MILAN, MI: When the words "drive" and "diesel" and "drag" are used in the same sentence, that last word is usually prefixed by "What a."
But General Motors wanted to change the meaning of drag as it relates to driving diesels, so they invited some of the usual auto media suspects to the dragstrip in this small town south of Detroit to see what the future holds, diesel-wise.
The centre of attention was a powertrain GM will put into its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500 Pickup and Chassis-Cab models in the fall of 2000, for the 2001 model year.
Following current fashion, the engine will have a nickname -- the Duramax -- and, in a break from current fashion, the transmission was allowed to play almost as big a role as the engine.That's because the clutch, if you will, of engineers present acknowledge that the 5-speed commercial-duty Allison automatic transmission is key to the proper use and enjoyment of the 6.5-litre, 90-degree Duramax V-8.
If consumers are to enjoy each and every horsepower and pound-foot of torque that this engine will deliver, the engineers explained, it must have a transmission that's capable of dealing with each and every horsepower and pound-foot of torque produced.
Most of the transmissions now available with oil-burning diesel engines are not so equipped, various engineering types made plain, though they were just as reticent to name names as they were to be specific about Duramax's own horsepower and torque amounts.
But General Motors wanted to change the meaning of drag as it relates to driving diesels, so they invited some of the usual auto media suspects to the dragstrip in this small town south of Detroit to see what the future holds, diesel-wise.
The centre of attention was a powertrain GM will put into its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500 Pickup and Chassis-Cab models in the fall of 2000, for the 2001 model year.
Following current fashion, the engine will have a nickname -- the Duramax -- and, in a break from current fashion, the transmission was allowed to play almost as big a role as the engine.That's because the clutch, if you will, of engineers present acknowledge that the 5-speed commercial-duty Allison automatic transmission is key to the proper use and enjoyment of the 6.5-litre, 90-degree Duramax V-8.
If consumers are to enjoy each and every horsepower and pound-foot of torque that this engine will deliver, the engineers explained, it must have a transmission that's capable of dealing with each and every horsepower and pound-foot of torque produced.
Most of the transmissions now available with oil-burning diesel engines are not so equipped, various engineering types made plain, though they were just as reticent to name names as they were to be specific about Duramax's own horsepower and torque amounts.