How do you engineer more power, larger capacities and greater driver control into a truck? By leaving no stone unturned. Through innovation. The 2012 Silverado HD pickups incorporate a series of advanced technologies to make these trucks even more capable — from high-strength steel in the frame to a variable exhaust braking system. It's what you need to handle the ever greater demands you place on your trucks.
When Chevrolet totally re-engineered the Silverado HD last year, top of the list of improvements was the chassis, with a high-strength, fully boxed frame from front to rear — the only one in its class.1 That helps Silverado HD achieve an unsurpassed towing capacity of 10, 433 kg (23,000 lb).1 The independent research company AMCI Testing found Silverado HD's frame far outstrips the rigidity of the Ford Super Duty2 — bending just .25" compared with 1.1" for the Ford. Case closed.
Last year the formidable available Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo Diesel and Allison® 6-speed automatic transmission combination received substantial enhancements. Not only does the engine generate a massive 765 lb-ft of torque, it also features the proven durability of the Allison® transmission, based on its medium-duty truck transmission, unlike competitors that rely on beefed up light-duty units. So how does the Duramax perform against Ford's Power Stroke 6.7L V8? According to PickupTrucks.com's November 2010 "Rumble in the Rockies": "The Ford F-350's best time up the grade was 10 minutes, 46.8 seconds at an average speed of 42.41 mph... The Chevy Silverado was significantly faster. It finished more than two minutes ahead of the F-350..." Not just claimed — proven.
Silverado HD's impressive braking capabilities begin with large 14" front rotors. But the technological highlight has to be the variable exhaust brake system that was introduced last year on models equipped with the Duramax 6.6 L V8 Turbo Diesel. It creates back pressure in the engine to help slow the truck and prolong brake life. It also automatically adjusts to different loads and grades, providing better grade descent control. PickupTrucks.com reviewed the braking performance versus the Ford Super Duty in November 2010. It concluded: "The exhaust brake performance is perhaps even more telling and welcome news for frequent heavy towers... The Duramax appears to be able to clamp down more strongly than the Power Stroke."
It isn't just that Silverado HD pickups deliver unsurpassed towing capacity.1 It's also that in the real-world testing conducted by PickupTrucks.com in its November 2010 comparison of the Silverado 3500 with the Duramax® engine and the Ford F-350 with the Power Stroke 6.7L V8. Their assessment: "Silverado's performance surprised everyone, given Ford's higher stated power figures for the 6.7-liter Power Stroke. Finishing two minutes ahead of the Super Duty over a 7.6-mile grade at more than 90 percent GCWR is nothing short of a dominant showing for Chevy." Silverado HD — the clear winner.
1 Based on WardsAuto.com 2011 Large Pickup segmentation, 2011 Model Year competitive data for Ford Super Duty F-350 and Ram 3500 Heavy Duty pickup trucks and latest published information available at time of printing. Excludes other GM models.
2 For the complete story on this head-to-head comparison, go here.
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