Top 5 LS2 Upgrades

Chevy’s 6.0L LS2 small-block V8 is one of the most reliable power plants for starting a build. Featured in the 2005-2007 Corvette, SSR, Trailblazer SS, and Pontiac GTO, among others, the LS2 has been a popular choice for drag racers and road racers for many years. It’s virtually indestructible on moderate builds, makes power pretty easily, and has a massive aftermarket support community.

This guide will cover the top 5 LS2 upgrades for making more horsepower. Every build has to start somewhere, and we’re here to help you get your new project off the ground. We’ll talk a little bit about the engine itself, explain its power limits, and then give you our top mod recommendations.

LS2 Engine Info

Previously, we took an in-depth look at the LS2 engine with our LS2 engine guide. We’re just gonna run through the basics here, so make sure you take a look at that article if you want the full breakdown.

General Motors introduced the LS2 in 2005, putting it in the Chevrolet Corvette, SSR, Trailblazer SS, and Pontiac GTO. It was the first engine of GM’s Gen IV small-block motors. The engine made 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque in the Corvette, and was immediately praised by owners. Though it had a relatively short production run, lasting only until 2009, it produced several variants which lasted much longer.

The LS2 is a 6.0 L naturally aspirated V8 engine. It does not have Variable Valve Timing (VVT), and is an old school pushrod OHV, 2 valves per cylinder design. The block and head are both made from aluminum, and the corvette has a different oil pan than other LS2s. The LS2 head is the GM-cathedral port style of head, which is known for better low-end torque, but flows sub-optimally at higher RPM.

Power Limits

Regardless of the variant, the LS2 engines all have pretty robust power limits – like the rest of the LS-family. It’s widely considered that the LS2 has stronger internals than the LS1, which is already pretty stout itself.

The LS2 is capable of taking more than 800+ wheel-horsepower on the stock block without any issues. There have been many stock LS2 blocks that have pushed into the 900+ whp territory without issues, but that’s risky if you ask us.

Past the 550 wheel-horsepower mark you will want to invest in forged pistons and rods, as well as head studs. Again, this isn’t a hard limit like with the LS2 block, as there are many stock LS2 builds pushing well into the 600 and 700+ whp range. For reliability, however, you’re going to want stronger pistons and rods if you’re pushing past 550 whp.

Top 5 LS2 Upgrades

• Cold Air Intake
• Long-tube Headers
• Cylinder Head
• Camshafts
• ECU Tuning

We’ll get much more in-depth down below, but here’s a basic summary of the top 5 LS2 upgrades.

Simple bolt-on mods like a cold air intake and long-tube headers are great first mods for an LS2 build. They help improve airflow in and out of the engine while (slightly) improving gas mileage. You’ll notice a good spike in power after installing these, and you’ll really start to hear your LS2 roar.

Next up is going to be to upgrade the LS2 cylinder head. As we mentioned earlier, the LS2 uses the LS cathedral-port style of cylinder head. While these are good for low-end torque, they really struggle for good flow in the higher RPM range. You’ll want to either get your stock LS2 head ported or switch to the rectangular style.

The LS2 camshafts are also a very common area to upgrade early in LS2 builds. The stock LS2 cams have 0.520” intake and 0.521” exhaust lift, meaning they have some definite room for more if you want bigger power. Camshaft choices are important, as you’re going to have a trade-off between low-end torque and top-end performance. The right cam will get you a good tradeoff, and give you torque where you need it and power when you want it.

Finally, ECU tuning is our final LS2 upgrade. While it might not seem important, tuning can make the difference between a good and great engine build. With tuning, you’ll be able to have optimized ignition timing and air-to-fuel ratios, as well as other parameters to help you take advantage of all your mods. If you’re going to be spending hundreds in bolt-ons, you’ll want to make sure to maximize your gains from them.

1) Cold Air Intake Upgrades

One of the best upgrades for pretty much any naturally aspirated engine is going to be a cold air intake. The LS2 is no different and can see gains of 10-15 horsepower from just an intake alone. The stock intakes on most LS2-equipped vehicles are pretty restrictive and strangle horsepower for builds at higher RPM.

The purpose of a cold air intake is twofold: one, it helps to grab cooler air from outside of the engine bay for better performance by relocating the filter placement. Two, it cuts down on the restrictiveness of the OEM intake.

While the stock intakes generally perform okay, if you add any other bolt-ons, like long-tube headers, it quickly becomes overmatched. Adding a freer flowing intake will improve throttle response, top-end power, and increase the engine noise. It also makes your engine bay look much better and more aggressive.

2) Long-Tube Header Upgrades

Our next suggestion is going to be long-tube headers. The stock cast-iron headers are incredibly restrictive, heavy, and can be prone to cracking over time. For any serious build, upgrading the long-tube headers is an absolute must.

Long-tube headers replace the OEM exhaust manifold and exhaust back to the mufflers. They are wider than OEM, typically made out of lighter 304 stainless steel, and are designed for optimal exhaust flow. All of this combines to reduce back pressure and reversion while increasing exhaust scavenging.

The reduction in back pressure allows for better exhaust flow. Increased exhaust scavenging and reduced reversion means exhaust gasses are removed quicker and more clean air can enter the combustion chamber. This leads again to bigger and more sustained power.

You’ll also undoubtedly get a big bump in exhaust volume from long-tube headers. As you might expect, the big increase in piping and optional cats really turns up the sound from the LS2.

3) Cylinder Head Upgrades

Next on our list of LS2 upgrades is the LS2 cylinder head. As we have mentioned before, the LS2 cathedral-port style cylinder head is not optimal for higher RPM flow. While it does a great job of providing low-end torque, if you’re wanting a lot of top-end horsepower you’ll want something different.

One option is to port the factory LS2 head, which does help a little bit, but you’re always going to be limited by the port-style. The LS3 cylinder head fits directly onto the LS2, though it requires a new intake manifold, but it is massively superior to the LS2. The LS3 has the LS rectangular style ports, which are much better for horsepower on the top-end.

4) Camshaft Upgrades

The stock cam is fine for stock power levels, but if you’re looking at other bolt-ons then upgrading the cam is a good idea, too. The stock LS2 cam is not too aggressive for big power, and is really meant for stock power levels.

When upgrading camshaft, the thing you are going to want to pay the most attention to are duration and lift. A higher lift means the valve opens wider, which means more air can get into the engine for more power. A longer duration means the valve will be open longer, again allowing for more air to enter the engine.

The trade-off for longer duration and higher lift cams is more top-end power at the expense of low-end torque. Especially if you’re building your daily driver, you’ll want a good balance between low-end torque and top-end horsepower. This will make your car still drivable at low engine loads in traffic, while allowing you to toast some rubber when you want.

Best LS2 Camshaft Upgrades

For LS2 camshaft upgrades we have three recommendations, all of them for different build levels. The stock LS2 cam has 0.520” intake and 0.521” exhaust lift, with an intake duration of 204 @ 0.050” and exhaust duration of 211 @ 0.050”. GM designed them for average performance with lots of low-end torque.

The Chevrolet LS Hot Cam is a popular upgrade for the LS2. The cam measures at 0.525” intake and 0.525” exhaust lift, a small but noticeable increase over stock. The duration is also longer, with an intake duration of 219” @ 0.050” and exhaust duration of 228” @ 0.050”. This will give you a mild increase in power while still providing lots of low-end torque.

For the next steps up, we recommend the Livernois Motorsports Stage 2 and Stage 3 LS cams. The Stage 2 cam has a lift 0.595” and the Stage 3 lift is 0.612”. The Stage 2 duration is 232 @ 0.050”, and the Stage 3 lift is 224 @ 0.050”. As you can see, both of these offer some serious potential for top-end power gains. Check out this LS2 MotorTrend article where they throw an LS2 with some Livernois Motorsports Stage I and II cams on the dyno and see just how powerful they are.

Buy Here: Chevrolet LS Hot Cam for LS2 Upgrade

Buy Here: Livernois Motorsports Stage 2 Camshaft for LS2 Upgrade

Purchase Link: Livernois Motorsports Stage 3 Camshaft for LS2 Upgrade

5) ECU Tuning for the LS2

Our last recommendation is also one of the most important: LS2 tuning. Just by itself, tuning will give you a healthy 20-30 horsepower increase. In addition, while all of the above upgrades are by themselves powerful, to really take advantage of them you’re going to want to add tuning. Tuners can optimize parameters like ignition timing, air-to-fuel ratios, and fuel pressure to get the most out of your bolt-on mods.

In addition, while tuning can help maximize the power from your mods, it can also help them run safely. When you change the intake and exhaust flow on an engine, the air-to-fuel ratios inevitably change, too. While most upgrades leave the ratios in a safe area, it’s impossible to confirm that without tuning. To make sure your engine is running healthy with your mods you’ll definitely want a tuner to take a look at the car.

Best LS2 Tuners

For LS2 tuning you have a few options, either custom or canned tuning. Custom tuning is far superior to canned tuning, because it allows your tuner to customize his work to your specific engine and your specific atmospheric conditions.

Canned tunes are one-size fits all tunes that are meant to work in any environment. Custom tunes, on the other hand, provide specific adjustments for things like elevation, humidity, and air quality. Obviously, someone living in California and someone living in Wisconsin aren’t going to have the same atmospheric conditions. So to truly optimize your tune for your car, you need to go custom.

Our recommendation for custom tuning on the LS2 Corvette and LS2 GTO are from Livernois Motorsports. They offer custom tuning with their own proprietary MyCal tuning device. For the Corvette, Livernois claims gains of 19 horsepower and 23 lb-ft of torque on 93 octane. On the GTO, Livernois claims gains of 19 horsepower and 22 lb-ft of torque on 93 octane. That’s just with tuning alone, and they can compensate for some of your other mods, too. Add in the other suggested upgrades and you’ll have a 500+ horsepower beast with tuning.

Buy Here: Livernois Motorsports LS2 C6 Corvette ECU Tuning

Buy Here: Livernois Motorsports LS2 GTO Tuning

Top LS2 Engine Mods Conclusion

Overall, the GM LS2 engine is one of their top small-block V8s to build. Out of the box it produces pretty good performance, making 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, but with mods it really turns into a beast. You can find moderate power bumps with just headers and an intake, or you can really improve output with cams, heads, and ECU tuning.

The LS2 loves to make big power, and it is incredibly reliable to boot. You really won’t need to consider upgrading anything internally unless you plan on adding forced induction. The naturally aspirated LS2 responds very well to bolt-ons, and is a solid power plant for any build.

Let us know about your LS2 experiences in the comments below! And you can click on the link if interested in reading about other Chevrolet Mods Guide