LS vs LT Engine, Who Wins The Battle?
The LS and LT are among the most popular engines in the world. These small-block V8s have established their own dominance. There are numerous advocates for each engine. However, which one is correct? Let us find out.
LS Engine
The LS1 engine made its debut in 1997 in the Corvette C5. As far as ‘LS’ nomenclature is concerned, it was adopted for Gen III engines, the LS1. General Motors spent around 1.2 Billion dollars on its development. It tried to sideline Ford’s DHOC engine with the push-rod V8 setup of the LS1 engine. It was a risky move but it did end up paying them off quite well.
That being said, it is easier to get your hands on a LS engine as it has been being produced for a longer period of time. Furthemore, they are also more affordable than LT engines. Meanwhile, LS engines like LS1, LS2, LS7 or LS9 does not have displacement on demand (DOD) or active fuel management. You need to get LS engines that are made after 2007 for DOD.
Moreover, the LS engines are preferred for swapping since aftermarket has had time to transition to make the swap kits readily available for them. So even swapping in those old cars in at your home would be cheaper, faster, and easier.
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LT engine
The 2014 C7 Corvette was powered by the new LT Gen V engine. The LT1 engine came with some obvious advantages. It was more powerful due to the design elements such as gassets around water jacket. That is why the Corvette Z06 with the LT4 engine covers a quarter mile distance in around seven seconds.
Furthermore, the Chevy LT1 engine has VVT and better intake mainfold that allows it to churn out more power. However, it will take more money to modify the LT engine for the same horsepower comparable to the LS engine. Meanwhile, if you are swapping the heart of a a classic car with an Chevrolet LT motor then you would need several major adjustment which could be avoided in the LS. For example, you would need to convert its drive system.
Additionally, installing a supercharger in LT is also a difficult task since you would not want to put a dry sump supercharger instead of a wet sump. Otherwise, problems will keep building up in future. Lastly, market is not ready with all swap kit for LT engine since they were introduced later than LS counterparts.
Differences
Both engines do share some similarities. However, from fuel injection systems to block variations, there are many differences that set them apart. If we can start with the features. The LS engine has a lower ratio compression ratio and is less fuel-efficient than the LT engine. Meanwhile, the LS has high durability and can be easily modified.
The LT and LS share head bolt patterns, deck height, and bore spacing. However, the LT has a direct injection fuel system and two two-stage variable fuel pumps. On the other hand, the LS features a smaller head bolt.
Power generation and block sizes.
When it comes to ponies, you get higher support from LT engines. However, more block variations are offered on LS than LT. The former comes in 4.8L, 5.2L, 6.0L, 6.2L, and 7.0L. With LT, you get 5.3L, 6.2L, and 6.6L variations. Meanwhile, both blocks can have an aluminum or iron construction. In the Vortec series, you will get iron while traditional LS engines are made from aluminum. At the same time, only 6.6L block of the LT series is made from iron.
Which one to go for?
All those gearheads and speed enthusiasts who are trying something raunchy in thier garage for the first time and have little budget then go ahead with the LS. However, if you can afford higher horsepower per dollar rate then LT is all yours. After all, in LT you are handling more modern technology than LS. Finally, depending on the engine variant, the reliabity will be affected. The LS are usually more reliable but Gen IV LS would make a good case for itself.
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