The Best Chevy Crate Engine Is…
Are you looking to drop a new Chevy crate engine into your vehicle? If so, you may be wondering which Chevy crate engine you should get. We wish we could answer the question for you. Only you can determine the best Chevy crate engine for your vehicle. We’ll help you make an educated decision, though.
Choosing the best crate engine for your vehicle is a pretty straightforward process. All you need to do is compare all the Chevy crate engines. All Chevy crate engines are sturdy and reliable workhorses. But each engine has its own set of features and capabilities to offer. You would need to review the criteria of each engine and pick one that meets your needs the most.
What To Look For In A Chevy Crate Engine
So what should you be looking for? We have a few suggestions:
- Peak horsepower
- Horsepower per dollar
- Peak torque
- Torque per dollar
- Compatibility with your vehicle
The Most Common Chevy Crate Engines
Chevrolet offers an extensive lineup of crate engines. We would need to write a whole textbook to cover each Chevy crate engine. Since this is only a blog post, we’ll talk about the most common categories of Chevy crate engines:
1. LS Series
This series offers different kinds of engines, including:
- Production-based engines
- Big-displacement engines
- Custom engines
The LS engines in this series are high-revving, high-performance, and ideal for hot rodding. You can drop an LS engine in any of the following vehicles:
- Street rods
- Muscle cars
- Vintage trucks
- More
2. LT Series
The LT series is like the LS series in an architectural sense. The small block engines in this series have a more advanced design, though. For instance, these engines have:
- Unique block casting
- Different cylinder head design
- More advanced oiling system and other technologies
In other words, LT series crate engines use modern technology to create high levels of power.
3. Chevy Truck Engines
Chevrolet has a line up of crate engines made for:
- GM trucks
- GM vans
- GM SUVs
- GM crossovers
This series of Chevy truck engines contains a variety of 5.0L and 5.7L motors. These performance engines produce more power than the stock engines found in GM trucks, vans, SUVs, and crossovers. If you’re looking for a performance engine for your GM truck, van, SUV, or crossover, this series may be the place to look.
4. LSX Series
LSX Series engines are a beefed up version of LS series engines. These engines produce more power and higher cylinder pressures. This allows for more extreme performance not found in LS engines. Chevrolet designed the engines in this series to support extreme performance modifications that include:
- Supercharging
- Turbocharging
- Nitrous
The Specs You’re Looking For
To help you get started, we put together a table with the most common Chevy crate engines. In the table, you’ll find specs for each engine. Feel free to compare the engines based on the criteria listed.
| Price Range | Horse-power | Hp Per Dollar | Torque | Torque Per Dollar | Compatibility | |
| LT1 Crate Engines | $8k- $12k | 455-460hp | $17.39- $26.37 | 455-465 lb-ft | $17.20- $26.37 | Pre-1976 street vehicles, any off-road vehicle |
| LT4 Crate Engines | $14.5k- $17k | 650hp | $22.30- $26.15 | 650 lb-ft | $22.30- $26.15 | Pre-1976 street vehicles, any off-road vehicle, some Corvette and Camaro models |
| LTG Crate Engines | $8k- $9k | 272hp | $29.41- $33.08 | 296 lb-ft | $27.03- $30.40 | Performance sedans, custom tuner cars, hot rods |
| LS3 Crate Engines | $7k- $10k | 430-533hp | $13.13- $23.25 | 425-486 lb-ft | $14.40- $23.53 | Performance sedans, muscle cars, hot rods |
| LSA Crate Engines | $12k- $16k | 556hp | $21.58- $28.77 | 551 lb-ft | $21.77- $29.04 | Performance sedans, muscle cars, hot rods |
| LS7 Crate Engines | $10k- $11k | 505hp | $19.80- $21.78 | 470 lb-ft | $21.27- $23.40 | Performance sedans, muscle cars, hot rods |
| LS9 Crate Engines | $17k- $18k | 638hp | $26.64- $28.21 | 604 lb-ft | $28.14- $29.80 | Pre-1976 street vehicles, any off-road vehicle, performance sedans, muscle cars, hot rods |
| 5.7L Chevy Truck Engines | $1k- $4k | 200-300hp | $3.33- $20 | 300 lb-ft | $3.33- $13.33 | Pickup trucks, vans, SUVs, crossovers |
| LSX Crate Engines | $7k- $13k | 473-627hp | $11.16- $27.48 | 444-586 lb-ft | $11.94- $29.28 | Pre-1976 street vehicles, any off-road vehicle |
Ready To Order A Chevy Crate Engine?
Have you decided on the right Chevy crate engine for your car? If so, we may have your engine in stock. It’s important to buy a crate engine from the right retailer. Dropping a crate engine into your vehicle is a big job. You can go very far with a retailer that can offer you quality Chevy crate engines and expert guidance. Karl Kustoms fits the bill. To sum it up:
- As one of the few authorized distributors of Chevy Performance crate engines, we have a stocked inventory that’s ready to ship.
- We dyno test and tune all our engines. This breaks in the engines the right way. That means you’ll have the peace of mind that your Chevy crate engine won’t have any issues when you start it up.
- Our team has extensive knowledge about Chevy crate engines. That means we can:
- Answer your questions about how your engine was built
- Offer guidance during the installation process
If you’re ready to order a new Chevy crate engine, browse our catalog of Chevy crate engines today!