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

Tuned In

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.
Use “BRETT50” to get 50% OFF our HPA Practical Engine Building Course: https://hpcdmy.co/practicalengineb
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
Don’t forget, you can use “BRETT50” to get 50% OFF our HPA Practical Engine Building Course: https://hpcdmy.co/practicalengineb
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

Chapters

1. Drag Racing With Brett Lesala (00:00:00)

2. Passion for Hot Rods and Racing (00:04:43)

3. Automotive Skills and Mechanical Expertise (00:09:18)

4. Career Transition From Franchise Dealership (00:18:09)

5. Drag and Drive Event Overview (00:21:45)

6. Engine Performance and Reliability Analysis (00:31:50)

7. Engine Building and Bearing Clearances (00:38:58)

8. Engine Building Tips and Course Offer (00:51:11)

9. Billet Blocks and MoTeC Electronics (00:56:07)

10. Drag Racing Launch Strategy and Tuning (01:03:14)

11. Importance of Intercooler and Boost Control (01:08:40)

12. Drag Race Car Control Strategies (01:11:43)

13. Tuning Turbocharged Drag Cars for Performance (01:16:18)

14. Drag Racing Automatic Transmission Technology (01:27:35)

15. Weight Reduction in Drag Racing (01:32:20)

16. High Performance Academy Course Benefits (01:44:33)