Photo: Cadillac
At the present moment, General Motors offers six- and eight-cylinder options for its full-size SUV lineup. The Duramax straight-six turbo diesel isn’t of the essence because there’s a little take-up rate for this engine, which leaves the 5.3- and 6.2-liter plants from the EcoTec3 family.
The largest engine develops 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) of torque. Adequate numbers for a vehicle of this size and heft, but on the other hand, you can’t deny that General Motors is lagging behind the competition. Ford, Lincoln, and Dodge all surpass the small-block V8 with force-fed motors, including the mighty Hellcat in the Durango SRT Hellcat.
Given these circumstances, General Motors will reportedly offer a dealer-installed supercharger, according to Motor Trend. The tipster didn’t mention anything else to the cited publication, but we can safely estimate the bump in horsepower to another 200 horsepower. Motor Trend quotes 600 to 625 horsepower for the Escalade and its full-size siblings from Chevy and GMC.
Why is a Roots-type supercharger that interesting, you ask? As opposed to the engine control units found in the Silverado and Sierra, the largest utility vehicles manufactured by General Motors feature locked ECUs. Encrypted like there’s no tomorrow, these engine control units have been criticized time and again by aftermarket tuning shops and companies.
Aside from cybersecurity, the only explanation for locking an ECU to this diabolical extent is the automaker’s greed. More to the point, why would GM let the aftermarket roam free when GM could profit as a monopoly?
Knowing the pricing strategy of the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit, the Eaton TVS will likely cost more than $10,000, including labor. We can also expect a different ECU or a proprietary software re-flash of the stock ECU performed by the dealer, but looking at the bigger picture, GM can do better.
Of course, I’m referring to the LT4 in the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. If the bean counters in Detroit were a little smarter, they would have offered the small-block V8 with a 1.7-liter blower from the factory. The LT4 in the sports sedan also happens to be more potent than the dealer-installed option at 668 horsepower and no fewer than 659 pound-feet (893 Nm) of torque.
Given these circumstances, General Motors will reportedly offer a dealer-installed supercharger, according to Motor Trend. The tipster didn’t mention anything else to the cited publication, but we can safely estimate the bump in horsepower to another 200 horsepower. Motor Trend quotes 600 to 625 horsepower for the Escalade and its full-size siblings from Chevy and GMC.
Why is a Roots-type supercharger that interesting, you ask? As opposed to the engine control units found in the Silverado and Sierra, the largest utility vehicles manufactured by General Motors feature locked ECUs. Encrypted like there’s no tomorrow, these engine control units have been criticized time and again by aftermarket tuning shops and companies.
Aside from cybersecurity, the only explanation for locking an ECU to this diabolical extent is the automaker’s greed. More to the point, why would GM let the aftermarket roam free when GM could profit as a monopoly?
Knowing the pricing strategy of the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit, the Eaton TVS will likely cost more than $10,000, including labor. We can also expect a different ECU or a proprietary software re-flash of the stock ECU performed by the dealer, but looking at the bigger picture, GM can do better.
Of course, I’m referring to the LT4 in the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. If the bean counters in Detroit were a little smarter, they would have offered the small-block V8 with a 1.7-liter blower from the factory. The LT4 in the sports sedan also happens to be more potent than the dealer-installed option at 668 horsepower and no fewer than 659 pound-feet (893 Nm) of torque.
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