It’s well known that the Duramax brand represents a series of turbo-diesel engines produced by General Motors for use in pickup trucks, SUVs, vans and chassis cab trucks. First introduced in 2001, Duramax engines today range from four, six and eight cylinders in either inline (I) or V configurations. Curiously, one element related to the Duramax engine line has gone unnoticed.
Take a close look at the Duramax logo, and you’ll notice that the first five letters of the word are evenly spaced out. However, the last two letters – the A and X – are casted together. This has been consistent ever since the Duramax badging first appeared two decades ago. With that in mind, we think it’s safe to say that this isn’t some sort of oversight, but was likely done on purpose.
GM Authority reached out to General Motors for an explanation, but the automaker didn’t have any information to share about this interesting detail. Without official clarification, we’re left guessing in the dark. Edit: That said, it’s most likely due to font space, or kerning in the world of typography, which is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font.
Another possible rationale is the average chemical formula for diesel fuel – C12H23 – often contained an ‘X’ in its chemical symbol. Another (less likely) possibility involves a nod to the Duramax engines ‘axing the competition’.
The origin of the Duramax name itself is said to have been the result of a desire to exude durability along with maximum power and efficiency. The first Duramax engine was also the child of DMAX Ltd., an Ohio-based organization formed when Isuzu and GM partnered to fast-track the then-new diesel engine, with a 60-40 percent split in ownership, respectively.
The first product created by the duo was the turbo-diesel 6.6L LB7 V8, which featured aluminum cylinder heads with 32 overhead valves. Isuzu reportedly handled the main engine design while GM undertook responsibility for the electronic, direct-fuel injection design. When the engine debuted for the 2001 Chevy Silverado, it was rated at 300 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. Notably, the engine was also reportedly utilized by vans and other commercial vehicles, and in those applications it was rated at 235 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. The stout engine is revered by many enthusiasts as one of the best iterations, and its success enabled GM to earn a hefty market share in the heavy-duty diesel truck segment.
The big diesel was so good that Popular Magazine awarded the LB7 engine its “Best of What’s New Award” in 2000, while Ward’s Magazine named it one of the “Ten Best Engines in the World” in both 2001 and 2002. The turbo-diesel powerplant also helped the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado HD earn MotorTrend magazine’s “2001 Truck of the Year Award.”
The Duramax engine lineup has since expanded to include four- and six-cylinder configurations. These units, colloquially called baby Duramax engines, can be found under the hoods of various GM vehicles, including full-size pickups, SUVs and vans along with mid-size pickups and SUVs.
- Chevy Silverado 1500
- GMC Sierra 1500
- Chevy Tahoe
- Chevy Suburban
- GMC Yukon / Yukon XL
- Cadillac Escalade / Escalade ESV)
- Chevy Colorado
- GMC Canyon
- Chevy TrailBlazer SUV (international markets)
- Chevy Express
- GMC Savana
If you have any insight into why the Duramax engine logo has the “A’ and “X” casted together, feel free to sound off in the comments section below.
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Comments
GM, please restart the production of the 3L engine.. I m waiting for my Silverado… 😔
LM2-Worth the wait. Finally got to take the Yukon with the LM2 on a long road trip this week.
Outgoing: San Jose to Las Vegas via Tioga Pass: 560mi & 25.7mpg, 74 mph on cruise most of the trip.
Return: Flagstaff to I5/152 Via I10-58-I5. One tank: 611mi! 26.7mpg (22.7gal, avg speed = 71.7 mph)
The Duramax design detail connecting the A and X is due to the slope of the two letters A and X. Any greater spacing of the letters at the bottom would have created an awkwardly large area between the letters. This would have dissociated the X from the rest of the name making the name to appear as Durama X.
My thought exactly
Seriously, this is stupid. It’s basic typography. Google kerning and you’ll find your answer.
Yep. It called a kern or kerning. Typical in letter spacing.
Because that’s the way the font was designed. Open Word, change the font to Franklin Gothic Heavy and type DURAMAX. The A and X touch.
(It’s not exactly that font, it’s one of the variants)
I love the duramax diesel logo , when you see that it says power , great move
I know it’s been 20 years and I was 14 at the time but I was, and still am, a HUGE Duramax fan and I clearly remember the Duramax debuted with 300 hp @ 3100 rpm and 520 ft-lbs of torque @ 1800 rpm. My dad bought one in 2001, mainly because of my obsession and then he became obsessed.
Not sure where the 235 and 500 are coming from. They sound more like the Powerstroke and/or Cummins ratings. I know the Duramax blew them away initially.
Wikipedia agrees with you…I am no expert, but I believe you are right. And it’s 8:30 in the am on a Sunday, and I am not going to dig any further.
Thanks for the clarification. Love the Dirtymax!
Bought a new 2001 gmc 2500 hd Duramax in June of 01 and it has 300 hp , 520 ft lbs .Still have that truck with well over 500 thousand kilometers . New injectors under warranty was all we ever touched on that engine . Great engine
The power & torque values are wrong. 235/500 was the early (7.3) PowerStroke offered in Fords. The original (LB7) DuraMax was rated at 300/520.
Yes, It’s just a font thing as others have stated.
235/500 may have been a commercial application spec. The duramax is used in medium duty trucks with reduced outputs.
Related item of interest, GM/Isuzu apparently aren’t interested in profits from the enormous brand equity in the name/logo. You cannot buy a hat, shirt, decal etc from gmc or chevy with “duramax” on it. (You can find unlicensed ripoffs on ebay). Kind of astonishing they don’t want to sell “pride” wear to owners.
GM does sell Duramax merch, check the GM Company Store.
Yea let’s go order our sleeveless duramax shirts and trucker hats we will look so cool
No element uses “X”. Therefore X doesnot appear in the chemical formula for diesel. Xe is Xenon but Xenon is a gas…and we all know diesel is not gas.
I would say it is as simple as the center point of each letter is at equal spacings
Never noticed it before but the design makes sense because of how the previous letters are shaped. “Spacing” thing.
GM, please hurry and build my 2022 GMC Sierra Elevation 1500 Limited crew cab with that fabulous 6 cyl Duramax, that was ordered in August/ 21.
So much isn’t right in this article, but the premise for it isn’t right either. Just basic ignorance that many here have answered. It’s just how the typeface will work with the kerning used. You almost get it with the R and A, but not quite. The A and X are the only letters that splay out enough to do this.
Maybe “Popular Magazine” ran a piece on fonts, too? (guessing that was meant to be Popular Mechanics, which was a popular magazine)
I didn’t see anything “not right” in the article. All I saw was educated speculation
And here you are reading about it, so it seems they did something right. Props to this site for exploring the topic.
They gave the wrong power specs for the first Duramax. Not sure why many people wrongly report it but it shows their ignorance of the platform.
One of the best things hands down about the original 2001 GM DURAMAX is… Wait for it… NO DAMM DEF FLUID! DEF FLUID in my opinion is a marketing scheme that has ruined the Diesel engine… What is the point of having an engine that will get 30-35mpg if you use it a lot for commercial use the DEF will be empty before the Diesel fuel. If you want to buy a diesel just accept the fact that it’s a dirty engine but the MPG and Longevity you”ll get from an older NON DEF DIESEL is second to none!
I read it because I saw the headline and thought, “What could there possibly be about the logo that has been ‘overlooked’?” Sure enough they turned a basic typesetting choice, made to prevent a glaring visual gap between the last two letters, sound like a big mystery. The title suggests that there’s an answer to be learned, only to then find out the author neither considered that there’s a simple reason for this that doesn’t have anything to do with a hidden meaning, nor came up with even a likely explanation for the mystery. This is not educated speculation. This is *ignorant* speculation, as it would take very little effort to learn about kerning if the possibility of a banal explanation had even occurred to the author.
Hopefully the lesson is learned and a little more effort applied in the future before inventing a mystery and publishing it as though it has the faintest relevance to the site.
It must have been a slow news day here.
This just seems like bad reporting trying to make something from nothing.
Also the duramax had 300hp from the start. The lower hp spec quoted is the derated version that came in vans
It is curious and I never noticed it, so props to GMA for touching on the subject and asking gm about it. That’s what I’m here for… information.
As for the reason, when GM itself doesn’t know, it doesn’t show ignorance on the part of the reporter. It shows ignorance on the part of gm itself.
I think the spacing was probably just done by the designer because it looked the most natural. If there was more meaning to it I’m sure it would be made known.
Showing wrong power info is ignorance of the reporter.
I work at Dmax. I have never heard of any reason as to what your talking bout. I agree with everyone else its just Kerns.
Kate did you ever think that the person who designed the DURAMAX LOGO over twenty years ago might be retired by now? This sounds like a young reporter trying to make a name for himself by… Giving us a little mystery to solve don’t call GM ignorant they probably just don’t feel like going through twenty years worth of records! Next thing you know and this reporter will write about why the moon orbits the earth and why! Lol
OMG, it should be “duramax”.
Somebody screwed up!
Nobody has mentioned that this motor was built by Toyota, and GM bought it has they didn’t have a diesel engine
“Nobody” has mentioned it because there’s not a word of truth to anything you wrote. Toyota has had exactly zero to do with this engine, and GM didn’t buy it.
That’s right PhD PE… also if let’s say Toyota did design a diesel… Then why in the wide world would they sell it to GM… currently Toyota has no diesel for the Taco Or Tundra. Jul’s do your homework Isuzu and GM worked together to build this engine in the late 1990’s. Next thing you know and he’ll say Toyota designed the Chevy small block engine lol
One of the best things hands down about the original 2001 GM DURAMAX is… Wait for it… NO DAMM DEF FLUID! DEF FLUID in my opinion is a marketing scheme that has ruined the Diesel engine… What is the point of having an engine that will get 30-35mpg if you use it a lot for commercial use the DEF will be empty before the Diesel fuel. If you want to buy a diesel just accept the fact that it’s a dirty engine but the MPG and Longevity you”ll get from an older NON DEF DIESEL is second to none!