Topic: Turbo Yoda digging the LS swapped Kappa

[Steelmesh]

At 9:00 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaXtsPvXWC4&feature=youtu.be&t=537

[Uranium-238]

I noticed that too. Still boggles my mind why Kappas didn't come that way from the factory...

[Steelmesh]

I noticed that too. Still boggles my mind why Kappas didn't come that way from the factory...

They'd probably put the green light on a V8 for the gen 2 kappa...imagine that, a gen 2 kappa 

[DaveOC]

Well explained by Bob Lutz in several interviews. I seem to remember, not sure though, also in the latest one at Autoline.tv (afterhours series)

[Uranium-238]

While I can understand the intent, but I still maintain that it was the wrong decision based on the car they made.  (As compared to the car they intended.)

If they wanted a lightweight 4-cylinder car, why didn't they make one? My Redline weighed ~3200 lbs. My Camaro 2SS weighs 3800, and that's with the porky 80lb seats and 50 lb wheels.

FYI, a base Corvette from the same model year as my Sky was ~3400 lbs. Pick any of the smaller displacement aluminum truck engines, so the vette's place on top is safe. Throw this in place of the LNF, which made the 290 with the GM tune. Tune it for 350-375 HP, so there's not a significant increase it heat to deal with. No intercooler, so if you do need more radiator size you can make it up there. You're talking a marginal increase it weight over an LNF with it's turbo and piping.

You can argue the LNF and LE5 still weigh less, but my argument is the weight savings isn't enough to justify using them when an LS fits so easily. If you'd designed the platform to be lighter in a way that precluded an LS from fitting in the engine bay I'd get it.

Fuel economy isn't even an argument. My LNF powered Kappa got 18-19 around town. The Camaro gets 20-21.

[Sol Asylum]

Except the stock LNF got in the high 20s low 30s for gas mileage.

[Uranium-238]

Except the stock LNF got in the high 20s low 30s for gas mileage.

I never saw 30, I think 28 was the highest I saw in my Sky, which also happens to be the highest I've seen in the Camaro. The Charger has seen 24 highway, and the truck gets 18. I think the weight of a car matters far more than the displacement these days when it comes to gas mileage.

But that's highway, and as most of my driving is done around town I figured that was the more useful metric.

The point I'm trying to make is the Kappa, as it was designed, played more to the strengths of a V8 powertrain than a 4 cylinder powertrain.

The crazy thing, is the S2k is even getting LS swaps these days. It's just hard to find an engine that's as power dense as an LS for it's size/weight. That's why I think GM was crazy to not utilize it.

[Sol Asylum]

I remember being in the dealership when I bought my Sol, they had a GTO and the gas guzzler tax on that car was near $10k.  As I recall the GTO didn't sell very well and I'm sure the extra tax didn't help sales.

[Uranium-238]

A 2012 Camaro 2SS was gas guzzler tax free, as were the Corvettes. Even our behemoth of a 392 Charger escaped any gas guzzler taxes.

Not arguing about the GTO, they got atrocious mileage, but there are ways to avoid that issue. GM had to have had some inkling of this, engines aren't developed in a day, but perhaps they didn't see that in time for Kappa development. If that's the case, the lack of a V8 is still what killed the platform, as the modern HP wars were just about to start.

[elff]

I've never been impressed with a v8 in a Kappa.  The bigger engine and power doesn't translate to any appreciable speed.
Traction, is the issue.   

[Sol Asylum]

The lack of a V8 didn't kill the platform, that happened because the two US brands selling it ceased to exist.

[Uranium-238]

The lack of a V8 didn't kill the platform, that happened because the two US brands selling it ceased to exist.

True. That, the economy tanking, the tooling running out and other things all factored into this mess.

My rant more has to do with GM seemingly never really hitting the mark for what people want. They're always late, or some weird issue crops up that kills things when they do get it right (GTO gas guzzler, Volt delays, etc.). Sometimes they do get things right, but that honestly seems more blind luck than anything else.