Anybody here seen an LO3 vs an 87 LG4? Specifically an 87 LG4, as they were both rated 170 hp.

The motors were so much the same, I'd think the difference is about a wash. IIRC, TBI is basically an 87 LG4 engine with swirl-port heads, and TBI intake.

 

If everything on them was the same(trans, gears, options, etc.) I would have to say the L03 would win by a nose. But no I have never actually seen this race. If an L03 car and an Lg4 car were racing I proabably wouldnt even know it, LOL.

 

my bets are for the lo3,barely but the lo3

 

LG4 V8 9.5:1 5.0 (305) 165@4400 250@2000 4V 3.23 3.73 2.73 ----

vs


LO3 V8 9.3:1 5.0 (305) 170@4000 255@2400 TBI 3.08 ---- 2.73 ----


it would be super close(and super slow lol) iwould say with the same rear and driver skill the lg4 would pull out of the hole.the l03 would make up the ground at about 45-60mph and they would be side by side at this point its anybodys race. the l03 has more 5more hp and the lg4 has 4brlll (good for top end)



so who knows iwould bet on the lg4.

 

sounds like the general consensus is "too close to call"

Thanks for your opinions guys.

I asked because my first car was an 87 Camaro w/LG4, and my friends first v8 fbody was an 88 w/TBI. We never got to put them together before I wrecked my 87 (got T-boned by a tree).

By SOTP feel, it was the same as impossible to tell them apart.

 

Let's make this a little more interesting. What about an 87-LG4, vs an 88-LO3. Same cam, same heads, same gearing. The only thing different being they both use an open-element air filter, both bumped up their timing, both raised their fuel pressure, and both can toy with their throttle bodies...

Who would win, and why?

 

I think the LO3, and I'll tell you why.

The cars I gave you in my example both had 2.73's. I don't know for certain about the cam, but I've always thought they were the same.

The heads were different. LG4's had the same heads as TPI's (non-swirlport).

My friend's car developed transmission problems, and his engine was getting bad, so we swapped in my engine/tranny from the 87 (LG4). We put his TBI manifold and injector unit on top of the LG4 longblock, put it in the car, and away we drove. If you want to talk about waking up a TBI...that is the way to do it. We didn't even know what we had done. We thought the motors were identical, longblock for longblock. We would later realize by swapping engines, we had effectively replaced the swirlport heads with decent performing 305 heads.

Since the LG4 went into the TBI car, we couldn't put them head to head, but the butt-dyno said, mucho improved.

I can't speak to the rest of the improvments street lethal suggested, but I would think they would affect each motor the same, with the exception that the TBI might need a little chip tuning to take advantage of it.

just my .$02

 

I'll go with the LG4

True, the TBI would benefit from much needed chip work.... but remember that even with the right chip work, there is only so much power you can get with its limited air flow. Even with a 454 TBI on top of the 305, the LG4's quadrajet is superior, being that it pretty much flows up to 850-cfm from the factory.

 

I gotta take the LG4

My 92 Rs ran 10.22 and my out of tune, slipping tranny 82 LG4 with everything from the factory ran a 10.37...had it had a good tranny and good tune it would have taken it. The LG4 took the RS out of the hole when I lined it up but the RS pulled away afteR i hit 2nd....or slipped into 2nd in the LG4....its a close race, so it depends on the condition of the motor, state of tune, driver and other small factors.

 

Stock for stock the LG4 has better heads. The LO3 has a bigger cam. The overall drivability and repsonse of the LO3 is better. Neither motor in stock form is maxing out the TBI/Carb size so that is out. Basically the are the same.

 

I thought they had the same cams? The L03 had 10088155, which is the dreaded "peanut" cam. The LG4 had 14088841, which I've been unable to find specs for. Do you know what it's specs were? I always thought the LG4 had the same peanut cam, but now that I went to look them up, I couldn't find the specs.

 

The specs are on the main page somewhere in the FAQ. They are both lame but the LG4 is far lamer.

 

that's where I looked. Maybe I missed it, I'll look again

 

i took down a 92 l03 car. I have 3.23 gears, he had 2.73, with an auto as well. I won the race in the first 100 ft or so.

 

if i had to pick one, and both were in good tune, my money is on L03....

 

LG4,cuz it had a carb

haha, just messing... I think it'd be too close to call honestly

someone line them up,
Brandon