Everything has been leading up to this. About six weeks ago, we dropped the first episode of the third running of Horsepower Wars’ LS Vs. Coyote shootout, presented by Summit Racing. From day one, you guys have been frothing at the mouth for the actual dyno numbers (patience is absolutely NOT one of our audience’s strong suits). Well, they’re here. We spent a week out in Southern California at Westech Performance Group, pitting these two impressive engines against one another.

Before we just drop the numbers, let’s quickly review what the competition is. In this running of the competition, we wanted to accomplish several things. First, we wanted to create the fairest competition to both the Blue Oval and Bowtie camps. In competitions past, we allowed each of the engines’ inherent strengths to shine, which has led to some lopsided results.

So, this time, we took two similar modern engines as our base. Both the 5.0L Coyote and the 5.3L Gen V L83 engine are sold in modern pickup trucks, and as they roll out of the factory, they are of similar displacement. The dual-overhead cam Coyote cylinder head is known to flow incredibly well, especially at elevated RPM. The cam in block Gen V LT cylinder heads are no slouches, though. Even with the small valves from the factory to fit the tiny bores, the ports are large and boast decent flow numbers.

However, we aren’t pitting stock engines against one another. We’ve enlisted the help of two of the biggest names in engine building to put together what they feel will best the other guy. In the previous two runnings, we noticed that when we implemented a strict budget cap on the builds, it seemed to unevenly impact the two engines. So, rather than struggle with trying to balance a budget for the engines, we threw it out completely. Instead, we simply set rules restricting exotic parts and confining the builders to near-stock cubic inches.

Our two rockstar competitors: Joe Irwin of FFRE on the left, and Bryan Neelen of LME on the right.

That ruleset established the playing field and let the two builders dig deep into their knowledge base to come up with a pair of incredible combinations. The final caveat that would guide the builders’ plans is that after the dyno competition, the engines would be going into a pair of C10 pickup trucks to compete in a 100-mile drag and drive event. So, building timebombs on the dyno is not an option.

Fast Forward Race Engines’ 5.0-Liter Coyote Entry

Joe Irwin and the team from Fast Forward Race Engines out of New Port Richey, Florida, didn’t need to stray too far from his usual recipe for a badass drag and drive Coyote engine. Irwin builds what might be the best-known drag and drive Coyote engine on the planet, supplying the infamous Snot Rocket with its DOHC powerplants.

When it came to the competition, Irwin simply looked at what they ship out the door on a weekly basis, and made a few tweaks. Starting with a Dark Horse short-block from Ford Racing, he pulled the rotating assembly out and replaced the rods and pistons with Manley billet-steel I-beams and 2618 Platinum Series slugs while keeping the factory crankshaft and engine block. However, like all of his super-high-powered Coyotes, Irwin replaced the sleeves with aftermarket units, retaining the standard 3.640-inch bore size and factory 11.0:1 compression.

At extremely high engine speeds, oiling is critical, so Irwin built an oil-pump tester that validates every oil pump that FFRE uses, and the Moroso pump used in this build is no different. Accompanying that pump is a Moroso fabricated oil pan, fitted with a windage tray and various trap door baffles to control the oil on the racetrack. Further modifying the oiling system, Irwin removed the factory piston squirters.

The heart of the Coyote entry was a Ford Racing Gen-3 block that received aftermarket sleeves from Fast Forward Race Engines’ in-house machine shop.

Up top, FFRE chose to utilize the Gen-2 Coyote cylinder heads, with just a very light touch from the carbide burr inside the ports. Factory-size stainless valves from Manley were fitted, along with a set of COMP’s beehive valve springs. Ford Racing hydraulic lash adjusters and rocker arms were utilized, along with a set of custom COMP camshafts, with the variable cam timing locked out. Irwin stands behind this deceptively simple valvetrain setup, having run the combination over 10,000 rpm at the track.

Directing all of the boost into the engine is a similar combination for both engines. A Holley Hi-Ram intake manifold, fitted with the oval throttle body lid, is outfitted with a Tick Performance 2,500-horsepower-capable air-to-water intercooler core. This will not only keep intake air temps in check when cramming copious amounts of boost into the engine, but will also simplify the plumbing needed, both on the dyno and in the C10’s engine bay.

Late Model Engines’ Gen V 5.3-Liter L83

Bryan Neelen and the crew at LME shouldn’t need any introduction. They are our reigning LS vs. Coyote champions. The Houston, Texas-based shop is known for building some of the baddest late-model Chevrolet engines on the market. When it comes to LS and LT engines ingesting tons of boost, LME knows what’s up, and they’ve proven it time and time again.

Now, even with all that experience, a 5.3-liter engine isn’t really their bread and butter. The small displacement presents a few challenges compared to the typical 427 cubic-inch beasts that normally fill the shop. While the Gen V engine architecture is familiar, the small bore of the L83 means cylinder heads that are designed with a small chamber and small valves. Getting them to work at a high level is challenging but absolutely possible in the hands of LME’s crew.

Starting with an aluminum L83 block, LME opened the bore up to the maximum allowed by the rules — .020 inch of overbore, for a 3.800-inch bore — while retaining the OEM cylinder sleeves. Unlike the Coyote, LME opted for a much beefier Manley forged crankshaft with the stock stroke and journal sizes. Like the Coyote, Manley’s billet I-beam rods were used, along with Diamond Racing custom dome forged 2618 pistons, bumping compression up into the 12.5:1 range.

Even though the small-bore L83 heads come with tiny valves in them, LME shoehorned some significantly larger titanium valves in the chambers and fully CNC-ported the intake and exhaust ports.

Aiming to play up in the Coyote’s rev range, oiling was a concern for the factory gerotor oil pump. So, to complement the GM LT4 pump, LME rerouted oil in the block to ensure there weren’t any unnecessary restrictions in the oil path. Combined with a well-baffled Moroso oil pan, they’ve given the little 5.3-liter pushrod engine every chance to live at 9,000 rpm. Additionally, they deleted the variable valve timing feature with one of their VVT-delete kits.

The factory L83 cylinder heads got the full LME CNC porting treatment, machining the intake and exhaust ports, along with the combustion chambers and valve seats, to somehow fit a 2.060-inch intake valve and 1.580-inch exhaust valve. In order to keep the valvetrain mass under control, LME opted to use Manley’s off-the-shelf titanium valves. While that will shorten the service life of the exhaust valve under extreme boost, it will live long enough to get the job done. A custom COMP Cams camshaft, with a grind name of “Horsepower Wars 9000+” alluded to its profile, and a set of COMP conical single valve springs keeps everything under control.

Topping off the LT-based combination is a Holley Lo-Ram intake manifold in order to maximize high-RPM performance. Like the Coyote, a Tick Performance intercooler core is sandwiched between the lid and base of the Lo-Ram intake manifold.

The HPT F3 7680 Turbocharger

Per the rules, both teams were forced to run HPT Turbo’s F3 76mm compressor side with identical 80mm turbine wheels. But, they were allowed to choose from the five turbine housing options offered by HPT. Both turbochargers have HPT’s “Quick Spool Technology” in the dual ceramic ball-bearing system, along with identical billet 2618 aluminum 76mm compressor wheels.

On the exhaust side, we have a bit of a custom setup, as there is no 7680 in HPT Turbo’s catalog. We asked them to use the 80mm turbine side from its 7880 turbo for a custom unit. The 80mm turbine wheels are the same as each other for both teams, with both being made from 713C Inconel to handle the extreme exhaust heat these combinations will be producing.

With the HPT F3 7675 being rated at 1,350 maximum horsepower and the F3 7880 being listed as supporting up to 1,425 horsepower, we figure there’s a chance we’ll see 1,400 — or darn close — out of this custom 7680.

Both turbo systems are plumbed with Vibrant Performance stainless steel tubing, V-bands (on the exhaust), and the awesome Vibrant HD quick-disconnect clamps on the charge piping. Both engines are running a pair of VS Racing’s Gen-3 50mm wastegates to control the boost both on the dyno and, more importantly, once these engines hit the track.

The HPT Turbo F3 7680 is the belle of the ball, providing all of the airflow to the engines.

Slicking Up The Combinations

Both combinations are running the same oil, and at the request of the engine builders, the same viscosities. For breaking in the engines, AMSOIL’s SAE 30-weight break-in oil will allow the rings to seat quickly, thanks to the oil’s lack of friction modifier, allowing the sharp peaks from honing to quickly wear down, while providing proper protection of the engine’s critical components.

Once broken in, both teams switched to AMSOIL’s Dominator line of racing oil. The 15W-50 formulation is 100-percent synthetic and designed specifically for racing and high-performance engines. Besides providing protection for all of the moving components, Dominator has been engineered to provide that protection for longer than the average performance oil by being formulated to resist viscosity loss throughout its lifespan. AMSOIL’s chemistry is engineered to allow the heavier viscosity to perform its load-carrying duties, while being slick enough not to increase drag.

Dominating Engine Control

Both engines will run on Holley EFI’s venerable Dominator EFI engine control unit. Besides the incredible capabilities offered by the Dominator, many of which will be utilized during the C10 Shootout, there are pre-built harnesses for both combinations in the competition. This makes for an almost plug-and-play experience, or as close as you can get with these high-end engine combinations. Feeding the Gen V engine are a set of 160 lb/hr Holley fuel injectors, and over on the Coyote side are a set of 2,000 cc/min units from Fuel Injector Clinic.

Tickling the keys for the combination will fall to each team independently this time around. While previously we had the same tuner for both combinations, this time we allowed the teams to use their own tuners. On the LME side, it was an LME team affair, with Vinnie Moneghetti and Mike Smothers calling the shots. For the Coyote, FFRE enlisted the help of Tom Vanvugt (affectionately referred to as Tommy the Tuner), who is known for tuning some big-money-winning racing programs in the Southern California area.

To feed the Tick Performance intercooler, we used a Meziere pump mounted to an ice chest filled with ice water, creating a cooling loop separate from the dyno’s water system used to cool the engine. This allowed the teams to pre-chill the intercoolers and maintain reduced intake charge temperatures during testing.

Putting the L83 On The Dyno

As we rolled into Westech Performance Group, the team was already hard at work getting the 5.3-liter engine set up on the SuperFlow 902 engine dyno. By the afternoon, the engine was hooked up, wired, and plumbed, and a quick fire-up to ensure there were no leaks was performed. Per the rules, initial fire-up and break-in, if needed, would not count towards the official dyno time. So, everything was shut down and everyone got some sleep.

The next day, it was time to make some noise on the dyno. After the first few pulls, the L83 was solidly in the four-digit horsepower zone. However, as LME kept adding pressure from the turbocharger, an issue reared its head — the small-displacement engine appeared to be choking out the exhaust of the turbocharger. Commanded changes weren’t affecting the combination as expected, leading to some creative troubleshooting.

First, an eight-foot section of 5-inch exhaust tubing was procured, as one theory was that the inlet of the turbo was too close to the exhaust outlet, and due to the distance from the exhaust fans, the engine was potentially ingesting its own exhaust. While there seemed to be a small improvement with the massive tube fitted, getting all of the boost from the turbo was proving difficult.

With the new exhaust tubing fitted, LME tried the “toss-and-catch” method of boost control, which showed immediate promise.

Also concerning the LME team, was the power was peaking far lower than expected. With peak power occurring at only mid-6,000-rpm engine speed, there was no mathematical advantage of high-RPM torque to lean back on. This led to the team being stuck in the 1,200-horsepower range for a bit. Believing the combination to be capable of a significantly bigger horsepower number on the dyno, LME came up with a rather unique strategy to try and prevent the turbine housing from being choked at a higher RPM.

Their idea, which isn’t really practical anywhere other than on an engine dyno, in a peak horsepower competition, was to start a short run at a higher RPM with the wastegates wide open at the start, and then slamming them shut to spike the boost. As odd as it sounds, it worked, and there was big progress made. After a couple of those “toss-and-catch” runs, the final number posted was 1,400.3 horsepower at 6,400 rpm at 31.9 psi of boost pressure.

Peak torque was 1,163.2 lb-ft and came in right at the start of the run (at 6,300 rpm) and likely would have been higher had the pull started earlier, but the horsepower was already rolling over, so there would have been no horsepower benefit to starting the run earlier. The LME team was satisfied with that number, and we were at the end of the day, so it was officially called for the LME entry at 1,400.3 horsepower.

LME’s final run. The actual pull only lasted 700 rpm, as they were trying to wait until the last possible second to close the wastegates and make power. 1,400.3 horsepower and 1,163.2 lb-ft of torque at 32 psi ain’t too shabby from a Gen V 5.3-liter engine.

Getting the Coyote on the Dyno

After swapping engines on the dyno cart, it was time to let the Coyote do its thing. Unlike the L83, however, the Coyote needed a proper breaking-in. So once the leak checks were performed, the auto break-in function of the SuperFlow 902 was utilized. With a single push of a button on the control panel, the engine is run through an automated sequence where both engine RPM and load are varied in order to properly seat the rings in the cylinders and get everything sealed up. Once complete, the dyno was shut down for the night to start the full day of dyno testing the next morning.

The first power pulls were just to make sure everything was responding as intended, and pulls three and four were tickling the 1,000-horsepower mark at only 13 pounds of boost. Adding four pounds of boost in pull five netted a serious gain, posting a 1,117.2 horsepower figure. Simply creeping up on the boost alone ended up netting just over 1,200 horsepower. A couple more tweaks had the combination at 1,249 horsepower, but that’s when the issues seemed to start.

Commanding more boost wasn’t actually delivering more boost. It was the same issue that LME encountered; however, FFRE wasn’t privy to that information, nor were they told how LME worked around it. The next 19 dyno pulls saw a variety of things tried relating to the wastegates, assuming that was the source of the lack of boost control. More internal spring pressure, more dome pressure, CO2 on the dome, even less pressure on the dome, all hovering in the 1,250 range for horsepower numbers.

Then, an angel appeared. Ok, not really an angel, but John Mihovetz. The Mod Motor guru and Joe started discussing the issue when he proposed an interesting theory. “It sounds like you’re losing control of your valvetrain, which is causing the turbo backpressure to spiral out of control.” His suggestion was to run a thinner oil to see if that allowed the hydraulic valvetrain to perform, well, like a hydraulic valvetrain again, and calm the turbo down.

A quick oil change from 15w-50 to 5W-30 showed an incredible difference on run 29. Not only did the turbo make more boost at 31.1 psi, but it made 40 more horsepower, and produced a graph that looked like a traditional horsepower and torque graph. They were moving in the right direction. The next pull cracked the 1,300-horsepower mark, and more than that, rejuvenated Joe and Tommy.

It appears Mihovetz knows a thing or two. Switching to a lighter viscosity oil brought the valvetrain stability back, and gave the ECU authority over the boost pressure once again. This put Irwin back on the path of hunting gains.

A quick plug change and some work on the fueling tables saw the highest Coyote horsepower number ever to be recorded in LS vs. Coyote history at 1,347 horsepower and 1,069 lb-ft of torque. However, Team FFRE wasn’t done. They still hadn’t played with ignition timing. They also had another trick up their sleeve, in the form of another oil change, this time going to 5W-20.

Thinner oil and a little more timing netted 1,364 horsepower. A little more timing, 1,383… and then 1,407 horsepower with a curve that looked healthier than any of the previous pulls. However, Joe wasn’t aware that he had just surpassed LME’s number and wanted to make another pull on the dyno. Another 0.8 degrees of timing (that seemed to be the magical increment) and there it was. 1,419.8 horsepower and 1,151.8 lb-ft of torque at only 29.1 pounds of peak boost.

After a quick look over the data and plugs, it led to some internal struggle, where Joe and Tommy both felt there was probably another 10 or 15 horsepower in the timing tables, but that everything was getting close. As it was the end of the day anyway, Joe called it and locked in that as his final dyno number. The only thing left was to wait until we got LME on the phone the following day to tell both teams what the other had made.

This is the pull where Irwin called it quits, not knowing if it was enough to beat LME or not. From the start he had the number “1,430” in his head, so 1,419.8 certainly met that goal. 1,419.8 was also enough to best LME’s highest effort.

Final Analysis Of The Dyno Results

It’s with the gift of hindsight and being present for every step of both teams’ process that we are able to offer our opinion on how this one went down. From the start, your author’s call was that the turbo was going to be the limiter of the power numbers. However, what none of us really considered was just how big of a limiter the mid-frame exhaust housing would be. The fact that neither team ever broke 8,000 rpm on the dyno was pretty shocking to us.

The fact that the final peaks were only separated by 19 horsepower and just over 11 lb-ft isn’t too shocking, as the turbocharger will produce “x” amount of airflow, and both of these engines are incredibly efficient machines, with the peak power number difference calculating to 1.3 percent more efficiency on the Coyote side. I’m sure we could factor in the 0.3 liters of displacement difference as well as move that number a few tenths of a percent to the Coyote’s favor, too, but that’s splitting hairs at this point.

The results prove that well-built engines can offer quite similar performance when given the same power adder. Now the question is, would a bigger LT have defeated the Coyote with the same power adder? Our theory on that one is, the turbo was already maxed out, so making the LT larger would have maxed the turbo out sooner in the RPM band. The LT’s torque number would have been much larger, but it wouldn’t have translated to horsepower numbers, mathematically, and the Coyote would have still taken the win.

In our opinion, given a larger turbo, both of these engines are capable of significantly more power and RPM. In fact, when we discussed the results with HPT Turbo, post-dyno, they seemed rather pleased with the results from the mid-frame turbo out of these specific combinations. However, we do wonder about the longevity of the aluminum L83 block with a much larger turbo. Unlike the Coyote, which needs only sleeves to exceed 2,000 horsepower, the factory LT block and heads are not as sturdy.

So while this competition is complete and the Coyote proved that on equal footing, its better efficiency leads to better results, we’re sure this won’t at all settle any debates. In fact, we’re pretty sure this is only going to stoke the flames even more. So make sure to watch as these engines get put to use in the real world in the Horsepower Wars C10 Shootout over on Dragzine, and until the next one, this has been Horsepower Wars LS Vs. Coyote 3.

Here you can see the final runs of each combination plotted against each other. While it looks like there could have been more torque on the table for the LT at a lower RPM, the horsepower curve was peaking and nosing over at 6,400 rpm, meaning that low-RPM torque wouldn’t have converted, mathematically, to a higher peak horsepower number.

Horsepower Wars would like to thanks its sponsors for making this possible including Summit Racing, Holley (Holley EFI, Simpson, etc), Manley Performance, Diamond Racing Pistons, COMP Cams, Moroso Performance Products, Total Seal, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Cometic Gaskets, AMSOIL, Vibrant Performance, HPT Turbochargers, ICT Billet, ATI Performance, Meziere Enterprises, AFCO Racing, Optima Batteries, Old World Industries/Peak, Strange Engineering, SPAL, Auto Metal Direct, and Wiles Driveshaft.