Smoking trucks on the street and the track . . .???

No, yes, and some  . . .

Many brick and mortar shops now refuse to do the so called "lope tune" so a truck will smoke. It is bad tuning and they show back up and want to know why their truck won't run correctly after 6 months - it's because the system is clogged with fuel deposits! DIESEL Motorsports has had a no street smoke policy for over 8 years and many of our professional competitors agree it is bad for the sport.

However, when they get to the track racing, pulling or dyno competition the truck owners can turn up their tuners and compete at high horsepower levels. This is the grey area that gets the people upset with licensed vehicles!

With trucks before mid-2007 it is not a problem because of the original equipment on the truck, that is why so many older trucks have high resale values. After 2007 the trucks would be considered illegal under current EPA laws. However, many states do not have emission laws that cover the same laws and the vehicles are licensed by the states. It is a grey area to say the least because in the farming states these legal systems on the trucks have caused fire damages for many farmers or workers who leave their trucks on idle in open fields.

Many industry people don't understand most diesel truck owners buy a programmer so they can get better mileage when hauling a trailer (more air than fuel) and when they need power for hills or passing (more fuel) they can control the power for efficiency.

There is a small group who in year's past have used this grey area to smoke people or roll coal as it is called on people and Prius vehicles.

The majority of the diesel truck owners use their trucks for work, family and pleasure that do not abuse the grey area - in fact a large majority!

So in states with no emission or very little guidelines, the truck owners can go to rural events (tracks, fairs, etc) and use their trucks for a lifestyle pleasure and compete using it to race or pull!

Trucks with power, 4x4 and can haul their family for get-togethers to view other trucks, watch competing trucks and grill, drink a few cold ones plus enjoy the conversation.

Sounds like a good time in a controlled safe environment!

Do diesel trucks smoke during competition???

Yes, yes and getting better . . .

Offroad competitions are held at drag strips or fairgrounds (sled pulling) with 3/4 and 1 ton diesel pickups! This is legal under EPA guidelines and safe under SFI rules for diesel truck drag racing and sled pulling.

Do the trucks smoke? Yes, part of the excitement of sled pulling is the smoke! It is like the fire belching monster truck eater, it is part of the show for entertainment. Saying that, you must know 4 of the 5 sled pulling classes are trailered in for competition. That means the trucks are not licensed for the street use, nor would you want to ride in one on the streets. Most have all of the suspension removed or blocked and they ride very rough.

Pulling dates back to rural county fairs with horse pulling, then came the tractors, and now the diesel trucks! It is part of the rural lifestyle of using the trucks during a work week and how much can you pull with it!

It is no different than the emissions put out by methane fueled race cars or high-end dragsters. The racing industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that has help build the America auto industry.

In drag racing there is many that do blow smoke but again 3 of the 4 classes are trailered in for competition, which makes them legal under current guidelines. Many drag trucks are cleaning up the emissions so they are getting better!

It is in the tuning technology along with important engine components that control the smoke emissions and one day what our talented diesel shops are doing will be used in domestic diesel cars.

So when companies say we don't want to get involved with DIESELS because of the smoke, then are they forgetting the gases released into the ozone with gas modified race cars?

These are MODIFIED competition vehicles that smoke at competitions.

Tomorrow, part III of smoke in competition diesels!

Is the diesel performance segment back on track with the new administration??? No EPA!

NO, no, and maybe easier . . .

No you can not pull up to an intersection and blow smoke all over a Prius or a group of people. Because of these kind of shenanigans the past administration along with many towns have made such actions a crime. Plus there are still many hold over people from the EPA who will continue to hound our diesel shops replacing the DPFs.

MAYBE with some common sense and about 1 year under the current administration the rural diesel market can relax back to the normal business of using trucks the way they should be used for work and pleasure.

I have already seen local advertisements on social media for DPF Delete kits, wrong thing to do since on the books it is a crime. If it is for a offroad performance upgrade then it would be deemed legal under the current laws.

Local cities and towns are not going to tolerate rollin coal all over people and intersections, just as they didn't tolerate the muscle cars burning out at intersections and racing on the streets. Even the so called Street Outlaw Races are not so outlaw anymore and being held at tracks.

Nobody in the near future is going to keep our performance market held back by regulations but they will want the true performance to be held at safe tracks and off of public streets. Always has been that way and if common sense is used both segments can get a long in an environment friendly world.

I do expect to see more American made parts for our performance industry due to new restrictions on imports which is good for our local diesel shops. It is time for our industry to mature and be part of the performance automotive industry instead of smoke blowing parties!

More on the smoke blowing part of our industry tomorrow . . .