Katech independently tests FAST LSXR LS3 manifold vs two ported LS3 manifolds
05-16-2011, 06:41 PM
#121
Burning Brakes
Last week we conducted a test of two different ported LS3 intake manifolds and a FAST LSXR 102mm intake. The test subject was a 6.2L LS3 with the following:
-Katech Torquer LS3 cam
-Springs, retainers, pushrods
-WCCH ported heads
-C5-R timing chain
-Katech ported oil pump
Tests are as follows:
C2-9336 - stock baseline 530hp/477ft-lbs
C2-9344 - brand Y ported LS3 intake 529hp/474ft-lbs
C2-9348 - brand X ported LS3 intake 527hp/470ft-lbs
C2-9345 - FAST LSXR 102mm intake manifold 538hp/484ft-lbs
As you can see both the ported manifolds lost power and the LSXR was the only one with a gain. These intakes were shown on the chassis dyno to make power so it just goes to show that the chassis dyno is not a good place to do precise A-B testing, and every tuner that ports manifolds will do what they can to make the product look good when testing. When you take that product to the controlled conditions of the engine dyno and take out all the variables, you see that you have actually lost power. This is a fairly mild LS3 engine and we can only guess that the more modified the engine is, the more it would benefit from the FAST manifold. Whether the gain on a stock or mildly modified engine is worth it to you, only you can decide.
-Katech Torquer LS3 cam
-Springs, retainers, pushrods
-WCCH ported heads
-C5-R timing chain
-Katech ported oil pump
Tests are as follows:
C2-9336 - stock baseline 530hp/477ft-lbs
C2-9344 - brand Y ported LS3 intake 529hp/474ft-lbs
C2-9348 - brand X ported LS3 intake 527hp/470ft-lbs
C2-9345 - FAST LSXR 102mm intake manifold 538hp/484ft-lbs
As you can see both the ported manifolds lost power and the LSXR was the only one with a gain. These intakes were shown on the chassis dyno to make power so it just goes to show that the chassis dyno is not a good place to do precise A-B testing, and every tuner that ports manifolds will do what they can to make the product look good when testing. When you take that product to the controlled conditions of the engine dyno and take out all the variables, you see that you have actually lost power. This is a fairly mild LS3 engine and we can only guess that the more modified the engine is, the more it would benefit from the FAST manifold. Whether the gain on a stock or mildly modified engine is worth it to you, only you can decide.
Post whatever you want though; and you can expect some honest opinions...coming from honest people like Spin 
I now realize my initial response was a bit off from what it should have been, as I was unaware of the intakes being tested here were ported based on stock intake tracts, and not the WCCH heads. No offense, but that's a silly test...and the results here proved it. Which btw was not pointed out by the experienced vendor
Concerning the chassis dyno:
I have done many tests during my time road racing using a chassis dyno. And every time I made a change, I had no problem drawing conclusions as to what did what. You gotta make big changes!
Sometimes I would be burning the midnight oil the night before a planned R&D day, to get everything prepped to ensure quick turnaround times going on/off the dyno. Making the effort to have as close to identical conditions as possible, and less dyno correction. The differences were there, and they made sense. If your not getting consistent results with a chassis dyno, you may want to question the dyno, operator, or testing protocol
Engine dyno, chassis dyno, and (I would say most importantly) track results, should all mean something if testing was consistent. And you CAN see consistent changes outside of a test cell
05-16-2011, 07:44 PM
#122
Safety Car
Member Since: Jun 1999
Location: Austin, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Houston, Dallas, Hong Kong, Elgin, etc.. Texas
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Maybe I am wrong, but I assume most (but not all) ported intakes being sold are not done specifically to a particular vendor's ported head? I mean, do the shops that port intake require the specific heads in their shop when they do the work?
Were the intakes in this test marketed as "generic" ported intakes i.e. for stock heads? I would like to hear more about what porting was done to these intakes. Just curious.
Not sure I agree with your statement its a silly test. It is what is is.
06-20-2011, 01:15 PM
#124
Former Vendor
Member Since: Mar 2003
Location: Tampa FL
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St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12'-'13-'14-'15
J,
Just dropped you an email. Please let me know when you can get to testing our BER ported LS3 manifold we sent in. Would really like to see how it stacks up. Thanks for doing this
Cajun
Cajun
Just dropped you an email. Please let me know when you can get to testing our BER ported LS3 manifold we sent in. Would really like to see how it stacks up. Thanks for doing this
Cajun
Cajun
