The LS2 crate engine has been constantly evolving. Find out what is new.

The LS2 crate engine has power adding features that favor a more efficient cam with a couple of CNC-ported cylinder-heads. For the cam-side of the performance enhancement, an XER281HR grind is usually appropriate. This dual-pattern division offers a 0.595 - 0.598 inch lift-split, a two thirty two to two thirty four degrees duration split, and a one hundred and twelve degree lobe-separation speculative angle. While it may be expected that the extra lift would pay big with the ported-heads, it may be necessary to observe how the new cam may perform in a paired situation with the production LS2 crate engine castings.

Before getting the new cam running, it is essential to reestablished baseline with a milder XR265HR grind. Being thus equipped, the LS2 crate engine produced four hundred and eighty six horses, about fifteen shy the five oh one horse maximum reached in previous instances. With timing sweeps, a compression test, and even air/fuel sweeps some disparity may be ascertained. If nothing out of the ordinary is elucidated, the difference may be summated to the reality that prior test sessions may have taken place under different dynamics. However, the main point being power gains, these details and absolute numbers may be inconsequential.

The cam-swap may be completed rapidly as Gen III changes are not complicated on the engine-dyno with the result being the cue to tune. After duplication of the air/fuel & timing curves utilized with the lesser cam, the resultant effect is a rewarding peak-reading of five hundred and thirty horsepower. The XER281HR presents extra power from four thousand two hundred revs per minute and upwards, losing just marginal pounds per foot of torque under that point. Considering the additional forty four peak HP, this may just as well be a fair trade.

With regards to the cylinder heads, removal of the production LS2 crate engine parts is possible with subsequent replacement with unused ported versions from TEA, Total Engine Airflow. This will then increase intake & exhaust flow to three hundred and forty cfm and two hundred and sixty three cfm, respectively.

Because this CNC work augments the dimension of the combustion compartment, it is essential to mill the TEA heads so as to reproduce the plant compression ratio. Regrettably, if this step is absent, compression is effectively abridged by as greatly as zero point five points as compared to our preceding tests. This then probably reduces the effective horsepower output by between eight and ten horsepower when progressing on the revs per minute range test.