Tuning the Tuning the GM LS2 and best LS2 performance parts.

"All you need to know about tuning and performance parts on the GM LS2 engine!"

Carref prides itself on providing the latest tips and guides to your modification project.

We outline options for your LS2 tuning and summarise the best modifications. GM LS2 great bases for a tuning project and with a few sensible modified mods like a remap, turbo upgrades and camshafts you will dramatically maximize your driving experience.

We rely on our visitors to pass on tips and tell us about their projects and what worked on their car, and this article is the culmination of the feedback we have received. First let us look at the history and specs of this engine and then consider which tuning modifications work best on it.

History of the Engine

• 400 bhp (298 kW) at 6000 rpm and 400 lb⋅ft (542 N⋅m) at 4400 rpm
• 390 bhp (291 kW) (2008–2009) and 400 lb⋅ft (542 N⋅m) of torque

What are the most effective LS2 parts

When talking about the best best for your LS2 engine, we are going to concentrate) on the modifications that give the best power gain for you spend.

Altering your LS2 camshaft will make a dramatic difference to the engine torque. Choosing a higher performance camshaft profile raises the torque accordingly.

Fast road cams normally bump the power through the rev range, you might lose a little low end power but top end will be higher.

Motorsport cams, bump the top end band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

On a car driven daily should ideally to match your power band to your driving style.

I'd be amazed if you have found a Competition cam is a pleasure to live with when driving around busy urban areas.

Each engine responds better to mild cam durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The ECU mapping and fuel pump and injectors also will say much on the bhp gains you'll make.

Longer valve durations can alter the bhp band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

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Modifying to Stage 1:

 Remaps/piggy back ECU, Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Intake headers, Sports exhaust manifold, Drilled & smoothed airbox.

Modifying to Stage 2:

 Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, fuel pump upgrades, Ported and polished head, induction kit, high flow fuel injectors, Fast road cam.

Modifying to Stage 3:

 Competition cam, Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).

ECU flashing should help to unlock the full potential of all the parts you've done to your LS2.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and 15% on NASP engines, but you mileage will vary depending on the parts you've done and the condition of your engine.

It is the main goal to any engine tuning task to pull more fuel and air into each cylinder

Intake manifold take the air during the suck phase from the filter and allow it to be fed into the engine and mixed with fuel.

The bore size, shape and flow characteristics of the Intake manifold can make a noticeable improvement to fuel engine efficiency on the LS2.

We often see intake manifold are ripe for an upgrade, although some car makers provide reasonably good intake manifold.

Larger LS2 valves, carrying out LS2 port enlargement and head flowing will also improve bhp and torque, & importantly will raise potential for raising the bhp and torque increase on other parts.

Which turbo upgrades are best?

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your LS2

The more air to get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes massive power gains.

If an engine is fitted with a turbo modifications are going to net you a larger power gain and turbo engines already contain better components.

However most engines have limits

It is important to find these limitations and upgrade to stronger pistons, crank and engine components to survive the power.

We see many people spending a loads of money on turbocharger upgrades on the LS2 only to suffer the indignity of watching the whole thing throw a rod when it's first rolling road session.

Larger capacity turbochargers will usually experience no power at low rpm, and low capacity turbochargers spool up more quickly but do not have the high rpm torque gains.

In the last 10 years the market of turbochargers is always moving on and we now see variable vane turbochargers, where the vane profile is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end torque.

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust gases into two channels and flow these at differently designed vanes in the turbocharger. They also improve the scavenging effect of the engine.

You'll commonly see there is a limitation in the air flow sensor MAF/MAP on these engines when considerably more air is being fed into the engine.

We note 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor was restricting bhp at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large performance gains, although more challenging to install. We have a twincharger performance adding guide if you want to read more.

Fuelling

When you increase the bhp you will need to ramp up to the fuel system.

More bhp needs more fuel. Most tuners we speak with say to be generous with your injector capacity.

The rule of thumb is to add 20% to the flow rate when specifying an injector, this takes into account injector deterioration and allows you some spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

Choosing the right performance exhaust

One of the most common mistakes and problems we see in tuning projects is usually down to the exhaust, or rather a poorly chosen exhaust for your engine.

You may need to upgrade your exhaust if the current exhaust is actually causing a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll see your flow rate is still good even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Don't go with the biggest exhaust you can source this will reduce the exhaust flow rate - the best exhausts for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.

Usual exhaust restrictions can be traced to the emissions filters installed, so adding a higher flowing performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Weak spots Issues & problem areas on the

The engines are generally reliable and solid as long as they are regularly serviced and maintained.

Regular oil changes are vital on the , especially when tuned and will help extend the life and reliability of the engine.

For more information on Tuning your engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in more detail with our owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

Please help us improve these tips by sending us your feedback in the comments box below.

We love to hear what our visitors have got up to and which upgrades work best for them on each model of car. Comments are used to improve the accuracy of these articles which are continually updated.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under GM. You can leave a response below or join TorqueCars forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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