12/12/2007 - Tech Articles

Closer Look: Trick Flow GenX Top-End Engine Kits

There's an old saying that urges: "Work smarter, not harder."

That's the principle behind Trick Flow Specialties GenX Top-End Engine Kits for GM LS1 engines. The kits are built around Trick Flow's GenX 215 CNC-Ported cylinder heads and a Track Max hydraulic roller camshaft. The heads and cam have been dyno-matched by the experts at Trick Flow so LS1 owners don't have to waste time figuring out which cam/cylinder head combo works best.

Unlike similar kits, Trick Flow GenX Top-End Engine Kits for LS1 also come with everything needed to complete the installation--roller rocker arms, pushrods, head gaskets, head bolts, exhaust gaskets, and balancer bolt. And the kits are priced lower than the cost of buying each component separately, so LS1 enthusiasts get maximum airflow, dyno-matched performance, and instant horsepower for less.

Maximum Airflow
The cornerstone of the Trick Flow GenX Top-End Engine Kit is the GenX 215 Cylinder Head. This head has been CNC-ported and reconfigured to flow significantly better than stock heads. Trick Flow engineers changed the valve angles from the 15 deg. configuration on stock LS heads to a shallower 13.5 deg. angle to decrease valve shrouding, increase mid-lift airflow, and improve rocker arm-to-valve cover clearance. They also relocated the spark plugs in the combustion chambers to further enhance mid-lift airflow.

Airflow testing conducted at 28 in. of water pressure confirm significant improvement in airflow. Here are test results:

Lift Value            Intake Flow (CFM)       Exhaust Flow (CFM)
.100"                   68                                   55
.200"                   142                                 115
.300"                   215                                 185
.400"                   269                                 230
.500"                   305                                 251
.600"                   320                                 259

The heads were designed for high horsepower applications. The relocated spark plugs help increase the rigidity of the casting, and extra material was added at the rocker arm mounting points for more high-rpm stability.

GenX 215 Cylinder Heads feature 215cc intake ports, 80cc exhaust ports, and 64cc combustion chambers. The heads come with 2.040 in. intake valves, 1.575 in. exhaust valves, 1.300" dual valve springs, bronze valve guides, ductile iron intake and exhaust valve seat inserts, Viton fluoroelastomer valve seals, seven deg. steel valve locks, and seven deg. titanium retainers.

Dyno-Matched Performance
The GenX heads are dyno-matched to a Trick Flow Track Max Camshaft. Track Max cams have a hydraulic roller design for quiet, maintenance-free performance. Each one is manufactured from premium blank cores, heat-treated to the proper hardness, and precision ground to exacting tolerances.

Trick Flow engineers dyno tested 15 different Track Max cams to find the three best performing camshafts for the kits. They chose Track Max TFS-30602001 for its excellent idling characteristics and strong midrange power production; Track Max TFS-30602002 for its good idle quality, midrange performance, top-end power capabilities; and Track Max TFS-30602003 for its strong top-end power production through 6,500 rpm.

Instant Horsepower
Based on those three cylinder head/camshaft combinations, the engineers at Trick Flow created three complete, power-building kits. The kits were dyno-tested on a stock GM 5.7L LS1 short block with 10.5:1 compression and an LS6 intake manifold. Here are the results:

TFS-K306-485-460

GenX 215 Cylinder Head with TFS-30602001 Track Max Camshaft: 485 horsepower and 460 ft.-lbs. of torque

TFS-K306-500-460

GenX 215 Cylinder Head with TFS-30602002 Track Max Camshaft: 500 horsepower and 460 ft.-lbs. of torque

TFS-K306-515-460

GenX 215 Cylinder Head with TFS-30602003 Track Max Camshaft: 515 horsepower and 460 ft.-lbs. of torque

Depending on which kit they choose, GM enthusiasts can get up to 515 horsepower from their LS1 engines, too. Trick Flow is also ready to offer complete top-end kits for LS2 and LSX motors starting in the summer of 2008. That means even more late-model GM enthusiasts can add dyno-matched top-end components without the added time, price, or guesswork of buying the components separately.

That truly is "working smarter, not harder!"

*Viton is a registered trademark of DuPont Performance Elastomers.