It also made sure that the motor could be ordered across its medium duty commercial truck line-ups, recreational vehicles, as well as its marine division (with Navistar also building a version of the 8.1). General Motors didn't restrict the Vortec 8100 to just the its full-size pickups, vans, and SUVs, either. Cheap To BootĪ big boost to the 8.1-liter engine's popularity came from the fact that it was so much cheaper than a Duramax at the time, checking in as an $850 option or nearly 6 times less than a comparable diesel motor in the same truck. Torque arrived as early as 1,200 rpm, with a narrow rev window closing around 4,000 rpm, which was perfect for almost every towing or hauling application. It also fell within 50 lb-ft of the Duramax diesel engines available from GM at the time.
#2001 chevy 8.1 vortec mpg series#
When found in 2500/3500 series pickups and vans (as well as Avalanches, Suburbans, and Yukons) it offered a generous 340hp and 455 lb-ft of torque, a whopping 50 more ponies than the older 'Rat' big block and competitive with its 10-cylinder rivals. The end result was a big boost in output compared to the 454 (which was put out to pasture soon after the 8.1's appearance). The motor was also outfitted with a modern engine control system that was a big step forward from the 7.4-liter's less advanced electronics. Four-bolt main caps, a pair each of short and long intake runners, and evenly-spaced cathedral-like intake and exhaust ports borrowed from the head design of the LS1 worked together with traditional Chevrolet big block valve layout to create a potent and reliable mill that was stress-tested to handle extremely tough operating conditions. The solution was to turn to its Tonawanda engine plant in Buffalo, New York, and hand it the plans to produce a thoroughly-revised V8 that could push past the already-large 454 cubic inch (7.4-liter) V8 that had long held GM's displacement crown.Ĭrucial updates to the Generation VII big block included a 4.37-inch stroke (up from the 454's 4.00-inches), which lead to a 496 cubic inch monstrosity thanks to the engine using the same 4.25-inch bore. With a small, but significant slice of the market interested exclusively in gas motors, and that same crowed typically using their trucks either for towing or in the line of duty at a job site, General Motors needed an engine to push back against the V10 options being offered by Dodge and Ford. Old School Heritage, New School Techīy the time the 2000s had rolled around, big block V8 engines existed exclusively to offer pickup and SUV owners a high torque alternative to ordering a diesel. Building on the same basic architecture as the 454 cubic inch motor it would eventually out-live, the Vortec 8.1 (also known as the 8100) represented the final link to Chevrolet's roaring '60s muscle car motors, and claimed the title of the largest passenger vehicle engine to ever wear the Bowtie badge. The 8.1-liter V8 was the very last big block to be produced by General Motors.
And yet in the decade that followed the LS1's appearance on the scene, one particular Vortec soldiered forward to preserve GM's big block heritage well past the turn of the millennium.
GM's LS engine platform has stolen the spotlight from nearly every other V8 motor in the company's portfolio, forging a high performance future while almost completely replacing the Vortec line-up of motors that had powered Chevrolet and GMC trucks throughout most of the '90s. The 8.1L Vortec V8 Was GM's Last-Ever Big Block Engine
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