Confused between engine displacement in liters and cubic inches? For example, is a 5.3 a 350 or 325? Let’s figure out these numbers once and for all.
One key area to consider while buying a car is engine size. The engine size or capacity dramatically affects the performance and economy of the vehicle.
Engine size is the engine displacement or total cylinder volume in the Engine. It is usually expressed in cubic centimeters, cubic inches, or liters. A larger engine size indicates a larger cylinder volume, which means there is more space for the air and fuel, and it produces more power in comparison to a small engine.
So, is 5.3 a 350? The 5.3 means vehicle with a 5.3-liter engine, and 350 means car with a 350 cubic inches engine. The 5.3-liter Engine is not equivalent to 350 cubic inches but 325 cubic inches.
What Does 5.3 Mean In Engines?
5.3 means the vehicle has 5.3 liters of Engine. A 5.3 liter with an eight-cylinder engine means the chevy; LM 7 has eight cylinders, all are 5.3 liters, which are used for burning fuel and air and producing mechanical power.
One liter is equivalent to 1000CC.
So, 5.3 liter is equal to 5300 CC.
Here CC means cubic centimeters.
Lets us learn about the engine capacity in detail.
While buying a car, most people think about the style, design, and price. But engine capacity is an important parameter that needs to be considered while purchasing a vehicle.
The engine capacity means the total cylinder volume available in the vehicle for the combustion of air and fuel.
The volume of the cylinder depends on other parameters like
- Bore or diameter of the cylinder
- Stroke length (distance traveled by the piston from top dead, dead center to bottom dead center)
- Compression ratio(ratio between total cylinder volume and clearance volume)
The engine performance depends on how much fuel enters the cylinder when the piston moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. But you must only add infinite fuel inside the cylinder; otherwise, the fuel will remain unburn.
Increasing the volume of the cylinder can be an effective way of adding more air and fuel to the combustion chamber, increasing the Engine’s performance. But it has one limitation, i.e., a large cylinder volume vehicle consumes more fuel at low speeds. So, nowadays, car manufacturers are increasing the compression ratio or turbocharging and increasing the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
What Does 325 mean In Engine?
Engine capacity is expressed in cubic centimeters or cubic inches, or liters. Here 325 means an engine capacity or cylinder volume is of 325 cubic inches.
As discussed above, the engine displacement of a vehicle depends on parameters like bore(d) and stroke length(L).
You can calculate engine displacement by the following formula.
Engine Displacement = Pi/4 * Bore ^2 * Length * No. of Cylinders
The Chevy LM7 engine has a bore of 3.78 inches and a stroke of 3.622 inches.
Total number of cylinders in the vehicle= 8
So, engine displacement is given as: Pi/4 * 3.78^2 * 3.622 * 8 = 325 cu. in.
How To Convert Cylinder Volume From 5.3 Liter To Cubic Inches?
It’s only possible sometimes to know the stroke length and bore diameter of the engine’s cylinder in a vehicle.
However, you can easily calculate by the following chart.
| Original unit | Desire unit | Multiplier |
| Cu. in. | CC | 16.39 |
| Cu. in. | L | 0.01639 |
| L | Cu. in. | 61.02 |
Now the engine is 5.3 liter and you want to convert it into cubic inches
So, 5.361.02= 323.406 cubic inches.
It is rounded of as 325 cubic inches.
Engine size Chart
| Liters | Cubic centimeters | Cubic inches |
| 2 | 1983 | 121 |
| 2.2 | 2196 | 134 |
| 2.3 | 2295 | 140 |
| 2.5 | 2475 | 151 |
| 2.6 | 2557 | 156 |
| 2.8 | 2786 | 170 |
| 3 | 2967 | 181 |
| 3.2 | 3212 | 196 |
| 3.3 | 3278 | 200 |
| 3.5 | 3475 | 212 |
Frequently Asked Questions
#1. Is a 5.3-liter engine a 350?
No 5.3-liter engine is not equivalent to 350 cubic inches.
You can refer to the chart to know engine displacements n various units.
For instance, here, it is a 5.3-liter engine.
So 5.3 61.02 = 323.4 cubic inches.It is rounded to 325 cubic inches.
#2. What is a 5.3 engine considered?
5.3 engines are referred to as Eco Tec 5.3 liter engines. It is a small block V8 engine with good power, torque, and efficiency. The maximum engine speed is 6000 rpm.
#3. What is a 350 engine called?
The chevy 350 engine indicates a 350 cubic inches engine displacement with 3.878 inches bore and 3.622 inches stroke. The horsepower varies from 145 to above 370 depending on the year it is made and the car model.
#4. What size engine is a 5.3 liter?
The 5.3-liter Engine has a bore of 3.78 inches and a stroke of 3.62 inches.
The bore is the diameter of the cylinder, and the stroke is the length of the piston traveled from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. The 5.3-liter Engine is equivalent to 325 cubic inches.
Wrap Up
The cylinder volume is vital in determining the Engine’s efficiency. The more the cylinder volume, the more power is produced by the engine. But it has its own downside. The fuel consumption is higher, which can increase maintenance and running costs.
The 5.3-liter Engine is reliable and usually has no issues driving numerous miles. The engine block is even more durable. Thank you for reading this article!