110: Is Ford's Coyote Better Than GM's LS? [

The Snot Rocket is here!
This week on Tuned In, we welcome ‪@brett_lasala‬ the owner, builder, and driver of 2024’s Sick Week-winning Mustang, Snot Rocket. In this episode, we find out what it takes to secure the outright win at a drive-and-drag competition like Sick Week, how he’s extracted over 3000hp from his Coyote V8, why he prefers Ford machinery, and a whole lot more.
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Ever since trading an old washing machine for his first car as a teenager, Brett Lasala has been obsessed with making vehicles go faster. This led to a lifelong career in the automotive industry, first learning the ropes through local shops, then becoming an accomplished Mercedes Benz tech specialising in AMG products, to then moving full time into the aftermarket space working with legendary companies like Real Street.
Over that time, Brett has absorbed the knowledge of everyone around him, and is now in a position where he’s able to perform much of the work himself - although with that said, the level of success this car has seen is only possible thanks to the wealth of talent found in the other members of the team.
In this conversation, we first discuss drive and drag events like Sick Week, and the unique challenges in tuning, engine building, and setup that a brutal day-after-day race and road trip presents. Competing is one thing - but winning outright is a whole different ball game entirely.
This brings us to Brett’s well-known ‘Snot Rocket’ bright green Ford Mustang. We dive deep into the build, discussing its beginnings all the way through to its current state as a consistent low six-second pass twin-turbo monster. Powered by Ford’s Coyote motor, the Snot Rocket has allowed Brett to really get to know everything there is to know about the 5.0-litre DOHC V8.
In this conversation, Brett is kind enough to share some of that knowledge with us, discussing the motor’s strengths and weaknesses, how to get good results from them, and if they’re actually better than GM’s ubiquitous rival motor, the LS.
With conversations around engine and transmission tuning strategies, CO2-regulated boost control, and much more, this episode is jam-packed with quality information!
Follow Brett here:
IG: @brett_lasala
YT: Brett Lasala
WWW: brettlasala.com
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Don’t forget, you can use “BRETT50” to get 50% OFF our HPA Practical Engine Building Course: hpcdmy.co/practicalengineb
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Timestamps:
4:44 How did you develop an interest in cars?
9:00 Where did the passion for drag racing come from?
10:26 Have you got any formal qualifications?
13:03 Spinning spanners on modern vehicles?
15:02 Fabrication skills?
18:21 What was your position at Real Street?
22:05 What is a Drag and Drive event?
26:15 Overview of original car
29:15 Why did you start from fresh rather than further modifying the original car?
32:15 Why turbos over supercharger?
33:34 Coyote vs LS3? Pros and cons.
34:36 What have you done to the Coyote engine?
47:59 What’s your head gasket sealing solution?
56:25 Do you think you’ll need to move to a billet block?
1:00:01 What is the electronics package in the car?
1:08:22 What is DA in Drag Racing?
1:11:03 How does your wheelie detection work?
1:18:06 How has moving up turbo sizes affected drivability?
1:22:25 Are you using traction control?
1:27:43 Transmission
1:32:20 How much faster would the car be if it was a dedicated drag car?
1:36:35 Final 3 questions
#snotrocket #ford #fordmustang #fordcoyote #highperformanceacademy #buildtunedrive #learndriveoptimise #motorsport #learntotune #enginebuilding101 #gofasterwithdata #racecraft #auto #carmods #automotive #motorsports #racing #dragracing #twinturbo #sickweek2024 #sickweek #boost

[@Spudstrodamus]

Bret is the biggest name in drag racing currently he is absolutely crushing it. The coyote sales must be going up because of him lol

[@ahnafzahid9450]

The moment u said "Snot Rocket" i immediately knew it was the twin turbo Coyote Mustang with the bumper exit exhaust. Saw it in TRC video

[@mattmorrison6958]

So much incredible info in this episode- a broad range across many aspects of the car each one concisely covered. Can't imagine the turmoil when trying to come up with a single, short title

[@918sonicsupra]

I’ve been listening to your podcast for a long time now and you guys do a great job of asking the right questions to draw out great information for everyone to learn. I’ve learned many things I didn’t know before I started listening to this podcast. Awesome work, keep it up!

[@AndyE30]

LS fits in more, is cheaper to buy, and is cheaper to make power. They both can take boost well but the aftermarket is saturated with quality LS parts and knowledge to build. The Coyote is a great platform, but the complexity and dimensions make it the second choice for the average joe swapping engines.

[@ChuckThree]

The “the coyote is complex” argument is kinda ridiculous. It’s no more complex than any dohc V8 (or V6) that Japanese and German manufacturers started using in the 90s. The LS is just abnormally simple for a modern-ish engine

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

Some people seriously underestimate or undervalue how small a package an LS is in general for the power they're capable of. Especially compared to a DOHC engine of course.

[@svomadness]

LS is cheaper and more plentiful because it has remained basically unchanged for decades. Aftermarket loves to sell parts that require little to no R&D because it maximizes their profits

[@ALYXTANKBACKPACK]

@@ChuckThree Are German/japanese DOHCs not complex? It takes a full day to pull a head on a coyote, some cars need a engine pull just to reach lol It can take even the best shops a full weekend just to lift a head and reassemble, on a LS it’s takes 15 minutes max and that’s if your bullshitting half the time

[@freedom6919741]

Coyote is King 👑!

[@minibikemadman]

it's the heads...the 5.0 flows wild vs a pushrod motor..dohc life.

[@freyja4954]

Funny enough, a factory LS3 head flows about 305 CFM a Factory GT350 head flows about 325. It has a lot more to do with the ability to create a more stable cam. Lobe having less weight in the valve train in such. but as you seen, both engines are very competitive to each other.

[@minibikemadman]

@freyja4954 I just saw the video from ffre and valvetrain life is huge..I guess ford designed em right from the box. Brett said he was on the same springs and valves for all the races on his last motor.

[@Bertinator-nm9ld]

​​@@freyja4954Yeah, but doesn't it matter that the LS3 is using a 6.2L air pump, to drive that CFM, versus the 5.2L air pump that's driving the voodoo heads? All else being equal, putting a bigger air pump behind your heads should be expected to create more airflow. Your comment on the valvetrain weight does make sense, but I think there's also a lot to be said for the increased surface area of the intake valve inlets, when you've got 4 valves per cylinder, instead of just 2.

[@paintballpartutd]

Both motors have their strengths and weaknesses.

[@denisbassom172]

Nice to hear about a non LS US engine!

[@r000tbeer]

Is Ford's Coyote Better Than GM's LS? When paired with boost, yes. By a mile.

[@jesse9638]

Very excited to listen. Congrats to Brett on the new job.

[@matthewquenneville5199]

Have you had Shannon Davis from Davis Technologies on? If not I think he would be great guest!

[@veejay120793]

LS prices are going up, if it’s not a LS3 You’re most likely need Heads, cam just to make stock coyote power.

[@wadoryujh]

As much as I love this podcast, every episode is gold, these guests need a proper mic, even a yeti snowball or something dirt cheap.

[@gabeishere4990]

LS/LT1 for naturally aspirated, Coyote for boost.

[@GroovesAndLands]

YES! So long as you're made of money and always prefer the most complicated way of getting something done.

[@svomadness]

In the same way fuel injection is more expensive and complicated than a carburetor

[@bobadams1728]

4 valve vs 2 valve, for equal displacement, is always going to reward the 4 valve. It’s just a simple valve area thing.

[@GroovesAndLands]

@@bobadams1728 Right. So as long as you don't mind buying, fitting/machining and tuning all the extra moving parts (valves, cams, cam phasers, chains, tensioners, chain guides, lifters, followers, etc), and you don't mind an engine with a much bigger form factor per litre of displacement - there is extra performance to be had.

[@gabeishere4990]

No factory casting LS is touching near 3000hp. Machining LS based billet blocks is arguably more complicated.

[@Bertinator-nm9ld]

​@@GroovesAndLandsI feel like a lot of that is not as big a deal as you're trying to make it out to be, for most applications. Probably the two biggest potential concerns you mention are package size and cost.

[@59vaughn]

When's big cubic comin...?....

[@syntropy3020]

I do wonder why at this level of competition they don't use the voodoo flatplane crank, or a billet version of it, as it would improve the volumetric efficiency and enable earlier spooling with twin scroll turbos.

[@Realtime1501]

voodoo cranks cost 3 times as much, the voodoo block is used tho it's apparently a bit better

[@syntropy3020]

@Realtime1501 didn't realise they were more expensive. I guess that's a function of less being manufactured as they would be cheaper to make for the same production volume. My understanding is that he uses the predator block, predator crank (might be the same as NA coyote crank?), and voodoo heads with coyote cams (to match the crank). The only technical reason i can think of not using the voodoo cranks is that maybe it's secondary vibrations cause fatigue issues at those power figures.

[@Realtime1501]

@@syntropy3020 and yeah about the harmonics it's way way up there I think the voodoo has the second or third highest second and third order harmonics of any productiom engine so far which is amazing considering it's actually surviving the guy building and designing the k48 v8 using k24 heads based all his calculations on the voodoo engine and he managed to come in with lower harmonics than the voodoo

[@syntropy3020]

@@Realtime1501 geometrically the secondary harmonics will be the same for both engines unless a separate balancing shaft is added to counter the vibrations, which neither have. The only other thing that can be done to reduce their amplitude is reduce the mass of the rod and piston.

[@ProjectFairmont]

180 degree crank causes harmonics and vibration. The Coyote cross plane crank, while giving up perfect cross cylinder pulses, is very strong; 2500 hp in a Predator block. The GT350 heads are bueno however.

[@-ev1l562]

never clicked so fast

[@salloroc20]

Tell me Brett doesn't sound like Edward Norton 😅

[@igvtec]

Of course it is, there's no question about it.

[@jefferyholcombe5189]

The guy should be careful of blabbing about the lax laws in Florida as it may bring light to something we don't want illuminated! It's already hard enough for us Hot Rodders!

[@jamesmedina2062]

thats by design and everyone knows about it for over ten years. This is not a secret bro.

[@darnellnepia1629]

Heart says LS. Head says Coyote

[@jamesmedina2062]

Either way the devil (or angel) is in the details

[@richardlong6097]

The coyote is a great engine but NA applications it's bore centers really hinder making big power. As the bore centers are so close the only way to add displacement is to add stroke length. While oiling problems hurt the voodoo it was doomed from the start bc the 3.9 bore center meant a stroke over 3.6 was needed to get to the 5.2 displacement. Boosted it makes no difference but NA the max bore hurts it.

[@ProjectFairmont]

It’s a four valve engines. Big bore need not apply. NA with 302 CI is a 9.0 sec capable normally aspirated engine. Valve gear is lighter, pistons are smaller and lighter as is the forged crank.

[@joefries365]

Dont get me wrong coyote is a good engine but an engine that is physically bigger, heavier, more complicated, twice as expensive, doesn’t fit in nearly as many vehicles, more prone to timing issues, more time to rebuild, less aftermarket support isnt usually the better engine

[@aussi3212]

What defines better ? Bigger cubic inchs ? Equals better ? Cadillac 500ci must be king then, both are great , the LS has great modern features ,dry intake , o rings everywhere, good cam bearing diameter, 300cfm to 400cfm cylinder heads easy

[@f1hotrod527]

No

[@f1hotrod527]

Lots of Ford cope in the comments.

[@fantaseahorse4696]

Brett's gay

[@sexyfacenation]

Brilliant episode. Loved it