2008 Chevrolet Corvette LS3 engine Improvements

The immortal Chevy small block has been extensively revised. Again. In this latest LS3 iteration, a 0.06-inch increase in bore bumps displacement from the LS2's 6.0 to 6.2 liters. But it took way more than a little cylinder-bore honing to wring another 30-36 horsepower out of this venerable engine. Improvements in breathing, lowering the reciprocating masses, and strengthening the block all played important roles in this redesign.

Better breathing starts in the intake manifold, which uses a new lost-core casting technique and eliminates "cross talk" between cylinders (acoustic waves bouncing off closing intake valves can impede airflow in adjacent cylinders). This change alone is credited with five horsepower. Note also the new acoustic "helmet" that sits atop the intake manifold. It quells some higher frequency sounds that contributed a slightly agricultural thrash to the LS2. A resonator is also used to help knock out unwanted induction noise frequencies without disturbing the ones we love.