Last week, a handful of leaked General Motors documents sent the internet ablaze with speculation. Said documents seem to have confirmed an incoming 6.2-liter LT5 DOHC V8 engine for the 2018 model year of Corvette.
Pinpointing the engine was possible by following a few GM codes in a GM North America engine table, which showed the LT5 engine code pairing up exclusively with the Corvette for 2018. So, it seems all but officially confirmed the Corvette will be gaining a DOHC V8 engine in a little over a year’s time.
This fueled today’s Community Question: are you looking forward to a DOHC V8 engine for the Corvette?
It’s not the first time a DOHC V8 made its way under the hood of a Corvette. Those familiar with the C4 Corvette ZR-1 will remember its 5.7-liter V8 engine, also called the LT5, was a DOHC design developed with Lotus. That engine helped give birth to a monstrous Corvette, producing 375 hp in 1990.
DOHC has its advantages over GM’s long history with pushrod V8s, including the ability to breathe easier and rev higher. The average Corvette consumer may not care about the pushrod vs. dual overhead cam argument, but purists will most certainly cry foul.
We don’t know specifics about the upcoming LT5 V8 engine, or which variant of Corvette will receive it (though the 2018 Corvette ZR1 is a likely contender) and it’s unclear if any sort of forced induction will be present, but we do know it will be a radical powertrain change the Corvette hasn’t seen in quite some time.
With that, it’s your turn to sound off. Express yourself in the poll below and strike up a conversation in the comment section below.
Comments
DOHC Engines are expensive and harder to package. I don’t think Corvette needs more power.
If you can’t get into trouble with 460 HP…you’re just not trying !!!
I have a 2011 Corvette Grand Sport. It has 436 HP and a 6 speed manual. ITS FAST !!!
Fords Coyote 5.0 and GMs LS3 are very close in price. The new LT1 is actually more expensive than the Coyote. Mind you it’s a more powerful and a newer engine. But just goes to show that the DOHC can be competitive price wise too.
Not sure it is entirely necessary. The low end torque, packaging advantage (size and weight) and relative efficiency of a push rod engine negates the need for a DOHC LT5.
Corvettes already have an issue with traction with the power they already produce.
I just hope the engine finds its way into a Cadillac or two where it seems to fit more in line with it’s mission statement and more in line with it’s competitions offerings.
It appears that Chevrolet/GM are going as far into “exotica” as they can with the mid-engine C8. Don’t be surprised when it is leaked that AWD will also be part of the C8 package. The C7 Z06 is not drivable at the extreme without its computer-controlled traction and suspension systems. More power would only make things worse without computer assistance. AWD is the obvious next level and would add to the mix of exotic hardware for GM’s flagship car.
Interestingly, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter said that when they were developing the C7 they passed on the DOHC setup because it places more weight higher within the engine package, thus raising the car’s center of gravity. Make sense. However, there are most likely overriding factors in the C8 platform design that counter the additional weight up top with the DOHC design.
It’s all WAY FUN! We’ll just have to wait and see.
Well the cheese an whine crowd need to be better informed and get up to date.
The DOHC is not an option as the ever tightening EPA regulation arrive and even higher CAFE numbers are coming.
I love the present engine but the reality is it has gone as far as present tech will take it sad but true. Other companies have coveted the advantages but the all did not invest as they knew time was limited.
GM is not doing this engine to be fashionable they are doing it to keep the v8 alive as long as they can.
The truth is the modern DOHC is no that much more expensive as it is a very common engine today. Don’t believe me look around.
Weight also is no a factor as the new castings are light and stronger.
Size is still larger but with a mid engine it is a non factor.
What we do get is a engine that cam breath more efficiently and has much more tunability. Variable valve timing today on multi cam engines can provide wider as flatter torque curves. More air means more fuel and more fuel means more power.
Toss in Direct Injection and you get more compression with the fuel cooling. Add a turbo and you can make more boost.
The bottom line is they are looking to keep the Vette a v8 as long as possible. This engine has more good to offer than bad. In the end we will have a engine that will be better faster and stronger in the end.
Since 1984 the Corvette team has never taken a step backwards. If the changed something it was to make the car only better and faster.
This engine will only increase the performance of this car and make those who complain today look as foolish as those who got mad when the pulled the white wall option on the c2.
The past is fine to enjoy but if you never advance you leave a lot on the table.
The C8 will be a car that will surpass anything any past C model has done.
Let’s face it you must advance to remain relevant or you can just continue to build the same car and end up like the Viper and in your final year.
You have to give people a reason to keep coming back.
EPA? cafe standards rising..not while president Trump is in office.
Hopefully his perfect record of doing absolutely nothing (except playing golf) will continue.
California rules the show and they will fight him and like everything else, he will lose.
Lets keep “politics” out of this conversation. 🙂 There’s plenty of it everywhere else, even ESPN.
I feel that the C8 will be a mid-engine car with the DOHC engine. The C8 will be in competition with the Ford GT. Since neither Ford nor Chrysler have anything to compete with the current Corvette GM no longer needs it. The current Camaro is nearly equal to the C7 and it competes with the Mustang and Dodge. The current Corvette has been legislated out of auto competition due to it’s dominance. Hello mid-engine DOHC Corvette and bye bye Stingray. I don’t believe much of what Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter has to say. He can’t divulge the secrets. Remember he also said just a few months before the 2016 C7 rolled out that there would be no 8 speed automatic in a C7. And what about the 10 speed GM now has? Will it be in a Corvette or Camaro soon? Lots of fun stuff to speculate about.
Unless I hit lotto I won’t be owning a Vette anytime soon.
mercury marine already has a DOHC 6.2 chevy engine already in production. bet GM uses that one as remember the DOHC engine corvette used before was built by mercury marine. pushrod engines have valve train problems when run at high RPMs for long periods of time like offshore boat racing
Gm will build it’s own DOHC V8 engines, Cadillac will have its own DOHC V8 engine as well.
Seems unlikely to have divergent low volume V8 engine programs for each brand.
why when the development work is already done and may have been done by GM.
motorman, it’s already finish and being road tested as we speak.
We don’t really have much of a choice. We all knew this day was coming, and the packaging advantages could only hold up for so long.
But I agree with Scott. The Corvette had to grow and thrive. GM doesn’t need its own Viper; a car that spent it’s last years ignored.
We also need to keep in mind the Corvette is a volume sports car that sells in numbers greater than 3k or less.
To meet volume they will meet to appeal to younger buyers than they do today. They also need to appeal globally too. They need to retain the present base but also appeal to a broader base.
As for price once this hashes out they will be in a range of $69k-$200k.
This is keeping in mind normal price increases per year as we speak of a 2019 car. Also we will see a wider range of models. I still expect the stingray system to hang around a few years till the base mid engine arrives.
Keep in mind putting the engine behind the driver adds little to cost and we already have a trans axle.
The hallmark of the Corvette has been it being the volume low cost super car and They will continue to do this.
Yes people will still complain ther is too much plastic inside and they will lament the same old other complaints but you will in the end have a super car that will be for the masses.
Again when it arrives half will love it and half will hate it and in the end 95% will love it a year after intro.
The key now is not to read into this the many things people are complaining about that are totally untrue and many thing unfounded and unlikely to be an issue.
This is not a Ford GT where they only make 250 units a year for 4 years at a half million. But it will be a car wit equal or better power and performance for less than half the price.
Scott, have you ever owned a purpose built mid-engined true sports car? I have. The Fiero, while nifty in its own right, doesn’t qualify. In such cars mundane, routine maintenance services, like oil changes, clutch replacements, valve cover gaskets, and the like, become prohibitively expensive operations that require removal of engines, transaxles, etc., by virtue of the architecture of such an automobile. There just simply is no easy way around it. So unless the dealer wants to cut their labor rates by 3/4, there just isn’t any way for your average Corvette buyer to afford the costs associated with a mid-engined, purpose-built, V8, near super car. That said, the mid-engined Corvette will have its niche, but it will be just that–a niche.
Matt do you under stand even now with the Corvette it runs a trans axle and torque tube that is already expensive to change? It is not something you change in a home garage unless you have a lift.
Do you understand even on some c5 models to change a fuel pump it cost nearly $3k as my neighbor found out as for some years you need to remove the fuel tank and rear suspension. Later cars now have a panel.
So cut the crap things are already not cheap and do not fool youtprself. Two many thing can be designed to be no wher as bad as say a Veyron where a tech is flown in from Italy and splits a car to change a clutch.
Even a Fiero needs the rear suspension and trans axle dropped some even from the cradle to change a clutch. Many do it them selves as it can be well on the way to $2k to change and cost more than the car.
So as it is the Corvette has not been a car for the average the only thing that keeps it for the average has been its durability and the fact most are low mile cars. Even then many buy used ones cheap enough they do the work at home.
As it is now have ever had to drop an engine in one of the last three gens of Camaro? You need a lift and things most people do not have in the craftsman box. Note I said drop as it comes out from the bottom of the car.
You can fool some on cost but working in the performance aftermarket I know the cost and wher we are at today
You want a cheap Corvette to work on buy a c3 or older.
I don’t care where GM tags the price on the MSRP curve, you cannot have a mid-engined, volume, low cost vehicle. Even with a low initial price of admission, you completely lose your target market when the $500 oil changes and $3,000 clutch jobs for a mid-engined car become evident. Moreover, this is a niche of a niche, as many sports car buyers don’t care for the design architecture or handling characteristics a mid-engine layout dictates. While I don’t doubt Chevrolet will soon have a mid-engine Corvette model as a low production halo car, its marketers are far too smart to believe that such a layout is workable (or saleable) as the “mainline” Corvette. Not gonna happen.
So GM can not do a mid engine volume car at low cost?
Ever hear of the Fiero? They sold almost 400k in 5 years even with a poorly managed and challenged program.
Stop with the false statements of $500 oil changes. Also the clutch will not be anymore expensive to change than the present transaxle.
As for popular the choices have been limited to very low priced models or $200k and up models.
The Corvette is also in a good place to do this unlike other models. They are priced well for volume but still able to deliver world class performance.
Sorry to post this twice, but an unstable internet connection attributed it to the wrong post.
Scott, have you ever owned a purpose built mid-engined true sports car? I have. The Fiero, while nifty in its own right, doesn’t qualify. In such cars mundane, routine maintenance services, like oil changes, clutch replacements, valve cover gaskets, and the like, become prohibitively expensive operations that require removal of engines, transaxles, etc., by virtue of the architecture of such an automobile. There just simply is no easy way around it. So unless the dealer wants to cut their labor rates by 3/4, there just isn’t any way for your average Corvette buyer to afford the costs associated with a mid-engined, purpose-built, V8, near super car. That said, the mid-engined Corvette will have its niche, but it will be just that–a niche.
Matt have you ever considered the added cost on most mid engine cars as being more due to the name on the car than the location of the engine.
Take a Ferrari. No matter if the engine is mid or front it is expensive.
I have worked on everything from Lotus,Dino to a Pantera or even rear engined 911 and I can tell you many FWD cars today are more difficult.
Even changing an engine in any of the last 3 gens of Camaro is more work than the average home wrench can do.
Ever change a fuel pump in a C5 that does not have the access panel? You are pulling the tank and to get to it the exhsust and suspension have to come down.
Most cars today are not cheap to fix. Also the mid engines you want to reference are expensive due to the brand more than where the engine is.
Even the NSX has not bankrupted anyone and has thrived in the lower end tuner segment as the afforable Exotic.
You will find a mid engine Vette no more expensive than the present car.
Also wit a Vette you will not need to do the major service at 30k miles as you do on a Ferrari. A Mid Engine Vette will go well over 100k miles with only oil changes and tires. If it has ceramic brakes even with track time they will not need replaced.
True, true, Matt. Modern cars can be a bear to fix because they’re so complex. But the upside is that, as you mentioned, a modern Vette could (if not flogged to death) go 100K miles with just oil and tire changes.
The Corvette engineers are really masters at with they do. But no matter how well engineered the C8 mid-engine Corvette will be, the inherent design of mid-engine cars make them cars that don’t make for good daily drivers. Ever since the 1984 C4 with the rear hatch, the Corvette has been a car you can go grocery shopping, throw in two sets of golf clubs, or suitcases for a road trip. That kind of practicality would end with the C8.
I believe there’s room for 2 basic Corvette models. A hyper-expensive, low production mid-engine halo car and a front-engine C7 with its 6 model variations. That would provide something for almost everyone.
Well, I finally bought the last generation Corvette DOHC last year, so maybe in 25 years I will be able to afford this one…
If that is the case based on used prices you could not have afforded a new Vette since the 80’s.
I just you realize how much the parts for the orphaned Mercury engine are today do to the lack of supply.
Well, I have never bought a new Corvette, but I have had previous Vettes and other new cars. For me, and most who buy them, a Corvette is a toy, not a main vehicle. I finally had the means to buy a car I have wanted since high school but couldn’t afford until now. The LT5s are very reliable and the car I bought was a well cared for example with only 35,000 miles. Now, the MSRP on my car was a little over $60k in 1990, so if a new ZR1, mid-engined or not is the same today, it would be $112,000 with inflation. While this may be a great supercar value, it will be quite a while before I will be in the market.
They are all over priced today.
As it is for what you lay for a ZO6 today it is still much cheaper than most any other car that comes close to it in overall performance.
The truth is the Corvette ha never been a car just anyone could afford as they generally were a second car. But like you have found it puts the car in good condition in hands of those who can not afford it new.
I have seen 90’s ZR1 in the mid 20’s and I seen loaded low mile C5 models in the teens.
The curse of high volume is lower resale but the blessing is for the used buyer to get a good car. This is a situation the Corvette has worked well in being a icon.
Most sports cars get 5-10 years and the vette is over 60 now that should tell us all that ‘this is a special car and the general rules do not apply.
One other note GM is not worried about people who buy them used as they are not in the business of building used Corvettes and selling them only new ones.
Cadillac v8 engine will come, just like these c8 corvette ME will have two v8’s, a v6 and a PHEV.
With a 10 speed behind it, it will be phenomenal.
Think I’ll just save my money and look for a nice clean C4 ZR-1. I actually prefer the looks of that car to the current one.
Does it have to mean that this engine will end the good ol’ GM push rod V8?
Can they both exist, or is the push rod really reaching its limits?
Could it just be that this DOHC engine will come and go, like it did with the C4 ZR1?
Take a look around. The entire world have moved to OHC engines.
GM can not afford to produce a DOHC V-8 engine just for the corvette so it will be used in trucks and other cars just like the pushrod engine now to cover the cost of the development
I expect the change over will not all be at once but at some point it will replace the present engine. They really net the increased variable timing of the cams to meet future EOA numbers.
GM is not going this way to try to be cool and sexy. They are doing this to keep the V8 alive and viable.
If they could keep with the present engine the would and will where possible.
Same on the C8 as the had planned to go to ME on it but were delayed. The moved the engine back and lengthened the wheel base. At this point there is no more room to move it back more unless you put it between the passengers and that is not going to happen.
Centralizing the mass is key for better weight management for handling. Again companies do not do this to be cool they do it to get more from the chassis with less polar movement of the mass. It is simple physics.
I agree with Scott and Matt, and I think the current vett is a lot of car for the money, but it`s getting to be out of the average guys price range. I personally won`t want the first mid-engine and or DOHC from GM, they sill have valve guide ,and 8 speed problems that don`t seem to get addressed in a timely manner. I own a C5, and love it, but it`ll probably be my last.
Hi John. From the beginning, Corvettes have been premium, Cadillac-priced cars. What’s amazing is that the car has survived all these decades given that within the world of GM, it is a ultra-low production car that shares little with other GM cars.
From my perspective, with the introduction of sticky tires, active suspension, and gobs of horsepower and torque, the mid-engine platform is almost irrelevant. Back in Zora’s day, it mattered, but not much today. And with all of the inherent disadvantages of the mid-engine packaging, when the C8 mid-engine rumors first started flying, I thought it was just a lot of nostalgic, wishful thinking hot air.
Of course, we won’t know Chevrolet’s thinking until after the car comes out, but given that Ford is back in the game with their Ford GT, it may well be that Chevrolet didn’t want the Ford getting much more glory on the racetrack. Practicality aside, I’d LOVE to see a Corvette Racing Team C8.R and the Ford GT have at it at Le Mans. That alone might be a big part of the driving force behind the mid-engine C8.
I believe there’s room in the Corvette product line for a mid-engine AND the front-engine platforms. Perhaps the C9 (am I starting an internet “rumor fire” with this??? LOL!) will be the next evolution of the current front-engine C7? Again, we’ll see. But for those that want to spend $150,000-plus for a trophy status symbol car (as if a loaded Z06 or Grand Sport isn’t enough), there would be the mid-engine Vette, AND for the masses, there’s the $60,000 C9. <– Just pondering.
And as far as a "cheap" Corvette is concerned, it'll never happen. Chevy tried that with the 1999-2000 Hardtop. And with so many Corvettes already on the road being traded in or sold for whatever reason, lesser expensive Vettes are out there if you go hunting. But if you seriously want a CHEAP Vette, there are stacks of early C4s that hardly anyone wants, but still have enough red meat in them to be interesting and fun street machines. And if you cut up and heavily modify an early C4, no one will scold you for it! LOL!
Happy New Year, everyone! In a week or so we'll all get to drool over the new ZR1! Pay attention to the ZR1 because Chevrolet has a history of letting technology trickle down into average Corvettes. This is all very exciting
Boy, I am SO glad I have a numbers matching 1980 L48, 4 speed BW Super T-10, NCECA [No Captain Electron Computerized Anything.] Put it up on my portable mid-rise scissor lift and do my own oil/filter changes, can get to and lube all chassis zerk fittings. Can tune it up…..real easy, without a lap-top. Rebuild the carb if/when needed. Change the trans and rear gear oil, no sweat; change out pads and flush the system, too. Need shocks, no issue. Have never been locked out because of a low battery. No steering column lock-up either. And I get just as much pleasure, puts a smile on my face, as much as any other Vette owner, at 1/4 the cost and expense. I attain 20MPG highway, and that’s with pulling a motorcycle type cargo trailer. I swapped out the 3.07 for a 2.87. GVW 3400 lbs, weight distribution 48/52. Gymkhana suspension option, but with softer aftermarket shocks. I one of those that believes being able to work on your Vette is part of the overall Corvette Enthusiast and Hobbyist Experience.
My Vette is the first photo on the top left. https://www.quickjack.com/explore/quickjack-photos.html
Mike [8TY4SPD]
corvette needs a mid engine for corvette racing as the front engine corvette race car need a lot of external rear down force, a big wing, for rear traction which hurt the straightaway speed. all their competition are mid engine race cars
Well, with the BoP that the France family regulates the IMSA series, and for that matter FIA LeMans, does it really matter?
Consider that Porsche has had their engines behind the driver for a longer period of time than any other manufacturer in the IMSA series and what Championships has it got them?
I am not a Porsche guy but are not the engines in a Porsche behind the rear axle which makes them tail end heavy ??. even with the BoP having a mid engine makes the car easier to balance out for setup and tire wear. I am looking for a mid engine TT V-6 corvette since GM already have performance one in the caddy race car. also a shorter engine makes the package easier to install. http://www.cadillac.com/v-series/racing/driver-car.html. a friend at GM was the manager of the engine development for this engine
While I love the Corvette’s roots and appreciate where the Corvette came from it’s almost 2017 and it’s time the Corvette became even a bigger player in the market. Mid-engine, exotic materials, v8’s, v10’s, v12’s. Who knows? Maybe even a hyper car hybrid system. I love Corvette as much as the next person and that’s why I want to see it move forward and become something great, not be stuck in a rut… that’s the Porsche 911’s job… being stuck in a rut that.
The new Mercury SB4 DOHC 7.0 is made to bolt right into a new Corvette. It uses an LS7 block and the exhaust valves and ports have been purposely tilted inward to fit, something not necessary for boat applications. Since Lotus / Mercury provided the 90’s ZR1 engine, it is likely this SB4 is our engine. It is claimed to weigh ~500#, produces 775 HP @ 7,500 rpm, and redlines at 8,000. The crate engine supposedly will sell for ~$20,000 retail. Considering no supercharger is required, this SB4 will easily compete with Z06 engine costs. The DOHC’s weight up higher is surely no worse than the Z06 supercharger with intercoolers at the same height. This would give us our choice of 460 or 775 HP. The latter extra HP is very useful above 60 mph, so what’s not to love.
The new Mercury SB4 DOHC 7.0 is made to bolt right into a new Corvette. It uses an LS7 block and the exhaust valves and ports have been purposely tilted inward to fit, something not necessary for boat applications. Since Lotus / Mercury provided the 90’s ZR1 engine, it is likely this SB4 is our engine. It is claimed to weigh ~500#, produces 775 HP @ 7,500 rpm, and redlines at 8,000. The crate engine supposedly will sell for ~$20,000 retail. Considering no supercharger is required, this SB4 will easily compete with Z06 engine costs. The DOHC’s weight up higher is surely no worse than the Z06 supercharger with intercoolers at the same height. This would give us our choice of 460 or 775 HP. The latter extra HP is very useful above 60 mph, so what’s not to love.
The sound alone would be enough to make the Ford GT with it’s little V6 run away.
I own a 92′ ZR-!, and even though it is 80’s tech, it does make a beautiful sound and has been bulletproof, I can see with all
the advances in fuel injection, computer tech and VVT, this new 6.2 liter LT-5 should make 650-700 HP and that’s being NA.
Of course, the BIG question here is whether these DOHC heads can be used on older LS motors.
Engine options could include both a push-rod and an electrified front PHEV, and I think GM could be better off than if they went DOHC only. An AWD front-electric is what helped Porsche’s 918 break below 7m, at the Ring. I’m an EV guy, who’s GT3 instructed, and appreciate the speed that AWD buys because of the power it can put down in turns. Digital torque vectoring is lost on most recreational track guys, and I’m not sure even fully understood among the pro’s? The Grand Sport may have put the current Corvette more in the driver’s hands, but I think like the step up many report it is over the more powerful Z06, is one of two possible steps that a mid-engine, AWD, offering could dominantly bring. It’s a winner’s circle formula, and let’s face it, if you’re going to take the Vette mid-engine you may as well go all the way.