Two Atmospheres

How Much Boost Will a 6.0L EngineTake? We Blow One Apart to Find Out

- Steven Rupp

Even with the proliferation of GM’s newer LT engine family, the aftermarket and gearheads everywhere are still in love with the LS platform. Part of this is because of the engine’s huge aftermarket support, but a lot has to do with how many are sitting in junkyards just waiting to be scooped up for relatively cheap. One of the more desirable finds would be the 6.0L LQ4 engines found in numerous Chevy trucks and SUVs. Of course, that begs the question of how much power will boost add to a 6.0L, and how much boost can you get away with adding? To answer this burning question, Richard Holdener decided to lightly modify a 6.0L and run it on Westech’s dyno to find its breaking point. Hey, we hate to blow up a perfectly good engine, but in the name of science, sacrifices have to be made.

Sources

ARP; 800.826.3045; arp-bolts.com

Brian Tooley Racing; 888.959.8865; briantooleyracing.com

Comp Cams; 901.795.2400; compcams.com

DNA Motoring; 626.965.8898;dnamotoring.com

Holley/Hooker; 270.782.2900; holley.com

Kenne Bell; 909.941.6646; kennebell.net

Lil John’s Motorsport Solutions; 888.583.4408; liljohnsmotorsports.com

Total Engine Airflow; 330.634.2155; totalengineairflow.com

Turbo Smart; 909.476.2570; turbosmartusa.com

01 This engine was mostly stock, but we did a few things to help it live longer during the torture we had planned. We used a Gen III iron block from a Suburban. To begin, Richard Holdener made sure the block was given a light brush hone and resurfaced to help the head gaskets seal.