---
title: "Turbo Chevy Silverado Vs. Ford F150 SVT Lightning: Who Ya Got?"
description: "All the fancy staging tricks in the world will only take you so far."
date: "2017-05-04"
modified: "2017-05-05"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/9958/turbo-chevy-silverado-vs-ford-f150-svt-lightning-who-ya-got"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Chevrolet"
  - "Drag Race"
  - "F150"
  - "lightning"
  - "pickup"
  - "silverado"
  - "svt"
  - "Texas"
---

# Turbo Chevy Silverado Vs. Ford F150 SVT Lightning: Who Ya Got?

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/05/drag1.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

With mainstream manufacturers like [Dodge](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/9218/the-dodge-challenger-demon-is-an-840-hp-street-legal-drag-car>) and [Chevrolet](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/9888/chevrolet-camaro-ss-drag-race-development-program-continues-to-tune-the-camaro>) taking quarter-mile times more seriously than they have in decades and plain-Jane family sedans that are [faster than the muscle cars of yore,](<https://twitter.com/thedrive/status/856936435953405954>) there's no doubt we're in the midst of a new era of drag racing glory. Still, it's always fun to watch cars—or trucks, in this case—from previous generations go head-to-head in classic rivalries as old as time itself. And where better to pit a turbocharged early-aughts AWD Chevy Silverado against a Ford F-150 SVT Lightning than the land of straight shooters and straighter roads known as Texas?

There's a whole lot of showboating from the Ford at the beginning of the clip, starting with the driver and his pals filling one of those fancy trunk-mounted ice cells that connects to the intercooler and helps lower the air intake temperature, theoretically providing more boost. Though both are rocking drag slicks and sound mean as hell, the Silverado is basically the definition of a sleeper compared to the Lightning, complete with scratched paint and a few dinged-up panels.

Then things really heat up, as the Ford guys spray down their lane and torch it to get things nice and sticky, adding in a nice long burnout to complete the preparations. Meanwhile, the Silverado just moseys up to the line and waits for the signal. And when it comes—boy, it's not even close, despite *someone* jumping the start. Take a look for yourself:

https://youtube.com/embed/HSB00omX-VA

Obviously neither one of these trucks are stock, but the Chevy still has the distinct advantage of AWD and a [lightweight LS motor](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/4752/what-does-this-de-tomaso-pantera-mazda-rx-7-and-lotus-elise-have-in-common>) compared to the cast-iron 5.4 liter Triton V8 found in the Ford. The video claims the Lightning was boosted to 700 horsepower, and whether or not that's true it has us wondering just what the Silverado would put down on a dyno. Especially considering [this previous video](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJCCzBYNePo>) from the same YouTube channel showing it smoking a nitrous-boosted Pontiac Trans Am. Don't think we'd call it "UGLY," though.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)