I was reading the february edition of GM High Tech Performance and may have stumbled upon something.

What is the possibility that GM is going to use the Northstar motor instead of the LS series. I have only heard people speculate that LS this or LS that would make the cut for the car. Why couldnt they use another motor which could make the cut in a sports car?

The Cadillac XLR-V has a northstar motor that is superchared at 443 hp and 414 lb-ft. At those numbers it seems ideal to be put in a ss camaro, and give us finally a motor that is easily tweeked to huge power.

Also both the XLR-V and the new camaro have a raised hood so it does seem possible, the V has it for functionality to fit the SC.

Any thoughts???

 

I dont think so, cuz that engine would increase the cost of the car a decent amount due to high end nature of the car. Sharing its motor with other cars that use that motor in high numbers is much better, keeps the cost down.

 

I hope you mean a roots type super charger. That would be awesome to have a "whine" coming out of the engine bay of a camaro. I say super charge the damn thing. But, 443hp that doesnt seem like much for an SS.

 

Never happen. The added cost of that engine alone would put the Camaro well out of reach of the people they are trying to sell it for. Not to mention that engine would add weight big time. On top of that, I bet the engine bay would need significant redesigning to accept a DOHC motor of that size. It would be interesting to to drive a Camaro with that motor though.

 

The motor is all alluminum, and for adding cost I said only the SS model, not the z28 or rs models. Most of us do not own the SS models and of those who do how many are actual the sole owner of that car???? The LT motor and LS motor was toned down for the camaro, but why not up the HP on the camaro compared to the caddies, I dont see why it isnt a possibility. I see the SS cost with that motor at about 37-40K, which seems about on par with the higher class sports cars now.

Unless you have information that I do not nobody knows what the engine bay looks like.

Anyways its just a thought.

 

I think I saw somewhere that the engine alone is over 15k which is way too much. You could put in an LS7 in for less cost. The Northstar V8 wouldn't fit in a CTS so that is why the LS6 and LS2 were put in instead. Those DOHC motors are physically much larger than OHV engines.

I have no extra information about the engine bay but I can say that I am quite certain that the car was not engineered with a Northstar in mind and would be a lot of trouble to accept that engine and it might even be impossible.

By the way, the LSx motors are all aluminum too.

 

There's an underhood shot from this thread . . .

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=421069

 

Supercharged, yes a northstar no.. Think a derivative of the LS9.. they come in many flavors for many platforms

 

The new camaro was built I think I heard 3 inches wider........maybe for a reason.

As for the all alluminum LSx motors, I am quite well aware of that. Its just that the power to extra weight ratio will be insignificant. Remember, if we get a supercharger it will allow for cheap pulley upgrades to drastically increase power.

443hp + pulley= oh look $800.00 and now Im at 500hp.

 

While I like N/A power a lot, I would really like to see a forced induction f-body, or Corvette for that matter. If rumors are true, we might see that in the Vette and maybe in the Camaro. Those simple cheap mods are undeniable.

 

Never going to happen. Definately won't see a Northstar motor in the car. LS9 derivative would be a LS3 which will be the 6.2L motor. LS9 is the S/C version of that motor slated for the Z06 in a few years. Doubt that will hit a z28 Camaro when there is a perfectly good 427 motor not being used...

 

Because by the time the LS7 leaves the Corvette platform, GM may deem it too costly to continue to certify and manufacturer the engine only for the Camaro. Unless the CTS-V also continued with use of the LS7 (which I understand is a possibility).

 

The Northstar is DRAMATICALLY larger than the LS motors. 3 inches more in width still wont accept the engine (have you seen a DOHC v8 next to a pushrod v8 before??? The difference is immense), and the supposed underhood shot of the car does show an LS derivative in there, and it goes to the strut towers much like the GTO does.

Also there is the cost/complexity issue of the motor. It is larger and heavier (larger heads, more rotating mass). It does infact cost more to build and maintain vs an LS2...

Then there is the fact that a DOHC v8 is also a lot taller, and the cowl hood wouldnt clear the Northstar's huge heads. The engine is too wide and too tall. But also the center of mass is higher in a DOHC motor as well - which is something we dont want anyway.

But a new mustang GT right now gets what, 300hp? The LS2 is 400hp. Even the LS4 could end up rated like 320hp-340hp! There's no real logical reason for more engine than the LS2, unless you wanted to compete with the GT500 in a limited edition or other special run, in which case the best option would be the mentioned 6.2L LS3. The LS7 is too expensive as well to consider, but its a better option than the northstar.

And more - are you saying the LS2 goes in a Z28 and the SS gets the S/C Northstar??? Thats a horrid idea. Why? That means the SS gets a lot of re-engineering done to it, just for that one model. The wonderful thing about the LS series of motors is that they are so darn close together on the outside. The wiring, sensors, dimensions, ECU's, etc are all very very close. So if we got multiple V8's, its cost effective to give us LS series variants.

And there is the sound. The Northstar doesnt grumble and growl like the LS series do - and to a "performance minded individual" that wants an american muscle car, the SOUND of the engine matters as much as how much power it puts out. Think of how much effort Ferrari spends to keep its unique sound coming from all their engines.

 

OHC's in a Camaro =

 

I could see a next gen GTO using a Northstar V8, but not a Camaro.