2017 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 High Country Dually 8' Bed on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Diesel Power finds the ultimate modified oil-burner

For nine years, Diesel Power magazine has run the Diesel Power Challenge, this year's grindfest being "a week-long torture test that features seven events, nine trucks, 8,000 horsepower, and nearly 15,000 pound-feet of torque." The road to being crowned "the most powerful truck" starts with a dyno run, and then continues through the completion of a CDL-style obstacle course, an eighth-of-a-mile drag race while towing a 10,000-pound trailer, a quarter-mile drag race without a trailer, a fuel economy test in the mountains and finally a sled-pulling test through a 300-foot-long packed-mud pit.
What kind of trucks get into such a fight? Last year's winner, for instance - who upgraded his truck this year to prove he didn't "luck into the win" - drives a 2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty with a 6.4-liter Power Stroke V8 upgraded with a custom intake, Elite Diesel triple turbos and a two-stage nitrous system. Another competitor has a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 powered by a 5.9-liter Cummins inline-six, upgraded with Garrett turbos, dual-stage nitrous, a seven-inch exhaust stack and twin fans built into the bed to cool the Sun Coast Omega transmission. The numbers on that truck: 1,255 horsepower, and 2,063 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. Naturally, as the image above might suggest, things don't always end well.
You'll find all five videos covering this years challenge below. A scene in the dyno video sums it all up perfectly: a competitor leaves his nitrous on too long and the crew is treated to some ominous poppings, he leans out the window, throws both hands up and shouts, "Amer'ca!"

2016 Chevy Volt will have more EV range, bigger battery

Meet the new Volt, not the same as the old Volt. That appears to be the story when General Motors introduces the 2016 Chevy Volt at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Today we're getting some more details on the guts of the new plug-in hybrid, and it turns out they're going to be much improved from the current Volt, which first went on sale at the end of 2010. Sure, the first-gen Volt did get some improvements along the way (a slightly larger battery pack, lane departure warnings) but the new Volt – which will go on sale in the second half of 2015 – marks the first time GM has been able to return to the drawing board and really make the improvements that its customers want. That's how Larry Nitz, GM's executive director of vehicle electrification explained it to AutoblogGreen today when explaining the all-new Voltec extended range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain. "In the Gen 2 is we gave the engine a little more power, a little more torque, a little more displacement, more capability." – Larry Nitz Nitz said that the new Volt will be better in almost every sense: a bigger battery, longer EV-only range, 20 percent better acceleration in the low speed range and higher overall efficiency. This is due, in part, to the Volt's two motors being able to both act as generators and power the car. As we noted this morning, the 2016 Volt will use a larger, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a version of which is already used in the Chinese-market Cruze. Nitz said that this has a number of benefits, including more power and quieter operation. "Some people would say, why did you make [the first-gen engine] so big. I would say, why did you make it so small?" he said. "It works good, our customers love it, but the reality is that if you go a little bit off and use the car a little harder, you can get the engine to need to operate at a higher speed. In an EV, that's quite noticeable. So, what we did in the Gen 2 is we gave the engine a little more power, a little more torque, a little more displacement, more capability and what it has marginally enabled is not only is it more efficient but it's also quieter." Nitz wouldn't talk about how the new powertrain might affect the two other products that use the Volt's underpinnings – the Cadillac ELR and the Opel Ampera – but if you've got a quieter option, we assume that's something ELR drivers would enjoy. But that's a story for another day.

Chevy gives Camaro Red, Black Accents for SEMA

Just the other day, Chevy announced a series of modified show cars it's planning to bring to SEMA this year. Now it has revealed full details on what could prove the most enticing among them in the form of a pair of Camaros. These new Red Accent and Black Accent editions are based on the new, sixth-generation 2016 Camaro SS. The former starts out as a Camaro SS convertible, done up in silver with red trim inside and out. It's got a leather interior, custom grille, hash-mark fender graphics, blacked-out bowtie badge, and 20-inch alloys. Even the engine is visually enhanced with a red cover. While it was at it, Chevy also dropped the suspension and fitted a new air intake and Brembo front brakes. Joining it is the Black Accent concept, based on a red Camaro SS coupe. As its name suggests, it's got a blacked-out aero kit, bowtie badge, and fuel cover, along with darkened tailllamps and satin black stripes. It also gets a black leather interior and its own set of 20-inch wheels, along with the aforementioned lowering kit, Brembo front brakes, air intake, and red engine cover. The Accent concepts are designed to showcase the extent of the accessories Chevy is offering for the new Camaro, and will be showcased at SEMA alongside modified versions of the Spark, Trax, Malibu, Colorado, and Sierra. Feel free to scope out the gallery above and the details in the press release below. Related Video: 2016 Camaro SS Concepts Designed to Inspire Red, Black Accent cars showcase new accessories, preview production packages DETROIT – Chevrolet introduced two customized 2016 Camaro SS concepts that illustrate the possibilities enabled by the new portfolio of Gen Six Camaro accessories and performance parts. Dubbed Red Accent and Black Accent for their respective design themes, each uses components Chevrolet will offer during the first model year of the new Camaro. "These are great-looking examples of what customers can do to personalize their new Gen Six Camaro," said Roger McCormack, director, Accessories & Performance Parts Marketing. "This will be the largest-ever portfolio of Camaro accessories and performance parts.