Who wants a diesel Canyon or Colorado - GM adds the codes

[Doug_Scott]

My way of thinking is that torque is the only real number. HP is simply a mathematical calculation. Sort of like torque is what you are doing, HP is what you did. Too many think that HP is the number to brag about.

[Jsdirt]

I agree. That was one thing I liked about the '80's V8 gas engines. They signed off after 4,500 RPM, making the torque number (and seat-of-the-pants feel) much bigger than the HP number. Could've used a little more HP up top, but out of the hole, most new vehicles can't touch one from that era. When the light turns green, your gonzo. Here in MA that means the difference between getting home 10 minutes early, or being stuck behind someone who feels the need to go 10 under the limit ...

[MikeNH]

I agree. That was one thing I liked about the '80's V8 gas engines. They signed off after 4,500 RPM, making the torque number (and seat-of-the-pants feel) much bigger than the HP number. Could've used a little more HP up top, but out of the hole, most new vehicles can't touch one from that era. When the light turns green, your gonzo. Here in MA that means the difference between getting home 10 minutes early, or being stuck behind someone who feels the need to go 10 under the limit ...

Nothing from the 80s will beat a modern engine. They may have had peak power lower but they had so little it doesn't even matter. People who complain about the higher up power in the newer engines are just afraid to rev them. My truck spent plenty of time with the pedal buried if I wanted to make the truck scoot. And it never came in second to some awful 80s-era lump choking on early smog controls.

[Jsdirt]

I routinely smoked new cars off the line with my '94 K1500 in 100% stock form. Trust me - they were trying, because they'd catch up to me after it was too late and ride my bumper all pissed off that I got ahead of them. One time my boss followed me a ways from work - next day he was asking what I did to the truck. I was confused .... he says "I've never seen a vehicle take off that fast in my life!" Thought that was funny. Truth is, nobody ever got ahead of me.

 

First week with my Silverado with 200 more horsepower, I got smoked BAD by a new Volvo sedan - I mashed it at the light, and couldn't get the jump. By the time it hit the meat of the powerband, the guy was kicking my ass bad. Then he gets ahead of me and slows down to 5 under the limit. People up here are morons ....

[Doug_Scott]

Nothing from the 80s will beat a modern engine. They may have had peak power lower but they had so little it doesn't even matter. People who complain about the higher up power in the newer engines are just afraid to rev them. My truck spent plenty of time with the pedal buried if I wanted to make the truck scoot. And it never came in second to some awful 80s-era lump choking on early smog controls.

 

My buddy had a 90 Sierra Ext cab with a 350 2 wd with 3.23 gears. He towed an enclosed trailer with 2 motorcycles to track days. He bought a new 2004 Sierra Ext cab with the 5.3, 2 wd with 3.23 gears. Towing the same trailer with the same cargo to the same tracks were worlds apart in performance. The 90 truck would climb the hills it came to on the highways with cruise set at 100km/h and never downshift or slow down. The 04 would be hard pressed to hold the speed, even after it had to both unlock the convertor and downshift to 3rd. He ended up not using cruise and would use the hills going down to build speed up for the hills going up. He got a '12 4 door 4wd with 5.3 a couple of years ago and used it for the first time last weekend for a track day. I have not seen him yet to find out what it performed like with the 5.3 and the 6speed with 3.42 gears. It likely still downshifted, but, I would not expect it to have to go back more than 2 gears.

 

The big change came when they went to the big ports I think. Changed the whole mannerism of the engines. When driving/towing fuel economy is one factor to consider. I don't think running the engine at 4k+ will give better mileage than keeping it under 3k. You are right though, older north americans are not happy running high rpm for extended length of time. Does not matter what type of vehicle it is. When cruising, the lower the better.