PERFORMANCE TIPS for the VE COMMODORE 6 litre
The V8 engine offered in the latest VE Commodore is the latest development of the engine family commonly known as LS or Gen III which was first released in the USA back in the late 1990s in the Corvette and here in the Series II VT Commodore.
The 6.0 litre V8 VE engine is designated L98 and while it is an all alloy engine like the 5.7 Gen III Commodore engines that is where the similarities end. The VE Commodore engine is also quite different to the current HSV 6.0 litre engine which is designated LS2.
The L98 is a fantastic basis for modification as tuning shops in Australia are already discovering. The key to the engine’s power potential are the all new rectangular port heads which is one of the main distinguishing features between the LS2 HSV engine which retains the LS6 Cathedral port heads.
The L98 head has blood lines leading back to the legendary C5R racing Corvette heads used on the dominant Bathurst 4 hour winning Monaros and the more recent LS7 427 Corvette Z06 engine. (Insert Monaro Photo) The L98 head flows significantly better than any factory and indeed most aftermarket cathedral port LS1 heads which makes generating big power a lot easier.
The L98 is a totally new engine with virtually no common components – internal or external to the 5.7 litre engine that it replaced. The valve train components is all new including a single bolt timing chain and tensioner set up with a unique position sensor on the cam gear and a single bolt camshaft mounting. No one in the world makes performance single bolt camshafts for these engines.
Working with various tuning shops in Australia, Crow Cams has discovered it is possible to retro fit 3 bolt LS1 performance camshafts when an LS7 single or double row 3 bolt chain set is used. Fortunately the cam sensor used on the L98 is identical to its high powered brother the LS7 and the bigger engine uses a 3 bolt LS1 style cam. Combine a CS8LS7 gear set with any of the LS1 performance cams on offer and whole new world of L98 performance possibilities emerge.
Local LS1 performance tuners now have access to software enabling them to enhance the L98 computer program to work with tried and tested LS1 camshaft combinations and the results are outstanding.
Fellow Australian companies Yella Terra and Powerbond balancers have also been hard at work developing L98 parts for the local, U.S and Middle Eastern markets. Unique Ultra- Lite Yella Terra Roller rockers in standard and hi ratio are now available. Powerbond have also released an L98 version of their popular 25% underdrive harmonic balancer part number PBU1117-SS25.