Ram has the TRX. Ford has the F-150 Raptor. And Chevrolet has the Silverado ZR2. Outfitted with an upgraded suspension, it's a burly truck that is just fine off-road. But it's not ready to join Ford and Ram careening over sand dunes at speed.
The Blacklake XT1, however, is up to the task. The new tuning company starts with a Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss and adds new long-travel suspension, bigger 37-inch tires, and most importantly for the subject of this TFL Truck video, a supercharger to the 6.2-liter V8. The result is 650 horsepower in a 6,000-pound pickup that dives and squats like crazy on solid ground. All the better to tackle big bumps, but the XT1's mission here is to win a drag race against a stock Silverado ZR2 – the best Chevrolet off-roader you can get from the factory.
On paper, this should be an easy challenge for the Blacklake-tuned Silverado. The ZR2 packs a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter engine making 420 hp, and this race takes place a mile above sea level where the air is thinner. That makes a bigger difference on engines without forced induction, but apparently, the Silverado ZR2 didn't get the memo. The first of two races see the factory-stock truck leap out to a lead over the XT1, and it's held valiantly until nearly the end when the 230-hp disparity finally shows itself. The Blacklake finishes first, but not by as much as you'd expect. The margin of victory is a little over a car length.
Even the drivers were a bit surprised at the relatively small gap between the two trucks. However, it's revealed that the XT1 was in two-wheel drive for the sprint, whereas the ZR2 was in four-wheel auto. A second race is set up with both trucks in four-wheel auto, and as you can surely guess, the Blacklake gets a much better launch to win again. And yet, the margin of victory still isn't as large as one might expect given the difference in power. Could the ZR2 be packing more of a punch than Chevy says?
Still, a win is a win and for this contest, forced induction rules the day.
