N55_6MT

Final drive with the 10 speed and 3.23 gears is almost as high in first as with the old 6sp and 3.73 gears. With the 3.42 gears (max tow) it’s actually higher. Basically the first two gears in the 10spd box are a much higher ratio, it negates some of the need for shorter rear gears.

This was explained to me as such: GM no longer uses a traditional transfer case, so even when in 2WD the only thing separating the front driveshaft from the rear is a clutch pack. The clutch pack won't transmit a meaningful amount of torque when disengaged, but if the speed differential between the front and rear driveshafts is to great, there may be increased wear on the clutches.

I was a little surprised when GM didn’t release the ‘19s with a 10”+ infotainment screen on the Denali/HC models to try and compete with Ram. The big chunky aluminum trim kind causes some awkward proportions and makes the 8" unit look like it's out of place. I always figured it was added as a last minute fix since the larger touchscreen wouldn’t be ready in time for launch, but even with the Tahoe/Yukon it's not like they're putting in a 15" screen. I’ll be disappointed if they put a “tablet” style display in there instead. It’s a design trend that other manufacturers have been moving away from, and it looks like its mounted to high in the dash to comfortably reach. It works OK with some of the German and Japanese brands where the primary means of input is a knob on the console, not just touch inputs but not so great in a full size truck with touch-only inputs.

This was a few weeks ago. I adjusted the LDH after taking this photo and got her a little more level.

I’ve used mine a number of times in the load stop position and haven’t had it fall down. It’s pretty stiff, so I wonder if GM changed some tolerances to resolve the issue. Guess I’ll have to wait and see if it stays this way in the future.

Here’s mine. 2020 Sierra SLT crew with standard box. This was the first tow, adjusted the LDH after this photo was taken and leveled her out better.

Not to keep talking in circles here, but I haven't missed your point. I've totally agreed with you that the 6.2 will loaf along happily at times when the 4.3 or 5.3 would be in a lower gear. The point I'm making is that there is nothing wrong with that, and not something I encounter much in day-to-day driving. I've driven trucks with the 5.3 and the 6.2 over the years and to me the "feel" has always been much more stark up until this generation when the transmissions are the same. I drove a 10spd 6.2 Denali and a 10spd 5.3 SLT back to back fully expecting to be lusting after the 6.2. To my surprise, the difference at normal levels of acceleration (i.e. not breaking the law) was imperceptible because the 5.3 is already plenty capable for the job of driving my groceries around. At the end of the day you shouldn't be caring a whole lot if a engine is running at higher RPM or a lower gear, all you should care about is capability and if your chosen engine has the ability to do the task you're asking of it while delivering the economy you need. The differences between the engines only show up when you start getting near the limit of the engines capability, up until then it's just not that big of a deal. And yeah, my truck is kind of an appliance. I didn't buy it for a sporty drive or to have neck-snapping acceleration, I've got other cars for that (see my user name). I bought it so I can tow my TT, haul ****** to the dump, pick up groceries and drive to work occasionally. And that's OK...

Absolutely, I mentioned this in my last post a few pages back. There is much more at play here than just displacement when it comes to what you “feel” when accelerating. The last few generations of 6.2 not only make more power, but have also been mated to different transmissions which can have a huge impact in perceived performance. A 5.3 might have higher shift points at a given acceleration compared to a 6.2, which you will absolutely notice visually and audibly, but the capability of the truck would still be the same. It’s going to either be able to accelerate at that rate or not. Thermodynamically one engine might be slightly more efficient than the other at a certain partial loads, but this is more of a concern for fuel economy than performance. The key to me is my own perceived difference in “performance” between a ‘16 5.3/6sp/3.73 and my current ‘20 5.3/10sp/3.23. To my highly calibrated butt cheeks I would say the 5.3 in the ‘20 makes more power, but it’s really just the transmission programming allowing the engine to hold lower revs due to closer gear spacing and smoother shifts. The reality is the engine doesn’t make any more or less power, it’s just delivered in a different fashion which makes it feel like the engine isn’t working as hard.

Again, this isn’t true. It takes the same amount of power to accelerate the same mass at the same rate, no matter the engine or how much power it can produce. Assuming mass, rolling resistance, drag ect. were the same you could take a truck with a 5.3 and a truck with a 6.2, set them side by side, accelerate them at the same rate they would take the exact same amount of power get to the same speed. You’re only using that extra power when you’re commanding more output than the other engine could deliver at a given RPM at WOT. That’s why it’s extra power. I’m pretty happy with my 5.3 because it delivers more than enough power for the workload I require. For day to day driving around town I never come close to maxing out the engine, it’s only when towing that I begin to utilize the full output of the engine and would begin to “feel” any difference.

At WOT... Torque is a product of the force of combustion which depends on the fuel/air charge in the cylinder. I don’t know about you, but I don’t spend a lot of time at full pedal on a normal day. To me, the more perceptible thing is how high the engine will rev to obtain my desired acceleration, and there is way more to this than just peak torque at a given RPM. The only time I “felt” a difference between the 5.3 and the 6.2 is at WOT, which isn’t how I normally drive. Sure more torque is great if you need it, passing with a fully loaded TT at 80MPH might be an example of when the 6.2 will definitely come out ahead but that might just be an argument for getting a diesel if you’re regularly needing that level of performance.

I was dead set on getting the 6.2 but when my wife and I went shopping last month the only models on lots equipped with the bigger engine were Denalis. After test driving both the 5.3 and the 6.2 back to back the difference just wasn’t worth the jump in price to a Denali from the SLT we ended up purchasing. I was expecting the difference to be more dramatic, and while the 6.2 was a little faster off the line, the 5.3 has more power than I need for my driving style. I pulled our 26’ travel trailer on a 600 mile trip through some hilly PNW terrain and was never wanting for power. In the end, getting the 10 speed is probably much more impactful than displacement alone. I have borrowed my FILs ‘16 Silverado (5.3L/6sp/3.73) for towing my TT before and it is a little less fun at highway speeds than my 5.3L/10sp/3.23 is, so there is definitely a gain from the newer transmission. I don’t think you can really go wrong with either V8+10spd.