ls7 lifters question?
I have been looking that many people install ls7 lifters!!...what is the difference between stock ls1 to ls7?...are they better performing and last longer?any info would be great thanks in advance....
Not to hijack the thread, but I've been hearing a little differently. I heard that the LS7 lifters are a smidge longer than the stock LS1 lifters, so you would have to get pushrods a little shorter than stock to balance out the length or else, the valves will not close all the way, motor will be down on power, or perhaps not even run... Please someone fill me in as well, because I just had an LQ4 motor built with an MS3 cam with 243 heads and did use the LS7 lifters with stock length 7.4" pushrods...
Trending Topics
are they better performing and last longer? NO, they are stock lifter. They are not hi performance.
The LS7 lifter is a direct replacement to the LS1 lifter. The pushrod length doesn't change because GM has specified a different plunger placement range for the lifter. I have a table of these values but can't seem to find it right now. If I find it I will post it.
DO they work in high performance applications? YES. Is the comp 850 nearly the same lifter......prob. Are morels justified in this case.....you have $500 spare dollars? We normally do not recommend the LS7 lifter on any of the more aggressive lobes, but some customers insist on them. Some go to the "caddy" lifters.
I believe that proper pushrod length is crucial in situations such as ANYTHING over stock. Sometimes the 7.400 is the magic universal pushrod that will work. It happens to work for alot of them. But they are no Ronco™ electric food dehydrator.
Sometimes the numbers work out where you can use stock pushrods. Should you really? Answer: NO. Can you? Answer: people do.
I believe that proper pushrod length is crucial in situations such as ANYTHING over stock. Sometimes the 7.400 is the magic universal pushrod that will work. It happens to work for alot of them. But they are no Ronco™ electric food dehydrator.
Sometimes the numbers work out where you can use stock pushrods. Should you really? Answer: NO. Can you? Answer: people do.
Well i wish they were on late at night. They only have the crappy stuff on now. No more billy mays means that infomercials are going down the toilet.
I like that term. I use it on a semi daily basis
I like that term. I use it on a semi daily basis
DO they work in high performance applications? YES. Is the comp 850 nearly the same lifter......prob. Are morels justified in this case.....you have $500 spare dollars? We normally do not recommend the LS7 lifter on any of the more aggressive lobes, but some customers insist on them. Some go to the "caddy" lifters.
.
.
why are ls7 lifters not recommended for the aggressive lobes
I recommend what the customer is most comfortable with and what will get the job done without making their wallet cry. If they want link bars, we can do those. I just had a customer yesterday order some of the reg LS7 lifters for a 24x/24x cam with some pretty aggressive lobes. I recommended some comp lifters. He did not want to fool with the Comp Rs or the caddy lifters, so he decided LS7s. He said his friend is running them with no problem. I recommended against it, but it is his build.
I am not going to tell anyone exactly how to build their engine, i can only try to guide them. At least they are changing them with new ones. Some people go with the 'caddy" lifters even on extremely mild cams, some like the lunati (morel) or comp. We have had luck with all of them.
I believe the LS7 lifters are usually frowned upon because, as was suggested earlier, they are a stock piece. Stock in this case would seem to portray inferior or weak. Well I assure you, the LS7 engine (esp as used on road courses) is no slouch. Even when it comes to factory ratings. Especially with the rated redline of 7k rpm.
BUT, be that as it may, every cam that GM designs is not very aggressive. Some people have even tried to prove they had some issues with the lifters not being enough (stout was a term used often) to hold an aggressive style lobe. I am sure on most of the lobes used today, they are fine. But when you pay more money for better lifters, you are not only buying the quality and the name, but peace of mind as well.
There may or may not be more evidence to show that they are not strong enough on the spring pressure inside the lifter or that the plunger body is not designed as well or not up to exacting tolerances that the aftermarket companies are, but the fact is they work and they work well.
Would i drop them into a 402 engine that we build that will see alot of street duty? I have before. With an LSx lobed cam? Depends on the intended purpose. Prob not is the answer most of the time.
The problem with selling both GM/GMPP and aftermarket parts is trying to find the right combination of everything to make it as reliable as possible. It is the same thing when people try to use stock pushrods with their cam setups. CAN YOU? Maybe. SHOULD YOU? No.
I think I will call Chapter 1 to a close. I believe I have skirted the topic and dodged a direct answer enough to let everyone else have room for input.
I am not going to tell anyone exactly how to build their engine, i can only try to guide them. At least they are changing them with new ones. Some people go with the 'caddy" lifters even on extremely mild cams, some like the lunati (morel) or comp. We have had luck with all of them.
I believe the LS7 lifters are usually frowned upon because, as was suggested earlier, they are a stock piece. Stock in this case would seem to portray inferior or weak. Well I assure you, the LS7 engine (esp as used on road courses) is no slouch. Even when it comes to factory ratings. Especially with the rated redline of 7k rpm.
BUT, be that as it may, every cam that GM designs is not very aggressive. Some people have even tried to prove they had some issues with the lifters not being enough (stout was a term used often) to hold an aggressive style lobe. I am sure on most of the lobes used today, they are fine. But when you pay more money for better lifters, you are not only buying the quality and the name, but peace of mind as well.
There may or may not be more evidence to show that they are not strong enough on the spring pressure inside the lifter or that the plunger body is not designed as well or not up to exacting tolerances that the aftermarket companies are, but the fact is they work and they work well.
Would i drop them into a 402 engine that we build that will see alot of street duty? I have before. With an LSx lobed cam? Depends on the intended purpose. Prob not is the answer most of the time.
The problem with selling both GM/GMPP and aftermarket parts is trying to find the right combination of everything to make it as reliable as possible. It is the same thing when people try to use stock pushrods with their cam setups. CAN YOU? Maybe. SHOULD YOU? No.
I think I will call Chapter 1 to a close. I believe I have skirted the topic and dodged a direct answer enough to let everyone else have room for input.
I recommend what the customer is most comfortable with and what will get the job done without making their wallet cry. If they want link bars, we can do those. I just had a customer yesterday order some of the reg LS7 lifters for a 24x/24x cam with some pretty aggressive lobes. I recommended some comp lifters. He did not want to fool with the Comp Rs or the caddy lifters, so he decided LS7s. He said his friend is running them with no problem. I recommended against it, but it is his build.
I am not going to tell anyone exactly how to build their engine, i can only try to guide them. At least they are changing them with new ones. Some people go with the 'caddy" lifters even on extremely mild cams, some like the lunati (morel) or comp. We have had luck with all of them.
I believe the LS7 lifters are usually frowned upon because, as was suggested earlier, they are a stock piece. Stock in this case would seem to portray inferior or weak. Well I assure you, the LS7 engine (esp as used on road courses) is no slouch. Even when it comes to factory ratings. Especially with the rated redline of 7k rpm.
BUT, be that as it may, every cam that GM designs is not very aggressive. Some people have even tried to prove they had some issues with the lifters not being enough (stout was a term used often) to hold an aggressive style lobe. I am sure on most of the lobes used today, they are fine. But when you pay more money for better lifters, you are not only buying the quality and the name, but peace of mind as well.
There may or may not be more evidence to show that they are not strong enough on the spring pressure inside the lifter or that the plunger body is not designed as well or not up to exacting tolerances that the aftermarket companies are, but the fact is they work and they work well.
Would i drop them into a 402 engine that we build that will see alot of street duty? I have before. With an LSx lobed cam? Depends on the intended purpose. Prob not is the answer most of the time.
The problem with selling both GM/GMPP and aftermarket parts is trying to find the right combination of everything to make it as reliable as possible. It is the same thing when people try to use stock pushrods with their cam setups. CAN YOU? Maybe. SHOULD YOU? No.
I think I will call Chapter 1 to a close. I believe I have skirted the topic and dodged a direct answer enough to let everyone else have room for input.
I am not going to tell anyone exactly how to build their engine, i can only try to guide them. At least they are changing them with new ones. Some people go with the 'caddy" lifters even on extremely mild cams, some like the lunati (morel) or comp. We have had luck with all of them.
I believe the LS7 lifters are usually frowned upon because, as was suggested earlier, they are a stock piece. Stock in this case would seem to portray inferior or weak. Well I assure you, the LS7 engine (esp as used on road courses) is no slouch. Even when it comes to factory ratings. Especially with the rated redline of 7k rpm.
BUT, be that as it may, every cam that GM designs is not very aggressive. Some people have even tried to prove they had some issues with the lifters not being enough (stout was a term used often) to hold an aggressive style lobe. I am sure on most of the lobes used today, they are fine. But when you pay more money for better lifters, you are not only buying the quality and the name, but peace of mind as well.
There may or may not be more evidence to show that they are not strong enough on the spring pressure inside the lifter or that the plunger body is not designed as well or not up to exacting tolerances that the aftermarket companies are, but the fact is they work and they work well.
Would i drop them into a 402 engine that we build that will see alot of street duty? I have before. With an LSx lobed cam? Depends on the intended purpose. Prob not is the answer most of the time.
The problem with selling both GM/GMPP and aftermarket parts is trying to find the right combination of everything to make it as reliable as possible. It is the same thing when people try to use stock pushrods with their cam setups. CAN YOU? Maybe. SHOULD YOU? No.
I think I will call Chapter 1 to a close. I believe I have skirted the topic and dodged a direct answer enough to let everyone else have room for input.
Because there is no definite answer. Why even ask a question if you know the answer? Everyone will say to go morel. They are a really good lifter. We sell alot more stock Gm lifters than anything else. Maybe because we are predominantly known for our large warehouse of GM parts. We do sell quite a few of the "caddy" race lifters as well. They are a good option for those that do not want to spend alot of money, but have a reliable lifter that has had real world punishment. Those are normally our recommendations.
Ill say it again. We do not have a recommended lifter for EVERY cam and lobe out there. There are too many variables. Also, even at SD, there are too many different opinions and views to say that any one is better than the other when comparing apples to apples.
Ill say it again. We do not have a recommended lifter for EVERY cam and lobe out there. There are too many variables. Also, even at SD, there are too many different opinions and views to say that any one is better than the other when comparing apples to apples.
Lets not get dramatic over this. Scoggin provided some good solid answers.
Will the LS7 work. YES but it is not ideal. The Morel is far superior but it is also heavy in price. I keep both in stock and reluctantly sell the LS7's to people running aggressive cams.
You can pay now for a good set of lifters built to handle what your doing or you can pay later. When a lifter fails you have a few things that can go wrong with it. If your lucky the plunger gets stuck, but what happens a lot in these hi rpm aggressive cam situation is the wheels start to come off the LS7. This can take out the whole bottom end when it goes.
Only each individual can justify what they do with their money.
I would not use a Comp -R instead of an LS7 and I would not use a caddy lifter ever.
IMO you either run the LS7 or step up to a real hi performance lifter. Caddy lifter and Comp-r's are not in the same league as the Morel so I do not ever use them.
We have Morels in stock for $515 to your door or LS7's for $145 to you door
Will the LS7 work. YES but it is not ideal. The Morel is far superior but it is also heavy in price. I keep both in stock and reluctantly sell the LS7's to people running aggressive cams.
You can pay now for a good set of lifters built to handle what your doing or you can pay later. When a lifter fails you have a few things that can go wrong with it. If your lucky the plunger gets stuck, but what happens a lot in these hi rpm aggressive cam situation is the wheels start to come off the LS7. This can take out the whole bottom end when it goes.
Only each individual can justify what they do with their money.
I would not use a Comp -R instead of an LS7 and I would not use a caddy lifter ever.
IMO you either run the LS7 or step up to a real hi performance lifter. Caddy lifter and Comp-r's are not in the same league as the Morel so I do not ever use them.
We have Morels in stock for $515 to your door or LS7's for $145 to you door






