Gotta love this: I got an e-mail form Corvette Action Center.
Chevrolet Announces Certified Power Ratings For The New Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
The FINANCIAL -- When it was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s power was estimated at 100 horsepower for each of its 6.2 liters of displacement.
GM Powertrain has completed SAE certification of the ZR1’s supercharged LS9 V-8 and the results exceed the estimate: 638 horsepower (476 kW) and 604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm).
The LS9’s output is nearly 103 horses per liter, or just about 1.7 horses for each of the engine’s 376 cubic inches. It is unquestionably the most powerful automotive production engine ever manufactured by General Motors and enables the Corvette ZR1 to achieve a top speed of more than 200 mph (322 km/h).
"One of the most amazing things about the Corvette ZR1 is the level of refinement that our designers and engineers have attained. Even with all that power, this car has road manners that will allow our customers to enjoy it on the streets as a daily driver, and on the track," said Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper.
The Corvette ZR1 goes on sale this summer. Its 638-hp supercharged engine is complemented in the chassis by heavy-duty components not offered in any other model, including a six-speed manual transmission with race-hardened gears and dual-disc clutch technology that delivers exceptional clamping power and lower inertia, as well as strengthened axle components.
Fuel economy testing has not been completed, but engineers are confident the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-horsepower car on the market.
The LS9 engine is hand-built by specially trained technicians at GM’s Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich. It is a unique, small-volume engine production facility that also builds the Chevrolet Corvette Z06’s LS7 engine and other high-performance GM production engines.
“Developing the LS9 involved more than simply striving for a great horsepower number. Endurance and reliability testing have shown the engine to be robust and low-maintenance, just like other engines in the small-block family,” said Sam Winegarden, executive director, engine engineering for GM Powertrain. “That it is distinguished as the most powerful engine ever from General Motors is a source of immense pride among everyone involved with the LS9.”
Supercharged aspiration
The key enabler of the LS9’s performance is the industry’s first production application of a new, positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger that has a unique four-lobe rotor design. Its design promotes quieter and more efficient performance, while the large, 2.3-liter displacement ensures adequate air volume at high rpm. Maximum boost pressure is 10.5 psi (0.72 bar). It is teamed with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance.
“The combination of large displacement and the new, four-lobed rotor design broadens the effective range of the supercharger, allowing the engine to make more power at lower rpm and sustain it throughout the power band,” said Winegarden. “The low-end torque is tremendous and the high-rpm charge from the supercharger is simply amazing.”
A raised hood provides adequate clearance for the LS9, while a polycarbonate window in the hood provides a view of the engine beneath it.
LS9 details
The LS9 features many unique design and manufacturing details that support its high-performance nature. They include:
Aluminum cylinder block with iron cylinder liners that are finish-bored and honed with a deck plate installed
Forged steel crankshaft with a nine-bolt flange
Titanium connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons
Stronger, rotocast cylinder heads with 2.16-inch (55 mm) titanium intake valves and 1.59-inch (40.4 mm) hollow-stem, sodium-filled exhaust valves
Camshaft with 0.555-inch (14.1 mm) lift for excellent idle and low-speed driving qualities
A dry-sump oiling system with 10.5-quart (9.9 liters) capacity
Integrated oil cooler and piston-cooling oil squirters
Intercooler cover visible through the hood window that features ZR1-unique blue accents and “LS9 SUPERCHARGED” embossed on the left and right sides
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SIG by GR8 WHITE 2002 Quicksilver/Black (Sold)NCM Member.
Thank you for the inside information. Thats quite impressive. I haven't really been following this introduction, but what are estimates of cost around? Over $100,000? Can't wait to see on in person though.
In the meantime, I will enjoy my $100,000 money pit.
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2KC5 FRC MN6, Bad Head & Cam install, Failed Lifter, Burnt Clutch, Cracked Rotors, Bad Tune, Blown Piston, Blown Head Gasket, and faulty rockers.....but I still come back for more.....Installed/Tuned by LG Motorsports. Best 1/4 Trap: 11.94 Best Top Speed 121.10 on street tires at 1200 Ft ASL.[/center]
Check out the video at GMnext Home - General Motors Corporation for a trip to 205mph in the ZR1 being tested in Germany. Then figure out how to get a 2nd mortgage to pay for it !!
My LS3 stroker is gonna make that without a blower! And my car is under 3100 lbs. (But I still want a ZR1) Now I just need to hit the lottery so I can afford one!
Jimbo
__________________ sig by GR8 White
'03 EB/mod blue VE interior, LME-LS3 Stroker, AFR 225's and a nasty cam from Pete at V-MAX, 3" custom Powerstick exhaust and lots of attitude! Any questions? Z06 Fest member III, IV, V, VI, and Winterfests 1&2. new times coming soon!
"Of all the production piston engines in GM’s 100-year history, only the Allison aero V-12 that powered World War II fighter planes produced more power than the new LS9 V8 that will power the 2009 Corvette ZR1."
Thus, to claim it is the most powerful production engine GM has ever made, is not true. It is, however, the most powerful automotive production engine they have ever made.
Both the LS7 and LS9 were tested and certified in accordance with an SAE standard that specifies the precise environmental conditions for the test, including a specific relative humidity, ambient temperature and barometric pressure. They could have just as easily performed the tests under the ISO 1585, DIN 70 020, JIS D 1001 or EEC 80/1269 standards. Each of which specify environmental conditions that vary somewhat from the others.
If the conditions are better or worse than those which the engine was tested under, then the engines will make more or less h.p. and torque, respectively. Therefore, when one says "underrated" it would only hold true in specific environmental conditions. However, that would not be true under worse conditions in which case one could say it was overrated. For example, 638 h.p. under conditions 'A', but only 600 under conditions 'B'. Thus, when operating under conditions 'B', the engine is overrated when compared to operating under conditions 'A'.
A dyno correction factor is used to calculate what the h.p. and torque would be if the run were made under specific environmental conditions. In most cases this is known as the SAE corrected rwhp on a chassis dyno as the run is compared to a given SAE environmental standard.
This applies to any air breathing engine, be they internal combustion or turbine (jet). This is why we compute density altitude (DA) in order to calculate aircraft performance under prevailing conditions. It's nice to know if you have enough runway to takeoff for example.
My LS3 stroker is gonna make that without a blower! And my car is under 3100 lbs. (But I still want a ZR1) Now I just need to hit the lottery so I can afford one!
Jimbo
Jimbo - I'm with you on the N/A numbers we can pull, but its the monster mountain of torque the ZR1 guys will have coming past 3000rpm hehe.
It's like the new dual-phase cam in the Viper... 2 serious cars that will give our big cube LSx motors a serious beat down if we don't stay on the boil hehe.
And if they can coax a few extra pounds of boost with a pulley swap and a tune... it's tickets for us.
And if GM has beaten the heat-soak beast then its all over and I want one as soon as I can sell the house, raid the college fund and send the family off to live with relatives
I hear ya Paul! That 600 Tq number is really gonna make the ZR1 hard to beat. I think the new blower design should not heat soak anywhere near as bad as earlier positive displacement blowers. Seems to me the General put alot of R&D time into this beast and I'm hopeful they got it right. Time will tell.
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