Anyone shopping for diesel trucks in Dubuque should check out what Runde Auto Group has on hand.  Runde’s always has an excellent selection of Chevrolet and GMC diesel trucks and their sales staff is well-versed on the advantages of owning a diesel so they can definitely help you out with any technical questions and steer you in the right direction.

Diesel trucks in Dubuque have become very popular over the past 20 years mainly because of advancements to Duramax’s family of diesel engines. 

Of course gas engine trucks are more commonly available, but for anyone who is going to be pulling something heavy behind them on a consistent basis, then buying a diesel truck in Dubuque makes a whole lot of sense.

The History of the Diesel Engine

GM’s 2.8 liter Duramax engine

Rudolph Diesel grew up in Paris, France.  Because his family was financially challenged, he eventually was sent to Bavaria to live with his aunt and uncle.  There he was able to attend school and eventually studied engineering.  He started his career as a designer of refrigeration systems.  He designed and received patents for the first diesel engine in the 1890’s.   It worked by compressing air inside an enclosed cylinder making it hot enough to ignite the fuel and create a powerful explosion.  It was a very simple and economical system.  The original set up was designed to run on a variety of fuels such as vegetable oil or peanut oil.  So some farmers were now looking at an engine that they could potentially grow their own fuel for.  The great success of his invention boosted him to millionaire status by the time he was in his 40’s.  After his death, crude oil became more widely available and his original design was adapted to run off of petrol.  This type of fuel was commonly referred to as petrodiesel and it was eventually shortened to just “diesel”.   

The diesel engine has the benefit of burning fuel more efficiently than common gas engines mainly because of compression ratios that are much higher and a longer duration of combustion.  This, in turn, causes the temperature of the reaction to rise more slowly and allows for a greater amount of heat to be converted to mechanical work.   Basically, a diesel engine can get more energy out of a drop of diesel fuel than a gas engine can get from a drop of gasoline.  And this is one of the reasons why current diesel engines are capable of producing such incredible amounts of torque.  Moreover, gasoline contains less energy than diesel fuel and that’s where the fuel efficiency really comes from.  Realistically diesel fuel can produce up to 30% greater fuel efficiency in a vehicle.  With all of these benefits, it’s easy to see why diesel trucks in Dubuque have become so popular over the years.

Meet the Duramax Family of Engines

The 2.8 liter Duramax with 181 hp, 369 foot-pounds of torque is available on both the new Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon.  This engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and allows for towing of up to 7700 pounds.    The “baby diesel” of the Duramax family is an excellent choice for anyone who wants great fuel efficiency and needs to tow a boat or a medium sized trailer.

GM’s 3.0 liter Duramax engine

The 3.0 liter Duramax diesel engine is available in both the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500.  This inline 6-cylinder diesel engine277 hp and 460 foot pounds of torque mated to a 10 speed auto transmission.   Recently, GM also made the 3.0 liter Duramax available on the new Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon and this marks the first time GM has ever offered a diesel engine in one of their mass-produced SUV’s.

The 6.6 liter Duramax turbo-diesel produces 445 horsepower and 910 Lb-ft torque.   This engine is available on Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD and now has a diesel engine “after-run” feature to help cool the engine down properly after it’s been used heavily.  Granted, most truck owners won’t ever see this feature engage because the engine would have to get pretty darn hot for it to kick in … and we’re likely talking about pulling a heavy trailer through a mountain pass on a long journey.

All of these engines mentioned above are fully backed by GM’s five-year or 100,000 no-deductible powertrain warranty and this same warranty will also cover your truck’s original factory transmission for that same time/mile period.

The Effect of Extreme Cold on Diesel Trucks?

Diesel engines use glow plugs instead of regular spark plugs.  A lot of customers who use to need an engine block heater don’t really need that anymore because of the use of ceramic glow plugs that can heat to 2100 degrees in three seconds.  GM’s glow plugs are good up to 20 degrees below zero so there may be some northern parts of the country that may still need to use engine block.

Real World Fuel Efficiency Results

If you ever want to check out what kind of fuel efficiency people are getting from their GM diesel trucks in the real world, check out Fuelly.com.  This is a website that takes actual data from actual people and puts it all together and displays that information collectively in an organized manner.

Where to Find Diesel Trucks in Dubuque

Runde’s always stocks a good selection of diesel trucks in Dubuque.  For new Chevy diesel trucks, you can check out Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque.  If you’re looking for a used diesel truck, you should visit Runde PreDriven in Hazel Green.  And if you’re interested in purchasing or leasing a new GMC diesel truck, definitely check out what the Runde GMC dealership in Platteville has available.