SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/839461
LS ENGINE PERFORMANCE PARTS By Candace Wittrock The GM LS small-block engine is one of the most popular power plants used in a variety of off-road racing categories. With a wide variety of engine displacements and cylinder head combinations for these engines, there’s an abundance of performance products available that can make them much more powerful than in their stock configuration. For off-road truck and buggy owners who have an LS engine in their vehicles, here’s a list of some of the many components that can make your LS stronger and more powerful. Holley Performance PLUG-N-PLAY EFI System www.holley.com The Holley HP, EFI Plug-N-Play system is available for one of the most popular engines seeing use in off-road based competition, the GM LS. The HP ECU allows vehicle owners to accurately control the fuel and ignition of the engine, plus much more. The system is simple to use and allows the vehicle owner to easily download a base map and racers are on their way. turbocharged, nitrous fed LS engine, the HP EFI system works within these requirements, as well as engines utilizing water/methanol injection. The HP EFI kits is the same system that comes standard on the Chevrolet COPO Camaro, as well as in other racing series. Holley Performance HYDRAMAT Fuel Pick up www.holley.com The HydraMat is Holley’s patent pending design that solves off-road racer’s problems associated with traditional fuel pick-ups in fuel tanks and racing fuel cells. During hard cornering, acceleration, stopping, inclines, and low fuel conditions, fuel runs away from the fuel pick up introducing air into the system resulting in poor engine performance and even stalling. Surface tension and fluid wicking allow the HydraMat to draw from nearly any area that has contact with fuel and then store it in its internal reservoir. As an area of the HydraMat is uncovered, tiny media pores of the seal off through surface tension, forcing fuel to be contained in the reservoir and drawn from other areas of the mat where fuel continues to be available. The sheer size and coverage area of the HydraMat allows it to pull fuel from virtually any area in the tank or cell eliminating the need for specialty reservoirs and pick up pumps, reducing cost and complexity. Comp Cams SPR Radius Tip Rocker Arms www.compams.com The latest LS rocker arms from COMP Cams utilize design techniques borrowed from the company’s involvement in professional racing. The SPR line features sculpted, thin-wall construction, a centered multi-radius valve tip that reduces sweep across the valve by 400 percent, and are offered with assembled needle bearing or bushed trunnions. The SPR rocker arms are a direct bolt-on to OEM trunnion stands for GM LS1 and LS3 engines, and are 30 percent stiffer than the baseline OEM rocker design for maximum rigidity and dynamic stability. Comp Cams also added features like a coined nitrided tip to reduce friction, as well as an increased ratio for more lift and area. The SPR rocker arms are interchangeable with stock ratios due to improved dynamics. The SPR LS1 rockers feature a 1.77 straight ratio while LS3 versions are 1.77 offset. Comp Cams FAST® LSXRT™ 102mm High HP Runner Intake Manifold www.compcams.com The latest LS engine intake manifold-and-runner design from FAST provides enthusiasts and racers with additional high-RPM power. The company’s new High HP with 102mm intake runners are now available in a complete all-out race manifold package. Building upon the popular LSXR™ intake manifold, this new LSXRT™ version gives LS3 engines, with rectangle-port cylinder heads, even more plenum volume for all-out racing. Best suited for high-RPM race engines, the Race Manifold creates proven gains of over 30 horsepower over the FAST LS3 Street Manifold at high RPM. The raised 102mm throttle body location optimizes the larger, less restrictive High HP runner design, creating more power. It also clears truck drive accessories. The intake is available with manifold and runners or with the 102mm runner set only. SCAT Enterprises Pro Sport Stroker H-Beam Connecting Rods www.scatenterprises.com SCAT Enterprise’s Pro Sport Stroker H-Beam connecting rods provide additional strength for high compression, nitrous, or supercharged engines. SCAT H-beam connecting rods are manufactured from high-tensile 4340 forged steel and have a special doweled cap for specific cap to rod alignment. All of SCAT’s H-Beams come with ARP #8740 7/16-inch connecting rod cap bolts, with ARP2000 or L19 upgrades available. SCAT Enterprises Forged LS Stroker Crankshaft www.scateterprises.com Stroker LS engines take power to the next level, but require a high-quality crankshaft. SCAT’s forged standard weight crankshafts are designed for street or race engines and are designed to provide the added strength and reliability for high horsepower applications. Made from premium non-twist 4340 forgings, these stroker crankshafts are machined to exact tolerances. Each crank is precision ground and micro-polished, heat treated and ion nitrided. They also come with straight shot and chamfered oil holes and have lightening holes and large radiuses on all of the journals. SCAT LS series cranks are available in 3.622-inch, 4.000-inch, 4.125-inch and 4.250-inch strokes. LT1 and LS7 versions are also available. Trick Flow Active Fuel Management Delete Kits www.trickflow.com Most performance camshafts for are not designed for 2007-14 5.3L-6.2L LS engines equipped with Active Fuel Management (AFM). Trick Flow Active Fuel Management Delete Kits include everything to completely remove the AFM cylinder deactivation hardware from the engine so you can use a “hotter” camshaft. The Standard Delete Kit includes GM LS7 hydraulic roller lifters, a valve lifter guide set, new head bolts, PVC hose, PVC plug, head gaskets, and an engine valley cover. The Upgraded Delete Kit includes everything in the company’s Standard Kit, but replaces the GM LS7 lifters with Trick Flow roller lifter set and adds a timing chain damper, a Chevrolet Performance crankshaft bolt, crankshaft seal, water pump gasket, and front cover gasket. A programmer capable of disabling the AFM software is required for proper engine operation (not included).Trick Flow Variable Valve Timing Delete Kits www.trickflow.com Trick Flow’s Variable Valve Timing (VVT) system is for 2007-14 year model GM LS engines (5.3L-6.2L) that utilize Variable Valve Timing systems. While these systems are great for fuel economy they don’t allow for making maximum horsepower on these engines. These fully engineered Variable Valve Timing Delete Kits include all of the components to add higher-performance camshafts. The featured components include the 4X camshaft gear, sensor, harness, bolt, and bracket, crankshaft gear, and true roller timing chain and damper. Other items in the kit include a LS2/LS3 timing cover, bolts, gasket, seal, camshaft bolts, balancer bolt, and water pump gaskets. A VVT delete kit is also required when removing an Active Fuel Management (AFM) system. Trick Flow GenX® 255 Aluminum Cylinder Heads www.trickflow.com Trick Flow's GenX 255 cylinder heads combine the best features of GM’s LS3 and LS7 cylinder heads. These cylinder heads feature fully CNC competition ported, square port runners with a premium, high resolution surface finish. The valve angles have been changed from 15-degrees to 12-degrees to increase piston-to-valve clearance and allow the use of larger camshafts. Trick Flow includes new rocker rail mounts to accommodate stock-style LS3 1.7 ratio rocker arms. The GenX 255 cylinder heads fit GM LS3 and other LS engines with 4.000-inch and larger cylinder bores and redesigned coolant holes that work with all LS head gasket and engine block combinations.The GenX 255 cylinder heads are available as bare castings, or fully assembled with valves, valve springs, locks, retainers, and guide plates with a choice of steel or titanium retainers. The heads are also available with a choice of standard mounting pattern or a six-bolt mounting pattern for Chevrolet Performance LSX and other aftermarket blocks. Edelbrock E-Force Universal Supercharger www.edelbrock.com Edelbrock’s new E-Force Universal Supercharger systems are designed for use with GM LS engines. This supercharger incorporates the Eaton Twin Vortices Series (TVS) Gen VI rotor assembly, as well as an air to water intercooler system. Torque has been optimized through a unique intake manifold assembly, while low speed fuel economy is retained using an internal bypass valve to reduce parasitic loss. Edelbrock E-Force Systems are designed to provide instant and reliable horsepower with low boost for minimum stress on the engine. Its compact design fits under the stock hood on most applications and complements the clean look of any engine compartment. Edelbrock Edelbrock Victor Pro Series LS Water Pumps www.edelbrock.com Edelbrock Victor Pro water pump (#8895) is an all new design for LS-series racing applications. It features a two-piece cartridge style design with improved symmetrical flow paths that increase coolant flow and reduces parasitic power loss. The two-piece design also allows for easy maintenance in the pits. It measures six-inches from block surface to hub, and features a relocated thermostat housing on the top. It is a standard clockwise rotation pump, designed to accommodate racers using an accessory drive setup. The cartridge assembly includes a lightweight 3.45-inch impeller made of precision machined A356 permanent mold cast aluminum. Its features a severe duty O-ring that ensures a leak-free seal. Air Flow Research MONGOOSE LS Cylinder Heads www.airflowresearch.com AFR MONGOOSE LS cylinder heads are completely 5-AXIS CNC ported and are CARB Certified (EO #D-250-4), for vehicles model year 2004 or older. Made with A356 aluminum, these cylinder heads come with high quality components, such as titanium retainers, Pac Racing Springs, and are available in runner volumes from 210cc, 215cc, 230cc, 245cc and 260cc. Component upgrades and different machining options are available to customize the MONGOOSE LS heads for specific builds. Air Flow Research MONGOOSE 260cc Cylinder Heads www.airflowresearch.com AFR’s 260cc MONGOOSE heads are the ultimate rectangular port design for the LS3 and L99 engines. They feature a 100-percent CNC ported intake, exhaust, and combustion chambers. The cylinder heads are made from A356 aluminum castings, and feature titanium retainers and high quality components. Designed for applications using a 4.000-inch or larger bore size, up to 454 cubic inches, and operating and 7,000 RPM. CARB approval is pending for GM vehicles from 2008 to 2015.