The diesel-powered Chevrolet Silverado HD will add an improved air intake system for the 2017 model year that pushes cool, dry air through a hood scoop, General Motors has announced.

The new air-intake system will result in 60% of the air flowing to the Duramax diesel engine to come from the hood scoop. Cooler air improves engine performance, especially under heavier loads. Ambient air is typically cooler than air under the hood.

At highway speed, the system pushes more densly-packed air into the system. The air filter housing also draws 40% more air from a dry location in one of the front fenders. It blends with the cooler air from the hood inlet before funneling into the Duramax's combustion chambers.

The functional hood scoop includes a unique air/water separator to ensure only combustion-enhancing dry air is drawn into the engine. The air charge enters an expansion chamber containing a sharp, 180-degree turn on its way to the air filter housing. That creates a velocity change that causes humidity or mist to form larger, heavier droplets that are flung centrifugally against the outside wall of the housing. The collected water drains through a valve, while the air charge continues on to the filter housing and into the engine.