All Aboard

A couple of months ago, we outfitted our GM Performance Parts LS1 crate engine with the complete Patriot Performance package ("Patriot Games," Dec. '04), consisting of CNC-ported LQ9 aluminum cylinder heads, a 1.7:1 shaft-mount rocker assembly, a healthy roller cam, along with the factory LS6 manifold, which produced 506 hp and 459 lb-ft. To further take advantage of the increased airflow, we then swapped the potent factory LS6 manifold for the F.A.S.T LSX unit, netting us an additional 16 hp and 7 lb-ft, bringing the total to 522 hp and 466 lb-ft. As impressive as it was, we wondered how much power we could extrapolate from a stock bottom-end LS1. Although our time on the dyno was finished for the day, we had plenty of opportunity to put our warped minds together and concoct various options on taking the LS series to the next level.

For this round, we opted for the Nitrous Express Twin EFI MAF nitrous system, specifically designed for LS1 and LT1 engines. Its method of delivering fuel and nitrous is unique. Unlike other systems that employ a single nozzle, the MAF billet aluminum housing replaces the factory piece and allows the mixture to flow directly into the manifold. The new MAF housing has four inlets, two for nitrous and two for fuel, and can be arranged in a number of configurations. A single-stage system is good up to 250 hp. Using the second pair of inlets creates a two-stage system that'll produce as much as 500, assuming you have an engine with forged components and a fuel system that can handle it.

Since our LS1 features a completely stock bottom end and has already produced pretty stout figures on grunt alone, the object was to see just how much more there was to be gained with the power adder. We'll admit that we initially wanted to limit the testing with a small shot, but our dark side convinced us to try the 200 pills. If you were impressed with the Patriot-equipped all-motor numbers, then you have to check out what a little bit of gas can create.