Big Silverado improves cooling with trick from the Camaro’s playbook
GM recently released its medium-duty Silverado 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD chassis cab trucks after an absence of nearly 10 years. One feature that many probably didn’t notice is the big flowtie right in the middle of the grille.
First introduced a few years ago on the Camaro Z/28, the flowtie was created out of necessity. Engineers wanted more airflow to the engine bay, so they removed the traditional bowtie’s gold fill (just leaving a chrome outline), resulting in lower engine coolant and oil temperatures during extended track usage. Currently, the Camaro ZL1 comes equipped with the flowtie.
During Camaro Z/28 testing, engineers noticed that the traditional bowtie would deflect air away from the radiator, potentially reducing the amount of engine cooling during extreme driving.
The medium-duty chassis cab trucks are powered by a 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V-8 pumping out 350 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque, and like most turbodiesel engines, these units produce lots of heat. In order to provide the maximum amount of airflow and cooling, designers dove into the Camaro’s parts bin and utilized its famed flowtie.
“The flowtie is an elegant solution. And it’s going to work on the Silverado exactly the way it does on Camaro,” stated Design Manager Kevin O’Donnell, in a release.
Besides the flowtie, GM’s medium-duty trucks also get features found in the new 2019 Silverado 1500 including wireless cell phone charging, Bluetooth, a built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, OnStar, Commercial Link, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
GM will begin production late this year and pricing will be available this summer.
Source: GM
