In my last post, I talked about the tug-of-war challenge that Tom Stephens, General Motors’ vice chairman in charge of global product operations, issued to Ford. The idea was to have the biggest and baddest from GMC and Ford fight it out and see who’s tops.

Well, Pickuptrucks.com reports that Ford responded in a way that can be considered pusillanimous. Here is the relevant quote, although please go to the link to see the whole story (and if you love trucks, RSSing Pickuptrucks.com isn’t a bad idea!).

GM on Tuesday jumped in with both feet to formally challenge Ford to a fun tug-of-war contest between both companies’ 2011 heavy-duty pickups. Now, we’ve got a response from Ford via Twitter.

One of our Twitter friends, @KyleRohde, asked @Ford and @FordTrucks, “So are you guys going to accept GM’s challenge with PickupTruck.com??”

The reply was, “We typically don’t respond to challenges. We let the vehicles speak for themselves,” with a link to this page: http://bit.ly/dbFZXj.

Hmm. IMHO, chaining two trucks together and seeing which one wins is “letting the vehicles speak for themselves.” But maybe that’s just me!

In order to let your Sierra or other GMC vehicle “speak for itself,” come on over to Mike’s for a test drive!

–Truck Man

You are going to get a big kick out of this post on www.pickuptrucks.com:

Truck of War: GM Vice Chairman Challenges Ford to Heavy Duty Tug of War

As the title implies, that’s just what Tom Stephens, General Motors’ vice chairman in charge of global product operations, did. A key quote:

You know what I want to do to prove it? I want to take our truck and Ford’s [new Super Duty] and chain them together back-to-back. Then I want to have them pull against each other. I know our truck will beat theirs.

Them’s fightin’ words! The trucks he’s talking about are GM’s 2011 Chevrolet and GMC Heavy Duty pickups vs. Ford’s 2011 F-Series Super Duty.

The question I’d like to ask (and you readers are welcome to provide your input) is: Would the GMC truck beat the Ford?

The GM engine in question is the Duramax diesel–a powerful sunvagun if ever there was one. We turn to another pickuptrucks.com post for the info:

We’ve improved the performance of the Duramax in the van to 250 horsepower and 500 pounds-feet of torque from today’s 250 hp and 460 pounds feet,” Arvan said. “We aren’t prepared to talk about the new power figures for the heavy-duty trucks yet, but we won’t let the new emissions regulations bring us down [in power]. We’ll produce at least the 360 hp and 660 pounds-feet of torque [with the LML] that we make with today’s engine.

Did you read my recent post on torque? 660 lb.-ft. of torque is monstrous. If you figure that even a higher-end Peterbilt tractor is going to come in around 1,850 lb.-ft.–and that’s for hauling loaded trailers!

But how about the Ford? Pickuptrucks.com has yet another post. Here is the key quote:

Ford won’t say what the final power figures are for its new 2011 engines, though we have heard that the 6.7-L PSD will make more than 390 horsepower and 720 pounds-feet of torque. The 6.2-L V-8 is expected to pump out approximately 400 hp and 400 lbs.-ft. of torque.

Both GM and Ford are being a bit reticent about their figures, hmm? I personally take Stephens’ line about the GMC winning the tug-of-war to mean that the GM engine will end up with higher figures than the Ford–but that is anybody’s guess.

Let’s imagine, however, that we have figures for both trucks, and they are close. Can we know who will win? Not at all. The above torque figures–everyone would admit this–are sloppy. We need to know torque at various rpms to know who would be stronger off the line–in tug-of-war, low-end torque is crucial. Then, the differential and even the tires could make a huge difference. For that matter, vehicle height and the angle of the chain would also come into play. Finally, driving technique alone could rule the day.

Personally, with my current level of knowledge about these future vehicles, I have no idea who would win the tug-of-war (OK, I will be rooting for the GMC–hence the title of this post!). I have to give up the props to Ford–they make excellent trucks, too (and we sell them pre-owned!). I’m a GMC partisan, though. I think when you look at price and your application and what you get for your money, 9 times out of 10 the GMC is going to come out on top. So I simply advise you to check out GMC and Chevy and Ford and see what works for you.

What I can say with complete confidence is that Mike’s has the best GMC deals in town, so come on over and test drive and kick tires to your heart’s content. We also have some sales guys who “talk truck” pretty well and can give you the straight dope on any model you have questions about. Check us out!

–Truck Man

These ads from GMC always give me a kick: “Never send a truck to do a Sierra’s job.” Take a gander at this one:

It may not be that you use your truck to tow other trucks a lot, but this ad does have a very realistic scenario: towing in the mud.

And the “selling point” of the Sierra here is the locking rear differential. Normally a rear differential allows the wheels to spin at different rates, as when you are cornering and the tires actually “want” to travel at different speeds. This prevents tire wear and is a good thing–most of the time.

But imagine now that you’re towing in the mud. A non-locking rear differential allows the torque to go to either wheel regardless of whether its gripping or not. You just end up spinning and flailing about in the mud.

A true locking differential prevents this mess. As you move forward slowly in the mud, giving your Sierra a little gas at a time, you’ll be able to “feel” how the tires are gripping and steer appropriately because the same amount of torque is going to both wheels. No flailing.

As the ad indicates, anything but a true locker is going to be “crud in the mud.” Time to get a real truck!

The Wikipedia article on locking differentials has some good info. Check it out!

–Truck Man

Here is the GMC current offers page.

All of these are, of course, valid at Mike’s. I wanted to point out a few goodies that could up your “truckin’ power” in 2010!

Note that delivery must be taken on these vehicles by February 1, 2010. So please visit Mike’s in the next week or so and get your deal!

2010 Terrain Lease

2010 GMC Terrain
Low Mileage Lease for Well-Qualified Lessees
$329 Per Month
39 Months
$2,219 Due at Signing. Includes Security Deposit. Tax, title license and dealer fees extra. Mileage charge of $0.20/mile over 39,000

Example based on national average selling vehicle price. Each dealer sets its own price. Your payments may vary. Payments are for a 2010 Terrain with an MSRP of $24,995 monthly payments total $12,820.86. Option to purchase at lease end for an amount to be determined at lease signing, plus $350 or turn in vehicle and pay a $395 termination fee. Mileage charge of $.20/mile over 39,000 miles. Lessor must approve lease. Take delivery by 2/1/10. Lessee pays for excess wear and tear charges. Payments may be higher in some states. Not available with other offers. Residency restrictions apply.

0% APR for 72 Months on all remaining 2009 GMC models in stock

Not Available with some other offers. Monthly payment is $13.89 for every $1,000 you finance. Average example down payment: 10.1%.Some customers will not qualify. Take delivery by 2/1/10. See dealer for details.

There is also a special Acadia lease available–please check out the link for more details!

We also have our own special “Mike’s Deals” going on, so stop in for a chat!

–Truck Man

We love www.edmunds.com for two reasons. The first is that it’s just an informative site. The second is that it tends to be highly appreciative of GMC trucks!

Edmunds ranks the GMC Sierra 1500 #3 for towing. One of the benefits of having a “real truck” is that you can use it to pull stuff. Here is what Edmunds said about the Sierra, one of our favorite trucks:

GMC Sierra 1500: With a 9,990-pound rating, the Sierra Denali offers the most towing ability of any 1500-Series (half-ton) pickup. To get more capability than the Sierra, you have to step up to a heavy-duty series truck from Dodge, Ford or Chevy. Standard on this top-level Sierra is GM’s Quadrasteer, a four-wheel-steering system that gives it a reduced turning radius and improves stability when pulling heavy loads.

Check out the list. Although the Sierra came in at #3, the trucks above it are very different vehicles. We think for all-around towing capacity and value for money, you’ll find the Sierra is one of the best deals available.

To get your best truck deal in Indy, come on over to Mike’s! We’re going to treat you right!

–Truck Man

Here is a neat ad about torque that GMC put out:

Torque is important when you are hauling anything. The more torque, the better. For reference, the 2010 Sierra 1500 has torque of…

• 260 lb-ft @ 2,800 rpm
• 348 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
• 305 lb-ft @ 4,600 rpm

…as referenced here.

By its very nature, torque is different for every possible engine rpm. What you want to see when you’re hauling is good torque throughout the powerband. Low-end torque is especially important. A truck will feel “wimpy” if you have to redline it just to start pulling, say, a boat!

The 260 lb-ft @ 2,800 rpm figure the Sierra gets is really nice. You will push down on the accelerator and feel a nice pull right away. Needless to say, check your specs and don’t haul more that your truck is rated for. But your GMC is going to be one torque-y ally when you need to get some real hauling done!

–Truck Man

Every time someone says it can’t be done, there’s a man who quickly proves them wrong–Bob Hoye!

Please take a look at the following truck:

Bob Hoye sold this Chevy Tahoe at Mike's GMC in Indianapolis

2000 Chevy Tahoe LT (New Style) 4X4. Clean as a whistle. Just $5,995.00. But we regret to report that this truck has been sold. By Bob Hoye. In fact, he threw this pup up online and sold it in less than a day.

No matter. Please have a gander at the following boat:

Guess who sold this boat? Bob Hoye at Mike's GMC in Indy.

I do not have much boat knowledge. After all, I’m “Truck Man,” not “Boat Man.” But I do know one thing about this boat: It’s no longer available. Because Boy Hoye put a deal together! He traded this boat for a truck or something. It was cool.

No matter! Because we’ve got all kinds of great trucks in stock, and Bob is putting together deals left and right! Got something to trade? Call Bob! Need a certain special truck? Call Bob! The number is 317-352-9311.

Now here’s a truck that has not been sold yet!

Buy this truck from Bob Hoye at Mike's GMC in Indy!

Bob describes it thus:

Very clean 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab 4X4 with Z-71 package. 5.3L V8 with Automatic Transmission. Cloth Interior with front Bucket Seats. LS Decor Package. Short Bed. Running Boards. Tow Package & Spray-in bedliner. 74,404 miles.

Call Bob now, cuz this sweet truck’s gonna sell quick!

–Truck Man

P.S. Rumor has it that Bob also made a deal with a snowplow recently.

Here at Mike's, we have a certain adventurer and sales guy par excellence named Bob Hoye, who is willing to do anything legal, moral, and ethical to help a customer. To say that Bob "goes the extra mile" is to understate the fact by a wide margin! In this case, Bob went the extra 1,200 miles!

Here are Bob's own words concerning a recent escapade of his that resulted in a customer more than satisfied with the exceptional service that Mike's GMC offers to residents of Indianapolis and the surrounding counties:

A good customer of mine was in a real bind when he found that he could not pull his 22,000 lb. trailer with his existing truck. It was the end of the year, and he needed a new truck purchased before 12/31/09 for tax advantages. There were no trucks capabile of towing this trailer available in the Midwest that could be delivered in time.

I was following a compnay on Twitter that specialized in used commercial trucks in Little Rock, Arkansas. I decided to give him a call, and he happened to have the perfect truck that could do the job. I purchased a plane ticket from Southwest Airlines with one-day notice.

The truck lot was located only 15 miles from the Little Rock Airport, and the owner picked me up. Since I was buying this 2006 GMC C4500 sight unseen with only a description from the owner and a few pictures, I didn't really know what to expect. As it turned out, the truck was even in better shape than I had expected!

Twelve hours later, I was back in Indy with the truck and delivered it to the customer on 12/31 at 1:00 pm. My customer bought me lunch. On a side note, I would like to thank Paul Poteet, who I tweeted the day before about the weather conditions I would face driving up from Arkansas. He took the time to look at the weather reports and was dead on the money with light rain and snow flurries the entire way back.

You can follow Bob's tweetly stylings on Twitter, and he does a pretty good job on Facebook, too.

Also, do you want Bob to find you a big ol' truck that'll get your big jobs done right? Give him a call at 317-429-0373!

–Truck Man

Kelley Blue Book has a great review up of the GMC Sierra and the Sierra Denali. This is truly a fantastic truck! We cordially invite you to get your own Sierra at Mike's GMC in Indianapolis. You won't be disappointed!

Welcome, everyone, to the blog where we talk truck! Some of you are following us on Twitter, and some on Facebook. This is one more way for you to connect with Mike's GMC, Indy's best GMC truck dealership!

We'll be blogging regularly here, letting you know all the latest:

• News and deals from Mike's
• New vehicle information
• Pre-owned vehicle information
• Incentives and other deals from GM
• Your photos and stories!

We'd like to hear from you–look forward to your submissions to the blog! Please see our About This Blog page for details. You can send in submissions to blog@mikesgmctrucks.com.

Thanks for reading–and watch this space for lots of interesting stuff!

–Truck Man