Full Throttle Testing of LS1 Corvette Engine

[Corvette Owner]

From the book "Corvette C5" by Mike Mueller, "Out of the Car, two Gen III V-8s were run on dyno stands at full throttle for 50 hours with no complaints. Although that achievement met GM specifications, Gen III Chief Engineer Ed Koerner was not convinced; he raised the bar to 260 hours for two more LS1s, then 520 for a single engine. When torn down after its dizzying run, that latter V-8 reportedly looked like new inside."

That's 21 2/3 days at full throttle ! Pretty amazing.

From the book, "ALL CORVETTES ARE RED" by James Schefter.

Page 356, ". . . they all developed between three hundred thirty-eight and three hundred forty-five horsepower for every minute they were running."

and "Every one of those engines looked absolutely new when we tore them down,"

Referring to full throttle tests of 50 hours, 260 hours and 520 hours.

So, they were at full throttle and under load, AND to develop that horsepower they had to be close to redline.

IF the engine was run exactly at redline under "full throttle". Trying to keep this a real as possible, if you did that with the engine in a coupe that would be equivalent (in 5th gear) of 175mph. Doing that for 520 hours would equate to 91,000 miles, under maximum load and rpm.

How could the oil last that long?

 

[CharlieJ]

Mobil 1? Large sumps?

 

[SteveSRT8]

I can't imagine.

But I'm sure it's the continuous nature of the test that helps the oil.

No start and stop, no cold starts, no condensation... you get the idea.

But a fantastic tribute to the often disrespected Chevy LS1 V8!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

What oil? Just m1 5w-30? What happened to the other engine that was not run past 260?. Stock thermostats? Special external oil coolers? Who knows what really happened unless and idie lab didnt verify (or perform) the tests. A good engine, notwithstanding.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Originally Posted By: CharlieJ
Mobil 1? Large sumps?


Yes it uses Mobil 1 and has a 6.5 quart sump. But still, 91,000 miles on oil?!

 

[cchase]

My suspicion is that it was more of a test of the engines ability to last and be lubricated. The actual lubrication could have been something more elaborate than a standard sump. I would think you would need a LOT of airflow over the engine and exhaust at those speeds to keep it cool so I'm doubting it sat in a car on a dyno.

 

[Corvette Owner]

It said they were production engines.

 

[Leo]

Originally Posted By: cchase
My suspicion is that it was more of a test of the engines ability to last and be lubricated. The actual lubrication could have been something more elaborate than a standard sump. I would think you would need a LOT of airflow over the engine and exhaust at those speeds to keep it cool so I'm doubting it sat in a car on a dyno.


The article states the engines were on dyno 'stands' ie engines out.

 

[cchase]

I didn't mean to imply they weren't production engines but my guess is still that you aren't going to run any oil for the equivalent of 91,000 miles on a 6.5 qt sump.

And I meant the engine wasn't sitting in a car. I can't imagine that any cars cooling system is adequate to cool an engine sitting near redline for 3 weeks.

 

[jonny-b]

It isn't that much, since no cold starts were necessary. If the temperature of the metal in the engine(bearings, piston rings, cylinders etc) is constant, much less particles will contaminate the oil.
But, I guess they could have stopped it a few times, to check the oil level(or changing oil filter)?

 

[tig1]

Corvette Owner,

M1 did that 1,000,000 mile test with a BMW and got laughed to scorn by many here. The Vette rest is very impressive to me. GM V8s show a lot of wear metals with UOAs, and indurance test like this show that even if a type of engine shows higher metals that does not translate to shorter engine life.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Corvette Owner,

M1 did that 1,000,000 mile test with a BMW and got laughed to scorn by many here. The Vette rest is very impressive to me. GM V8s show a lot of wear metals with UOAs, and indurance test like this show that even if a type of engine shows higher metals that does not translate to shorter engine life.


I was not aware of that, but they did normal maintenance, here are details of that test:

Million Miles

Imagine Driving Your Car For One Million Miles. It Would Take Forever!

In 1990 Mobil conducted an extraordinary experiment with Mobil 1 - the Million Miles Test. At Mobil's research center in the United States, a new BMW 325i, with a 2.5ltr in line 6 cylinder engine, was filled with Mobil 1, and then run continuously day and night for the next four years - stopping only for routine maintenance and servicing.

The BMW spent four years on the treadmill, 24 hours a day, mostly at 85 miles an hour but with varied speeds - down as low as 45 miles an hour to simulate everyday driving.

After the equivalent of a million miles of hard driving, the engine was stripped and examined. What they found was astonishing: there was no sign of any significant wear. Not only was the engine still in excellent working order, most parts were still within BMW's tolerance for a new engine!

 

[steve20]

I do not think you are correct when saying the LS1 was run "with no load"
Dynos can apply carying loads-an engine run at no load would soon destroy itself


Steve

 

[Corvette Owner]

Originally Posted By: steve20
I do not think you are correct when saying the LS1 was run "with no load"
Dynos can apply carying loads-an engine run at no load would soon destroy itself


Steve


Who said they were run with no load? The articles say they developed 328-345 HP for every minute of the test, so that is full load !

 

[tig1]

Here is the video on the BMW test. Look for million mile test, or indurance,etc.
Again running an engine that long, under those conditions is remarketable. A testimony to the Corvette engine.

http://www.mobil1.co.nz/performance/miles.aspx

 

[CourierDriver]

U know, all that corvette testing was real nice, but give that vet to a 20 yr old male for a weekend or maybe 2 weeks with redlining, blasting thru gears, climbing mountains in high heat and u mite say, real wartime conditions on the street, is very different from a test cell,,, real street time is like a fighter plane in the sky,,,til u get her airborne real weather conditions,,u don't really know 4 sure, but the test was fun to read about,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its a thought.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

That's not exactly revolutionary.

Back in the day when I grew up on the farm we had some sandy river bottom ground that was irrigated from a well. The well had a gas Minneapolis Moline tractor engine that, after being retired and removed from a tractor, ran the well pump.

We had irrigation pipe that had to be moved-it would water 20 rows at a time. There were 150 acres of ground that we irrigated. It took a week to do a complete cycle of the field.

The motor ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for well over 3 months each summer. It was idled down while we moved the pipe and when it was filled with fuel. Once a week (Sunday) it was shut down for a few minutes so the oil could be checked and filled. We carried a glass oil jar with a metal spout-it held around a quart. It would take most of the oil jar to fill it each week. After sitting all winter, in the spring it would be tuned up and the cycle would begin again.

While we never tore the engine down to inspect it, it was still running when I left for college in 1964. It had been in service for about 6 years at that time, but I don't remember when it was taken out of service-probably when the property was sold in 1969.

If a 1950's vintage tractor engine can do it, I'd expect a modern GM engine to handle what your GM engine did without a problem.

 

[CourierDriver]

i would have liked the quality of that tractor engine in some of past cars

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8


But a fantastic tribute to the often disrespected Chevy LS1 V8!

often disrespected? where? among the know it all idiots on BITOG?

 

[another Todd]

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Corvette Owner,

In 1990 Mobil conducted an extraordinary experiment with Mobil 1 - the Million Miles Test. At Mobil's research center in the United States, a new BMW 325i, with a 2.5ltr in line 6 cylinder engine, was filled with Mobil 1, and then run continuously day and night for the next four years - stopping only for routine maintenance and servicing.

The BMW spent four years on the treadmill, 24 hours a day, mostly at 85 miles an hour but with varied speeds - down as low as 45 miles an hour to simulate everyday driving.



Somethings not right here, at an average 65 MPH, 24 hours a day it would take 15,384 hours or 641 days to get to a million miles. Less than 2 years.