2010 Gmc Sierra 1500 4wd Ext Cab 143.5" Sle on 2040-cars

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Diesel Power finds the ultimate modified oil-burner

For nine years, Diesel Power magazine has run the Diesel Power Challenge, this year's grindfest being "a week-long torture test that features seven events, nine trucks, 8,000 horsepower, and nearly 15,000 pound-feet of torque." The road to being crowned "the most powerful truck" starts with a dyno run, and then continues through the completion of a CDL-style obstacle course, an eighth-of-a-mile drag race while towing a 10,000-pound trailer, a quarter-mile drag race without a trailer, a fuel economy test in the mountains and finally a sled-pulling test through a 300-foot-long packed-mud pit.
What kind of trucks get into such a fight? Last year's winner, for instance - who upgraded his truck this year to prove he didn't "luck into the win" - drives a 2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty with a 6.4-liter Power Stroke V8 upgraded with a custom intake, Elite Diesel triple turbos and a two-stage nitrous system. Another competitor has a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 powered by a 5.9-liter Cummins inline-six, upgraded with Garrett turbos, dual-stage nitrous, a seven-inch exhaust stack and twin fans built into the bed to cool the Sun Coast Omega transmission. The numbers on that truck: 1,255 horsepower, and 2,063 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. Naturally, as the image above might suggest, things don't always end well.
You'll find all five videos covering this years challenge below. A scene in the dyno video sums it all up perfectly: a competitor leaves his nitrous on too long and the crew is treated to some ominous poppings, he leans out the window, throws both hands up and shouts, "Amer'ca!"

Texas sues GM, saying it tricked customers into sharing driving data sold to insurers

Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against GM over years of alleged abuse of customers' data and trust. New car owners were presented with a "confusing and highly misleading" process that was implied to be for their safety, but "was no more than a deceptively designed sales flow" that surrendered their data for GM to sell. The suit contends that at no point was selling driving data ever even suggested as a possibility, putting GM in violation of the state's consumer protection laws. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking a jury trial and at least $10,000 per offense (every GM car sold in the state since 2015) and a hefty add-on of $250,000 in cases where the victim was over 65. Texas seems to be flying high after a recent $1.4 billion settlement from Meta over other privacy concerns. This may well be a way to solve any pending budgetary issues in the Lone Star State.

2019 GMC Sierra Denali and its nifty tailgate roll into dealers

We've got more details about the 2019 GMC Sierra Denali now that it's rolling into dealerships, starting with its floor price of $56,195, including destination fee, for the rear-wheel-drive models. That's a jump of $1,900 over the previous generation of its premium full-size pickup. Four-wheel-drive models start at $60,295. The crew-cab truck has grown in every dimension as well, adding about 4 inches to the wheelbase, nearly 2 inches in length and 1.2 inches in width. There's also nearly 3 inches more rear legroom. Bed options are 5-foot-8 or 6-foot-6. There are three engine options. Two are carryovers from 2018: a 5.3-liter V8 that sends 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and an available 6.2-liter V8 that makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and mated to a 10-speed automatic. Both come with GM's dynamic fuel management cylinder-deactivation technology to optimize power and fuel efficiency. A new 3.0-liter turbodiesel paired with a 10-speed automatic is expected in early 2019. The EPA hasn't yet released official fuel economy ratings, but GM estimates them at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway for the two-wheel-drive versions, and 15/21 in four-wheel drive. The truck gets adaptive ride control which can adjust the dampers every 2 milliseconds based on real-time monitoring of the road and driver inputs for improved ride and handling. A new traction select system adjusts the transmission shift points, throttle mapping and StabiliTrak to tailor performance to different terrain or weather conditions. Inside the crew cab, there's new Forge leather-appointed seats, open-pore wood trim and dark finished aluminum decor, plus an 8-inch-diagonal HD color touchscreen with embedded navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Most of the other new stuff we've covered before, including new C-shaped LED headlights and LED tail and fog lamps, optional 22-inch wheels, full-color head-up display, trailer-hitch assist apps and cameras, and rear-camera mirror. The truck also loses up to 360 pounds from the outgoing model via a scratch- and dent-resistant carbon-fiber bed box that replaces steel, and use of aluminum in the doors, hood and tailgate.