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Will GM Fire Back?

What will be GM?s response for their 1500 series trucks?

  • Will bump up the 5.3

    Votes: 36 100.0%
  • Make one of the 6.0 engines an option

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No changes, who cares what those winnie do

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • What's a Hemi?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    36

Johnny_D

SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2002
Messages
779
Location
Houston, TX
GM?s truck line has had the most powerful engines of the big three for the last few years. ?But it looks like its competition is getting ready to pass them. ?

With Dodge having announced that they will add the 5.7 Hemi to their 1500 series and Ford says they will increase horsepower in the new 04 F-150 5.4 engine to 300HP what will be GM?s response for their 1500 series trucks?
 
With the price of gas going the way it is, more HP equates to even worse mileage. Let them come up with a 350HP small block that gets 20mpg and they'll have something. Incidentally, my 65 327/350 easily gave 18-19mpg just cruising around :love: , although I understand there is a LARGE difference between the weight of that car and an almost 3 ton truck...and the fuel was better grade also.

Chevrolet already has an entire stable of engines they are selling through their performance dealers. It seems that all they would have to do is make any/all of them available as an option....although it probably wouldn't be cheap to do so.
 
Actually, the two more powerful engines mentioned above both get better gas mileage than the ones they?re replacing. As GM already has a slightly more powerful version of the 5.3 (290HP) I think they will bump up the 5.3 and leave it as the base engine for the AV, Suburban and Tahoe 1500 series and leave it as on option on the 1500 Silverado. It may not be ready for the 04 model year but I?m prognosticating that GM will have a 300HP version of the 5.3

Also GM is using the 5.3 for its up coming hybrid propulsion system for the 1500 series so I think they will not make the 6.0 available in the Chevy 1500 series. The hybrid engine features an electric motor between the engine and the tranny that stores electricity. It replaces the starter and alternator and increases gas mileage by 10 to 12%.
 
I don't think size really matters that much. As long as the truck can perform as it is expected to. Do we really need a 6.0 liter Ave? I think the current 5.3 / 8.1 liter configs are perfect. Besides what would a 6.0 liter do that the 5.3 or 8.1 could not? I think it is stupid to get into a size competition. Let efficiency be the ruling guide not size.
 
Powersurge said:
I don't think size really matters that much. As long as the truck can perform as it is expected to. Do we really need a 6.0 liter Ave? I think the current 5.3 / 8.1 liter configs are perfect. Besides what would a 6.0 liter do that the 5.3 or 8.1 could not? I think it is stupid to get into a size competition. Let efficiency be the ruling guide not size.

Sorry powersurge but size does matter ;) The 5.3 is a good engine but from what I?ve seen, the 1500 AV is the heaviest truck GM puts it in. The 6.0 is standard in the Silverado 1500HD, 2500, 2500HD and all of those trucks have weights in the same ballpark as the 1500 AV. Maybe Chevy will offer a 1500HD AV with the 6.0.

Get the 5.3 in a regular cab Silverado with a 4:10 rear end and you have a nice foundation for a hot rod pickup. :B:
 
Johnny_D said:
Sorry powersurge but size does matter ?;) ?The 5.3 is a good engine but from what I’ve seen, the 1500 AV is the heaviest truck GM puts it in. ?The 6.0 is standard in the Silverado 1500HD, 2500, 2500HD ?and all of those trucks have weights in the same ballpark as the 1500 AV. ? Maybe Chevy will offer a 1500HD AV with the 6.0. ?

Get the 5.3 in a regular cab Silverado with a 4:10 rear end and you have a nice foundation for a hot rod pickup. ?:B:


What you are saying makes sense. Keep in mind I never had a need to use a truck in a contruction environment or one where I would need lots of power. I understand there would be cases were you would need an 8.1 liter. There may be cases where you may need 10 + liters. My question was, is there a need for an inbetween size like the 6.0? Or maybe a better question is why did they put the 5.3 in the Ave. It seems to me that the Suburban and Silverado platforms are very close. Why do they need different size engines? This is purely academic. I am not forcing a stance. I'm looking more to learn here than I am to force a position.
 
There is a bit of "bragging rights" that go on at the corp level, and engines are a big part of that. I know that GM is upping the output of the duramax to reclaim the top spot from Ford's Powerstroke. It won't be until 2006, though. It does take time and $$ to make any minor/major changes to the engine. Just ask any "piston slap" customer of the 6.0 liter. It took GM about a year to get a fix into production, and then another couple of months to make that fix available for units already produced! Its amazing when you consider that the base block hasn't changed for over 30 years! Just the technology to make it more efficient.

I see GM making the move to make the engines more efficient while balancing the power outputs. Reference the forthcoming DOD options... (Displacement on Demand)

my $0.019999999 cdn ;D ;D

see ya
Rick
 
Powersurge, it all boils down to CAFE standards (corporate average fuel economy). Everyone wants the bragging rights to the most powerful engines in the class, but are constrained by the ever higher CAFE standards.
 
Engine size and HP/torque output is not everything. There is a lot more to the equation, especially when you're in the truck business.

When you look at cars, especially foreign cars you'll see on many V-6 performance models 24 valve arrangements and a high revving engine. The result is a high horsepower number - 240, 260 and on forced induction 300 horsepower out of a 3.0 liter powerplant. However the torque number is lower than the horsepower number. The result, little off the line grunt with a wide power curve. To "get" to the power you need to wind the engine up. Great if you want to hot rod but sure is limited if you're driving around town and can be down right annoying if you live in a hilly region.

The Dodge 5.9 liter V-8 on paper should put out more grumpf than the Chevrolet 5.3 liter Vortec. However it doesn't match it for torque or horsepower - and sucks a lot more gas.

Having 300 plus HP and the mileage that goes with it could be a huge DISADVANTAGE for the competition in the short term. Think about this - at $3.00 a gallon a 1500 Av will require $90 plus dollars worth of gas on fill up. OUCH!

What will GM's response be - measured and calculated I'm sure but I don't think you'll see a rush to start putting 6.0 liter V-6 engines in their line. The 4.8 liter is plenty good for the base engine at this time.

That's my three cents - the third one is free...
 
There is no substitute for raw power. If you want the power/torque, you'll either pay for it up front, or sink that money into mods. Either way, you'll always pay for it at the gas station.

Realistically, this machine is severely under-powered for it's weight. Coming from an 00 Silverado with the 5.3, to the Avalanche, with the same engine, you realize how much heavier this machine is. I didn't buy it for racing, but the HP could be upped considerably. I would like to see the 6.0 option.

Come to think of it, I would also like to see gas back at $1.00 per gallon. :6:
 
I agree...with Budman...I too would like to see the 6.0L engine make it's way into the Av engine selections....I would keep the 5.3L as a base engine....for the 1500.....make the 6.0L the optional engine....and leave the 8.1L alone.....

Dave
 
Chief said:
When you look at cars, especially foreign cars you'll see on many V-6 performance models 24 valve arrangements and a high revving engine. ?The result is a high horsepower number - 240, 260 and on forced induction 300 horsepower out of a 3.0 liter powerplant. ?However the torque number is lower than the horsepower number. ?The result, little off the line grunt with a wide power curve. ?To "get" to the power you need to wind the engine up. ?Great if you want to hot rod but sure is limited if you're driving around town and can be down right annoying if you live in a hilly region.

Chief, I have one of those high revving 24V DOHC V6s in my wife Maxima. ?It?s the 3.0 VQ30DE-K engine that?s rated at 227 HP and 217 ft-lbs of torque. ?While DOHC engines are not ideal for heavy trucks that need low-end torque, in a 3200lb car it is a kick in the butt! ?That works out to a 14lb per HP ratio, which for a sports car would be good, but in a four-door sedan, it?s very impressive. ?:eek: The sedan segment of the car industry used to be boring but now has become very interesting with the mini racing engines that are being put into them. ?The new 04 Maxima is now up to 265HP with the 3.5L. ?It is kind of like a mini horsepower war. ? ?

The only time I notice that the Maxima could use more torque is when we have a car full, other than that the power comes on quick. ?It somewhat weird to drive if you?re used to driving American V8 muscle cars. ?Floor the Maxima from a stop and it starts to roll and THEN the power comes on and front tires break loose. ?Next comes the torque steer that will give you white knuckles and a big grin that?s hard to conceal. ?;D >:D I never thoght a family car would be so much fun to drive. ? ?

 
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