iron heads, most LS engines use a
lightweight aluminum block and
cylinder heads. Even the intake
manifold on production-based LS
engines is made of featherweight
plastic, which is lighter than many
performance aluminum manifolds
used on other types of engines.
In an off-road racing vehicle, a
lighter engine not only reduces
the vehicle's overall weight, it
can improve the front-to-rear
weight balance, which enhances performance and handling.
And thanks to its cam-in-block
architecture, an LS engine is also
surprisingly compact, much more
so than overhead-cam V-8s.
This means that there's room
for it in many different chassis
combinations. In fact, the overall
space it consumes is comparable
to many six-cylinder engines and
even a number of four-cylinders.
Of course, low mass and a
comparatively small footprint
