First off I just want to say that I dont think my 4x4 Ram is a drag race truck. With that being said....Me and two otherChevys raced the other day.One was aZ71and weraced to about 90mph. It was dead even till about 65 when he pulledabout 1 length ahead ofme then I caught back up at about 80 and started to even out, then we had no more road.We both have intakes and exhaust. We also have the exact same size tire (305/70/16's). The silverado puts out 285 stock hp while my ram puts out like around 240 or something.The other Chevywith the 4.8 which puts out 270HP I had beat fairly easy, He was stock. But still, it had way morehp plus it was a 2wd.How is it that it was so close. Plus I have always just thought that Chevys were faster than Rams with the exception of the Hemi.And if your wondering my I was racing my truck, it was just me and 2 other buddies leaving the house at the same time and decided to get silly.

 

I really believe that horsepower ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. They all say that they're certified, but is it crank HP? RWHP? BHP? What were the conditions of the tests? Where were the tests done? What dyno machine? What fuel? What brand of fuel? What altitude? Etc. I've heard too many races like this where the horsepower ratings seem bogus.

 

HP rating doesnt really matter in a race...it's all about the area under the curve, gear ratios, and weight.

 

I can't find the exact article I saw last year but I was reading something about new SAE horsepower rating test. Some of the vehicles when retested actually had more power but most had significantly less than advertised.

Here is an arcticle I found doing a quick search about it. http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/14/n...old-their-hor/

This might explain why engines with much less horsepower on paper are beating other engines in drag test and such. I'm sure gearing and weight ratios are a factor and maybe some engines benefit more from mods than others.

According to paper my 5.2l V8 has 55 less horsepower than my roomates 5.3l V8 but it does not feel like it.

 

insurance is one thing. With a lower "advertised horsepower rating" the lower the insurance. Most testing is BHP which is at the flywheel at sea level. Another reason why newer motors are rated so high is becuase they have newer technology in them. They can hit alot higher rpms. The only 2 ways to increase horsepower is by increasing RPMS and or torque.

 

Silveraro=pavement princess.......hook up a tow strap reciever hitch to reciever hitch and then you'll put him in his place. Oh and leave you truck in 2WD haa

 

Yeah I understand all the wack acclaimed HP ratings and the whole power-weight ratio, altitude, way everything is set up etc...... I guess I should have just plainly stated ...... " I have always heard that Chevy trucks are faster than Dodge trucks, especially the newer ones (99-current) with the new 5.3 and 4.8's. Well I raced both and the results were not what I would have thought."

Or ask if anyone else has raced a Silverado, and what were the results?

 

My boss had a 4.8L in his truck and it felt like the slowest thing ever. I had an old 84 Suburban with a 350 that felt like a Camaro after driving that 4.8L. Again, I am no fan of the lower displacement. I'd just prefer to go with the "good" motor that the lineup has to offer.

 

It is true that prior model years HP and Torque rating for engines should be discounted a little for model years 1992-2006

Some automakers
(including Chrysler who became one of the worst offenders)
began playing 'tricks' in their dyno rooms.
The most common tricks were:
1. leaving off the power steering pump (although 95% of sold vehicles have them) to save 7-12 horsepower;

2. giving the engine an extremely harsh 'break in' before starting the official dyno run. This harsh break-in would overheat the piston rings and cause them to lose tension. Since piston ring friction goes down as ring tension goes down, this can 'free up' anywhere from 7-21 horsepower. It is like putting 50,000 miles worth of wear on an engine in less than 1 hour.

The Society of Automotive Engineers knew this 'cheating' was going on, and after some committee meetings and delays, SAE issued new rules that cut out most of the cheating...at least until the cheaters come up with a few new ways to bend the rules. See link below:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...1/ai_n13815480

The original 2003 5.7 Hemi for example
was rated 345 horsepower
but when competitors like
Toyota, GM, Nissan and Toyota
quickly bought 2003 Rams with 5.7 V8s to examine and put those low hour engines with power steering pumps attached on shaft dynos they typically found only 315 to 330 horsepower.

 

take a 88 m5 to the quarter and watch it get whooped up on by a cobra, but take them to a road course and watch the bemer whoop some ***. Its all about ^^^