There's been a lot of static building up surrounding the results of Breaking Point one and two from H&S Performance. A lot of apprehensive onlookers have seemingly found a flaw in what turned out to be a high-stakes (and high RPM) competition between a Ford 6.7L Powerstroke and a GMC 6.6L Duramax. The hot debate boils down to this: was the Duramax given an unfair advantage? To get to the answer, it's important to look at the hard facts. The competition wasn't H&S's original intention. In fact, they just wanted to have a little fun and give the crowd something to smile about. But after the GMC had finally given way, this "Breaking Point" hoedown became more of a diesel driver showdown.
The Ford 6.7L Powerstroke Scorpion
On February 28th, the H&S 6.7L Powerstroke took a serious beating with some pretty astounding results. After the smoke cleared and the dyno sheet was printed, the Ford made it to 884 horsepower and 1600+ lb/ft before the transmission began to slip. The most amazing thing about this particular dyno was the Ford did all of this with a stock engine and transmission. Of course the truck had a little bit of H&S performance put into it, but with that aside, the truck muscled out incredible power. The Powerstroke's incredible resilience to the strain H&S put on it was enough to make any diehard Ford driver choke back tears of pride. Folks just couldn't get enough of the event, and H&S was getting ready to give them a little more. Enter the GMC.
The GMC 6.6L Duramax
H&S gauged the results of the last Breaking Point, and because it was so well received, it was only a matter of time before "Breaking Point 2" crossed over the horizon. For this, they decided to go with a Duramax engine and test how far it could be pushed. The intention wasn't to compare the trucks, but to simply have fun in the name of diesel science. When the Duramax made it to the dyno for some preliminary tests, the stock transmission slipped at an unsightly 568hp. Knowing that the engine was capable of far more power, H&S remedied the slipped tranny with an ATS built Allison transmission.
When the day of the event arrived, the GMC made its way up to the dyno and in front of thousands of anxious and excited online viewers. Tires spun, smoke whirled and the turbo hissed wildly as the Duramax growled out more horsepower. To say the least, the crowd was just short of breathless as the gigantic LML roared its way to 1086hp and 1911 lb/ft of torque. H&S was pleased with the results and called this turkey cooked. But as the rumble of the truck ceased, the rumble of disappointed voices started to rise in its place.
The Aftermath
After the final results of both the Ford and GMC, people started to question the equality in both performances. The Ford made its way to 884hp with its stock, hot-off-the-assembly line transmission. The GMC, however, had a tranny rebuild before it made it to the event. On one side of the coin, if the GMC's transmission slipped at 568hp, wouldn't that be its breaking point? Turn the coin over, and you have a stronger built transmission sitting in a GMC, which ultimately sent the horsepower to well over a thousand. As it's been mentioned, both events were never created as a competition, but the results still left people a fair bit upset. H&S was certain that the LML had the power to far exceed the original dyno sheet made during the pre-run, and wanted to push the truck further. Their idea to rebuild the transmission for better results was as practical as it was important. But like everything else, there's always a bit of opposition when things seem a little lopsided. Both Breaking Points 1 and 2 we're a just-for-fun boundary pushing event that left two trucks a bit worse for wear, and the question of whether or not the unintentional competition played out fairly still remains a debatable mystery. For us, we just had fun watching H&S give two brand new trucks a run for their money but others may see it differently. Do you? Join us on Facebook at Facebook.com/DieselTechMag and give us your take.