ripped

Laugh all you want ...

I have an Evoke GTS (which you can't get anymore) putting out more than enough power, LS3 = big deal. For our purposes I'd take Evoke with an LS2 before any other colour with an LS3.

I see this as a change for the sake of changing, hardly ground breaking advances.

[SLugg]

same heads as on the L76 and L98 so hopefully this means better cams from the factory for us ...:yahoo:

[mac06]

I have an Evoke GTS (which you can't get anymore) .

I know this is off topic, but I keep hearing here that Evoke is a deleted colour. Is this just HSV or VE in general? Holden are still building VE in Evoke, so can't fathom where this information has come from. It's never been available in SV6, SS or SS-V if that's what's meant.

[Alex(AUS)]

You would certainly hope so, considering they should have done it before they released the first series.

lol to all those that baught one. Gonna be VT series 2 days all over again.

ripped

Hardly ... it is a 17kw and 25Nm increase on an engine that is starting with 307kw ... that is only just over 5%! I have seen the dyno charts and the torque on average is only around 17Nm better through the curve ... basically a spike to achieve the 25Nm.

The VT2 HSV jumped from 195kw (was there a 215?) to 250. That is almost a 30% increase ... or 6 times worse than now.

Alex

[HSVJPL]

Laugh all you want ...

I see this as a change for the sake of changing, hardly ground breaking advances.

Hardly a change for the sake of it, 383 cubes, new generation high port heads and a larger cam.

This engine will respond incredibly to mods, I know which one I would prefer.

[V-Car]

I see this as a change for the sake of changing, hardly ground breaking advances.

Sure, the LS2 was an ok engine, but nothing ground breaking when compared to other engines in the Gen IV family, and if it was so good, why did it have the shortest run of any engine in Corvette's history, except for the old Blue Flame 6 back in the 50's.
I think it was a hyped up marketing excercise because HSV used it and wanted it to be perceived as something different and exclusive above the regular Holden engines.
It was only the base engine in Corvette's...the LS7 was the performance choice.
Its been well documented that there was much more potential in the ordinary L76 and L98.

[NickS]

Hardly a change for the sake of it, 383 cubes, new generation high port heads and a larger cam.

This engine will respond incredibly to mods, I know which one I would prefer.

Fair enough ... but I think you missed my point. Our GTS is used by wife, she takes the kids to school & sport in it. 99% of the time I drive it I have the wife and kids with me. The LS2 after the tune / CAI & exhaust is more than we could ever need for what we use the car for.

I think there are too many big power cars out there when people start to think that something putting out around 350kw isn't enough and needs to be improved. The great majority of HSV never get modified, so the change from LS2 to LS3 is really no big deal.

If you want to modify the car and get HUGE power then it's great that you will be able to get bigger numbers out of the LS3, for me the LS2 has more than enough to drive the family around.

[vxls1]

I agree with you on that one Nick.

Have both a ls1 sv8 and ls2 maloo and stuffed if i could tell the difference in day to day driving. Most of these cars sold are lucky to be modified at all or a few bolt ons and maybe a tune.

Am certainly not worried about my old LS1 being superseded by L76, L98 and HSVs LS2 and now the LS3. A good LS1 with a few simple mods and tune is still more than capable.

Cheers

[TTVYSS]

Fair enough ... but I think you missed my point. Our GTS is used by wife, she takes the kids to school & sport in it. 99% of the time I drive it I have the wife and kids with me. The LS2 after the tune / CAI & exhaust is more than we could ever need for what we use the car for.

I think there are too many big power cars out there when people start to think that something putting out around 350kw isn't enough and needs to be improved. The great majority of HSV never get modified, so the change from LS2 to LS3 is really no big deal.

If you want to modify the car and get HUGE power then it's great that you will be able to get bigger numbers out of the LS3, for me the LS2 has more than enough to drive the family around.

Well said! Would love to see the power potential of the LS3 though........

[Ghosn]

A few people have mentioned that it's only a small power increase etc... I guess another way to look at it is usually with engine upgrades comes suspension and chassis upgrades/tweaking so as a whole in terms of performance, it should add up to be a greater gap.

[lowriding]

most likely the most significant change is one we overlook . Emissions is the new driving force behind engine changes ,particularly in th US at the moment.:idea: LS3 has probably moved the goalposts forward significantly in this area and they tidied up the rest while they were at it.?

[HRT 8]

and the GTS will be blessed with the LS7??

Oh, I better stop dreaming.
Dreaming? Maybe not. :idea:

[Alex(AUS)]

Sure, the LS2 was an ok engine, but nothing ground breaking when compared to other engines in the Gen IV family

Yes, yes as everyone keeps saying but at the end of the day there is less than 10% in it and that is with some quite wild cams that arent streetable (for most). Furthermore, the TT kits going around are getting no difference in power output between LS2 and L92 (both engines have the same capacity ... L92 has better head and intake, LS2 has better cam). So at the end of the day it is just a lot of talk with bugger all difference ... 10% is not even worth mentioning ... most tunes will get you more than that ... and the LS3 makes only 5% more even though it is 200cc larger in capacity.

Alex

[RedVYIISS]

IAm certainly not worried about my old LS1 being superseded by L76, L98 and HSVs LS2 and now the LS3. A good LS1 with a few simple mods and tune is still more than capable. Cheers

Yep, that's it, a few simple mods. I still find my 500 rwHp LS1 is 'adequate'. I don't feel as though I should go out and buy a L98/LS2 or wait for an LS3.

[Crispy]

i dont really care wat they market it as...... As long as it means more power that good with me!!!!