WS6 or LS1 what's the difference ?
Discussion
I know the WS6 is just a LS1 with 320bhp. But what is the difference, or how are they altered to make the standard 345bhp as in the C5's ? Is there a compression ratio difference ? or just in induction / mapping difference.
I'm thinking of buying an LS1 with a T56 and there are alot of WS6 advertised engines which are Camero / Trans-Am units. (non transaxle) I'm thinking of doing a RX8 conversion.....
So need to know if these motors will take all the Corvette bolt-ons etc.
Cheers For any advice..
>>> Edited by gtrclive on Wednesday 29th December 22:14
I'm thinking of buying an LS1 with a T56 and there are alot of WS6 advertised engines which are Camero / Trans-Am units. (non transaxle) I'm thinking of doing a RX8 conversion.....
So need to know if these motors will take all the Corvette bolt-ons etc.
Cheers For any advice..
>>> Edited by gtrclive on Wednesday 29th December 22:14
There is no difference, many Trans-Am and Corvette powered LS1's dyno very similar figures... It is beleived it was a marketing issued with having to put the vette bhp figure higher as the GM "Flagship" sports car.
I know the throttle set-up is different as is the exhaust/manifold but believe the rest is the same...
I'm sure Boosted LS1 can add something....
My WS6, although a 2001 model has a '99 block and cam (bigger cam than 2000-2001) with the LS6 intake and injectors, with a Borla Cat-back exhaust...
>> Edited by ws6 on Wednesday 29th December 22:48
I know the throttle set-up is different as is the exhaust/manifold but believe the rest is the same...
I'm sure Boosted LS1 can add something....
My WS6, although a 2001 model has a '99 block and cam (bigger cam than 2000-2001) with the LS6 intake and injectors, with a Borla Cat-back exhaust...
>> Edited by ws6 on Wednesday 29th December 22:48
Hello John,
Where have you been?
WS6 are slightly earlier then some later ls1's. For instance some ls1's 00 onwards would have had the sand cast windowed block ala ls6. They would have also got the holden flat floor intake as found on the ls6. There are other minor differences, don't forget the vette is fly by wire. Cams were changed but largely emmissions stuff. LS6's had 1.8 rockers but you don't need those to make good power. Aftermarket stuff is way better if you know what to get.
Clive, all the parts are interchangable. You can tune an ls1 past ls6 spec without much trouble and then fit ls6 heads or aftermarket if you want them. As for the front end stuff, you need either all vette parts or all camaro. You can't pick and mix. If you need more info give me a bell.
Oh, it's important you choose an ecu, stock, stand alone or fully mappable ala dta or motec etc.
Boosted.
Where have you been?
WS6 are slightly earlier then some later ls1's. For instance some ls1's 00 onwards would have had the sand cast windowed block ala ls6. They would have also got the holden flat floor intake as found on the ls6. There are other minor differences, don't forget the vette is fly by wire. Cams were changed but largely emmissions stuff. LS6's had 1.8 rockers but you don't need those to make good power. Aftermarket stuff is way better if you know what to get.
Clive, all the parts are interchangable. You can tune an ls1 past ls6 spec without much trouble and then fit ls6 heads or aftermarket if you want them. As for the front end stuff, you need either all vette parts or all camaro. You can't pick and mix. If you need more info give me a bell.
Oh, it's important you choose an ecu, stock, stand alone or fully mappable ala dta or motec etc.
Boosted.
1998
1. Had different casting heads which had perimeter bolts and valve covers.
2. Ignition coils were mounted to the valve covers individually.
3. The water temp gauge actually works.
4. Only LS1 year to not have an oil life monitor
5. WS6s had single outlet exhaust (all others had duals) (not in Europe)
6. Steering wheel controls were completely different part with indentations on the buttons, and were better built
7. Only year that Purple, Gold, and Green were available
8. Some very early Trans-Ams came with LT1 style headrests
9. Rear hatch release was poorly designed and often caused problems releasing mechanism
10. Early model 98 Monsoon stereos didn’t have capability to control 12-disc CD changer
11. 1998-1999 automatic transmission LS1s could be started in 1st gear even with the shifter in 2nd. Starting 2000, if you put the shifter in 2, it would start off in 2, even from a stop.
12. 1998-1999 LS1 cars had a smaller throttle body cam, which caused the throttle to open to WOT faster than 2000+ cars
13. 1998 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors from the factory
14. 1998-2000 cars had a larger cam than the 01-02 cars
15. 1998-1999 cars had more restrictive exhaust manifolds
16. 1998-2000 cars had an LS1 intake with EGR
17. 1998 and some early 1999 cars had blue outside rear view mirrors (Trans Am only)
18. 1998 only LS1 blocks had a much smaller cylinder sleeve that only tolerated a .005" hone
19. Last year F-body to use the old 15.5 gallon fuel tank.
20. Only year LS1 F-body to contain a gas cap with a tether long enough to actually hang from the fuel door while open
21. Only year LS1 F-body to not contain the famous GM black box used in the event of an accident to record up to 5 seconds of pre-crash data
22. 1998 only cars had a different PCV system with the PCV valve located above the passenger side valve cover
23. 1998 only cars did not have an idle adjustment screw on the throttle body
24. 1998 cars have a completely different PCM from 99+ cars
25. A production shortage of F-body cams caused the use of a C5 cam to be installed in F-body LS1s for a very short time
1999
1. 1999-2000 cars switched to 26 lb fuel injectors
2. Cylinder heads and valve covers redesigned to have centre bolts instead of perimeter bolts. Other than that, the heads were the same.
3. Redesigned cylinder sleeves that allowed for a small bore, up from .005" in 1998 models.
4. Midyear model change to a cheaper steering wheel audio control button without finger indentations, and cheaper built
5. 1999 cars continued the LS1 intake with EGR provisions
6. 1999 cars continued more restrictive exhaust manifolds and larger cam
7. Only year that Hugger Orange was available (Camaro only)
8. 30th Anniversary Trans Am available with special blue and white paint package and blue clear coated WS6 wheels
9. Switch to larger 16.8 gallon fuel tank to meet new emissions requirements.
10. Gas cap tether was shorter and could no longer be used to hang on the gas door when open.
11. Company wide change added black boxes to record up to 5 seconds of data before a crash
12. Rear hatch release was redesigned with stiffer spring that released the hatch better
13. Water temp gauge was redesigned to work basically as a dummy gauge and only show an overheat condition.
14. An oil life monitor was added to all LS1s, thus changing the gauge cluster a little to show the oil life reset swtich
15. 1999-02 cars had a different PCV system with the valve located to the side of the intake manifold
16. Early production 1999 Trans-Ams still had the blue outside mirrors, but a midyear change went to the non-tinted ones
2000
1. Redesigned exhaust manifolds for new emissions standard actually flowed better and created a little more HP.
2. 2000 continued use of LS1 Intake, EGR, smaller cam, and 26 lb fuel injectors
3. Added rear child seat safety hooks to interior per federal requirements
4. Very early run of WS6s had "salad shooter" style rims. A production change switched back to standard 5-spoke WS6 rims.
5. Camaros got redesigned 10-spoke base rims, and SSs came with new 10-spoke rim design
6. First year of Monterey Maple Metallic paint
7. Charcoal (greyish) interior was replaced with Ebony (almost black) leather interior
8. Cloth interior cars got new rainbow coloured cloth patterns
9. Camaros only got the Pontiac steering wheel with optional audio controls
10. Throttle body cam was increased in size to slow the speed at which the car reaches WOT
11. Automatic transmission cars were reprogrammed to allow a car to start off in 2nd gear from a stop when the shift lever is put into 2.
12. The last year a WS6 Formula was offered
13. Starting 2000 intake lids contained a separate breather filter
2001
1. A small percentage of 2001 and 2002 LS1s actually had LS6 blocks which had a different part number and a darker metal cast
2. Starting 2001 model year, all LS1s came with an LS6 intake manifold without an EGR system
3. Advertised HP output was changed from 305 to 310 on base LS1s and from 320 to 325 on WS6s and SSs
4. 2001-02 cars have a smaller cam from the Vortec truck engines to increase low end torque
5. 2001-02 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors like the 98 cars (albeit different part numbers)
6. WS6 cars had a redesigned 5 spoke rim which was more wavy
7. WS6 cars got less suspension upgrades from a base Trans Am suspension than previous years
8. Manual transmission cars all came with the Z06 clutch
2002 - Last year of the F-body
1. 35th Anniversary edition of the Camaro, and Collectors Edition Trans Am available
2. 2002 LS1 head gaskets redesigned. The new ones are a pressed metal, as opposed to the graphite ones and are no longer specific to the side of the car they’re installed on
3. 2002 cars continued with the LS6 intake, 28 lb fuel injectors and smaller truck cam
4. 2002 continued the use of an LS6 block in some LS1 F-bodies
5. A factory supported optional 345 HP option could be ordered from SLP
6. Manual transmission cars continued use of the Z06 clutch
7. Some 2002 model F-bodies came with a revised rear view mirror that had the map light buttons on the bottom, rather than the front.
1. Had different casting heads which had perimeter bolts and valve covers.
2. Ignition coils were mounted to the valve covers individually.
3. The water temp gauge actually works.
4. Only LS1 year to not have an oil life monitor
5. WS6s had single outlet exhaust (all others had duals) (not in Europe)
6. Steering wheel controls were completely different part with indentations on the buttons, and were better built
7. Only year that Purple, Gold, and Green were available
8. Some very early Trans-Ams came with LT1 style headrests
9. Rear hatch release was poorly designed and often caused problems releasing mechanism
10. Early model 98 Monsoon stereos didn’t have capability to control 12-disc CD changer
11. 1998-1999 automatic transmission LS1s could be started in 1st gear even with the shifter in 2nd. Starting 2000, if you put the shifter in 2, it would start off in 2, even from a stop.
12. 1998-1999 LS1 cars had a smaller throttle body cam, which caused the throttle to open to WOT faster than 2000+ cars
13. 1998 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors from the factory
14. 1998-2000 cars had a larger cam than the 01-02 cars
15. 1998-1999 cars had more restrictive exhaust manifolds
16. 1998-2000 cars had an LS1 intake with EGR
17. 1998 and some early 1999 cars had blue outside rear view mirrors (Trans Am only)
18. 1998 only LS1 blocks had a much smaller cylinder sleeve that only tolerated a .005" hone
19. Last year F-body to use the old 15.5 gallon fuel tank.
20. Only year LS1 F-body to contain a gas cap with a tether long enough to actually hang from the fuel door while open
21. Only year LS1 F-body to not contain the famous GM black box used in the event of an accident to record up to 5 seconds of pre-crash data
22. 1998 only cars had a different PCV system with the PCV valve located above the passenger side valve cover
23. 1998 only cars did not have an idle adjustment screw on the throttle body
24. 1998 cars have a completely different PCM from 99+ cars
25. A production shortage of F-body cams caused the use of a C5 cam to be installed in F-body LS1s for a very short time
1999
1. 1999-2000 cars switched to 26 lb fuel injectors
2. Cylinder heads and valve covers redesigned to have centre bolts instead of perimeter bolts. Other than that, the heads were the same.
3. Redesigned cylinder sleeves that allowed for a small bore, up from .005" in 1998 models.
4. Midyear model change to a cheaper steering wheel audio control button without finger indentations, and cheaper built
5. 1999 cars continued the LS1 intake with EGR provisions
6. 1999 cars continued more restrictive exhaust manifolds and larger cam
7. Only year that Hugger Orange was available (Camaro only)
8. 30th Anniversary Trans Am available with special blue and white paint package and blue clear coated WS6 wheels
9. Switch to larger 16.8 gallon fuel tank to meet new emissions requirements.
10. Gas cap tether was shorter and could no longer be used to hang on the gas door when open.
11. Company wide change added black boxes to record up to 5 seconds of data before a crash
12. Rear hatch release was redesigned with stiffer spring that released the hatch better
13. Water temp gauge was redesigned to work basically as a dummy gauge and only show an overheat condition.
14. An oil life monitor was added to all LS1s, thus changing the gauge cluster a little to show the oil life reset swtich
15. 1999-02 cars had a different PCV system with the valve located to the side of the intake manifold
16. Early production 1999 Trans-Ams still had the blue outside mirrors, but a midyear change went to the non-tinted ones
2000
1. Redesigned exhaust manifolds for new emissions standard actually flowed better and created a little more HP.
2. 2000 continued use of LS1 Intake, EGR, smaller cam, and 26 lb fuel injectors
3. Added rear child seat safety hooks to interior per federal requirements
4. Very early run of WS6s had "salad shooter" style rims. A production change switched back to standard 5-spoke WS6 rims.
5. Camaros got redesigned 10-spoke base rims, and SSs came with new 10-spoke rim design
6. First year of Monterey Maple Metallic paint
7. Charcoal (greyish) interior was replaced with Ebony (almost black) leather interior
8. Cloth interior cars got new rainbow coloured cloth patterns
9. Camaros only got the Pontiac steering wheel with optional audio controls
10. Throttle body cam was increased in size to slow the speed at which the car reaches WOT
11. Automatic transmission cars were reprogrammed to allow a car to start off in 2nd gear from a stop when the shift lever is put into 2.
12. The last year a WS6 Formula was offered
13. Starting 2000 intake lids contained a separate breather filter
2001
1. A small percentage of 2001 and 2002 LS1s actually had LS6 blocks which had a different part number and a darker metal cast
2. Starting 2001 model year, all LS1s came with an LS6 intake manifold without an EGR system
3. Advertised HP output was changed from 305 to 310 on base LS1s and from 320 to 325 on WS6s and SSs
4. 2001-02 cars have a smaller cam from the Vortec truck engines to increase low end torque
5. 2001-02 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors like the 98 cars (albeit different part numbers)
6. WS6 cars had a redesigned 5 spoke rim which was more wavy
7. WS6 cars got less suspension upgrades from a base Trans Am suspension than previous years
8. Manual transmission cars all came with the Z06 clutch
2002 - Last year of the F-body
1. 35th Anniversary edition of the Camaro, and Collectors Edition Trans Am available
2. 2002 LS1 head gaskets redesigned. The new ones are a pressed metal, as opposed to the graphite ones and are no longer specific to the side of the car they’re installed on
3. 2002 cars continued with the LS6 intake, 28 lb fuel injectors and smaller truck cam
4. 2002 continued the use of an LS6 block in some LS1 F-bodies
5. A factory supported optional 345 HP option could be ordered from SLP
6. Manual transmission cars continued use of the Z06 clutch
7. Some 2002 model F-bodies came with a revised rear view mirror that had the map light buttons on the bottom, rather than the front.
The difference between Vette and F-Body was largely in the marketing department. A 1998 test of a Vette and a Trans Am had the TA producing more rwhp than the Vette on a dyno.
A 2002 Camaro SS tested by a magazine in the US produced 317rwhp - what a remarkably efficient transmission that is! Many later F-bodies will dyno 320rwhp stock.
Never been quite sure about Euro-spec Camaros which claimed 284hp and yet fit a cat-back and a decent airbox and it will run the same as the US models. I know the Euro-ECU is slightly different.
A 2002 Camaro SS tested by a magazine in the US produced 317rwhp - what a remarkably efficient transmission that is! Many later F-bodies will dyno 320rwhp stock.
Never been quite sure about Euro-spec Camaros which claimed 284hp and yet fit a cat-back and a decent airbox and it will run the same as the US models. I know the Euro-ECU is slightly different.
Boosted LS1 said:
Iron block matey and smaller combustion chambers & smaller valves in the heads Nice looking tool though. Bet they see you coming and move over. Do you still have the Ponty?
Boosted.
Yup, still got my '86 T/A (had that 17 years now
) my 2001 WS6, Jeep Cherokee, that "spare" LS1 block.... and the new Tahoe (really the wifes car - ever seen that episode of the Simpsons where Marge gets a 4X4 and terrorises everyone on the road ? ... thats her, she owns the road and you best get outta the way 
) P.S. The picture of the Tahoe was taken at Linden's - Hes's got some tastey Monaroes there and that record breaking LS1 powered Ultima
>> Edited by ws6 on Thursday 30th December 10:08
In addition to Wayne's comprehensive list there are also quite a few internal/external engine differences across the range as well as electrical differences etc. At the end of the day nearly all parts will interchange. I'd avoid a perimeter head bolt type engine and would stick with something later. There are differences with ls1, truck & ls6 heads. I'd also plump for the alloy block and if looking at a used camaro try to find one with the sand cast block. You can tell it from the earlier block because it's sand cast and a matt grey colour. Earlier blocks are shiney and die cast. There is also a part number at the rear of the block below the left hand head. If you get a good deal but with an early block I'd still go for it.
Boosted.
Boosted.
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