**The 1JZ vs 2JZ: A Tale of Two Engines**
When it comes to Toyota engines, the 1JZ and 2JZ are two of the most popular choices among car enthusiasts. While both engines have their own unique characteristics, they also share some common traits.
One major difference between the two engines is their lean-to-rich running characteristics. The 1JZ tends to run a bit too lean, which can lead to overheating cylinder walls if not properly fueled or if fuel injectors become clogged. On the other hand, 2JZ owners often prefer to run rich and blast big fireballs, but this also has its own set of challenges.
Despite these differences, both engines have earned a reputation for being reliable and long-lasting, with many examples clocking over 300,000 miles without major issues. However, they do require regular maintenance, such as replacing spark plugs if water gets into them, and can be prone to rough idle issues in some cases, especially when using stock ECUs.
**The Secret Club of JZ Enthusiasts**
While the LS engine swap community is thriving, with many meetups and events dedicated to these engines, the JZ community operates in a different sphere. For JZ owners, being part of this "secret club" comes with its own set of perks, such as the thrill of 3 AM drag races and the satisfaction of owning a forbidden fruit.
In contrast, LS Fest is an annual event that brings together thousands of LS engine enthusiasts for a weekend of autocross, drifting, drag racing, dyno challenges, and off-road racing. This unique gathering is a testament to the popularity and versatility of the LS engine platform.
**The LS Engine Swap: A Practical Choice**
While both engines have their own loyal followings, the LS engine swap is often considered the more practical choice due to its widespread availability, ease of installation, and ability to build decent power on. This has led many car enthusiasts to adopt the LS engine as a reliable and sensible option for upgrading or customizing their vehicles.
For those looking to join the LS community, Holley LS Fest offers an ideal opportunity to learn about the engine, ask questions, and meet like-minded individuals. With thousands of registered cars and attendees at each event, this is truly a unique experience that no other engine swap can match.
Whether you're a seasoned car enthusiast or just starting out, both the 1JZ and 2JZ engines have their own charms and quirks. While they may not offer the same level of mainstream popularity as the LS engine, they remain beloved by those who appreciate their unique characteristics and loyal followings.
**Conclusion**
In conclusion, while both the 1JZ and 2JZ engines have their own strengths and weaknesses, they also share some common traits that make them appealing to car enthusiasts. Whether you're a JDM fan or an LS engine aficionado, there's always something to be learned from these two iconic engines.
Thanks for watching this article about the 1JZ vs 2JZ: A Tale of Two Engines! Don't forget to subscribe to Donut media and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Everyone's got thatone car that they love,that would be great ifit just had more power.You can try adding exhaust, cams, boost,but at the end of the day some enginesjust can't take the powerwithout some serious work.That is where engine swaps come in.(upbeat music)But which engine do you use?Do you go with the JDMtank than can handlemore pressure than Michael Jordan?Or do you go with theAll-American featherweightthat can be found in anythingfrom trucks to Corvettes.We're talking JZ's and LS's.For those who don'tknow these two engines,let me paint you a word picture.The JZ motors are animport tuner's dream.They're designed to handle more boostand more abuse than anything else.They're a go to engine fordrifters and drag racers alike.There are half a dozendifferent variations,but the 1JZ-GTE and the 2JZ-GTEare the main ones we're looking at.- 2JZ engine, no(bloop)- And what did I tell you?- On the other hand, the LS hasdozens of different versionsit's a good old American V8,it's got more aftermarketand factory support than any other engineand it can make good powerstraight out of the box.Chevy released it in 1997 andthey're still making it today.If you've got a favorite outof one of these two engines,stick around 'cause wemight just change your mind.And if you don't know athing about JZ's and LS's,we have done all the research for youto take a look at as manypros and cons as we can.We've got five rounds,Cost and Availability,Swap Simplicity, Power,Reliability and Culture.Let's get into round one, inround one we'll be lookingat the actual cost of these engines,what it takes to getone and what you'll needbefore dropping it in your car.JZ engines are plentiful,they're found insidecars like Supra,but also the Soarer,Chaser, Aristo and Crown.Most are JDM though, andI mean that literally.They were mainly sold forthe Japanese Domestic Market.So if you're really lucky,you can find the USDM modelfrom the Supra Mark IV that actually mademore stock horsepower thanthe VVT-I one in Japan.Hey, yeah to America,we got a cool thing from Japan for once.Demand means that thereare plenty of importers,but on your way down to that importer,you're probably gonnatrip over four LS blocks.The LS is still on the hot streakof over 20 years of production,where GM has made and sold overfive million vehicles with LS engines.They made them in 4.8 liter iron blocks,they made them in sevenliter Corvette form.They even made them in afront wheel drive version.A truck LS can be found for under $500at a wrecker's yard and canmake over 270 horsepower stock.While you can technicallyfind JZ's at that price,they're the naturally aspirated onesand they make less than 200 horsepower.Looking a a mid rangeprice, the 1JZ GTE VVT-Ican be found for a little over two grand.You won't find one of theseat a junk yard though,it's gonna be a trip downto your local JDM importer.For that price you'llget a checked over enginewith an auto trans allputting out that Japanesecalling card number of 276 horsepower.If you start cranking up the boost,you can kiss 400 horsepowerbefore really having to make any changes.If you throw similar money at an LS,you're likely to find a 5.7 liter LS1.You'd be getting morestock power than the 1JZ,anywhere from 300 to 350 horsepower.When it comes to thisprice range on the LS,there are so many combinations.You can mix and match that GMsmall block to fit your budgetLS are so common that you can getreplacement parts downthe street at Auto Zone.For the JZ you're gonna bewaiting on import parts for weeks.But what if you're notshopping at Auto Zone?What if you're a big spenderand can afford the finer things in life?For a 2JZ-GTE non VVT-I,you can find one in goodcondition for under five grand.This is the Supra MacDaddy,the one that's ready to beboosted out of its mind.It comes with a sequentialtwin-turbo setup,but most people that are chasing big powerpull those out for one big turbo.It might only have a littleover 300 horsepower stock,but you do not buy oneof these for stock power.But if we eliminate thecost of the swap itself,you'll still need some cashset aside for the aftermarketparts to get big power out of this engine.Big turbo kits for the 2J can be foundas low two and a half grand,but you've also got to spenda bit on fueling and cooling.Once it's all said and done though,you'll be making 700 horsepowereasily to the wheels.And you'll be somethinglike 10 grand out of pocket.If you wanna spend top dollar on an LS,the process is a little bit different.Chevrolet has a Crate Engine programwhere you can buy almost anyengine right from the factory.Even small block 350's,like the carbureted ones.There is a special LS in this catalogthat you won't find in anyproduction car, the LSX.The LSX 376 is an iron blockdesigned for boost applicationsand the 454 is a 7.4 liter behemoth,ready to put out over 600naturally aspirated horsepower.So, what does it take to get oneof these into your project car?Well, the LSX 454 islisted at over $12,000and unlike the engineswe've already mentioned,it won't come with any useful extras.No trans, no intake manifold,no throttle body, nooil pan, no water pump,no flywheel and no wiring harness.So, now you know how to get your handson one of these enginesand what it'll cost.The LS can be found literally anywhere.You can get them in running cars,in junk yards and evennew from the factory.The JZ's though weredecently mass produced.Importers are making it easierto get your hands on them.And the blocks in the NAones are still useful.But if you wanna learnmore about LS engines,check out this episode ofWheel House we did on them.After you're done with that,check out more videos at Donut,because we have new videoscoming out everyday,that's right everyday is a new episode.Till the end of time,everyday, what's sleep?Round two, Swap Simplicity.You've been getting prettyconfident in wrenching lately?You just put an axle-backexhaust on your Datsunand now you wanna do thenext most logical move,the next mod in the list ofthings to do, an engine swap.Good for you, in thisround we're gonna lookat just how hard it is to swap oneof these bad boys into your car.Now not all swaps are the same,so we looked at as many swaps as we couldto get a general idea of thepros and cons of each engine.The first thing that you're gonna needto get that engine into yourcar is to make sure it fits.Side by side these two enginesare about the same height and depth.This is one of the biggestbenefits of the LS.It's got double the displacementof the JZ engines for similar dimensions.Where the two engines start toreally differ is in the widthyou would think that the V configurationof the LS would be wider than the I6and in an NA setup you'd be right.But you're not running an NA 2J, are you?You want them boosty boys.With stock turbos an assembled 2JZis over seven incheswider than the average LS.Also with a turbo chargedengine there's just more piecesthat are gonna go into the engine bay.You'll need to consider if the turbosneed to get clocked for clearanceand how cooling is gonna mount up.On top of that, you've gotless oil pan options with a JZ,so you better get one of them to fit.But if your engine can fit,then you're one step closer.The next thing you're gonnaneed is a transmission.The LS is an evolutionof the Chevy small blockand as such it has transoptions dating back to the 60's.If you're building a restomodand you want a three speed, you can.I'm not sure how well itwould work, but it would fit.For both engines the most commonsix speeds about the same,both the T56 for theLS and the Toyota R154can be bought new from thefactory for about three grandand hold about 700 foot pounds of torque.The LS does have stronger offeringsif you wanna go five speed or automatic.And cheaper prices too.If you really wanna break the bankand break a 1,000 horsepower though,the six speed V160 Getragfits natively to the 2JZ's,but used it will cost youbetween six and ten grand.That's way too much I hear you say?Well, the CD009 out of the 350Zcan actually hold a 1,000 horsepowerand it will bolt to eitherengine with available kits.Though it looks like the LSkits are a bit more expensive.Also the Aisin Ar-5 outof the Pontiac Solsticeis a really good, cheap optionfor both of these if youswap the bellhousing.Motor mounts and swapkits are really commonfor both of these enginesas well but the LS hasa few more prefabbedoptions and chassis to fit.Tuning wise the LS is definitely easier.Most LS swaps are NA builds,which take some complicationout of tuning a stand alone ECUand makes it easier to usea stock ECU if you want.To add to that the variablevalve timing in the JDM2J'sadds a bit of tuning to the workday,not a lot, but not nothing.And some LS's have VVT as well,but you're a little more likelyto not have to deal with it.These engines have great support for swapsand it's obvious why they'rechosen for so many builds.Round three, Power.These two engines areknown for their power.And in this round we're gonna find outexactly who makes the most power.But before we start throwing a bunchhigh horsepower numbers at you,let's look at how these two enginesactually make theirhorsepower in the first place.The LS at first glance shouldn'tbe able to make much horsepower,it has a single cam inside the block.This is archaic technology that limitsthe amount of valves you can have.But Chevy combat this in two ways.One, the heads on the LS are someof the most efficient heads around.And two, the cam core is so big,that the cam loadsthemselves can be biggerwhile still being gentle.With no need for overhead cams,this makes the engine relatively small.And means more space isgiven to actual displacement,like the LS7 at sevenliters and 505 horsepower.Most versions of the LShave an aluminum block,which is lighter than the cast iron blockand also better at disbursing heat.The trade off with aluminum isusually that they aren't as rigid.This is one of the mainreasons 2JZ's are so popular.The LS bottom ends can't quitematch up with the JZ block.But they are no slouches,built LS iron blocks haveseen 25 pounds of boost,but a built 2JZ ironblock can see double that.So now that we're a little more educatedin the ways of the JZ and the LS,how much power can theseengines actually make?Take a look around the internetand you'll find all kinds of claims,2,100 horsepower Supras,3,000 horsepower Corvettesand loose motors that saythey'll make even moreif you give some guy on Ebay 100 grand.But for our 100% accurate,super scientific comparison,I'm looking for wheel horsepower numbersin actual cars that havebeen proven on a dynoand are running a built bottomend not a billet bottom end.The highest horsepower runfor an LS that we were ableto verify comes fromLS Fest Las Vegas 2019.If you watch car videos on the internet,you've probably alreadyseen Leroy the Savage.He's a stripped down skeleton of a Corvetterunning a twin turbo LSthat was originally a 5.3 liter block.With 27 pounds of boost, itput down 1,352 horsepowerin less than ideal conditions.It was head and shoulders overanything else to hit the dyno that week.For the 2JZ the highest verifiable numberscome from Vijay Ramkissoon whose Supramarked for putting down 1,636 horsepowerusing 57 pounds of boost, E-98 fueland a 200 shot of nitrous.Grannas Racing say they havea run at 1,741 horsepower,but couldn't film itbecause they had to siton the backend of the Suprato kill the wheel spin.Send us a dyno sheet dude, that's awesome.Now you may see numbers thatare way higher than these.Especially in drag racing builds.But they are on billet bottom endsand that's just not thesame engine anymore.It's the same way thatlike a NASCAR is a Camry.These are insane numbers and they're cool,but for anyone that islooking for an easy project,an NA LS isn't likely toexceed 650 horsepower.And a 2JZ on the stockinternals can handle more,but if you put on the wrongparts, or a lean tune,you can break stuff below 500 horsepower.Got a favorite so far?Well, we've still gottwo more rounds to go.Round four, Reliability.So now that you've seen these enginesmake some face melting numbers,can they actually sustain that?In this round,we're gonna look at how toughthese engines really areand what it takes to break 'em.LS engines are so enjoyably simple.Without any mods it's aviable way to make power.And if your goal is 400 horsepower,getting an LS motor that canjust do that out of the boxis gonna have way less issues than a JZ.Especially if you don't knowmuch about what you're doing.But LS engines aren't perfect.They have a few flawsthat can be made worseif you don't do your research.The LS has a notoriously short deckand if you're gonna put acrank in from a larger engine,or a stroker kit, there's a good chancestroke will now be too longfor the cylinder sleeves.This can wear out the cylinder skirtsand cause oiling issues.If you're gonna play withthis engine like Lego,you might want a tall deckblock like the one from the LS7.Also, GM had a different supplierfor the cylinder headson the 5.3 liter engines.A lot of those are prone to cracking.And the oil pump hasbeen known to cavitateif you're over 6,000 rpm for a long time,like you might be in a drift build.This might sound likeI'm being really picky,and listing unique cases,but that's just becausethis engine is so capable to begin with,that the comparison point is really high.But the 2JZ takes that comparison pointand punts it down the field.The parts outside the engine,like the turbo and the radiator,are gonna fail long before the 2J.The JZ's don't use rockerarms or push rods like the LS.The cams push directly on bucket liftersthat are basically justlike solid hunks of metal.The JZ's also have amazing oil drain back,which stops the oil from pulling anywhereand helps keep that iron block cool.It's a non interference engine,so even if you snap a timing belt,the valves and the pistonscan't physically hit each other.You can bounce the thingoff rev limiter all day longand as long as you don'thave your rev limiterset high enough to give you valve float,you can beat the snot out of this thing.The only way to really keel a 1JZ or 2JZis to run it too lean.If you cheap out on your fueling system,or get a clogged fuel injector,you can heat up thosecylinder walls real quick.But 2JZ owners wanna run rich anywayand blast big old fireballs, am I right?JZ's are some of the enginesthat made Toyota the standardof reliability and canlive beyond 300,000 miles.When it comes to standardmaintenance JZ's do havea tendency to let waterget into the spark plugsif you get too excited with the hose.Also the VVT-I models can manifesta rough idle with a stock ECU.The biggest downside of the JZis that you have to get them used.Even though 2JZs are pretty foolproof,you should never underestimatethe ingenuity of complete fools, like me.And you don't know who hadthat engine before you.Maybe it was me, there have been rumblingsabout Toyota selling 2JZ crate enginesthrough Gazoo Racing they'reselling some brand newMark III and Mark IV supra partslike door handles and break boosters.But it's most likely just wishful thinkinginto that they've everbuild at 1J or 2J again.I can't get over how straightforward an LS swap seems,even though a 100 peoplehave put them in 240Z's,I wanna do that, Iwanna leave this studio,slash my house and go do that right now.But the 2JZ make whooshy noisesand I've been a Toyota guy my whole life.So sticking that in like a 70's Corollaseems like a perfect restomod to me.Round five, Culture.One of the best thingsabout being a car gal or guyis meeting people that lovethe same thing that you do.For the last round we are gonna lookat the culture thatsurrounds these two engines.Straight away, these arevery different cultures.The LS is hot-rodding and American muscle,but the JZ is JDM royaltyblasting down a Tokyo expressway.At meet ups JZ owners might oblige a crowdwith a tender serenade of two-step.(car roars)While an LS connoisseur might providethe audience with a sample of donuts.LS engines are so popularand easy to build,that they kinda transcendany cliche owner.You've got the boomer modernizingtheir family Chevelle,but you've also got theJDM with their 240's,the Euro guys with their BMW's,LS swaps are practical andthey're the sensible choice.But if you shove it ina ridiculous chassis,it can also be one of themost unique cars on the road.But if the LS is likebeing part of a big family,than the JZ engines are likebeing part of a secret club.If a stranger tell youthey have a 2J engine,you immediately picture 3 AM drag racesand running from the cops.JZ engines are a forbidden fruit.For LS owners though, there is one meet upthat dwarfs just about everyother kind of organized meet.Holley LS Fest, with both anEast and West event in the US,LS Fest is an opportunityfor all kinds of LS ownersto come together for a whole weekendand take part in all kinds of events.Whether your car came withan LS from the factory,or had one swapped in, youcan compete in autocross,drifting, drag racing, dynochallenges, even off road races.There's also burn out boxesand even a car show on site.If you have ever beencurious about the LS engine,this is the place to go and ask questions.In 2018 LS Fest East hadover 1,000 cars registeredand over 20,000 people in attendance.The JZ's have Supra and Toyota meet ups,but it's not like there'sa JZ jamboree or anything.Again, the JZ and theLS are great platforms,both communities are funand make me wanna join.But LS Fest is something so unique,no other engine has anything like it.Now normally I'm a JDM fanand the 2JZ absolutely crushedit in power and reliability.But with LS engines being so easy to find,install and build decent power on,it's no secret why they arethe best engine swap option.Plus, maybe getting one willhelp me make some friends.So yeah, thanks for watching,be sure to subscribe to Donut media.Follow Donut media onInstagram and Twitter.Do you have a dyno sheet that provesthat your car is fasterthan the ones we found?Post it and tag us, I'm Joey Rassool,and I'll see you guys next week.
