Which one is more reliable?
12-12-2005, 05:11 PM
#1
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Which one is more reliable? Hi Guys, I am a newbee, well kinda, I have been looking at this site for a couple months now and finally have a good question (I hope). I am currently looking at 2 different cars, one with an lt1 engine and one with an ls1. Both of them are over 100,000 miles, and I was wondering if one or the other is more reliable. Will the lt1 last longer or the ls1.....I have looked around and haven't been able to find this info, so I am coming to you. Are there any issues with either engine that you have found, or will both last the same span of time as long as I keep up with maintenance? Thanks for the help
12-12-2005, 05:28 PM
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I wouldn't be basing your decision on whether or not to buy a particular car on the reliability factor...at least in this case. Both motors, if well maintained and kept relatively stock, will be plenty reliable. Search the site and you will find more than a few LS1s still making good power with well over 100K on the clock. I think there is an LS1 on here still going strong with over 220K. That being said unless that LS1 car is beat to hell, I would certainly go with that over the LT1. Alot more power out of the box than the LT1, plus you don't have to worry about changing the distributor or worry about the OBD-II on the LS1. Not that the LT1 car is a bad car at all.....just not as good as the LS1 in stock form.
12-12-2005, 06:17 PM
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Thanks for the quick response, zee. I was just curious if there were any flaws with one or the other. BTW if ur interested this is the car I am looking at http://www.autabuy.com/Vehicles/Details.cfm?VID=42823, do u think the price is right?
12-12-2005, 06:36 PM
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Originally Posted by HorsePowerKing
but the lt1 has more tq
LT1s peak torque is just lower in the RPM band.
12-13-2005, 02:35 PM
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dunno about your area...but $7900 for a 1999 with 129k miles is kind of high around here.....considering that that is a repo car. not sure if the maintenance is kept on that if the guy can't make his payment and knew that it was bound to get repo'ed sooner or later. and minor rear end damage?
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12-13-2005, 04:54 PM
#8
Originally Posted by NavyBlue
I was just curious if there were any flaws with one or the other.
Keep in mind, the LT1 clique on this site is a defensive lot, and there's nothing wrong with that, but they may take issue with me pointing out the flaw with that engine. When being honest and truthfull, there is no way for an informed person to make a good defense for the Opti-Spark as a whole (but that won't stop them from trying). Some Optis last over 100,000. Some don't last half that long. Do a search on Opti. I wish someone had told me this when I first bought my LT1. www.camaroz28.com is the board for LT1's.
That said, I loved my LT1 and miss it very much. They sound killer and are a blast on the street with their low end power curve.
If you can buy the LS1, however, that would be the best route in my opinion. They're as fast as a bolt-on LT1. With a first round of mods finished, LS1s are mean customers.
Keep in mind that everything I just said was generalized (God, this Internet disclaimer/flame protection crap is stupid...). Someone on this board might have an LT1 F-Body that's Opti has lasted 200,000 miles and in bone-stock form can outrun any stock LT1.
12-14-2005, 12:30 PM
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I have 135K+ miles on my LT1 and 79K+ miles on my LS1. My LT1 pulls like new and doesn't have the slightest leak. And yes its fun to have that pull from the lower RPM band 
. But the LS1 is a better all around performer.
Both motors will probably outlast the rest of the car if taken care of properly. The technology behind the two is a different story.
Like Sharpe said.
It's true. My Opti-Spark lasted over 100K+ miles before I changed it. I just did it as a preventative measure to make sure the car didn't leave me stranded one day. What a PAIN it was to change that THING (Opti) 
. I had to remove the coolant, water pump, and the balancer just to change it. And heaven forbid if I got coolant on the new Opti. I would have had to get a new one for a mere ~$300 
And I must not forget the fun I had trying to align the drive shaft for the water pump since its behind it. 
Running the new spark plug wires on an LT1 isn't the most fun thing to do either. I just got the over the valve cover set to make life easier on me.
The moral of the story is. Get the LS1. It will last just as long and it will be easier to maintain in the long run.
. But the LS1 is a better all around performer.Both motors will probably outlast the rest of the car if taken care of properly. The technology behind the two is a different story.
Like Sharpe said.
Originally Posted by Sharpe
Do a search for Opti-Spark LT1. The LT1's Achilles' heel is their distributer. The LS1 has no Achilles' heel, per se.
. I had to remove the coolant, water pump, and the balancer just to change it. And heaven forbid if I got coolant on the new Opti. I would have had to get a new one for a mere ~$300 And I must not forget the fun I had trying to align the drive shaft for the water pump since its behind it. Running the new spark plug wires on an LT1 isn't the most fun thing to do either. I just got the over the valve cover set to make life easier on me.
The moral of the story is. Get the LS1. It will last just as long and it will be easier to maintain in the long run.
12-14-2005, 04:41 PM
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My dad and myself have had a total of 4 fourt gens, three new.
1993 z28 six speed - new nearly totaled with 500 miles, fixxed and sold with 100k
1998 z28 automatic- new sold with 10k on it
1999 ss six speed - new sold with 70k on it
1996 T/A six speed- used with 139k,
93 was a hard running car. by far the most fun of any of the 4 cars, mainly b/c it was so new * FIRST local 93, every one would come up, 'what is that man, thats so ******* bad ***!' Being jet black, clean, and no stick out markings as the z28 emblem was black, camaro was black, cant see lol
was traded on a 92 vette * lt1 *, sold the vette shortly after b/c it was a auto, and bored my dad. Then he went to a small car * eagle talon, the hot one with the turbo, and a five speed * then into a few other little nothings, then back to the 98. It was hard to find a 98 b/c if the strike, but we did, and he setteld for a automatic, again, he was bored, and pissed at himself, so the next year he went in and tradded it off for a 99ss six speed.
The 98 and 99 were hard running cars, but so was the 93, and so in my 96. My 96 has lots of miles on it, stock opti still going strong. Its got head work, but no cam ( go figure ) but runs hard, and really throws down on the street, plenty for my first car.
NEVER, second guess either of the motors, stock for stock, the lt1's increadible fun to drive on the street due to its power band, but modded for modded, you cant compair, its all in how much you wanna spend. Oh yea, dont forget that the lt1 sounds so much better than the ls1 lol
If I were you, id look at a few things:
Paint
Interior
model, do you want a pontiac or chevrolet? TA, ws6, z28, or ss?
drive them both, see how they drive
do you want a auto or a six speed?
Oh yea, and around here that silver ta is a great deal, but its a automatic, if it was a six speed, and been around a few months ago, it may have been mine.
1993 z28 six speed - new nearly totaled with 500 miles, fixxed and sold with 100k
1998 z28 automatic- new sold with 10k on it
1999 ss six speed - new sold with 70k on it
1996 T/A six speed- used with 139k,
93 was a hard running car. by far the most fun of any of the 4 cars, mainly b/c it was so new * FIRST local 93, every one would come up, 'what is that man, thats so ******* bad ***!' Being jet black, clean, and no stick out markings as the z28 emblem was black, camaro was black, cant see lol
was traded on a 92 vette * lt1 *, sold the vette shortly after b/c it was a auto, and bored my dad. Then he went to a small car * eagle talon, the hot one with the turbo, and a five speed * then into a few other little nothings, then back to the 98. It was hard to find a 98 b/c if the strike, but we did, and he setteld for a automatic, again, he was bored, and pissed at himself, so the next year he went in and tradded it off for a 99ss six speed.
The 98 and 99 were hard running cars, but so was the 93, and so in my 96. My 96 has lots of miles on it, stock opti still going strong. Its got head work, but no cam ( go figure ) but runs hard, and really throws down on the street, plenty for my first car.
NEVER, second guess either of the motors, stock for stock, the lt1's increadible fun to drive on the street due to its power band, but modded for modded, you cant compair, its all in how much you wanna spend. Oh yea, dont forget that the lt1 sounds so much better than the ls1 lol
If I were you, id look at a few things:
Paint
Interior
model, do you want a pontiac or chevrolet? TA, ws6, z28, or ss?
drive them both, see how they drive
do you want a auto or a six speed?
Oh yea, and around here that silver ta is a great deal, but its a automatic, if it was a six speed, and been around a few months ago, it may have been mine.