Top 5 Reasons To Choose The TurboMax Engine

Full-size trucks have been part of the automotive landscape for almost as long as there have been cars. For most of that time, they were mainly utilitarian vehicles. Vinyl bench seats, AM radios, and the suspensions? Well, there is a reason that the term “Rides like a truck” entered the lexicon. The Silverado 1500 trucks in the Twin Falls Chevrolet inventory are full of creature comforts, multi-speaker audio systems, touchscreens, navigation systems, and plenty of other high tech. Plus, most of them have 4-doors and back seats, another big change from the past. Even with all that comfort, trucks are as competent at hauling and towing as they ever have been.

One truck constant that has lasted longer than most is the drivetrains. For decades, there would be a 6-cylinder engine for economical light running around and then a series of V8s for serious work. What you didn’t find until recently was 4-cylinder engines. They were long considered too small for a full-size truck and many truck owners may still feel that way. But they shouldn’t, because it is quite likely that the base 4-cylinder TurboMax engine in the Silverado 1500 is all the engine you will need. In a special piece, Motor Trend lists five reasons why.

#1: Powerful and Torquey

Though it is used in Cadillac sedans, the TurboMax was designed to be a truck engine. As the name implies, it is turbocharged, which already indicates a boost in torque. At 2.7 liters, it is quite large for a 4-cylinder, which helps as well. Part of that displacement comes from a relatively long stroke, which also favors torque generation.  It all pays off with a standard power rating of 310 horsepower and an astounding 430 lb-ft of torque. You can find plenty of V8s with less torque, and it also outpulls the other base engines of the class. The F-150 twin turbo 2.7-liter 4-cyl. makes 295 lb-ft, and the 2023 Ram 1500 3.6-liter is rated at 271 lb-ft. The TurboMax also reaches that figure at a low 3,000 rpm, making it easily accessible.

#2: Dual Volute Turbocharger

This is related to #1 because the Dual Volute Turbocharger is another factor in the TurboMax’s impressive torque production. A volute is the channel bringing exhaust into the turbocharger’s turbine. Because exhaust is pushed out of just one of each cylinder’s four cycles, it comes out in pulses. When the exhaust streams combine, their pulses can cause back pressure, leading to the engine and thus slowing the flow into the turbocharger. Chevrolet’s trick is to channel the exhaust gasses from cylinders 1 and 4 separately to cylinders 2 and 3 vice-versa.  Two separate volutes, thus “dual volute”.  Pistons 1 and 4 move in unison but are at opposites of the four cycles, so the pulses are far from each other. Pistons 2 and 3 are moving opposite to 1 and 4 and also are two cycles from one another. The outcome is the exhaust pulses don’t interfere with each other, resulting in greater flow velocity and an increase in torque production.

#3: Stronger, Quieter, More Durable

The TurboMax has a relatively long piston stroke. Specifically, it is about 4.01 inches, and that long stroke helps generate low-end torque. As such, the crankshaft was stiffened by 30 percent, and the bottom end is fully forged steel construction. Dual balance shafts counter secondary vibration.  The engine is fully prepared to endure everything the combustion chambers throw at it.

#4: Fuel Efficient

The RWD TurboMax-equipped Silverado makes an EPA-estimated 19 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Stop/start technology reduces the engine’s idle time when stopped at lights around town. In addition, during steady highway cruising with a light load, the engine can run on just two cylinders. Still, the power is there when you need it. The RWD Silverado’s maximum payload is 2,260 pounds, and it has a maximum trailer rating of 9,500 pounds.

#5: It’s the Standard Engine

This is the base engine in the Silverado Work Truck, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, and LT Trail Boss trim levels, so all this sophisticated technology isn’t anything you have to pay extra for. A few years ago, the base 4.3-liter V6 was rated at 285 horsepower and 305 @ 3900 lb-ft of peak torque. The TurboMax beats the V6 handily.

GM designed this engine to cover the needs of the vast majority of its Silverado 1500 owners. It is possible that you may have a specific need for one of their other available engines, and we certainly have them here at Twin Falls Chevrolet, but now you know not to let the 4-cylinders fool you. This is the most powerful base Silverado 1500 engine ever, and it is designed to please.