Toyota's 2JZ-GTE vs. General Motors' LS2-Which is the better engine?

Home to the most technologically advanced culture, Japan is home to some of the world’s largest automakers. With high standards of quality control, reliability, affordability and efficient engineering, Japanese manufacturers have become the dominant force in the global automotive market. In this article, we will compare Japan’s latest engine design methods with small capacity, high revs, turbocharged engines with the American tradition of using large capacity, low revs, naturally aspirated engines. Compare the 2JZ-GTE, Japan’s most technologically advanced performance engine, with the LS2, the newest high-performance engine in the United States. Toyota’s 2JZ-GTE engine is an in-line 6-cylinder equipped with a 3-liter (2997 cc) dual overhead cam and two sequential turbos, and is installed in the Supra. Manufactured by General Motors, the LS2 is a 6-liter (5967 cc), 8-cylinder (V-type) pushrod engine mounted on the Corvette.

When comparing performance engines, what matters is the amount of power and torque the engine produces, right? Well … well, no. There are many factors to consider when comparing engines. But first, let’s compare the output and torque values ​​of each engine side by side. General Motors’ LS2 delivers 400 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 530 nm torque at 4400 rpm. Toyota’s 2JZ-GTE produces moderate 320 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 440 nm torque at 3600 rpm. Looking at these numbers, it looks like there is a clear winner. Why do you believe the 2JZ-GTE is a great performance engine when the LS2 produces more power and more torque? An important factor is the size of the engine. The LS2 is exactly twice the size of the 2JZ-GTE, but the output and torque numbers aren’t 25% higher. Why is it so high level of inefficiency?

The problem with LS2 is that the engine has some basic design flaws and relies on older technology. The LS2 is a push rod design, technically speaking, of the type where the camshaft is placed under the piston and the push rod is used to actuate the lifter or tappet above the cylinder head to actuate the valve. It means that it is a piston engine. Pushrod engines are an old technology and have been largely replaced by overhead cam designs in Europe and Japan.

There are some issues with the push rod design. First, the push rod engine has the disadvantage of having a limited ability to rotate compared to the overhead cam design. This is due to the high rotational mass, which can cause the valve to “float” and the push rod itself to tend to bend and break at high revs. The LS2 red line is 6500 rpm compared to the 2JZ-GTE’s higher 7200 rpm red line. Second, push rod engines have limited valve flexibility. Most pushrod engines have only two valves per cylinder (such as LS2). However, overhead cam engines often use three, four, or five valves per cylinder to improve efficiency and power. The 2JZ-GTE has 4 valves per cylinder, creating a total of 24 valves for the engine. With two valves per cylinder, the LS2 has a total of 16 valves for the engine.

Perhaps the biggest innovative feature of the 2JZ-GTE compared to the LS2, in the form of a twin-sequential turbocharger, is the use of a supercharger. The 2JZ-GTE has a low compression ratio, so it can drive a turbocharger. A turbocharger is a device that compresses the air that flows into the engine. The advantage of compressing air is that the engine can push more air into the cylinder. Also, more air means more fuel can be added. Therefore, you can get more power from each explosion in each cylinder. Turbochargers are probably the most efficient way to draw power from an engine-both small and large.

By using a turbocharger for a small-capacity engine, Japan was able to easily change a very lightweight, high-speed engine and achieve excellent fuel economy. A simple change in a turbo car will significantly improve performance, especially when compared to a naturally aspirated engine. As an example, the 2JZ-GTE, with its aftermarket exhaust, front-mounted intercooler and higher boost settings, outputs significantly more power than the LS2. The more money you spend, the more you can make huge profits. Getting power from a naturally aspirated engine is quite a lot of work. First, if you’re chasing a lot of power, you’ll need to open the engine and make internal changes to get additional power, unlike a turbo engine, which can be easily changed without opening the engine. Power is often extracted from a naturally aspirated engine by changing the camshaft and doing work on the engine head. These changes are costly and significantly change the “street-friendly” nature of the car. That is, it produces rough idles, tends to stall, and results in poor fuel economy.

With all the praise I have given to the 2JZ-GTE, the LS2 engine may seem like a poorly performing engine. This is certainly not the case. To understand that this engine is very fast and has neck snap torque directly from the car dealer, just check the stock power numbers. The design may be old-fashioned and fuel-efficient, but it’s definitely. If you long after the V8 made a lot of Australian noise, you’ll definitely be happy with LS2. The LS2 is very “street friendly” and 90% of the torque is immediately available from idle. This is the equivalent of easy towing, overtaking, and pure adrenaline rush with every tap on the throttle. In addition, LS2 has several advantages over the more advanced 2JZ-GTE engine. LS2 is a much less complex engine, so if something goes wrong, it’s much easier to identify the cause and resolve the problem. In addition, because LS2 is naturally aspirated (unlike the 2JZ-GTE), it puts far less stress on the internal components of the engine and can be expected to have a longer engine life than the 2JZ-GTE.

Currently, fuel prices have reached record highs, and it is important to ensure the optimal balance between engine performance and fuel economy. In addition, the 2JZ-GTE is better than the LS2. This is due to the engine capacity of 3 liters for Toyota and 6 liters for GM engine. Not surprisingly, LS2 uses more gasoline because it has exactly double the displacement. However, this does not mean that the fuel economy of the 2JZ-GTE is good. Unfortunately, electricity is costly and both engines described are not economical.

The 2JZ-GTE has many features of the intelligent design, contributing to the strength and robustness of the motor. Two of its most advanced features are the use of sequential turbo and VVT. VVT stands for Variable Valve Timing, an advanced technology for overhead cam engines that uses mechanical devices to switch between low and medium speed “small” cams and high speed “large” cams. This allows for excellent drivability at low revs and excellent powerful acceleration at high revs. However, the greatest engineering feat of the 2JZ-GTE is the use of sequential turbos. With the twin turbocharger, you can quickly wind up a small primary turbocharger for excellent boost response at low revs and step up the secondary turbocharger in the rev range for incredible top-end power. I will. With this setup, Toyota was able to create an engine with incredible response anywhere in the rev range, leaving it open to the possibility of serious changes.

In conclusion, size is definitely not important when it comes to performance car engines. Japanese performance engines use new technologies such as turbochargers and VVT to obtain incredible power and torque numbers similar to twice the size of engines. From a technical and engineering design standpoint, the 2JZ-GTE is far superior in all respects to the older technologies found in LS2.