2015 Chevrolet Silverado GMC Sierra HD - First Drive - Four Wheeler Magazine
Until those models appear, the facelifted ’15 HD pickups—Silverado and Sierra 2500 and 3500—give truck enthusiasts something new to get excited about. GM’s HD engineering was primarily in air-management: directing airflow through and around the new front clip to maximize powertrain cooling while tightening gaps to minimize aerodynamic drag. This tuning is partially responsible for higher towing and payload ratings from the existing hardware. Max payload rating is now touted as a class-leading 7,374, (C3500 regular cab longbed 6. 0L Vortec dualie) with fifth-wheel max trailer towing of 23,000 pounds (K3500 regular cab longbed Duramax dualie). Conventional hitch-towing is rated best in class at 19,600 (K3500 Duramax dualie). Of the higher-volume configurations, the Crew Cab longbed K2500 gas is rated at a 3,388 payload/13,800 fifth-wheel trailering. diesel is 2,628/16,400. Although the 2015 Silverado/Sierra is outspec’d on paper by the competition in some columns, GM’s new powertrain programming sends a high percentage of the available power to the ground. Towing 10,000-pound trailers, a K2500 Duramax Silverado accelerated faster up a 6-percent grade than similarly equipped competitors. GM’s tuning seems more aggressive: Possibly more boost and higher shift points allowed the Chevy to pull away from the others during these uphill tow-offs. Source: www.fourwheeler.com
