Thursday, August 25, 2011

Who's the Truck Expert? DIESEL Motorsports . . .

I am asked this occasionally by industry marketers, there are a few I consider top diesel truck experts with extended knowledge regarding the performance of a diesel engine. Top - very top professionals I can count on both hands, this industry is full of wanna-be diesel experts. I for one am not one of these people, I would be the first to admit the claim.


However, I haven't been in the Automotive Industry for 25 years without knowing who is qualified to be named top in the country especially after seeing first hand at the events whose diesel drivetrains run the best. You may be surprised who I would list, many I'm sure would not agree with whom I have chosen.


I'm talking not just what does it take to make a diesel drivetrain produce 600 HP but a all out top performance drivetrain for drag racing and sled pulling. Many have their expertise with certain engines and models but overall it still requires advance knowledge to properly produce enough power over 1000 hp on a consistent basis.


Do they break, of course they break! Any body who pushes these engines to the point of precise capacity is going to eventually break something. 


The other day someone made fun of me announcing that 3.0 pulling trucks produce 1400 HP, maybe where they are from that is not possible but in different parts of the country that is possible among several trucks. These experts are producing more and more power from these trucks, a 2.6 truck is reaching 1000-1200 HP from these shops. And yes, there are several 2.6 trucks whose price tags are reaching the $200,000 mark, ask their owners and see if they don't have that invested in their trucks?


Some of these engines start at $70,000 that these top shops are producing, this alone can tell you how much this sport has grown during the past five years! Just five years ago we thought Modified trucks producing 1000 HP was unbelievable, some of these Modifieds today are hitting over the 2000 HP mark - UNBELIEVABLE!


These top builders set the bar and standard for all of the others to follow and try to achieve. Many hand hone and custom build parts that they keep secret until others start to build the same. If only the top three OEM builders had the same enthusiasm as some of our diesel experts, we could easily surpass the Europeans in diesel technology.


Am I going to tell you who is on my list? Not today! Ask me sometime and I'll share that with you, it changes occasionally based on what's new! 

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