Silverado HD Busts the Competition

10/23/2014

How strong do you think heavy duty trucks are? Recently a test was carried out by twisting the frame of 2015 Silverado 2500HD pickup. It was found that the presence of the roll formed steel in the bed caused the tailgate of the vehicle to lower easily on uneven terrain. However, the opposite was the case when the frame twisting test was used in a competitor vehicle’s frame.

The 2500HD and the Ford F- 250 Super Duty were put to an extensive frame twist test by AMCI Testing, which was hired by Chevrolet. They placed a few ramps onto which they drove the trucks; apparently there was a huge amount of force applied. The researchers then recorded measurements for the length between the dislodgement of the bed and the body. This is how they can accurately calculate the number of twists a truck frame undergoes.

The other thing that the researchers found was that in the middle of the test the Silverado’s frame only accepted an accurate twist of 0.26 inches. On the other hand the Super Duty had 0.94 inches, this is 262 percent more. The Silverado’ Lower Tailgate and EZ-Lift though were working fine but the twist was so potent on the Ford that the tailgate could not be lowered.

General Motor’s executive chief engineer claimed that it was the High- Strength Steel in the Silverado that helped it endure the most brutal jobs. He also mentioned how the combination of high strength steel and fully boxed frame qualify the Silverado as one of the most reliable full sized pickup trucks with an assured longer life on the road.

Silverado’s Roll Formed Steel as compared to that of competing vehicles involves using higher grade steel that is durable, lighter and tougher. The box frame is there to give it that stiff base and the High Strength Steel with which the Silverado’s body is constructed is similar to that of the Ford and around 67 percent of it is ultra high strength steel. They are incorporated in roof rails, rocker, the A and B pillars and all the interior ad strategic areas. To aid in improving the crash performance the ultra high strength steel is used where the rocker panels are situated as well as the underbody. Ducker Worldwide, a market research firm says that the Silverado is responsible for using more high strength and ultra high strength steel than any full size pick up.