Torque – the end game for every diesel enthusiast
I bet if I asked six different people how much torque is enough, maybe, just maybe, two of them would agree that stock is enough. I would be in the group of four devising ways to build more torque. But, then again, I’m the guy who can’t leave well alone. Heck, when I was a kid, I’d tear apart anything my folks had with an engine just to put it back together again. But it never went back together the same as I always looked for ways to make it better.
I guess that’s what led me down the path of a mechanical engineering degree. Nonetheless, you don’t have to have a degree to desire more torque. Some of my good friends, whom I consider some of the best in this business, I doubt even went to college. They have the true passion and desire – that’s all it takes.
How to build more torque the economical way
Quick and dirty – buy a programmer and drop a tune on your stock truck and you’re well on your way to an additional 100-200 ft-lbs of torque.
That was simple. Want some more?
Modify the exhaust and crank up the tune to make another 100 ft-lbs. The modern turbodiesel pickup can be a blank slate if you wish. The sky is almost the limit. There is one thing I will promise you, however; if you tune it, the day will come. Yes, the day you spool up the turbo, drop the hammer and boom. You just spent a cool $6,000 to rebuild the tranny. These trucks seem limitless, but they aren’t. If you want quick, modest torque increases, just buy the programmer. But do so with the expectation that someday you’ll be spending money to fix your truck’s weakest link.
How to build more torque the foolish way
Most people I know in this camp are looking for an immediate return; they’re not looking at the future. Like Johnny Cash once said, “One day at a time.”
That’s about how reliable these trucks are on the road, too. The other common theme to this group is they typically don’t have much money. So, if you find yourself playing with these boys, make sure you first make the same modifications as your economical counterparts I listed above. Then, drop on a new charger, add bigger injectors and include new intake components with a high-flow filter.
Once again, go back to the programmer, grab the “Race” tune and away you go. More torque. But now you’re messing with fire. Speaking of fire, this group may also add a little happy gas with a decent-size nozzle to spray the heck out of it. I’m talking about nitrous oxide (NOS) for those who didn’t get my reference. This is most surely a recipe for disaster, but man is it fun to drive.
How to build more torque the smart way
Perhaps you know Ray McClelland at Full Throttle Kustomz. Ray and I got to chatting last year at Diesel Power Challenge. You should take a lesson from his playbook. Ray has done it all ways and will tell you that there is only one real way to build torque. Just like building a house, you have to build your foundation before doing anything else. The two previous methods started with a programmer to dial-up torque. When you do that, inevitably you find the weak link, fix it, find another weak leak, fix that and the saga continues.
If you really want to build torque, pull the drivetrain out of your truck and build it the right way. If you don’t have the skills, there are plenty of mechanics who do. Just be ready to spend some money. The engine, transmission and driveline need components that are capable of withstanding your programmer for any length of time. I’ve been in 1,500+ ft-lb daily driver trucks. These guys build from the ground up and do it reliably. Now, this method isn’t cheap, but what kind of fun is? You can’t take your money with you, so you might as well burn it up while you can.
Not that you’re asking, but my truck is in the “smart way” camp, partly because it’s my daily driver and mostly because I’m pretty particular about my rig. So, it’s unlikely you’ll find me on the side of the road, but you will find me testing the limits of the build. Or testing the limits of my financial situation.
Massive torque needs better lubricants
Another reason you’re not likely to find me stranded on the side of the road is because I upgraded my truck to high-quality synthetic lubricants. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants, of course. All that added power and torque takes its toll on your rig in the form of extreme heat and pressure. Lubricants formulated for standard service may not stand up to the abuse you throw at them.
AMSOIL Signature Series Max-Duty Synthetic Diesel Oil is formulated to deliver 6X better wear protection*, helping ensure your truck survives your modifications so you can enjoy it. We also formulate a full line of transmission fluids and gear lubes to protect the components that put all that power to the ground.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Just check out what two-time Diesel Power Challenge winner and defending Ultimate Callout Challenge winner Lavon Miller of Firepunk Diesel has to say about AMSOIL products.
Video transcript: Firepunk Diesel: Lavon Miller
I’m Lavon Miller from Plain City, Ohio. We run Firepunk Diesel and we do pretty much all things performance for Dodge* Cummins*. We specialize in 47 and 48RE Dodge performance transmissions but we also do full service shop where we do head gaskets, engine builds, fabrication for twin turbos, triple turbos, traction bars, pretty much anything that goes along with the high performance market. Our primary customers are really the work base that people buy a truck for their businesses, landscape companies, farmers, they’re upgrading their horsepower and along with that their drive lines are failing and that’s where the aftermarket transmission market really comes from is something to support their added horsepower for their added fuel economy and a little extra grunt for their workforce.
I think the biggest thing that draws people to our brand is we’ve set the foundation of using our trucks on a daily basis. We drive through the racetrack, we race our trucks and we use them. We’re in it for to make the product as good as it can be. The main thing that got me started in diesel trucks was we were using my grandpa’s Ford* with a 351 gas engine in it and when we went into a Cummins we thought we didn’t know what to do with all the horsepower and then you start with a little bit of horsepower and then you break the parts that are associated with it and then instead of just fixing the problem you modify it further and I like the diesel part of it enough because I can still daily drive it and use it every day.
Some of the highlights of my diesel career were winning diesel power challenge two years in a row and be able to transition it into another platform and going out and winning the ultimate tall out challenge. Competition drives innovation and to stay on that level you have to stay on top of the game. You have to keep testing parts, pushing stuff to the next level. With the AMSOIL products we’ve run the severe gear oil in the front and rear differentials.
We run the transmission fluid in the transmission and in comparison to just running some of the standard fluids we see better heat distribution in the bearings and the steels on an extreme application and then also the oil analysis have looked really good coming back from the engine and running the AMSOIL products.
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*Based on Detroit Diesel* DD13 Scuffing Test for Specification DFS 93K222.
This article is part of our Diesel Oil and Maintenance guide. See every article in the guide.
“AMSOIL Signature Series Max-Duty Synthetic Diesel Oil is formulated to deliver 6X better wear protection*, helping ensure your truck survives your modifications so you can enjoy it. We also formulate a full line of transmission fluids and gear lubes to protect the components that put all that power to the ground.”
This article is just one big advertisement to sell their engine oil…