Quote:
Originally Posted by 1982camaro
i have been thinking about the reliability of the LS3 engine as a daily driver. For some reason this engine seems more like a weekend toy type of engine that is only for 1 or 2 days a week.
is there any issues and how many miles can these engines last with proper maintenance? and how have they done being driven 7 days a week?
i thought that the 23 mpg rating was for the manual also but cylinder shutoff only works on autos. What should the epa be for a manual SS?
And why is it such a huge engine at 6.2 liters? Did GM really need that much size to make 420 horses? I heard Ford can do 400 HP with just 5.0 liters.
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Just curious as to what you're basing your conclusion on when you say "for some reason" the LS3 is a "1 or 2 day/week "toy"?
You gotta know that the LSx motors are rock solid and a great example of American engineering. The engine has only 2 enemies - water and mechanical over-revving.
My friend is the original owner of his '98 T/A that he has used from day 1 as his daily driver - winter and summer (He lives in Ottawa, Canada). The car has over 325,000 km. on the clock (203,000+ mi) and the engine (completely stock) has never been cracked open! The car has seen its share of autoX events and track days...
Routine maintenance according to the book, coupled with not abusing these engines (i.e. flooring the gas pedal when the engine is cold!) adds up to solid dependability and long engine life.
As well, it appears that when the new Ford 5.0 V8 engine finds its way into the Mustang for the 2010 MY, it will be making somewhere between 325 and 350 HP - not 400 HP as you suggest.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/next-gen...t-engines.html
Even if it does make 350 HP, there is perhaps a 1 HP/liter difference in output between the LS3 (depending on which version you compare) and the new Ford engine(with 3 valves/cylinder vs. the LS3's 2 valve engine?).
The question is, will Ford be able to match the 6.2 L engine's fuel economy with their 5.0 L engine?
... and who knows what the LS3 might be rated at by the time Ford's new engine hits the streets?
Best regardSS,
Elie