For
the first test we rented some track time at Milan Dragway, southwest
of Detroit. The track features an IHRA sanctioned 1/4-mile dragstrip.
It's perfect for determining performance over a fixed distance,
unloaded and loaded.
We
contacted a third party, Ricardo Engineering, to certify our results
and instrument the vehicles. Ricardo is one of the world's foremost
independent automotive and powertrain engineering consultancies.
All
vehicles carried instruments to measure vehicle speed at Wide Open
Throttle (WOT) and each vehicle was tested by three different drivers.
Those tests were repeated with and without a 12,100-pound trailer
attached.
Each
of the runs was conducted on the main straightaway at the Milan
Raceway test facility, driving in both directions. The best runs
for each vehicle. in each direction -- with and without the trailer
-- were then averaged to compensate for wind direction.
Each
vehicle was tested with full fluids, one driver, one passenger and
test equipment. All vehicle tests were conducted in two-wheel drive
mode (rear) and in high range.
Testing
Conditions:
Location:
Milan
Raceway, elevation 600 ft.
Conditions:
Weather
Dry
Temperature
43-degrees
F
Humidity
70%
Windspeed
6-mph
Test
Results for Manual Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge:
1/4-mile, No Trailer
Some
may ask, what's the point of running diesel pickups through the
1/4-mile? Isn't the point of a diesel better towing, hauling and
fuel economy over a gasoline engine? You'd be absolutely correct
except for one circumstance where the 1/4-mile test almost always
comes in as a handy measurement - getting on the freeway.
The
tests below represent a reasonable scenario for those drivers interested
in learning how quickly they can accelerate up to 60-mph to join
the flow of traffic on a freeway, without holding other drivers
up behind them or causing an unsafe situation in a slow moving vehicle
towing a trailer.
Test
Results for Automatic Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge:
1/4-mile, No Trailer
1/4-mile,
No Trailer Summary
2002
Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD, dual rear wheel, 6-speed manual
2003
Ford F-250, single rear wheel, 6-speed manual
