Thinking of buying an ls1 T/A and I was wondering if I should be looking for specific yrs over others. I currently have a lt1 and there are issues w/ the OBD1 vs. the OBD2. I'm not familiar at all with the ls1 and I was wondering if there were any changes like the lt1's. Also wondering is the hp the same throughout the yrs? Thanks guys.

 

98 and 99 had a beefier cam. 01 and 02 (00?) have a LS6 intake manifold which is why they have a higher hp rating.

 

What were the 2 hp ratings. I'm interested in the ram air setup?

 

98-00 LS1's
Better camshaft
98 model only has fully operational water gauge of the LS1 lineup

01-02 LS1's
LS6 intake(Which is why GM bumped the rated hp 5+)
A percentage of the models got the LS6 block
35th anniversary plague on all the 2002 models

As mentioned above by 99blackSS

The LS1 has a tendency to consume motor oil, mine doesn't.

LS1 also makes a lot more engine noises, due to its aluminum design.

Try and get the 2001-2002 models, because the LS6 intake manifold really helps.

 

-i believe 01-02 actually got a truck cam.
-also, as was stated 98 had only working temp guage,
-98 also has a different casting number on the heads, 99-02 heads are all the same, not sure if it makes a difference.
-01-02 = LS6 intake, and some 01-02 cars got LS6 blocks which is speculated to make a difference in power tho i dont know how it would.
-98 cars also have slightly larger fuel pumps and injectors then 99-00 due to a miscalculation in fuel usage. im not positive but 01-02 cars are supposed to have the biggest injectors but a smaller pump than the 98.

oil consumption and motor noise (particularly piston slap) tend to be more of a problem in the LATER LS1s.


98-00 cars are rated at 305 hp with no ram air
01-02 cars are rated at 310 hp with no ram air but it seems that there is a little bigger difference than 5 hp....either way any LS1 will make AT LEAST 335 hp at the motor, regardless of what GM says.....


as for ram air.....in the SS it doesnt seem to work real well because of the long, curving intake tract....go with a WS6 for usable ram air gains.

 

Go to a track. There are stock Z28/Firebirds w/no ram air that out run WS6's. W/the supposedly better ram air set up of the WS6 came extra weight from all the other crap they added on it. 01-02 are no faster than the others. In my stock 00, I've torn up several 01-02 cars, one w/a Borla cat back. For the price difference between a 00 SS/WS6 and a 02 SS/WS6, I could buy a LS6 manifold, install it and still have cash left over for further mods.
Just get what you want @ the best deal you can find. Once you start modding none of it matters anyway.

 

The 01 and 02 LS1 cars got the weaker cam to lower the HP that the LS6 intake manifold produced (15hp+). So that is why it is only rated 5hp more than the pre 01 cars. Put an LS6 intake manifold on a pre 01 car and you should have around a 15 to 20 hp increase. Maybe more!

 

Didn't the 00+ come with an electroinc throttle - aka Fly-By-Wire?

My 99 has a cable but I remember reading or hearing somewhere that they went away from the standard throttle cable in 00 and it slightly affected throttle response. It didn't affect power or torque, but the subjective, SOTP throttle response.

Am I right?

 

Mine uses a cable as well...

 

LS6 manifold worth 6-8 hp no more.
Take a 99 put one on and the gain is in
this range. The higher volume plenum is
only really need on 400+ HP motors.
Which is why its on a LS6. IT was just
more cost effecient for GM to only produce one
manifold. They could have "bumped" the hp
5 in any year ls1 fbod.

This isn't something I came up with but a result
of people who have done the swap and the results.
Its in several magazines and the LS1/LS6 performance
book. I wish I could get 20 hp from a bolton

NO fbod has fly by wire(electronic) throttle
bodies. If they say they do they're wrong.

 

C5 vettes have electronic throttles.

 

Thanks for all the responses. Hopefully I'll be able to get one. They seem to be selling in the low 20's (22k and up) around here for a ram-air T/A. If I can get a good price for my SS I'll be able to upgrade.

 

the 01-02s have a little more hp due to a combination of them having an ls6 intake.6.0L truck cam for better low end and a slighly lesser restrictive manifolds that were added in the 00 model year.its not a big difference but these changes added up.01-02s will dyno slightly higher also.neither hoods on an SS or WS6 will make a difference in 1/4 performance.both systems need improvement.

id get whatever year that looks like a good deal and not really worry about the minor changes in each model year because you know youre going to mod it anyway.

 

No EGR on the 01-02's (97-present vette never had EGR)
99-02 had a composite fuel tank

I think everything else has been touched.

 

01-02 also got an ls6-style clutch (in the manuals obviously).

01-02 are faster *on average*, but not by much, and not by enough to overcome a better driver.

00-02 (maybe just 01-02, not sure) *does* have a different TB than the 98-99, but it just has a different size & shape lobe on the throttle cable cam. As mentioned, no drive-by-wire.

If you're doing light (or no) mods, 01-02 is your best bet. If you're doing full bolt-ons or more, any of them will work, so get the best deal you can...

good luck,
Shane