2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Withstands Frame Twist Better Than Ford F-250: Video
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General Motors recently conducted a test showing the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD’s frame is stronger than the current (though outgoing) Ford F-250 Super Duty. This is important since work trucks take a lot of abuse on job sites and contractors want the strongest and most durable truck they can buy.
The frame-twisting test conducted by AMCI Testing, a third-party research firm, placed both trucks on staggered ramps. This position places a large amount of torque on the frame and is similar to parking a truck on an uneven surface. AMCI then measured the distance of displacement of the cab and body. This distance shows the amount of twist the frame was subjected too. In essence, the less displacement means the frame can handle the torque better.
Photos released of the test show clearly the Silverado HD was superior in this test with just .26 inches of twist compared to the Ford F-250’s .94 inches of twist. General Motors says the frame twist on the Ford was so great, the tailgate couldn’t be lowed on the F-250. On the other hand, the Silverado’s EZ-Lift and Lower Tailgate operated without problems.
“The use of high-strength steel in the Silverado HD is what allows the Silverado to handle even the toughest of jobs,” said Jeff Luke, General Motors’ executive chief engineer for full-size trucks. “Paired with a fully boxed frame, high-strength steel is what makes the Silverado come from the family of the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickups on the road.”
Along with the high-strength steel in the frame, GM also points to the use of roll-formed steel vs. the stamped steel bed of its competitors as a key reason why its truck performed better.
Ford can tow up to 31,200 lbs with 860 ft-lbs of torque
GM can ONLY tow up 23,200 lbs with ONLY 765 ft-lbs torque…!!!
No wonder Ford owns 50% Of the HD truck market .
When the next gen Ford SD trucks come out in 2016 they will further distant GM and take more marketshare!!! Payback is gonna be a bitch for GM…!
Your statement does raise the point that having alternate gear ratios may benefit those with maximum towing requirements.
For example, an F-350 DRW 4×4 is rated for 23,300 lbs with 3.73 gears and 26,500 lbs with 4.30:1 gears. Comparing apples to apples, a 3500HD DRW with matching 3.73 gears is rated for the 23,200 lbs you quoted. Therefore, equivalent setups demonstrate that both trucks are rated effectively the same and both very capable.
Also, for documentation purposes, the 31,200 lb tow rating quoted is for the F-450 configuration only with the standard 4.30:1 gears and 19.5″ wheels. Clearly GM no longer has a comparable configuration since the discontinuance of the old 3500HD from the GMT400 generation last available in MY 2002.
More important than this test which they did on these same trucks in 2011 is that Howie Long is back! He is a lot better at doing commercials than the whimpy guy they had as his replacement.
Now an observation: I don”t know if anyone else noticed, but the trucks being compared were actually not comparable. You see Chevrolet chose to use a short bed full crew cab truck for their test, while they sourced an extended cab short bed Ford for the comparison. So I’m no mechanical engineer, but in my thinking the Chevy being longer would logically have a longer frame which would increase the area over which this “torsional” test was conducted. The Ford logicaly having a shorter frame would have less, thus increasing the amount of twist experienced overall. I don’t know, I could be wrong but it seems to me if Chevy wanted to prove a point on a side by side comparison, they would have sourced an F250 short bed SuperCrew.
First off, I reviewed the video specially looking for vehicle type comparison after reading “Chris” comment. Both vehicles are the same. Full Crew Cab short beds. Also, Chris’s logic is incorrect, actually just as “JB” stated the longer the frame the more torsional stresses the frame will experience. This happens because the pivot points are farther away creating a larger amount of flex or twist in the frame. This can be thought of like a wrench undoing a bolt. If you have a shorter handled wrench, lets say 4 inches, and apply a constant force, lets say 100 lbs. Then the moment force or the amount of torque applied to the bolt would be 100 lbs multiplied by 4 inches. Now lets increase the the length of the handle and apply the same force you will see that the amount of torque will increase. This same concept will apply to this test. So, if Chevrolet had used a shorter FORD truck then they would just be proving their point even more.
This frame strength test is a stupid comparison. The Chevy frame is fully boxed and welded together. The ford is an open C channel and is riveted and or bolted together. C channel frames are made to flex. This ability to flex is what keeps them from breaking. So by this logic this test is saying that the Chevy’s frame is also stronger than the 379 Peterbilt I drive. Class 8 trucks will flex even more than that ford does in the test. Over time a fully boxed welded rigid frame will crack from fatigue. They should do this test with the maximum payload in the box and and bounce it until something breaks. The Chevy frame will break before the ford.
Also all cab-chassis Chevy models are open C-channel just like the fords. So this means Chevy is saying they put weaker frames in their HIGHER GVW rated vehicles! WTF!