LS9 vs LSA
 

As we all now know the new ZL1 will feature the LSA instead of the LS9
So my question is, why?!?

From what I have read both engines are essentially an LS3 with a supercharger, the only difference being the size of the supercharger.

Does the supercharger size account for all of the added horses? or is there something else that I dont know of. Also why not use the LS9, it seems to cost the same but has much more power.

Thanks!

I think you may need to go back and read again. There are many differences between the two.

x2 it's more than just the super charger. I can't name all of them off, but I believe they have different pistons and other internals.

JUST checked the price for the LSA V LS9 on JEGS and the top one on the ls9 =$22+k and the lsa is about $17.5 k , are you seeing what i am ?

I've recently heard a rumor that the Z28 will have the LS9 as the top dog model of the Camaro line.

Now I can see why they call the LSA model as ZL1 and not Z28. They are saving that next bigger version against what Ford will be coming out.

Please ask yourself, does this make sense? Historically, was the Z28 the big displacement car?

You might want to recheck your source, I am pretty sure you will NOT see an LS9 powered Z28 or Camaro in any way, shape or form. Sorry! :(

GM provides all information about their engines (well, besides price) on their powertrain website
LSA
LD9

The LS9 is significantly more expensive than the LSA. Oldfriend mentioned the Jegs price, which sounds higher than what I remember, but they probably include the controller (which GM doesn't). Anyway, I recall that the LSA costs around $14,000 (similar to the LS7) while the LS9 came in at $20,000. Sure, it doesn't cost GM nearly that much to build each engine but they've decided that is their perceived value and you can be garuenteed that an LS9 Camaro would be sold for at least $6000 more than an LSA powered one.

Also, the power difference between those two engines in a Camaro is possibly less than what it appears. The CTS has somewhat more restrictive 'plumbing' than the Camaro, as seen by the V6 making 304 hp in the CTS vs 312 hp in the Camaro. But the Camaro is a tad more restrictive than the Corvette, with the LS3 rated at 426 in the Camaro vs 430 in the 'Vette. I know it doesn't exactly work like this but .... take that percentage difference and apply it to 556 hp & 638 hp engines rather than 304 and 430 hp ones. You'd expect them to make about 570 hp & 632 hp when each is transplanted into the Camaro. Suddenly, the gap has dropped from 82 hp to 62 hp.

Lastly, another supercharged Camaro badged as a Z28 is, in my opinion, a pipe dream. With the ZL1 they'll have their beastly GT500 competitor. No need for another car to do the exact same thing, just a little better. Besides, the Z28 was never about straight line speed anyway. If anything, it was about being agile. And forced induction is not conducive to agility. It also leads to heatsoak if you plan on running multiple hotlaps. Thats why I strongly believe the Z28 will feature a naturally aspirated V8, probably an up-tuned LS3 (or its gen V replacement), a track tuned suspension (maybe derived from the ZL1's suspension), grippier tires, bigger brakes, and possibly some weight cut out of it (though this may be very difficult for GM to pull off in a cost-effective manner). In effect, it would be the Camaro equivalent to a Corvette Z06 Carbon or Grand Sport.

The LSA uses hypereutectic pistons while the LS9 uses forged pistons. Also the connecting rods in the LSA are powdered metal while in the LS9, they are forged titanium. The valve train in the LS9 is also a lot better. Basically, the LS9 is built to take a shit load of abuse with all its forged internals. Not to mention the LSA has a super tiny .480 lift cam while the LS9's cam is .561 I believe. There's many differences between the two. The LS9 is without a doubt, the better engine

I wouldn't go as far as saying the LS9 is BETTER than the LSA. More powerful yes, but better I don't think so. Each engine, for their power rating, is just as reliable and the LSA is even a tad more efficient. So it really depends what your definition of better is. If better to you is more powerful then yes LS9 is better than LSA, but the LSA is still a damn good engine.

No doubt that its a damn good engine. When I say better, I mean stronger parts, more power, and more room to add power. You can't as far over the LSA's stock power rating reliably as you can with the LS9. The pistons and rods can't take the same abuse the LS9 pistons and rods can.

If anything, the LSA is more reliable at its power rating than the LS9 is. In the story that GM provides on each engine, they mention the wide open throttle durability testing that each engine did. For the LS9 they say it went over 100 consecutive hours at wide open throttle. The LSA? Over 270 hours.

Big giant rumor. Not real....

If demand is strong for the ZL1, I would not be surprised if Chevy puts out a limited 'special edition' of some sort which could feature the the LS9 (similar to what Ford did with the GT500KR maybe?). They could build 5000 of them and charge an outrageous price and probably sell out in no time.

But if they build it, I doubt that it would be called Z28 - though I'm sure that moniker will be revived sometime in the future...