Chevrolet Adds A Hood Scoop To The 2017 Silverado HD

2017 Chevrolet Silverado HD (Credit: Chevrolet )

Who doesn’t love a hood scoop? Even better if it’s actually functional, which thankfully is the case for the 2017 Silverado HD. Owners will be able to look more aggressive without using 3M adhesive to slap on a “scoop” themselves.

It doesn’t sound like there’s a power bump from the hood scoop. Instead, the system is designed to remove more moisture from the air, thanks to a patented setup. As air enters through the scoop, it makes a 180-degree turn through the intake tubing. That velocity change creates a centrifugal force, and the moisture becomes bigger and heavier droplets of water. They collect on the outside wall, flow down and drain out through a special valve.

The big benefit is the Duramax engine runs cooler. This is especially important when towing or hauling big loads. Having the engine overheat while trying to make it over a difficult mountain pass isn’t fun. People supposedly buy heavy-duty pickups to take on particularly tough jobs, so this feature makes sense.

Interestingly enough, Chevrolet’s engineers say that heavy rain doesn’t pose the biggest challenge to keeping the charge air dry. Instead, it’s when there’s plenty of mist in the air, like the spray that semis kick up or the thing people in Seattle call rain.

So there you go: getting the 2017 Chevy Silverado HD means you look more aggressive, and the engine is less likely to overheat when you’re towing a bulldozer over the Sierra Nevada.