Duramax or Powerstroke

Iceman · April 24, 2002

i am looking at getting a diesel for my next truck. my boss has several powerstrokes and they are awesome. are the duramaxes as powerful, do they pull as good. anyone had any experience with either one?

2000 GMC Z71, 5.3L, Flowmaster, K&N FIPK, HPP III, Poweraid TBS, 3" body, 16x8 AR nitros, 285 BFG's

tmg115tmg115 · April 24, 2002

they pull even better than a powerstroke. these trucks are awsome. you can't get much better than a duramax.

Kansas Kid · April 24, 2002

Well, it kind of depends. Are you talking auto vs auto or manual vs manual. Without a doubt the Dmax/Allison will tow better then a PSD/4R100. The PSD is rated quite a bit lower with the auto and towing suffers.

But with the manual transmissions, its a different story. Then it comes down to motor power only, and the difference between the two isn't all that great. The PSD had 25 Hp less and 5 more ft-lbs of torque. In my experience with both, the PSD will have more torque under 1500rpm, about even between 1500 and 2200rpm and the Dmax will pull harder from there on out. I would give a slight advantage to the Dmax when pulling, but not much.

btw, the HO Cummins with its measly 245Hp and 505ft-lbs will tow with both of them. Won'tbe quite as fast, but dang it tows good in overdrive.

WhiteBeast · April 24, 2002

Well they are almost two completely different motors. The PowerStroke is what they call an "old diesel", where as the Duramax uses a lot of "high tech" technology. I won't go into the details (can if you want me too) but these engines are like black and white compared to each other, with the Duramax coming out on top. If you want a Ford however, wait a couple years until they come out with their new generation of diesel's which will surely out power the Duramax just for the fact that it will be a newer design. Of course if you want ultimate torque and longevity you will want to go with the new H.O Cummins. That’s my two cents worth.

walkerkd · April 26, 2002

yea i agree with whitebeast. on the cummins even though the others are diesel the inle 6 is a proven design and the cummins has proven it self over the years. heck even ford and freightliner use the isb 5.9 in their bigger trucks, that should tell its story. the engine will outlast the rest of the truck. only thing i hear negative about the cummins is the location of the fule pump.. its pulling instead of pushing but there is a quick fix and thats to add a pusher pump by the tank.. real easy and should cost you more than 150 bucks if that. just my .02 cents!!!

Good Luck!

CMNTMXR81 · April 26, 2002

Kansas laid it out nicely. You need to look at their respective power curves to determine who's the better of the two.

Down low, I'd give the PSD a slight edge, but once things get over 3,000rpm, D-Max all the way.

Jpshostr · April 26, 2002

Now that GM has a good diesel in its lineup, something that has been missing for years, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices from the big three.

The Duramax is the newest of the three, the most unproven, but to this point has shown good results. Being the newest you get the more recent technology put in diesel motors, which can be both good and bad. This motor seems to get better the more revs you give it, the most similar to a gas motor of all the offerings. If you don't like noise, this is the one to get. I wouldn't be afraid of one at this point, but personally if I was in the market I'd be waiting another 6-12 months before I bought one just to be sure.

The Powerstroke is also a good motor, very comparable to its V-8 counterpart the Dmax. It is slightly better lower in the RPM range than the Duramax, then gives up that slight edge to the Dmax. The roots of this motor trace back to the V-8s used in a few ill-fated tractors back in the 70s, but since then the technology has improved a lot.

The Cummins is a completely different motor than the above two, its straight six just gives out completely different results by design. Torque is what this bad boy puts out in great quantities, and its all down low in the RPMs. Its the most noisy by a great deal over the above two. Versions of this motor were used in the CIH Maxxum until that line was eliminated, as well as being used in the CIH 2344 combine and several other applications both agriculture and construction.

Personally, if you want a go fast motor that can also tow, the Dmax is it, with the Stroke running a close second. Only after a test drive should you make up your mind. If you want a motor that can tow, the Cummins is it, its only a shame that the rest of the truck isn't built quite as tough as the motor, although many people have had no problems with them. Right now, with all due respect to the GM fans, my next truck is going to have a Cummins in it.