iroc22

Ok I wanna know is the LT4 really more powerful than the LS1, and was it because GM new the LS1 was debuting the next year and they wanted to tone down the LT4 so the LS1 would sell? LT4 trap speeds seem really high.

SurfnSun

I feel the LS1 is a better motor. Just look at the mods vs performance and you'll see the LS1 has way more potential, although it is choked from the factory.

Dan Parker '96

Normally.. newer is better. It just takes modders a little while to exploit it.


[Modified by Dan Parker '96, 6:20 PM 4/11/2002]

Mr Mojo

Stock for stock, my LT1 was beating LS1's. I was beating some LT4's also, but that may be due more to driving experience..

Both LT4 and LS1 have a lot of potential, I would rather have teh LS1 ignition system, somene somewhere has done this conversion an a LT1, I wish I could see it in person.

Sixguns

Many LS1 cars are auto shift with a choice of gear ratios, not so with the six speed only LT4, so were not always makeing a fair comparison. The LT4 will achieve a higher number of torque sooner than the LS1 but the LS1 will achieve its max Torque at a lower RPM...I think the two are a dead heat. No way do I buy off on GM under rateing the LT4 so they could sell C5's.. That is just an old wives tale told by C4 owners..Did GM get all they could from the LT1 with the LT4? We will never know. But the LS6 is proof of the LS1 potential. is there more left? lets wait and see.

scorp508

Stock for stock....

The LT4 was stronger than the '97 LS1. In fact I think it could hold it's own up until the '99 or '00 LS1.

Mr Mojo

More likely the '00, but I think "01 was when the LS1 really took off(stock anyway).

ZD1

my 2 cents

The LT4 is the missing link in motors. It has high ports much like the vortec, fastburn and LS1. Yet is reverse coolant flow and wieghs the same as the LT1 is heavier than the L98. The LT4 does enjoy the upper region more with the redline at 6800! while the LS1 is less at 62-6400?

The LS1 is the evolution of the SBC. All aluminum block and heads make for a lighter power plant. Higher ports than any other heads promising high end flow while low speed torque is still present. The resulting engine has fat flat torque allowing 3-4 different gears at most gears. (I'm the guy doing 35 MPH in 6th!!! and 3rd at 90!!!!)

In a stock battle either LT4 or LS1 would be a good choice, but the drive train has got to match the motor.

In a $/HP war I'd gladly start with the LT4 rather than the LS1. Starting with stroker kits the easy winner is the LT4 396 over the Lunati LS1 383 kits and so on and so on.

mackeyred96

LS1 is a better motor.

iroc22

ok does anyone have some 1/4 times for a stock LT4, or lightly modified?

Mr Mojo

Patrick96LT4 had run 12.8x I believe and Eric Fischer has gone way better than that with a hotcam and some other little things.

Canuck

yoslambo1@cs.com

[Modified by yoslambo1@cs.com, 12:00 AM 4/12/2002]

rcolling

Straight off the show room floor they dyno at almost the same #s. At the track LS1s with an airflow only mod are running in the high 12s. If you had your choice now, get the LS1. Since there are so many more of them means more mods and more support. (Unless you get one that guzzles oil) :smash:

GlockLT4

An all aluminum block is better. However you can't bore that thing much, so then iron looks better :crazy: .

I like the LT1/LT4 personally because of the fact you can take them to 408 or even higher. You cannot do that with an LS1. More cubes the better :yesnod: :yesnod:


[Modified by Glock'94, 2:47 AM 4/12/2002]

zelement

IMHO: If you are looking at it from a tuner's perspective, the LS-1 is better by far. If you look at the hp # of some of these stroked LS-1 and LS-6s, they are making more horsepower than big blocks! Just not the torque.

Stock vs. Stock. very very close, still LS-1s have a slight edge.

Half Fast

When the LS1 came out they were pretty much equal in power to the LT4.
Stock or lightly modded the newer LS1's and LS6's are better, higher revving engines. I suspect they are underrated if any thing now. If I were building a motor I'd rather start with an LT1/4. Cheaper for more cubes and that's where the power is. :chevy

TracerX

You have the option of going well over 400ci with the LS1 and even have the option of an iron block. I am running an Iron block LS1 in my 99 Trans am. I went with a 408ci displacement, could have gone much larger but I wanted to keep as much thickness for a heavy nitrous shot :yesnod:

I love the LS1 all aluminum motor in my 84 Vette also :cool:

Nathan Plemons

The LS1 is a fine motor. It doesn't take much of anything to get it down to 12 second territory. The intake and heads are simply a superior design. If you could adapt the port design of the LS1 head onto an LT1/LT4 it would perform just as well.

There are pros and cons to both motor styles which have to be considered.
The LS1 eliminates the opti spark, ok, but it has 8 chances for an ignition coil to go bad. The LS1 is lighter, but if you go with a large stroker you have to go with an iron block so it ceases to be lighter. It makes good power, but it does it higher in the RPM range so it will feel more sluggish off the line. The list goes on and on. Ever price a cam for an LS1? $500 minimum from all the mail order places, while you can get a cam for an LT1 for as little as $190.

Sure I've been beat by my share of LS1's, but I've also beaten my share of Ls1's. In general newer is better, but it all depends on your application. IMHO the LS1 just doesn't look as pretty. Sure the vette covers it up with the fuel rail covers, but all those coils and the associated wiring just makes for a nasty looking motor. Then again what does it matter what it looks like under the hood if you are stuck looking at tail lights?

MVR 155

My GS when it was bone stock ran a best of 12.89@109MPH with around 5000 miles on it.