LS TRUCK LABS TECH LIBRARY

THE TECH
LAB.

A practical knowledge base for GM truck performance—built around combinations that actually work, clean diagnostics, verified data and clear explanations instead of forum folklore.

FEATURED IN THE LAB

Start With The Fundamentals

The best truck combinations come from understanding how the systems interact—not from copying somebody else’s parts list.

NEW TO PERFORMANCE TRUCKS?

Start Here

Four paths that cover the questions most builds should answer before ordering parts or changing calibration.

01

Define The Goal

Daily driver, towing, street/strip, naturally aspirated or boosted. The use case decides the combination.

Build planning →
02

Know The Baseline

Identify the engine, transmission, gear ratio, tire diameter and current mechanical condition.

Baseline checklist →
03

Match The Systems

Cam, converter, gearing, airflow and transmission strategy should support the same intended rpm range.

Combination theory →
04

Verify With Data

Use logs, measurements and repeatable testing to verify changes instead of tuning by feel alone.

Logging basics →

TECH LIBRARY

Browse The Lab

18 guides shown

LS

ENGINES • START HERE

LS Engine Identification: The Numbers That Matter

Understand displacement, generation, reluctor wheel, crank sensor, cam sensor, intake style and other details that affect compatibility.

Read guide
CAM

ENGINES • CAMSHAFTS

Camshaft Selection For A Street Truck

Duration, lift, overlap and lobe separation explained in the context of weight, converter, gearing and intended rpm.

Read guide
6L80

TRANSMISSIONS • 6L80

6L80 Shift Scheduling: RPM vs MPH

Why commanded speed, engine rpm, shift time, torque reduction and converter state all influence the actual shift.

Read guide
4L80

TRANSMISSIONS • 4L80E

Planning A 4L80E Swap Without Missing The Small Stuff

A system-level checklist covering fitment, converter, flexplate, crossmember, driveshaft, cooler, wiring and calibration.

Read guide
HPT

TUNING • SCANNER

Build A Useful HP Tuners Scanner Channel List

Start with the channels needed to answer a specific question instead of logging everything and drowning in noise.

Read guide
WOT

TUNING • DATALOGGING

WOT Log Review: A Repeatable Order Of Operations

Mechanical health, fuel delivery, commanded vs actual mixture, knock, spark and transmission behavior in a logical review sequence.

Read guide
4.10

DRIVETRAIN • GEARING

Gear Ratio vs Tire Diameter

See how tire diameter changes effective gearing, cruise rpm, torque multiplication and where the truck lands after a shift.

Read guide
TCC

DRIVETRAIN • CONVERTERS

Choosing Converter Stall For A Heavy Truck

Match converter behavior to the engine’s torque curve, vehicle weight, gearing and intended use—not just a catalog stall number.

Read guide
FUEL

FUEL • DELIVERY

Fuel System Planning From Tank To Injector

Think through pump capacity, voltage, line restriction, regulator strategy, injector data and fuel type as one system.

Read guide
12V

ELECTRICAL • WIRING

Grounds, Power Feeds & Relays: The Swap Basics

Reliable EFI starts with clean power distribution, sound grounds, correct fuse protection and a wiring plan you can troubleshoot later.

Read guide
SWAP

SWAPS • PLANNING

The LS Truck Swap Planning Checklist

Engine placement, oil pan, accessories, cooling, fuel, exhaust, transmission, driveshaft, wiring and calibration before teardown begins.

Read guide
24X

SWAPS • COMPATIBILITY

Gen III vs Gen IV Compatibility Basics

A high-level map of the crank/cam signal, control module and harness differences that matter when mixing LS-era components.

Read guide
RPO

ENGINES • MASTER REFERENCE

LS Engine Variant Reference

Common Gen III/IV RPOs with displacement, bore, stroke, block material, port family, reluctor, AFM and VVT.

Open reference
LSA

ENGINES • CAMSHAFTS

Cam Specs Explained & Compared

Learn what 212/218, .600 lift and 112 LSA actually mean using real truck-cam examples.

Open reference
243

ENGINES • CYLINDER HEADS

LS Cylinder Head Reference

Cathedral, rectangle and raised ports plus common casting/chamber/valve-size reference.

Open reference
GEAR

TRANSMISSIONS • REFERENCE

GM Truck Transmission Ratios

Compare common automatic ratios and see how first gear and rpm drop change the truck.

Open reference
A–Z

REFERENCE • GLOSSARY

LS Performance Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the terms used throughout the site.

Open glossary
FAQ

REFERENCE • COMMON QUESTIONS

Common LS Truck Questions

Quick answers with direct paths to the deeper guide when you just need to know where to start.

Open FAQ
CAM

ENGINES • CAM REFERENCE

Factory & Street Cam Reference

Published Chevrolet, TSP and BTR specs side-by-side with converter and use-case context.

Open reference
INT

ENGINES • AIRFLOW

LS Intake Manifold Selection

Truck vs car runners, port families, Mid-Rise and Hi-Ram tradeoffs explained.

Open guide
INJ

FUEL • INJECTORS

Injector & Fuel Pressure Reference

BSFC, duty cycle, differential pressure and pump-flow math with manufacturer references.

Open reference
CID

ENGINES • SHORT BLOCK

Compression & Stroker Combinations

Displacement geometry, common 4.000-inch-stroke combinations and compression math.

Open guide
DX

DIAGNOSTICS • TROUBLESHOOTING

LS Truck Diagnostic Trees

Symptom-first test paths for misfires, fuel pressure, knock and transmission complaints.

Open diagnostic guide
RX

BUILDS • RECIPES

Real-World Build Recipes

Planning templates for 5.3 NA, 6.0 cam/converter, budget turbo and tow-focused trucks.

Open recipes
SOURCE-BACKED REFERENCE

REAL-WORLD NUMBERS, NOT PLACEHOLDERS

6L80

GM-published ratios

4.02 / 2.36 / 1.53 / 1.15 / 0.85 / 0.67. Use these with actual tire diameter and axle ratio when planning shift MPH or cruise RPM.

See the worked example →
HP TUNERS

Log fewer channels on purpose

HP Tuners documents that adding more polled channels can slow data return. Build separate channel configs for WOT, idle and transmission work.

Build a channel list →
FUEL

Flow at pressure matters

Chevrolet Performance specifies 60 psi and minimum flow-at-pressure numbers for its LS controller packages; Aeromotive explains why injector differential pressure matters under boost.

Plan the whole system →