If you own a truck that is powered by a 2004-2010 Cummins, a 2004-2007 Detroit or a 2004-2010 Cat, we can get you at least one additional mile per gallon fuel mileage – guaranteed!
For several years now I have begged you to keep your 2002 and older trucks and just keep rebuilding them, but the lure to have a new truck is just too strong for many of you to resist. And with the new truck dealers telling you there are no problems, that the fuel mileage is great, and that all you have to do is sign on the dotted line and its yours, many of you have given in. After all, you figure, if the truck does have problems, it will be covered by the warranty. But warranty does not cover down time, so you will still be losing thousands of dollars per year while your truck is in the shop getting that warranty work done. Enough said – if you are fed up with all of the problems of the new engines, we can help.
With custom ECM programming and our new upgraded parts technology, we are able to give today’s engines the horsepower, efficiency and reliability that the 2002 and older engines had. The owner operators and fleets we have been able to help have gained over one mile per gallon and have had no more reliability problems. To perform these upgrades, we need to have the truck brought to our shop in western Pennsylvania, but that is a small price to pay. I know many of you don’t travel east and won’t bobtail because of the price of fuel, but you need to get out your calculator and do the math – one mile per gallon is a huge increase, and the payback time is only about four to six months! So, it is up to you. You can keep putting up with the problems or drive your truck to Saxonburg, PA and let us fix it for you.
Recent advancements in our ECM programming for the Detroit DDEC5 now allow us to set the fueling up any way we like. Now, we have nearly unlimited horsepower potential for the DDEC5! However, the engine will easily walk through an Eaton Easy Pedal Clutch. So, when your truck needs a new clutch, think about the Lipe clutch – the springs are vertical to the pressure plate which allows the Lipe to hold 2,800 ft. lbs. of torque. The springs on the standard Eaton clutch are at a 45 degree angle to the pressure plate and they can’t hold the power we can now generate with these electronic engines.
Our ECM programming, in addition to the Pittsburgh Power computer, makes it possible to produce over 1,000 hp from the DD5 Detroit (but we prefer to stay in the 650 to 750 hp range). If you have never driven a high-performance diesel engine, please don’t ask for too much power, because 1,000 hp may be too much for some of you to handle. Like anything else you change or upgrade on your truck, there is an adjustment period you will go through while getting used to having a responsive engine after driving a stock one (a dog) for all those years. Plus, if necessary, we can always add more power later. So, think about starting out by adding 75 hp over the stock setting of your engine and then increasing it (as needed) from there.
Like I have said before, horsepower and torque are wonderful things – they will make your life easier on the road and change your entire attitude towards your truck. And isn’t it about time that you started to enjoy driving again? With more horsepower, your engine will live longer, the fuel mileage will improve, and you’ll take better care of your truck, which will help it to last longer, too. Horsepower is a win-win situation, so go get some!
Starting next month I will begin featuring a new Lucas Oil product in each of my upcoming articles. Forrest Lucas and his lubrication engineers have been very busy developing new products, many of which I do not know about yet. I do know that if it’s got the name Lucas on it, it’s going to be the best. Forrest said to me several years ago, “If I can’t make the best of a product, I won’t make it at all.” I’m going to start using the Lucas 20w50 motorcycle oil in my Harley, and I’ll be sure to let you all know how it works out. Lucas also has a new Octane Booster that I am planning to try. My local Harley dealer says he has heard several good comments about this product and that it has improved the performance in several of their customer’s Harley engines.
Until next month please remember, life is not about the destination – it’s about the journey, so enjoy the ride (and enjoy it more with more power)! For any comments or questions, I can be reached at Pittsburgh Power Inc. in Saxonburg, PA by calling (724) 360-4080 or via e-mail at bruce@pittsburghpower.com. Drive safe out there!