CFM+ Cummins Intake Manifold: On The Road With My New CFM Plus

This past weekend I installed the CFM+ intake manifold that Fastcore LLC sent us and wanted us to check out.  The install went really well, everything that is needed to install the CFM+ cummins intake manifold including new studs and two new factory gaskets.  Unfortunately I dont have a pyro installed so I haven’t been able to check the drop in Exhaust Temperatures but I have noticed an increase in responsiveness especially when driving on the highway.  Here are some pictures of the unit installed.  The main interest I had in installing the CFM+ was of course to increase power and lower exhaust temperatures but the thing I liked most about this performance intake manifold is that you have the option of getting it pre drilled and tapped for future installs, within the next week or so I’m going to be installing the Snow Performance Boost Cooler water methanol injection system on my truck so it will be extra convenient to have the intake manifold drilled and tapped and ready to go.

Duramax Diesel Performance

Duramax Diesel Performance…. what more needs to be said? The Duramax came out with the fastest truck in the nation with their high horse power LBZ motor. The duramax is ideal to build up for power because of the almost bullet proof Allison Transmission that the truck comes with. In this article I will talk about a few of the popular modifications that are done to the Duramax.

The most popular modification for any diesel is the diesel performance chip. One of the most popular ones out there for the Duramax is EFI Live which allows you to put custom tunes on your Duramax. You can use it to custom tune your own engine and transmission, so you aren’t restricted by pre-made tunes. It increases power, economy and shifts. Another popular tuner for the Duramax is the Diablosport Predator which comes with three performance tunes. It is uploaded into the trucks diagnostic port and puts in the performance or economy programs of your choice and has the ability to check trouble codes and adjust the speedometer for bigger tires.

Another popular modification for the Duramax diesel is a cold air intake. Probably the most well known are AFE Intakes. AFE Intakes come with five protective layers and give maximum air flow with premium filtering. They also have a filter upgrade that has 7 protective layers. Getting air into the engine is important because the more air into the engine, the higher the percentage of fuel that can be combusted. So you get the power at the wheels and increase diesel fuel mileage versus losing it out the tailpipe in a black cloud.

The third most popular modification made to the Duramax is an upgraded exhaust system. This is important especially if running a chip because the higher flow exhaust system will keep temperatures lower and the engine won’t have to exert the effort to push the exhaust away if it can flow freely away. The free flowing exhaust increases power and economy and relieves engine stress. Many people don’t want to pay the full price for a complete exhaust system. So a lot of people are using what is called the Aero Turbine Muffler. It is just a muffler replacement, but the Aero Turbine Muffler acts like a jet engine and increases the speed of the exhaust as it flows through giving benefits similar to a full exhaust system.

EFI Live and AFE Intakes are ideal Duramax Diesel Performance upgrades

Bullydog Diesel Triple Dog

Bully Dog Diesel is one of the biggest names in diesel performance and they have been around for about 10 years as of 2007. One of their claims to fame is their downloader’s that can be switched between a Ford, Dodge, and Chevy diesel. This is a great feature because with any other performance programmer if you buy a different make of truck, you have to buy a whole new programmer for that truck. The Bully Dog Triple Dog and Bully Dog PMT (performance management tool) on the other hand can be changed from one truck to another saving quite a bit of money is the individual buys a different truck or upgrades. Although good luck trying to get a die hard Ford person to switch to anything else and vice versa. There are some that don’t care though.

The Bully Dog Triple Dog

The original one size fits all downloader which has been extremely popular. Downloader’s in general just plug into the diagnostic port under the dash and upload a new program onto the truck for either diesel fuel economy, economy while towing, or performance. The Triple Dog plugs into the diagnostic port under the dash like the others do, but has a few differences. One, you can go to Bully Dogs website after purchasing the Triple Dog and download an extreme program for free. Two, it can be linked up with Bully Dog’s Outlook monitor which is a full digital gauge set up that also allows you to switch between power levels while you are driving. This is something that no other downloader can do.

The Bully Dog PMT

This also plugs into the OBDII diagnostic port under the dash. The PMT is exactly what its name says; it’s a performance management tool. The Bully Dog PMT offers push button or touch screen navigation; both navigation styles come with each unit and are active all the time. It also has a color screen with the best resolution and highest contrast of any screen in the diesel industry. It gives you the capability to display four different engine parameters at a time and gives your twenty engine parameters to choose from. Bully Dog is the only company that has a monitor that will work on all three of the major diesel trucks. I personally happen to be one that is happy driving any of the major diesel trucks so this is a feature that appeals to me. For others it might not matter as much.

Bully Dog Diesel offers the Bully Dog Triple Dog and Bully Dog PMT for all diesel trucks- Nathan Young

Snow Performance Water Methanol Injection = Increase Diesel Fuel Economy

We just got off the phone with Snow Performance and they had some great news. They have been re-mapping their Stage-3 Water Methanol Injection System so that not only will it add big power on the high end but they are adding injection on the low end, What are the results you ask? They are reporting that it will increase diesel fuel mileage by up to 2 m.p.g. with this new technique in addition to the extra power that you will see. They will be sending us a kit this week so we are looking forward to getting to test it out.

CAL NOT FOUND

So I have been having some issues with uploading the Hypertech Max Energy into my ‘05 Dodge Cummins.  There are two problems that could have caused it, those are 1.  The computer was re-flashed due to a safety recall that had to be installed, which by the way if I had to do again I would have never worried about getting it installed or 2.  I was previously running the Diablo Predator Tuner.  So tomorrow I have to go to the dealership to get my computer re-flashed back to stock.  I mainly wanted to post this to help others that might have a similar problem in the future, if you ever try to install the Hypertech Max Energy in your vehicle and it says “CAL NOT FOUND” then you should just unplug it from your truck and then plug it into your computer after installing the update software that comes with it and making sure to take out the CD and then it should prompt you to email Hypertech the data from your tuner, click yes and the Hypertech Programmers will be able to create an update that will help fix the problem.

Hypertech Max Energy E-CON Economy Power Programmer

If you are wanting to increase diesel fuel mileage there has never been a better time than now to shop for a module that will help increase your diesel fuel mileage.  Recently Edge Products, Quadzilla Diesel and Hypertech Performance have released modules or tuners that are aimed at just increasing diesel fuel mileage.  With the increase of diesel fuel prices, these less expensive modules are paying for themselves quicker and quicker.