Corvette ZR1 Crate Engine: What You Need to Know
Slideshow: The 755 HP Corvette ZR1 engine is available as a crate motor, and it has me thinking of all the possible engine bays to drop it into
et the Beast Out to Play
The C7 Corvette ZR1 is the bad-boy supercar killing unholy demon child of Harlan Charles and his team of mad scientist. And it is powered by an engine that is truly worthy of the immaculate chassis. The LT5 is a real beast of a power unit, and Chevy announced back at SEMA 2018, that they will be offering it for sale as a crate engine. Many of you know about this already but some of you do not for whatever reason or the other. However, this thing is a definite game changer in terms of getting something right out of the box that will turn the engine's recipient into a street legal monster from the jump.
It Might Be a Little Expensive
The newly designed engine for the ZR1 is a 755 hp, 6.2L V8 with a huge supercharger. You can now get the most powerful engine ever offered in a Chevy delivered right to you, along with an installation guide. The crate units are available for order on GM Performance Motor and the LT5 will run you nearly the same amount as a Chevrolet Cruze, a very reasonable $17,915. That does not include the LT5 controller kit ($2,926.41) and the LT5 accessory drive system – with A/C ($884).
Meat and Potatoes
There are multiple 'firsts' not only for Corvette but also for GM as a whole. The block is the strongest block to come out of Detroit. It packs a supercharger/intercooler combo, feeding 2.65L of cooled air into the engine. Let's dig into the details a bit and really see what it is that you're getting when you buy one of these engines powerful enough to torque your own dreams out of your head.
The Supercharger
The four-lobe design has been borrowed from its LS9 and LT4 little brothers, but the output is a whopping 64% larger. Displacing 2.65 liters, this supercharger whines up to 14 psi of boost. The intake plenum has some tricks up its sleeve as well. Added strength and redesigned gaskets give the intake the step up it needs to handle the pressures. In addition, an electronically controlled bypass valve is in place that is, get this, an adaptation of the 72mm throttle body from the 6.6 liter Duramax turbo-diesel.
Engine Block
The new LT5 is the highest level of small-block Chevy V8 design. This new engine has a 275% greater power density ratio than GM's original small-block unit. With a 4.400-inch center distance (the distance between the center of one cylinder to the next), it keeps true to the small-block form, along with a 4.065-inch bore and cast iron cylinder liners.
Pistons, Connecting Rods, and Bearings
Forged aluminum pistons harness the explosive power within the cylinders. The engine operates with a 10:1 compression ratio. The skirts are covered in a polymer coating to help with friction reduction along with bore scuffing. The coating helps with heat dispersal and durability as well. High-heat/wear G488 coating is applied, which reduces friction and is capable is withstanding the higher pressures of such a highly boosted engine.
Camshaft
The camshaft is designed to support Variable Valve Timing, give the engine the ability to produce huge numbers at high RPM, but still perform effectively and efficiently at low RPM’s as well. This gives the engine the drivability of a streetcar and the performance of a top echelon track car. The camshaft lift and duration is 0.551/0.524-inch intake/exhaust and 200/207-degrees at 0.050-inch lift. 116.5 degrees of lobe separation along with dual-equal phasing.
Heads
Cast in A356 T6 aluminum using the rotocast technique, the cylinder head is rotated as the aluminum dries to help prevent and eliminate any air pockets. The intake valves are full titanium and comprise 2.13 inches, while the sodium filled exhaust valve extend 1.35 inches. The head bolts measure 12mm in length.
Injectors
The LT5 uses an injector system unique only to this engine. First and foremost, the injectors are supplied by the fuel pump at a massive 2,175 psi. During testing, the engineers were finding they were not getting the proper fuel ratio at heavy loads and were struggling to find a set of injectors that would fulfill all of their needs. The solution? Add more injectors. The second set of injectors are port injected, spraying in roughly three to four inches above the intake valve. Staying relatively quiet until called upon, the secondary injectors only kick in through the higher portion of the rpm range or when under WOT. You also get the added cleaning benefit of a port injected fuel system, keeping the intake and valves clean.
Purely Contemplation
A truly breathtaking engine from an even more impressive car. The ZR-1 LT5 crate engine is going to set the streets ablaze, at least for those that can afford. What engine bay would you drop this imposing motor into? I have my own eye set on a few.
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