The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado HD pickup truck will feature a new air intake system that drives cool, dry air into the engine to assist with performance while lowering engine temperatures during difficult driving conditions.
“The 2017 Silverado HD was engineered to provide maximum utility for our customers in even the most extreme situations,” says Eric Stanczak, chief engineer of the Silverado HD. “While developing this all-new induction system, we considered our customers towing a maximum-weight trailer through the Eisenhower Tunnel on a hot, rainy summer day.”
Featuring a hood scoop, which includes an air/water separator to ensure only combustion-enhancing dry air is drawn into the engine, the air intake system provides 60 percent of the air to the truck’s Duramax diesel engine from an inlet at the front of the hood.
The air provided to the engine is close to the outside ambient temperature and cooler than the air under the hood, which allows the diesel engine to maintain full power and vehicle speed in various conditions.
There’s also a ram-air effect from the incoming air at highway speed that helps pack more air into the engine, and new air filter housing draws 40 percent additional air from a dry location in one of the front fenders.
The intake system was tested in various driving conditions, such as differing degrees of temperature, rain, snow, and dust.
“Big, heavy raindrops from a thunderstorm are relatively easy to eliminate from air. The more challenging issue comes from the mist-like spray generated by semitrucks on wet highways,” says Kevin Dunn, who works on GM’s global vehicle performance for splash engineering. “Those very fine water droplets prove more challenging to separate from the air. The air intake is an elegant solution that works well with water droplets of all sizes. For customers, the results deliver maximum engine performance and even greater towing confidence.”
