Click here for more story and pics!Diesel trucks are the hot rods of the 21st Century. Thirty years ago, our fathers and grandfathers were toying with carbureted V-8 engines. Back then, guys would be heroes if they could get 350 hp out of their Camaro, Mustang, or 'Cuda. Today, a factory diesel pickup rolls off the showroom floor with more than 300 hp and twice as much torque. Man, we've come a long way. To unlock the potential of these new diesel engines requires just as much tinkering and testing as the old gasoline mills did. But, now the tuning is done with a laptop and an oscilloscope, instead of with a screwdriver and a vacuum gauge.
We'd keep the Power Loader III in the truck, but it was designed to be small enough that you can fold it up and slip it in your pocket.
To see for ourselves just what kind of power we could uncork from a production LLY Duramax engine, using some modern tinkering, we teamed up with Steve Cole at TTS Power Systems. TTS has just released its new Power Loader III that will allow Joe Average to upload performance calibrations into his diesel engine. Thanks to modern technology, now we can all squeak some extra power out of our hot rods-and leave the tinkering to somebody else.
Looks stock, huh? Would you believe this LLY Duramax puts out more than 500 hp and 1,000 lb-ft at the rear wheels breathing through the stock airbox. And there's no plug-in module or jumper wires to give away that this engine is running a performance calibration. | 
The hidden power comes from TTS Power System's new Power Loader III. This compact unit plugs directly into the truck's computer via the data link connector under the dash and allowed us to upload three performance calibrations into the factory GM computer. Future versions will give the user six power levels. More than just a power upgrade, the Power Loader III also works as a scan tool and data logger to monitor vehicle performance. | 
To select one of the four available power modes (Stock, Economy, Towing, and Race), TTS Power Systems includes a rotary dial to signal the factory ECM. This dial can be mounted anywhere within reach of the driver. On our test truck, it's hidden just under the steering column. Remember, TTS Power System's performance calibrations are being run by the stock GM engine computer-so once the Power Loader III programs are uploaded, the driver can select the best setting for any situation, on the fly. |
On the chassis dyno, we were able to put the Power Loader's three modes to the test. The blue line represents what the LLY Duramax engine put to the ground in stock form. | 
HORSEPOWER
The purple line is the Power Loader's Economy mode, which added a little engine power, but is really designed for better fuel economy (1-2mpg). The Towing mode is shown in green (roughly 58 hp and 150 lb-ft gain over stock at the peaks), and the Race mode's power is shown in red (128 hp and 315 lb-ft at over stock at the peaks). | 
TORQUE
The peak numbers only tell part of the story, though. The true gains are really shown by the huge increase in area under the power curves. |