Ready to BOMB

[Hummin Cummins]

Ok, I've been reading until I get crosseyed. I'm ready to get mo power. Is the TST kit worth the $ if the truck RARELY ever sees WOT? I dont pull a camper or anything, just other buddie's trucks when they're stuck... Mine's a daily driver, back and forth to work, but I want it to snort when I'm playin around town or in the woods. I would like to hook into the sled at the County Fair and show the Powersmokes where the bear... well, you know.

I turned the star wheel, have gauges on the way, what else can I do? I'm looking for low end and mid range grunt more than hi rpm stuff. Will wastegate elbow work ok with stock plate and star wheel adjustments, will sliding stock plate help? The area i live in just not much opportunity for WOT unless passing ma and pa.

Sorry for the long post, just wanna put my $ in the right place.

 

[Wirenut]

You would probably be happy with a #11 TST plate and maybe even a set of injectors. Who knows, maybe just injectors, or just the plate. It's all in how much you wanna spend. If I were you I'd probably just go with the plate.

 

[John_P]

Hummin:



I think you would be very happy with a TST plate on

your truck. Even though you may not use WOT alot

you will have the power if you need or want it!

It would be very helpful if you intend to do truck

pulling once in awhile as you said in your post.

The TST plates go from "mild to wild. " As "Wirenut"

said you could also go to a set of injectors (possibly

the 215's to start) later. These trucks have tremendous

cabability on the power. It all boils down to "how far

do you want to go?" For me, and alot of the other

members, the more we have the more we want!



Anyway, good luck on your "BOMBING!"



---------

John_P

 

[M Barnett]

Your truck and mine are almost the same. Last week I put in a # 8 plate from Piers and that was the most bang I ever got from my bucks. Regular price, I think is $275. I have to say I was really surprised how much better it runs going through the gears as you would normaly drive. I was building 25 lbs boost and now it pegs the needle at 30, now I need a bigger gauge. I let a fellow drive it that has a stock 24 valve and he couldn't believe how quick it would wind up. The only problem you've got is you have a Peterbuilt! Just kidding, I've got a Fruitliner. ------Michael Az

 

[Hummin Cummins]

Michael,

Yeah, the Pete's my brother-in-laws fault, He has three, I had to do him better and got the American Classic. Took it to Cat guy for first service, he put it on the computer had 128mph as top speed, what a way to break it in... . must have been down the hills on I-80 Its nice to have a "bucket" that will embarrass the freight haulers and look good doin it.



anyhow,

I knew i could count on TDR members for good advice. I havent had my dodge long enough yet to feel comfy running WOT. I dont think the previous owner was as fussy as me on the maint. Thats all i need is to grenade a motor.

 

[JYoung]

Hello Everyone, Happy new year to all. I have read all posts regarding improving power to the 5. 9 Cummins. If anyone can help me understand a few things, I would appreciate it. I drive a 97' that just turned 170k. All mileage is highway accumilated since I drive to the city twice a week from New Haven, Ct. I have been using 15/50 Mobil 1 since after the first DC service @ 1k miles. I usually get 18-21 per gallon by keeping the engine @ 2000-2500 RPM. According to the Cummins spec sheet, this is the power band region and the engine developes the most power here and is most efficient also. ( roughly 78-87 MPH ) I rarely tow anything and the total extra weight carried is about 600-700 lbs. The engine runs phenominally well so much so that I will probably always drive a Cummins powered vehicle. Will bombing reduce engine life? At 170k, is it to late to create more power? Will it change fuel mileage. If money is not an issue, what can I do to improve power but not sacrifice reliability. I'm not one to keep tweeking some aspect of this as an ongoing maintanance type deal. Any advise is thanked in advance and appreciated. JY

 

[illflem]

JY, Here's my answers to the same questions asked in another thread last week.



Mild bombing will probably make your engine last longer. On a diesel engine it's your exhaust gas temperatures (egts) that play the biggest role in engine life so long as you maintain everything else. Mild bombing combustion temps will be lower at normal cruising than stock. It's when you get into high HP Joseph style (no offence) bombing that engine life decreases mainly due to high egts. This is what some people want and I'm glad for them that the 5. 9 allows it. One of the power "chokes" that Dodge added on the 5. 9 that I feel actually decreases engine life is the restrictive airbox. Not just the filter but the small hole feeding the box. Removing the horn between the airbox and wheel well helps lower egts quite a bit and is free. Sliding your fueling plate forward will also gain more power but isn't the correct way to do it, a new plate is better. Larger injectors will give you more power but aren't necessary for mild bombing. The bombing formula is simple, more fuel + more air = more power.



I went with Banks Stinger Plus kits on my trucks because I fully intend the trucks to outlast me, they're to durn expensive. People here will flame Banks saying you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere and it is somewhat true because Banks kits will not add more power than your drivetrain can handle, something that some people want. A fuel plate costs about the same no matter which size. A Banks kit will give you more useable hp in that you need not back off due to high egts. You can mildly bomb your truck with components other than Banks but you will find in the end that Banks prices are right in there. I've seen all too many times here where a person will add just a fueling plate then can't use the extra fuel without high egts until they add a larger turbo, then it's off to a larger exhaust system, then a new clutch or auto rebuild. In the end a Banks kit or all it's components is all they really needed. That's not for me, I like the way the Banks kits are engineered as one unit that don't max out your drivetrain. They just bring the Cummins 12 valve power back to where it should have been if Dodge hadn't have been worried about profits and detuned it. A side benefit for me was I gained 3 mpg. Absolutely no additional maintenance or tweaking is required with a mildly bombed engine unless you start driving it more because it's so much more enjoyable. Of course once you do this you will have to watch your gauges and may want even more HP and end up like Joseph.



I don't have anything to do with the Banks company and wholeheartedly encourage anyone to come up with a high quality mild bombing system for less money, I don't think you can do it though.

 

[Snow man]

Hummin Cummind,get a TST plate,you'll love it,once you have it you'll wish you hadn't waited so long to get it. JY,with only 170K,all highway,your engine is nowhere near tired,its still young and spunky,get the TST plate,you;ll get better mileage cruising,and power to spare,get the 230 hp kit,you will have no EGT trouble at 230hp,and plenty of power.

 

[Cooker]

15/50 Mobil 1



That stuff isn't CH-4 rated is it, and he's been running it for 170k miles

 

[Snow man]

I caught that after i posted too, i know a lot of guys who run mobil 1 red cap15-50,and think they are helping their engine. If they'd just read the label they would see they are helping it,wrong oil.