Forum Discussion

SoonerWing03's avatar
SoonerWing03
Explorer
Feb 17, 2019

2020 GMC/Chevrolet Diesel Engine

“The optional engine remains the largely carryover 6.6-liter Duramax V-8 turbo-diesel—445 horses and 910 lb-ft—but is now mated to a 10-speed version of the excellent Allison automatic gearbox, up from the previous six-cog unit. The additional gears helped allow GM's engineers to lower the HD diesel's axle ratio from 3.73:1 to 3.42:1 to reduce engine speeds for a quieter ride when cruising. Although the Duramax falls short of the Ram HD's available 1000-lb-ft rating, the 10-speed combined with stronger drivetrain components allows diesel Silverado HDs to utilize their full amount of twist in first gear, unlike the previous models, which electronically limited the diesel's torque outputs. Among the myriad upgrades are larger, one-piece driveshafts and stouter axles with huge 11.5-inch ring gears on 2500HD models and full 12-inchers on the 3500HD.”

Are these changes significant? Would you hesitate purchasing a vehicle on the first year of a new engine (assuming this qualifies as a new engine).

63 Replies

  • While I am obviously intrigued by all the new features. I'm not the guinea pig type. I would avoid the 1st years until the bugs are worked out.
    We know there will be a few bugs,however the hope is there will not be any major issues.
  • I am anxious to hook up one of these to a heavy trailer and see what it is like to not be electronically limited to using all the engines available power.
  • The 2020 Duramax will be the 5LP which has been out since '17 and the new transmission appears to be impressive and I wouldn't have any concerns here. Having said that I would personally wait for the second model year to purchase one of these trucks or at the minimum 6 months into production if I was really in a bind.