Diesel Performance takes a back seat

[Briar Hopper]

Diesel performance, diesel motorsports, every aspect of it, takes a back seat to everything else. Haven't you all noticed? FourWheeler magazine(and the other rip-off copies) makes a few lame attempts every now and then to spotlight performance goodies for the Ford Powerstroke. Almost never an article about the Dodge/Cummins, or add-ons for it.

ESPN2, for whatever reasons, chose not to televise three of my friend's trucks, and other light-duty diesels, at the so-called Big Rig Nationals at Bristol Dragway. One of those trucks, running in the low 13's, won the entire thing, bringing home a 3 foot tall trophy. A truck that my best friend built, and that I've done my share of work on, just as he's worked on mine. The manipulation behind the scenes in that entire fiasco, was pathetic. They chose to show monster trucks, and circus-act contraptions, brought in by the promoter of that event.

Go to any motorsports event, especially any Harley event like Bike Week in Daytona, or a SuperStreet /NOPI event (Fast & Furious type rice rockets) and you'll immediately see an abundance of women in attendance. Many of whom own their own rides. MANY.

Diesel events? Fuggedaboutit. Though there are a few notable (and highly prized) female owner/operators/enthusiasts of these trucks, most are married or otherwise spoken for.

Not so at any other motorsport event.

AutoMeter, Hurst, B&M , other manufacturers all have been way less than cooperative when we asked for specific gauges, or shifters. There may be a few other products we've asked for, and didn't get. I can't remember them all right now... .

We might have better luck starting a club for all vehicles built with Lucas electrics... . MG, Jaguar, etc. Might get a few chicks, plenty of publicity, dragstrips rolling out the red carpet for us, manufacturers falling all over themselves to furnish us with speed parts and alternative wiring harnesses... .

What gives? Did GM really do all that much damage in turning off the general public to the fantastic potential of every aspect of diesels?

Sort of fun being the unknown pariahs of the automotive performance world..... sometimes.

 

[Doc Tinker]

Shame on you Briar, for looking for nookie at the Diesel Events - LMAO



I hear ya though. Diesel gets the bad rap in the States and it's just a good cheap tranportation everywhere else. There will be a day though, when diesel will be popular and we are making that day happen by having events of our own that feature DIESEL.



One other thing to think about: Our events would not be happening if there was a lot of media covering diesels at the National Events. Everyone would be going to the major events. We are lucky that we have arrived in the scene while it's still rather fresh and can ride the rise in popularity from the beginning.



Doc

 

[Teacher]

Diesels

Perhaps someone "out there" heard your plea.

This month's Trailblazer magazine (Thousand Trails Camping Preserves) has an article entitled, "Diesels Power RVs of the Future. " The subtitles reads, "The diesel workhorse is leading the way in RV power, fuel efficency and engine life. "



Our time is coming!

 

[TxDieselKid]

Diesel event + Nookie = Where I want to be....

I think that if the magizenes knew what some people like HVAC, Lawarence, Kat, Dave Mitichell, Autowurks Diesel, and My6(Adam) were doing to these trucks, they might at least open their eye a bit. I agree that we take a back seat which is why it's so fun to go hot-roding with these things, NO BODY knows what they can do except for us, or someone who has been "enlighted"



Have somebody do a package of photos, and dyno sheets, and timeslips, infomation with all these supernut trucks and send it into about 4 of these magizenes at the same time, including some of the hotrod mags(13. 4 with 6500lbs ). I think that this would at least grap their attention for a moment. Remember everybody gets at least 15 minutes of fame. Maybe that could open the door for our 15.



Just my unadulterated $. 04,

Andrew

 

[Hummin Cummins]

I totally agree. Took the $ I spent on 4 wheel and off road mag and spent it here. Best decision I made in a long time.

 

[Turbo Thom]

Y'all just ain't learned yet. Don't ya realize it's got to do with politics. It ain't the fastest, the badest,or the best looking. Who own's the rags and who is the publisher? My truck isn't runnin just right now, but the other want-a be's still can't keep up. On this deal you gotta paddle the boat youself. When all the trucks are start crying "it ain't fair" , then it may happpen. I even have a few buddys that run there mouths a lot. Well I shut them up and that is just the way it will have to happen. Hard work and it will come.



Does all this make sense?





. . Preston. .

 

[Doc Tinker]

Shush you guys!!!



If the word gets out, one of those big mags will try to buy out TDR and bury this forum in a deep hole. Then where will we be?



Doc

 

[Sled Puller]

Shoot.

Dr, P was in a high profile mag with one of his"STAGE BLAHBLAH" trucks at least 4 years ago.



I like it just the way it is, sneaking up on them. Most people, I talked to two more today, think a PSD with a chip is the baddest truck on the planet.

Let them.

 

[BCFAST]

If there were lots of diesel cars here in the US, we'd be paying $2. 00 a gallon! I say, keep the Americans ignorant... dont let them see the diesel VW race cars running down the European straights like at the Nurburgring at nearly 170mph... or the millions of smooth, quiet, smokeless European sedans running all over... naaa, keep the Americans in the dark where they belong!

 

[Hammer]

While we all have and continually see the John Q Public dish us,are we really that upset about it???,,I mean come on,I kinda like this stealth mode that we have(keeps the fools that think they have a bad brand-x chipped ride thinking that,which leads to more money in my pocket, like last nite's Phord man that contributed),,While at the All Chrysler Nationals at Carlisle,I got to witness this first hand,,I had a magazine rep snooping around all weekend long due to how detailed and prepped my truck was and the current dyno sheet I had posted in the window for all to see,,When the editor finally stopped by he enjoyed the detail work and the sheet,but it was not "flashy enough under the hood" for him,,He kinda gave me this attitude,diesel pickups inside will not draw sales,people want to see modified gassers,REAL trucks,,Made me laugh,,I told him that theinfant that mine is, there still was not a gasser on the fairgrounds that would out roll me on the jet that was there,,Told me it didn't matter,diesel trucks do not sell magazines,his loss not mine,,As he walked away I told him to keep thing that and while he was to look around to see just how many diesels were there pulling the cars in and out,maybe he should reconsider his decision,,Never seen the fool again till Sundays award cerimonies when I picked up my award for my class,back to back firsts consecutive years,then he was interested,told him I was not.....

 

[HEMI®Dart]

GM Single-Handedly destroyed the Diesel reputation......

They also turned Diesel into a four letter word in the 80's. The US and american public still turn up their noses to the thought of diesel power.



Thanks General Mistake!

 

[Sled Puller]

Hammer,

 

[DennyDay]

U S Diesel

The entire worl runs on diesel, except the US, thank you GM and you're still up to your tricks with the Dura----- whatever. Anybody who has spent time over seas will tell you. Best vehicle I ever rented in Europe was a Land Rover Discovery with a 5 speed and diesel, would have been great if I could have had the steering wheel on the correct side of the car! Tried to see about getting one in US, was told no way, wouldn't meet US standards.



Teacher - Saw the TT article, you'll be disapointed, all of a paragraph.

Denny

 

[Briar Hopper]

Doc, I don't have to look for nookie at events, it finds me!

Just ain't enough of it to go around.

Some of you guys, especially BC, make a valid point, price goes up on everything once it becomes REALLY popular. These trucks cost enough as it is. So do the Euro diesel cars. (I'd love to have one of those)

Gotta get a Harley first, that's becoming more and more obvious.

 

[emarsh]

Our company has done plenty of work for the editor of Hot Rod TV, I will make it a point to enlighten him on some of the progress that some of our fellow members have made in elapsed times in the quarter. Don't mean I can make anything happen, but I will try to get their attention and maybe something good will come of it eventually.

please e-mail me with your best times, including weight of truck.



Will there be any BIG west coast events planned this year?



ED

 

[MOWPAR]

I'm a six year veteran of another not-so-main-stream motorsport, lawn mower racing, and I get a lot of the same reactions from people when I talk about that as when I talk about fast diesels. People have an image in their mind - lawnmowers go about 5 mph and mess up their weekends - not 50-60 mph sliding sideways around a corner throwing grass every where with a pumped up 20 hp v-twin that sounds like a Sportster with drag pipes. It's the same with diesels - they think of a bus in traffic or a big rig on the interstate - not a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup with tire smoke rolling out of the fender wells running 12-13 sec. 1/4 mile times.



Some of our races are shown on tv but I don't think they do it justice. They want throw in too much phoney staged crap. And it turns into one big commercial, but exposure is exposure I guess.



Personally I like being involved in things that make people say "you do what?" and "I never heard of such a thing".



So if you see me on the road this summer you know that it's one well kept secret pulling another.



Jim (2001 A/P national points champ)

 

[rrausch]

Popularity is a double edged sword, it will cut both ways. With more Cummins powered trucks we will have MORE proponents of Diesel Power but the more popular we get the more we will also draw the attention of the wacko-environmentalists who put pressure on the Gov. to make the EPA rules. I saw articles several years ago in one of the left-wing "environmental" magazines (Sierra Club) calling for an end to "big, overpowered pick-ups". The LAST thing I want is a bunch of phony "environmentalists" making up more rules for trucks. I mean, look at the stuff we've had rammed down our throats already... low lubricity fuel, cat converters, etc. etc. etc. I seriously expect the lunatic "environmentalists" to make a bigger attempt to out-law Diesel fairly soon. (They tried in Ca. 2 years ago. ) They will say "Diesel exhaust causes cancer... It's for the children" And you'll see a commercial of little kids with horrific diseases and the next thing they will show is an old Peterbilt with black exhaust and then Diane Sawyer or someone of her ilk will say "Our society just can't afford to poison it's children anymore... " Oh they'll shove it to us all right. I expect common sense WILL prevail, but at what price and when.

Then again, maybe I am just being paranoid from living in "Soviet Monica, Commie-Fornia" too much of the year.

 

[mike r]

Don't tell 'em nothin'!

Keep the losers in the dark as long as you can. Because when they get here they will ruin it for us. Look at the old Mopar Muscle or Mopar Action mag that Peterson got ahold of and you will see what they can do. I've had Mopar's for over 20 years since I got my license and loved that mag till about three years ago. If they don't want to listen don't talk to them. They'll just keep getting their doors blown off. And you're right about the f**d kids that think a powderjoke with a chip is the hottest thing on wheels. They'll Never Learn so let them repeat history. We Will Move On!

 

[Briar Hopper]

What rrausch has to say, is probably the most likely scenario to happen if we did get that kind of publicity. I hate to say it, but he's right. The aftermarket performance parts industry (SEMA) has been in an uphill battle for YEARS against the dark forces of eco-nazis... .

Okay, okay, I give in, we'll be content with what we have, for as long as we have it, and fight to keep it when that time comes. I'm still going to find me a second form of motorsports, in addition to diesels, to indulge in, somewhere, somehow. It's going to feel really awkward though, reaching for a gas nozzle at the filling station, instead of diesel.

 

[baby.driver]

My Dad taught me me to keep a low profile and not attract too much attention.

I find it is a good policy.

If I can charge up the hills with a full load and not lose too much speed, thats all the attention I need.



Jay