LSA Pistons vs LS9 Piston facts: + Pics
08-04-2012, 05:00 AM
#41
TECH Resident
I know this thread is a year plus back, google brung me here 
this time, but am pretty sure the pistons are swapped. LS9 on the right, LSA on the left. The LS9 piston being a forging - hence straight sides and smooth finish. The LSA as mentioned is a casting - with a skirt shape that can only come out of a casting and looks like a regular LS piston apart from the dished crown. FWIW
this time, but am pretty sure the pistons are swapped. LS9 on the right, LSA on the left. The LS9 piston being a forging - hence straight sides and smooth finish. The LSA as mentioned is a casting - with a skirt shape that can only come out of a casting and looks like a regular LS piston apart from the dished crown. FWIW 
08-05-2012, 06:56 PM
#45
TECH Resident
The piston on the right is the LS9. It is a 4032 forging (higher silicon content than the stronger 2618 forgings but will do much higher mileage and is quieter).
The piston on the left - LSA - is a regular GM LS casting. Apart from the dish it looks pretty well like any other production LS piston. Probably has the inside of the crown moved down to allow for the dish machining. Normally the flat top crowns are 8mm thick. L92 with valve reliefs are 10mm thick. Give or take.
Look closely at the LSA piston on the left. The skirt on the left and right flares out past the pin. The LS9 piston on the right has straight sides - as it it punched out vs cast in a mold. A punch/forging die only goes in straight lines up and down. Though maybe i didnt explain that to well.
The piston on the left - LSA - is a regular GM LS casting. Apart from the dish it looks pretty well like any other production LS piston. Probably has the inside of the crown moved down to allow for the dish machining. Normally the flat top crowns are 8mm thick. L92 with valve reliefs are 10mm thick. Give or take
.Look closely at the LSA piston on the left. The skirt on the left and right flares out past the pin. The LS9 piston on the right has straight sides - as it it punched out vs cast in a mold. A punch/forging die only goes in straight lines up and down. Though maybe i didnt explain that to well
.
08-08-2012, 04:32 AM
#48
Go back and read what Beau posted again...
LS9 LEFT
LSA RIGHT
Thanks for posting stuff like this Beau, always love to see the actual differences between these things as people like myself will never be able to see the insides of all these different ls motors at once.
09-15-2012, 10:23 PM
#50
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lsa pistons vs ls9 pistons So say you just bought a gmpp lsa crate engine..what would you do before planting this into your project to squeeze the most out of it? Would you put in ls9 rods and pistons? a mti racing supercharger upgrade? a better cam..or all of the above? At $11,000 for an lsa engine. and $22,000 for a ls9 engine.I think mods can pass the h.p. mark offered for ls9 prices?
09-15-2012, 11:05 PM
#51
TECH Resident
So say you just bought a gmpp lsa crate engine..what would you do before planting this into your project to squeeze the most out of it? Would you put in ls9 rods and pistons? a mti racing supercharger upgrade? a better cam..or all of the above? At $11,000 for an lsa engine. and $22,000 for a ls9 engine.I think mods can pass the h.p. mark offered for ls9 prices?
Plenty of ppl getting good power from stock LSA's in CTS-V's.
09-15-2012, 11:09 PM
#52
TECH Resident
Piston on right is LS9 forging. Piston on left is LSA cast piston. Whatever ya read, seeing is believing .
.
05-28-2015, 01:41 PM
#54
No oil hole.
Also i can confirm that the ls9 is on the left and lsa is on the right.
How do i know? Because I took them.
Beau@sdpc didnt make any of this post. Check the quotes. They changed s/n after i left and Beau took over the position then later left.
fwiw gmpp crate vs gmpp crate the lsa is the best buy.
Any other arguments?
Also i can confirm that the ls9 is on the left and lsa is on the right.
How do i know? Because I took them.
Beau@sdpc didnt make any of this post. Check the quotes. They changed s/n after i left and Beau took over the position then later left.
fwiw gmpp crate vs gmpp crate the lsa is the best buy.
Any other arguments?
04-12-2016, 05:30 AM
#55
I know its an old post, but I was doing some searching and figured I'd mention it for someone else doing the same. Some one mentioned there was no oiling hole on the top of the rod unlike most other GM rods. The LS9 and LSA motors both have piston squirters which may account for the reason GM didn't feel the need for it to get good oiling. But if used in any other application an oil hole might need to be drilled. Not 100% sure, but definitely could be a difference.
04-13-2016, 01:28 AM
#56
$750/LS9 Rod! Good God man!
Unobtainium........ mining the Spice? Fastest ZR1 so far on a stock bottom end is 8.30's!
Ported heads/snout/blower/pulley and a nice 250hp direct shot! I'd say the rotating assembly is stout.
Thank you SDPC for sharing this info! Please continue sharing data you find with the new LT1!
Unobtainium........ mining the Spice? Fastest ZR1 so far on a stock bottom end is 8.30's!
Ported heads/snout/blower/pulley and a nice 250hp direct shot! I'd say the rotating assembly is stout.
Thank you SDPC for sharing this info! Please continue sharing data you find with the new LT1!
Last edited by gnx7; 04-13-2016 at 01:39 AM.
08-31-2019, 09:39 AM
#58
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (5)
LS9 blocks sure have come down in price, or at least they had for awhile. They are a really nice foundation for any build with billet doweled caps, 12mm head bolt threads, piston oil squirters and supposedly cast differently than the LS3 block.
08-31-2019, 10:23 AM
#59
GM rated it 900hp safe which is most likely a conservative figure.
For my next engine it will either be an ls9 or dart aluminium block
09-04-2019, 09:41 AM
#60
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (5)
For large bore stuff a Gen 4 resleeve or a Performance Concepts block for bigger budget.
