2011 was a great year for diesel. Not only did we survive another tough economic year nationwide, but product innovation seemed to be running full steam ahead. Looking back on last year’s latest and greatest new product releases, we’ve narrowed it down to the 10 best we came across. Some will be completely new to you, while others were featured in our Power Products section or on project vehicles throughout the past year. Whether you own a Cummins, Duramax, or Power Stroke, or you’re after more horsepower, a bulletproof powertrain, improved suspension components, or a way to simplify towing, we’ve got you covered.
Performance 12-valve Head
Hamilton Cams’ 12-valve 5.9L Cummins performance cylinder head was designed to be a direct bolt-on for street-driven trucks in addition to being able to support enough airflow for a 2,000hp sled pulling engine. To that end, Hamilton made the port walls 0.200 inch thicker (so the ports could handle considerable porting), and the port roof is solid all the way to the top of the head so that extensive port reshaping is possible. Units flow 100 cfm more than the factory casting, come with a 0.100-inch-thicker deck for better sealing, and feature 1.850-inch intake valves and 1.750-inch exhaust valves (vs. 1.760-inch and 1.660-inch in the stock head).
Hamilton Cams
(888) 398-2988 • www.hamiltoncams.com
The Ultimate Dodge Four-Speed
Goerend Transmission has a reputation for building some of the toughest Dodge automatics in the business, and now it’s put that power into your hands. Whether you’re beefing up your 47RE or 48RE yourself, or having a local slushbox expert do the work for you, everything you need to build your very own Goerend transmission is included in its basic and master overhaul kits. Goerend even includes an Automatic Transmission Service Group (ATSG) book to help you or your builder install the components. These kits will save you hundreds on shipping costs alone.
Goerend Transmission
(563) 778-2719 • www.goerend.com
MP-8 For 6.7L Power Stroke
TS Performance’s iconic MP-8 pressure box makes the list for the quick, affordable, 0-to-100hp gain it provides ’11 Super Dutys. The plug-and-play unit simply attaches to the fuel rail harness, ramps up rail pressure, and doesn’t require any alterations to emissions equipment (DPF, SCR, or EGR systems). The MP-8 bumped our own ’11 F-350 project truck up to 400 hp and 750 lb-ft at the rear wheels and provided a power curve that mirrored the stock one (albeit with higher numbers). For around $400, you can’t go wrong.
TS Performance
(270) 746-9999 • www.tsperformance.com
Warning Gauges
Finally, those gauges mounted in your A-pillar can give you feedback. Auto Meter’s new warning gauges allow you to set custom high and low alert levels that are specific to your truck’s needs. When either of the preset limits is reached, the entire face of the gauge glows to alert the driver. Seven selectable colors are available for the warning notification. Other features include programmable output triggers that allow you to use the gauge to turn accessories like fans, lights, switches, and pumps on and off. The gauges can also store data for later review, which can then be accessed by pressing a one-touch recall button.
Auto Meter (866) 248-6356 • www.autometer.com
Duramax Towing Twins
PPE’s Towing Twins may be the most versatile compound turbo system available in today’s market. Using a Garrett GT4508R as the atmosphere charger and a GT4094R as the secondary, both turbos feature low-friction, water-cooled, ball-bearing center cartridges for great spool-up and durability. As we showed you with Project Sleepermax in the January ’11 issue, a tuned LBZ engine running these chargers made almost 600 hp at the rear wheels and never pushed the pyrometer past 1,200 degrees.
PPE
(714) 985-4825 • www.ppediesel.com
Adjustable Bumpstops
Designed for second- and third-generation Dodge Rams, Second Hand Smoke Diesel Performance’s adjustable bumpstops are the perfect option for high-powered street trucks that occasionally sled pull. They are designed to allow up to 2 inches of suspension travel when fully retracted and no suspension travel when completely extended. The stops are a direct bolt-on, utilize factory bolts, replace the factory bumpstops, and can be installed in 10 minutes. This makes it possible to meet virtually all street-diesel pulling class rules and allows your Ram to perform its best while in the dirt.
Second Hand Smoke Diesel Performance
(916) 804-0741 www.shsdiesel.com
Super Duty Death Wobble Cure
As popular as suspension lifts, leveling kits, and oversize tires are for ’05 to ’10 Super Dutys, it’s important to make sure your Ford keeps driving straight. Most lifts cause the front axle position to rotate forward, resulting in negative caster at the wheels—which can be felt in the form of wandering, wobble, pulling, and stiff steering. BD Diesel Performance’s Cam Caster Adjuster kit installs on the front radius arms and makes correcting the caster to a more positive angle much easier.
BD Diesel
(800) 887-5030 • www.dieselperformance.com
Adjustable Cam Gear
With the 12-valve Cummins being the preferred engine in diesel motorsports, it only made sense to bring a quicker method of cam timing adjustment to market. SMT Performance’s adjustable cam gear allows for cam degreeing and timing changes in a fraction of the time it typically takes. No more offset keys or offset bushings—you simply loosen the locking bolts, align your desired timing, and retighten the locking bolts. It’s perfect for tuning on the dyno, or for quick adjustment at the track.
SMT Performance Parts and Design
(574) 223-2318 • www.smtperformance.com
Wireless Trailer Brake Controller
Cequent Consumer Products released a new, wireless proportional brake controller—the first of its kind—from Reese Towpower. Called the Echelon-RF, it eliminates any need for wiring or dash mounting a brake controller in a vehicle. The unit simply plugs into the 12-volt outlet in the vehicle to operate the trailer-mounted, proportional brake controller. The Echelon-RF is suitable for fifth-wheel and gooseneck applications, or any trailer with six brakes or less, and adjusts to varying terrain as you drive.
Cequent Consumer Products
www.cequentconsumerproducts.com
EFILive For 5.9L Cummins
Starting last spring, EFILive became available for ’06 to ’07 5.9L Cummins owners, and software updates and even more access to key engine parameters followed soon after. So far, trucks being tuned via EFILive are running smoother and more efficiently, smoking less, and making more power than most off-the-shelf programmers will allow. We’ve even come across a 1,000hp (fuel only) Dodge Ram that you could drive on a daily basis. We look forward to seeing more advancement with EFILive and its release for 6.7L engines and ’03 to ’05 engines in the future.
EFILive
www.efilive.com