Now that the GEN-V V8 has officially replaced the outgoing LS3 as the mainstream powerplant of choice over at General Motors, the time hasn’t been better for this looking for an amazing crate engine with great power! Offered with 430hp from the factory in your 2008-2013 Corvette C6 or 2010-2015 Camaro SS, the sky was the limit in regards to performance potential.
However, those gearheads at Chevrolet Performance have, over the course of the last several years, released three variants of the stock-appearing, fuel-injected LS3 crate engine in the form of the LS376/430, LS376/480 and our personal favorite, the LS376/525, intended for street, strip and road racing applications. Obviously, the “376” is a reference to the engine’s displacement in cubic inches, while the “430, 480 and 525” is a nod to the engine’s horsepower rating.
Essentially, they’re the same engine but with different camshaft grinds; each share the same block, rotating assembly, cylinder heads and intake manifold. The electronics, fuel system components and exhaust manifolds are also carried over from one variant to the other. The magic, is the unique hydraulic roller bumpstick, which in 525-spec, dials in at a duration of 226 intake/236 exhaust, a valve lift of 0.525 intake/0.525 exhaust and a lobe-seperation angle of 110.
We’ve recently spotted this video produced by Pace Performance, highlighting the benefits and features of the LS376/525 crate engine and it goes in great depth of what makes this motor so interesting. What we have done on behalf of Chevrolet Performance, is broken down the specifics below, to help you make your decision on whether or not the LS376/525 is the right engine choice for you.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
