Corvette 5.7L V8 (LS1 and LS6) Car Engines
2003 Model Year Summary
FULL DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW OR CHANGED FEATURES
CHEVROLET CAMARO AND PONTIAC FIREBIRD PROGRAM ENDS
With suspension of Camaro and Firebird (F-body) production, two applications for the 5.7L V8 (LS1) are eliminated. Other pre-2002 applications, including Corvette, Holden cars in Australia, and expanding high-performance marine use, continue.
OVERVIEW
The 5.7L Gen III LS1 introduced leading-edge technologies to the grand tradition of the Chevrolet small block V8, starting with all-aluminum construction, a thermoplastic intake manifold and drive-by-wire electronic throttle. Measured by mass, package size, performance or cost to the customer, the 5.7L LS1 matches the world’s best overhead cam V8s. With this new small block, those who claimed cam-in-block engines could not meet the demands of a new millennium--or increasingly stringent emissions standards--were proven patently wrong. The LS1 small block represented the pinnacle of overhead valve technology--until the advent of the 5.7L (LS6) in 2001.
The Gen III V8s share little with the original Chevrolet small block, save the classic 4.4-inch bore centers. Launched in the 1997 C5 Corvette, the 5.7L LS1 moved overhead-valve cylinder heads into a new era by aligning all valvetrain components in single plane for minimal friction and maximum efficiency. Since its introduction in the C5, the LS1 has spread to other applications, and the expansion has come with further refinement. The 5.7L LS1 achieved Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) status in California for 2000, thanks to a second pair of small catalytic converters on the Corvette and revisions that increased flow through the Air Injection Reaction (AIR) system. Cars equipped with LS1s were also fitted with On Road Vapor Recovery (ORVR) systems. In 2001, the high-performance 5.7L LS6 V8 was launched as part of the Corvette ZO6 option. A year later the LS6 benefited from an additional 5 percent increase in horsepower (to 405 hp) and a 4 percent in crease in torque (to 400 lb-ft.).
