Aftermarket Tuners: Why Supercharged?
 

I've seen things from Hennessey, Nickey, Berger etc. offering modified versions of Camaros but all seem to be going the supercharged route. Why? Many seem to be in the neighborhood of 550 HP - isn't that the power output of the CTS-V engine?

Why not a good old fashioned big cube engine? The LS7 is just so historically cool - 427 cubic inches! I would really like to see a LS7 minus the dry sump oiling system with a GMPP hot cam!

Just my opinion - anyone else agree the 427 would lend itself to the whole retro image?

The CTS-V engine is supercharged. :p

The supercharging route can be as easy as a bolt-on and tune, whereas going with more cubes requires an engine swap. It is a cheaper and easier alternative to make more power. But Hennessey also has the HPE 700 if 550 hp isn't enough. :D

The original LS7 was 454 cubic inches.

Because boost is fun. :D

Not to mention, the Magnacharger is proven to work great, and is a relatively easy bolt-on compared to an engine swap.

the current LS7 is actually 428 inches, too :)

$$$$$$$.

It is much easier (and cheaper) to bolt on a blower and tune it than to swap the entire engine.

It's also less complicated than turbocharging, which requires extra equipment (piping, etc.).

And it was never available in a Camaro. So much for being "historical". :p

I think he was refering to that specific size CI not the LS7 being historically connected to the Camaro :p Sheesh!

https://www.universalautosalesandcla...3RightSide.JPG

http://www.musclepricecars.com/images/yenko_camaro.jpg

Money, weight, packaging, and it can be easily done before PRI and SEMA :p

there are companies offereing the 7.0. lingenfelter is. plus superchargers a way to get alot of power with little money compared to dropping in a new motor for the same amount of power or less.

Way to take my quote out of context. I was talking about the 454! :lol:

Besides, the 427 Camaro was only available as a COPO; it wasn't a regular RPO. ;)

Wasnt the 454 Big Block available in '70?

I cant tell if youre talking about it was only available as the COPO ZL1 package or through COPO in general.

I thought the Yenkos were the 427 iron big block. Also Ive seen a few 69 camaros with the 427 badging where the 396 would normally be. Then again I suppose those(iron) could have been ordered through COPO.

Regardless, honestly I dont care much whether something was RPO or COPO other than the stories are cool. Kinda splitting hairs I think. 427ci displacement motors do have a history with the car.

1. A big block is simply too big and too heavy.

2. Tuners want to have cars that customers can actually drive on the streets, and drive on the streets dependably.

3. Big blocks are entirely unnecessary.


The LS-series of engines was designed to be as compact as possible. Cars designed to hold this engine are engineered to hold this engine. Putting in a physically bigger engine raises a whole new set of issues. Beyond actually fitting the things in there, you fall on issues of of all types of things that would have to be rerouted or redesigned. Brake unit and steering, for example, let alone entire engine cradles.

The second is that any engine in a new passenger car must be tested by the government and pass crash regulations in addition to emissions. The cost of certification is borne by the manufacturer, which in this case would fall on the aftermarket tuner. Combined with the cost of developing and rerouting all the underhood parts to safely fit a big block V8, they would also have to spend an obscene amount of money certifying all this to meet crash and safety standards. Something they don't have to do by simply adding an external supercharger to the existing engine... whic the manufacturer already had certified.

Finally, Big blocks are simply obsolete in passenger cars. The modern V8 engine already puts out power that would have been completely unimaginable to just 10 years ago, let alone in the big block age. Big blocks are inefficient and overweight. They are useful in applications where extremely high torque is wanted, such as in some higher tier light duty trucks that do extreme towing where the fuel penalty isn't a concern and a smallblock with a supercharger wouldn't be the most durable way of going. However, in a passenger car, the simple addition of a supercharger doesn't affect fuel economy very much (until you put your foot in it) and puts out the power on demand.


Today, we have V6 engines getting more power than top performance small blocks in the heyday of muscle cars, while getting better fuel economy than a mid 70s 4 cylinder Pinto or Vega. Today's small block V8s easily outpower the big blocks of that era (and even today's big blocks!).

There isn't a big block engine ever made by GM, Ford, or Chevrolet that was placed in a passenger car for sale to the general public that made over 500 horsepower. There also is a good argument that given today's "Net" ratings versus that era's "Gross" rating of horsepower, that the stock LS3 puts out more horsepower than any big block GM ever made.

A supercharger increases this (sharply), while putting a minimum dent in fuel economy, and avoiding the mega-expense of building a big block, redoing the engine cradle and redesigning or moving things in the engine compartment to house it, and certifying the whole thing.

In the Camaro?

Unofortunately no (just Chevelle as I recall - maybe El Camino????) from the Factory. If I had to bet on a '70 454 COPO car, it would have been a Baldwin-Motion car.