Nothing can ruin a perfectly good truck like the temptation of adding a cheap power upgrade. If a diesel engine gets the wrong parts, or even if the right part is installed before the vehicle (or owner) is ready—trouble is bound to follow. In this article, we walked the slippery slope of diesel performance but knew which path to take and when to stop—so we didn’t go sliding all the way to the bottom. We wanted to make sure the equipment we put on our ’06 Dodge Ram 2500 didn’t hurt anything and instead would help accomplish our goals of maintaining the proven durability of our Dodge—while increasing performance. Our ’06 5.9L Ram was in Florida when we did the upgrades, so we called upon Nick Dragunov and Jamie Wilson of Ultimate Diesel in Sarasota to give us a hand. The first thing they did to make working on our Dodge easier was to remove the front driver-side wheel and fenderwell. Then they took the $289 S&B cold-air intake (PN: 75-5047) from the box and checked its fit. The part shown is the optional ram-air scoop (PN: 75-5049). Ultimate Diesel removed the Cummins’ intake air temperature sensor (IAT) from the factory intake (so it could be used on the S&B intake) and unbolted the system so it could be removed from the 5.9L. The factory filter minder was not yet reinstalled with the S&B kit.Ultimate Diesel removed the Cummins’ intake air temperature sensor (IAT) from the factory Although Florida has quite a bit of sand on its highways, this Dodge stays out of the mud, so we decided we should go with the optional S&B cold-air scoop priced at $99.Although Florida has quite a bit of sand on its highways, this Dodge stays out of the mud, The S&B billet-aluminum heater-block delete (PN: 76-1005) is located beneath the Cummins’ intake elbow and replaces the factory heater grid, which helps improve airflow. It also retails for $99.The S&B billet-aluminum heater-block delete (PN: 76-1005) is located beneath the Cummins’ The S&B intake elbow (PN: 76-1004) we first saw at SEMA last year comes with six ports for picking up a boost or temperature reading. They also serve as a place to add injectables like nitrous oxide or, in our case, a Snow Performance water-methanol injection system (PN: 49103) that retails for $866.The S&B intake elbow (PN: 76-1004) we first saw at SEMA last year comes with six ports for We installed the two Snow Performance water-methanol injection nozzles in the S&B intake. Then we routed the red water line to the supplied pump, which we mounted to the frame. The black boost line also coming from the intake goes to the TOW-MAX controller so the water-methanol injection system knows when to inject.We installed the two Snow Performance water-methanol injection nozzles in the S&B intake. The Snow Performance water-methanol injection system also measures and reacts to exhaust gas temperature (EGT) by reading this sensor. This is the most important data point in any modified diesel, and one we would want anyway so the Snow kit fits multiple purposes. We drilled the hole in the exhaust manifold with the engine running so the shavings would be blown out, instead of falling in. Putting heavy grease on the drill bit toward the end of drilling the hole also helps to catch particles.The Snow Performance water-methanol injection system also measures and reacts to exhaust g This electrical connector splices the EGT probe wires to the Snow TOW-MAX controller. This 7-gallon reservoir holds the water-methanol fluid. A 50 percent mixture of water and methanol is recommended, but to see how much is too much, check out our May ’10 article “Water-Methanol Injection: How Much is Too Much?”This 7-gallon reservoir holds the water-methanol fluid. A 50 percent mixture of water and The Bully Dog Triple Dog Gauge Tuner (or GT) was very easy to install. It plugs right into the OBD II port located under the dash, so all we had to do was add a power wire to the fuse box. We ran this wire and the wires for the Snow Performance kit at the same time.The Bully Dog Triple Dog Gauge Tuner (or GT) was very easy to install. It plugs right into SOURCES Snow Performance 1017-A East Highway 24 Woodland Park CO 80863 866-365-2762 www.snowperformance.net S&B Filters 787 S. Wanamaker Avenue Ontario CA 91761 800-358-2639 www.sbfilters.com Bully Dog 2839 Highway 39 American Falls ID 83211 866-285-5936 www.bullydog.com Ultimate Diesel 941-374-0659 By Jason Thompson Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
