Upping compression on stock LS3
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Upping compression on stock LS3 I have a 2010 Corvette LS3 car with about 2000 miles on it. I was thinking about milling the heads and installing thinner head gaskets to up the compression. My goal would be better mileage and slightly more power. Is it worth doing and what are the downsides?
Bill
Bill
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
milling wouldnt be worth the investment. you can do a head/cam swap. get a custom cam and get head from a lq9 or lq4...a truck engine...as they have less cc, 5 less but it's less to begin with.
and you can mill them further. but, they're the same bolt pattern, spacing and can use the tall manifold and the short manifold. mill them too far and the head ports will be too close and you'll have a hard time popping the intake on. other than that, you wont have a problem swapping truck heads onto the lsx block.
and you can mill them further. but, they're the same bolt pattern, spacing and can use the tall manifold and the short manifold. mill them too far and the head ports will be too close and you'll have a hard time popping the intake on. other than that, you wont have a problem swapping truck heads onto the lsx block.
I do not think it would be worth it by itself. You might gain 10 hp. I would do cleanup porting on the heads and put a small cam in it. A stock c6 z06 cam would probably work well if you are on a budget and want to keep it sounding stock. It is easy to get into knock problems when you get the compression above 11/1 with small cams.
milling wouldnt be worth the investment. you can do a head/cam swap. get a custom cam and get head from a lq9 or lq4...a truck engine...as they have less cc, 5 less but it's less to begin with.
and you can mill them further. but, they're the same bolt pattern, spacing and can use the tall manifold and the short manifold. mill them too far and the head ports will be too close and you'll have a hard time popping the intake on. other than that, you wont have a problem swapping truck heads onto the lsx block.
and you can mill them further. but, they're the same bolt pattern, spacing and can use the tall manifold and the short manifold. mill them too far and the head ports will be too close and you'll have a hard time popping the intake on. other than that, you wont have a problem swapping truck heads onto the lsx block.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Thanks guys, I'm not sure I'm ready to do a tune and cam swap yet. Definately not ready for that major surgery and voiding my warranty. I've only had it a couple of months. I thought if I could get a few more HP and better mileage I would do it since I can do it all myself and I don't think anyone would know.
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
sorry....it's only been about a year since i posted on here. guess i got my numbers mixed up. still....milling isnt worth it. be much better off with a cam or rockers.
if you wanna go through all the trouble of taking the heads off...have them sent out and ported....while they're out, install a cam and get a tune on the pcm.
if you wanna go through all the trouble of taking the heads off...have them sent out and ported....while they're out, install a cam and get a tune on the pcm.
Trending Topics
Yes, but those heads don't need much cam to make them run. They make good power with medium sized cams. I agreed with you on the milling though, its not worth it.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0
Brett Foote
