Who needs a good web site??? Is it worth it!

The social media market has taken a hit with security breeches so many shops are now asking do I need a web site?

Many shops used their FB page as a shop page which worked out great! I use our DM page all of the time but I have noticed unless I advertise more FB regulates our exposure. So it's no longer free if you want full exposure to social media.

Now I have moved much energy to Twitter and Instagram to offset the now biased FB and Google which does not like rural trucks, rural lifestyle and conservative views.

So how important is your web site?

DIESEL Motorsports recently revised ours for a couple of reasons. One our long time friend and mine personally Eric (Woodstock) passed away from cancer at a young age of 66, he has managed our DM web site for the entire 11 years. I was very sad on many levels since I had known Eric for over 22 years plus he was a good shooting buddy being past military, sheriff, police, etc.

Second, I knew with Eric gone I needed to not only update but manage our content with a more up-to-date format. www.DIESELmotorsports.US is now 80% done and up for viewing.

Still adding some features on the DM site including a shopping cart with DM swag but adding more information that can be useful to our enthusiasts.

Traffic has been up since we launched it in September with much more attention along with page views.

It is important to have a web site because business people look for your site. It verifies you as a brick and mortar shop they can do business. It also helps in search engines when locating legitimate shops for repairs and what kind of repairs or upgrades your shop is capable of installing on their truck.

Always make sure to include a gallery to show customer's trucks when finished plus a quote from them. It means a lot to the people looking for assurance your shop will treat their truck right.

It doesn't take long when finished to shoot a quick photo with your cell phone of the truck and customer out in the parking lot.

I have heard from many shops who are in small towns they can not get the proper services to put up a site and maintain it. Many report locals who have taken their dollars then disappeared!

I understand the frustration since I have been in your shoes plus your job is to repair trucks not run your web site. You rely on those people to help you with just like you help people with their trucks.

If you have a hard time finding people to help you with a proper web site, contact me and i can help you find some professional help in that area.

SEMA Show or PRI Show - which should you attend??? As a diesel enthusiasts. . .

I get asked every year since I have gone to both for so long? Which show is worth going to for the money?

If you have never been to Las Vegas or the SEMA show then it is worth going if you have the time and the dollars. They don't call Vegas sin city for nothing, everything costs! And it cost more during the SEMA show, they know how many people come to this show!

If you come to SEMA, bring very good walking shoes since you will walk 5-7 miles in one day to view the show. When people in Vegas say it is only a block away, count on about 4 normal blocks. There is a lot of people which makes it difficult to view and talk to the vendors, it helps if you have a buyers badge.

Hotels surrounding the Convention center are expensive ranging $170-$350 per night, Uber and taxis all want $20 to go anywhere. If you want cheaper hotels go to outlying areas or by the airport, you can get rooms for $79-$130 a night.

SEMA has been cracking down on industry badges for both events so if you are a diesel shop or repair shop you can qualify as a buyer. Just go online and register but it does cost $40 per person or $75 if it is past October 12th. Make sure to put your wife down as spouse which is easier to register.

There are a lot of diesel trucks with HUGE lift kits and large wheels but very few performance upgrades on newer trucks since this violates EPA rules.

To me if you want to look for performance items plus tooling for your shop, the PRI show is a much better show and cheaper to attend. Hotels are $59-$200 per night and taxis/Uber are normal rates. It is located in Indianapolis which takes you less time to travel to and easier to get back home to the shop.

There are no vehicles to view so if you are expecting a truck or car show you will be disappointed. What you will see is real performance parts/services and tooling machines. Yes you can actually talk to the vendors at this show especially if you are listed as a buyer and not a competitor.

Even though what you would see in Las Vegas would be more entertaining it would not relate to your shop business as much as the PRI show.

You can see everything at the PRI show in most likely one or two days where you could not see everything at SEMA/AAPEX if you walked 5 miles everyday.

If you got the $$$ and time and have never been you should visit the SEMA show but if you have limited time and need to watch the $$ go to the PRI show!

If you have questions about either show please ask or respond back to me!

ronk@dieselmotorsports.US

What and how is the diesel market changing around the country???

After halfway through a diesel season and talking to many different diesel shops it is safe to say the diesel market is slowly moving in a new direction!

The higher end diesel trucks keep getting faster and faster but you are lucky to see them make more than a couple of passes. Most of them have found they had to go to a Pro Stock type vehicle in order to go faster. That is stripping the truck of all metal and replacing it with fiberglass body parts, tube frame and minimal interior thus making it a Pro Stock drag vehicle. It is tough to make a full size metal OEM truck get into the 8s and even the 9s on a regular basis.

They all have gone to 1/8 mile racing for the main reason of less breaks on the vehicle on a shorter track. Plain and simple economics which is understandable. I suggested this over 10 years ago and was made fun of on the forums! Larger, heavier vehicles do better on a shorter track, it is just common sense. DIESEL Motorsports runs either 1/4 or 1/8 mile for racing, whatever the competitors want to do depending on the facility.

Street trucks have started to back off of making their trucks 1000+ hp and have dropped back to 7-800 hp trucks so less break while operating. This again is only common sense since people want a hot truck but they want it to be dependable. This leaves a lot of parts still available to sell or buy for your street truck.

The shops are telling me more and more diesel owners are asking for 25% over injectors and not 300% over and the same for their turbo replacements. The shops are rebuilding a lot of trannys and fixing electronic issues.



Sled pulling for trucks again has taken a back seat to tractors at fair pulls just like the two sanctioning tractor associations planned it! Trucks were getting to popular and there were too many of them, thus we were taking over the shows. You fix it by regulating the power with turbo and adding expensive upgrades to the drivetrain/suspension.

Every state pulling association has reported to me a drop in the number of trucks at their local fairs. The diesel shops can afford the upgrades but not the weekly pulling individual who did it as a hobby. That is why DIESEL Motorsports introduced the Hot Work Stock class last year. It allows the daily driver of a street truck the opportunity to pull under mild conditions with a high powered street diesel.

Diesels have moved into the show quality vehicles with some unbelievable custom vehicles whether it is a rat rod, a normal pick-up or a older truck. Chrome and custom paint with notice to details and straight uniform lines on these vehicles make then collector items.

But yet you are going to ask "are there more diesels?"! Yes there is because more people are finding out what great vehicles they can be when properly maintained! Even more diesel autos are being sold even after the VW debacle! More diesel trucks in 1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton pickups are being sold for many positive reasons such as longevity.

The common life of a vehicle is now at 11 years for autos and 13 yrs for trucks, way up from the 90s of 2 years for autos and 5 years for trucks.

I'm heading off to a 1st event next week in Sturgis SD during Bike Week because the Dragstrip said all of the bikers are now hauling their bikes with pickup trucks/trailers and semis!

Where there are trucks I will follow . . . !

Is your truck's rear-end dirty??? I know mine was! DIESEL Motorsports

I have never checked the rear-end grease which should be changed and/or checked every 50,000 miles so it was time to do a complete cleaning and change over to a deeper cover.

I took it to a qualified local shop H&H Diesel Performance in Ottawa Kansas to handle this job because it was a mess back there and needed a very thorough cleaning. I also installed a deeper rear differential cover from BD Diesel Performance which provides extra grease for the gears to pickup in order to keep it cooler. 

The cover not only is constructed better than the OEM cover with cooling fins but comes with magnetic drain plug for easier fill up or changing the grease.

H&H Diesel Performance did a great job of cleaning out the old gunk and installed Amsoil Severe Gear 75-140w. AMSOIL Severe Gear® Synthetic Extreme Pressure (EP) Gear Lube is a premium-grade gear oil specifically engineered for maximum performance in severe-duty applications. 

I didn't ask how long it took H&H to clean that rear-end out but I got some dirty looks from their mechanics and after looking at the photos I can understand why?

This state-of-the-art AMSOIL formulation features an exclusive blend of high-viscosity, shear-stable synthetic base oils and an extra treatment of high-performance additives so it provides long-lasting protection against metal-to-metal contact.

Only the best for the old 1996 Dodge Ram which does travel to a lot of the DIESEL Motorsports events from state to state.

Everyone's truck is special to them . . DIESEL Motorsports!

I just came from a show in Muncie Indiana and again talked to many great people with their diesel trucks. Everything from high end to someone's personal project truck. People are proud of what they have done to their truck . . . period.

That is part of this sport that is so much fun is talking to others about what they have done to their trucks. That is why the events have become a social event as much as it is a competition event.

I am usually busy at these events trying to make sure everything is running but I do try and take time to listen to people when they talk about their truck.

From high-end engines to a local 12v Cummins truck that an enthusiast just started to work on as a project. They are all interesting to hear what they have done to their truck. I also pickup what products they have bought and where they have spent their monies for the build. Good information when I talk to our sponsors about product placement and what is selling.

I talked to a young man who was just beginning to compete with his truck in racing. He went down the track once and leaked which is a DQ from the track, he was quite upset as you can imagine since driving there was a 3 hour trip. I suggested he signup for the burnout competition since it does not matter if it leaked. He ended up winning the burnout competition and went home with prize money and a trophy! His truck was an old 12v Cummins very similar to mine but to him it was his competition truck, I'm glad he went home a winner.

I quit many years ago of visiting or commenting on the diesel forums because so much trash talk was to young enthusiasts who just wanted to talk about their trucks. Sometimes owners do not have the funding of others and can afford to work on their truck a little at a time and adding to it when they can. I try to encourage all diesel enthusiasts to be proud of what they have and take interest in what they are doing to their trucks . . .  high-end or lower end!

I guess many people did not have a momma who told them if you don't have something nice to say - DON'T say it!

See ya at the track or show!

Diesel Shops VS Diesel Web Sites for parts?

Where do you want to buy parts for your diesel truck?

A local diesel shop or a web site when you are looking for a part to be replaced or upgraded on your truck, that seems to be an issue.

If you are doing the repair yourself you may want to consider a web site where you can find the most competitive price. However, if you install it incorrectly or have warranty issues there may be a problem.

If you take it to a shop to honor the warranty they will turn it away since you did not buy it from them. If you want your install repaired they will charge full price and most likely replace the part if it is damaged with their part.

If you call the web site where you bought it many will take returns but not if it is damaged or they may refer you to the manufacturer for warranty. Many long time web sites have qualified diesel people to talk to about installation, repairs and returns.

Some do not and will consider the sale final plus refer you to the manufacturer for warranty. Sometimes there is a price for buying the cheapest price/part!

The local diesel shop makes very little profit from a part sale so don't expect the cheapest price from them. They cannot compete with large web sites because they have overhead of a building and equipment.

However, you can expect first hand experience of what will work with your truck, the install and most will not only honor the part warranty but also their work on the truck. It is their integrity that is on the line and they will do their best to make sure your truck is running properly and will continue to operate.

Many shops I know turn away work on trucks who have bought the part elsewhere, why repair somebody else mistake. Again, their work on a truck must speak for their quality and longevity in the business.

Even if you are a DIY you may want to consider buying the parts from a local shop since they can offer their experience on the install even if you are doing it. Then if something goes wrong they will honor the warranty and most will help you fix the install.

Again the local shops have much higher overhead with a large building, lifts, tools and paying experienced employees to repair vehicles.

Parts are available everywhere since most outlets NOW carry most diesel truck parts including the bigger WDs and web sites including Amazon.

Think about what you are buying, the old saying "let the buyer beware" goes a long way when considering what you are getting. You do get what you pay for many times depending on what you want for your truck.

As with any performance parts and especially OEM parts, if your truck is used in competition that warranty most likely will be voided! This has been the norm in the industry since the beginning of racing or pulling.

UPDATE: Pulling Classes for 2018! DIESEL Motorsports

As a National Association that is SFI certified we try to include all classes represented across the United states since they are different depending on where you re at in the country. Doing so make it difficult to include all local rules but we have tried to make it a safe sport besides being fair and competitive without excluding someone's truck.

Saying that we cannot satisfy everyone but we have tried to keep it fair for all involved. The MAIN goal is to let EVERYONE pull who wants to pull their truck as long as it is safe based on their Horsepower. We do require at least 8 trucks minimum to make a class to make it a fair pull for everyone.

Work Stock - Performance upgrades allowed but it must have stock turbo! Licensed street truck, drivers license, street tires, no weights, no hood stack.

HOT Work Stock - same as above but larger turbos up to a 2.55 plug with all safety equipment for the HP, no weights, no hood stacks, street license truck

2.5 Turbo - Same as last year

2.6 Turbo - Same as last year

2.6 Smooth Bore - Same as last year

3.0 Smooth Bore - Same as last year

3.0 Turbo - Same as last year

3.6 - Same as last year

3.6 Smooth bore - Same as last year

Modified - Same as last year

Semis - Same as last year

All rules can be found at www.dieselmotorsports.us

All trucks will be teched before pull by SFI certified techs!