[1]
The C6 Corvette Z06’s LS7 is an engineering marvel – 505 horsepower and 475 pound feet out of 7 naturally-aspirated liters. But some people can’t leave well enough alone and want to throw a little pressurized air on top, but an 11:1 compression ratio isn’t exactly boost-friendly. That’s where RaceTec Pistons [2] comes in, with a brand new design. These low-compression pistons for the LS7 are perfect for supercharged or turbocharged applications, and they’re packing some impressive engineering chops.
[3]
You see, it’s easy to make a dished piston for say, a conventional small block Chevy. Not so for the LS7 – the compression height of the stock pistons is such that when you try to put any meaningful dish on one, you end up with the top of the stock connecting rod wanting to occupy the same space as the piston top. Knowing that, the purpose of the RaceTec piston’s “outie” belly button becomes clear. Flip it over and you can see the machining required for rod clearance on the underside; that dimple on the dish maintains sufficient piston face thickness. It’s also worth pointing out the boxed skirt reinforcement, which provides extra strength without adding excess mass.