2011 Z28 with 700 hp?

[Hennessey Performance]

Let's assume that GM builds the Z28 and that they utilize the potent LSA supercharged motor from the Cadillac CTS-V. If this happens then there is already a wide variety of proven and potent aftermarket components available for the LSA motor.

HPE has been tweaking the LSA motor in the new CTS-V for the last 10 months and we have built dozens of cars with 600, 650 and over 700 hp. Here are a few examples:









The supercharged LSA motor is the real deal.

[shank0668]

700 would be ok...............

[Mr. Wyndham]

John, very impressive!

What is your opinion on the hypereutectic pistons of the engine? There's a lot of controversy regarding those pieces.

[BoostedSS]

My CTSV was making just under 600rwhp when I got rid of it for the new camaro. Now we all know that the LS engines have been pushed over 700rwhp on stock shortblocks in the past, i know a few locals that have been doing it for years with no problems, but its flirting with disaster and I never personally felt comfortable with it. Especially since you can get a set of good forged rods and pistons for a LSx engine for around $1200 any day of the week, there is no reason to risk blowing your engine up. With that said, the LSA has forged rods, why the hell wouldnt GM have put forged slugs in it to begin with... And I really dont want to hear "noise" as an answer because there are quite a few forged piston factory built cars on the road. In the production phase the price difference between forged and cast is not much at all, not enough to impact selling price. Even if it did though, id rather pay an additional $200 upfront and know I have a shortblock that can take 800-1000hp any day of the week vs having to tear the engine down just to install a set of slugs and some better rod bolts.

My camaro had a LS3 in it when I bought it, it is now sitting on a stand in my garage with 300 miles on it simply because it didnt come with forged slugs and rods. If it did, i would not have built the iron block 408 for it, would not have had a need to.

Wake up GM. Follow fords footsteps for once... its worth it, your customers will thank you.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by BoostedSS

With that said, the LSA has forged rods, why the hell wouldnt GM have put forged slugs in it to begin with... And I really dont want to hear "noise" as an answer because there are quite a few forged piston factory built cars on the road.

If you don't want to hear it, then plug your ears, because that's why they did it. It's was designed as a luxury engine from the start...and the pistons were one of many luxury-focused components....

Originally Posted by BoostedSS

My camaro had a LS3 in it when I bought it, it is now sitting on a stand in my garage with 300 miles on it simply because it didnt come with forged slugs and rods. If it did, i would not have built the iron block 408 for it, would not have had a need to.

Wake up GM. Follow fords footsteps for once... its worth it, your customers will thank you.

That doesn't make any sense. What $30,000 Ford has forged everything in it? And why would any company do that (and increase the production costs of their cars)...when 90% of their customers won't change a thing?

It's not my intent to argue with you in here...I really just want to hear from a professional, what he thinks of the hypereutectic pistons...but those comments were a little out in left-field, I had to reply.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by BoostedSS

My CTSV was making just under 600rwhp when I got rid of it for the new camaro. Now we all know that the LS engines have been pushed over 700rwhp on stock shortblocks in the past, i know a few locals that have been doing it for years with no problems, but its flirting with disaster and I never personally felt comfortable with it. Especially since you can get a set of good forged rods and pistons for a LSx engine for around $1200 any day of the week, there is no reason to risk blowing your engine up. With that said, the LSA has forged rods, why the hell wouldnt GM have put forged slugs in it to begin with... And I really dont want to hear "noise" as an answer because there are quite a few forged piston factory built cars on the road. In the production phase the price difference between forged and cast is not much at all, not enough to impact selling price. Even if it did though, id rather pay an additional $200 upfront and know I have a shortblock that can take 800-1000hp any day of the week vs having to tear the engine down just to install a set of slugs and some better rod bolts.

My camaro had a LS3 in it when I bought it, it is now sitting on a stand in my garage with 300 miles on it simply because it didnt come with forged slugs and rods. If it did, i would not have built the iron block 408 for it, would not have had a need to.

Wake up GM. Follow fords footsteps for once... its worth it, your customers will thank you.

No waking up to do. GM made these decisions with eyes WIDE open. I can appreciate that you would like a race engine under the hood. The problem is that the other 99% of Camaro buyers that will never, ever need it will have to pay for it too.

The LS3 is an awesome engine balanced for HP, emissions, and reliability and durability. 5 years 100,000 miles.

[zebra]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

If you don't want to hear it, then plug your ears, because that's why they did it. It's was designed as a luxury engine from the start...and the pistons were one of many luxury-focused components....


That doesn't make any sense. What $30,000 Ford has forged everything in it? And why would any company do that (and increase the production costs of their cars)...when 90% of their customers won't change a thing?

It's not my intent to argue with you in here...I really just want to hear from a professional, what he thinks of the hypereutectic pistons...but those comments were a little out in left-field, I had to reply.

i can't wait to see what happens with these engines from a modification standpoint. to clarify - the LSA in a non-luxury car

[FenwickHockey65]

I honestly love how some people on this site want GM to do completely random things without thinking about whether or not GM has the resources to do so or if it's even feasible for GM to do so.

[ShnOmac]

Originally Posted by BoostedSS

your customers will thank you.

The few will be happy and say thank you.... the majority will not be happy because they have to pay more for something they will never "use".

[BoostedSS]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I honestly love how some people on this site want GM to do completely random things without thinking about whether or not GM has the resources to do so or if it's even feasible for GM to do so.

Putting forged pistons in an engine is not a difficult task, that is really the only issue.

Originally Posted by shnomac77

The few will be happy and say thank you.... the majority will not be happy because they have to pay more for something they will never "use".

Pay more? The price difference to run a forged piston in a mass produced production setting is so little it shouldnt even effect the MSRP.

[BoostedSS]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

If you don't want to hear it, then plug your ears, because that's why they did it. It's was designed as a luxury engine from the start...and the pistons were one of many luxury-focused components....


That doesn't make any sense. What $30,000 Ford has forged everything in it? And why would any company do that (and increase the production costs of their cars)...when 90% of their customers won't change a thing?

It's not my intent to argue with you in here...I really just want to hear from a professional, what he thinks of the hypereutectic pistons...but those comments were a little out in left-field, I had to reply.

I can appreciate your response, i have no intention of arguing this issue with you either. But the fact remains that the cost at a mass production level to run a forged vs cast piston is so little that it would most likely not even effect vehicle pricing.

[ShnOmac]

Originally Posted by BoostedSS

Pay more? The price difference to run a forged piston in a mass produced production setting is so little it shouldnt even effect the MSRP.

Im not a expert in that field so I cant comment on how cheap it is. Im sure if it is that cheap for GM to do it... they will.....

[cliffy]

Originally Posted by BoostedSS

I can appreciate your response, i have no intention of arguing this issue with you either. But the fact remains that the cost at a mass production level to run a forged vs cast piston is so little that it would most likely not even effect vehicle pricing.

Throughout auto manufacturing history the economic feasability of every part in every car is studied and considered.. What seems like nickle and dime to you needs to be multiplied on a larger scale. Being in the metal industry myself, I am pretty sure forged pistons, the machinery to manufacture them, their inherent wear and tear on upkeep and maintenance of this machinery, is something most people have no grasp of

200000 pistons a year even at $4 each price differential each is a lot of money, and I bet the differential is alot more than that on a cost basis

[Jinx]

I still think adding better rod and pistons would be smarter in more areas then just "performance".

Think:

-Extra precaution to prevent expensive warranty claims,
Everyone may not use the full mod potential of the bottom end, but it could decreases (note: decreases not eliminate) the chance of total disaster when detonation occurs if faced with a bad tank of fuel or lean condition. So its not just to cater to the mod-happy customers.

-Bragging rights,
Immature....yes. Pointless.....maybe. Good Advestising to Readers.......yes. While I agreed with "we have a complete forged bottom end" wont sell or tip the scale like an elephant when it coming to picking the GT500 or the Z28; it is an extra positive bug in someones ear when someone reads Stickies in this forum or the feature article in Motor Trend.

-Narrows the rational gap in material use between the LS9 and LSA,
Hyp. Pieces to Titanium piece. Thats a big gap. I strongly believe that a forged rod and piston addition would hurt the price that much and create a too much of a ruckus. I mean GM didnt seems to hold back on adding a AFM setup and different cam spec to a LS3-like engine to handle a problem such as MPGs (aka L99), so why hold back now?