First and foremost let me say that if you are concerned with warranty then this thread is not for you. Just hit the back button and move on to the next thread if you are concerned about warranty or don't care to mod your truck past stock power levels.Now that is how of the way...... Continuing the diesel mods for a certain budget series from the Ford series last month LINK.If you drive a Cummins powered Ram and want to increase its power or are just curious to see what it would take to safely and reliably get your 5.9L or 6.7L to 500 hp then this thread is for you. As stated in the articles, supporting mods like TCM tuning or even a built trans along with gauges and sensible driving is recommended to keep your truck making this amount of power reliably for years to come. I see too many people that just go out and crank up the power without doing any supporting mods and wonder why things start to break. As with anything there is a right way and wrong way, and increasing power does always equate to parts breaking sooner if you do it the right way. The Duramax series should be out in a few weeks for the GM owners. Enjoy!BUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’89-‘93 CUMMINSBUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’94-’98 CUMMINSBUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’98.5-’02 CUMMINSBUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’03-’07 CUMMINSBUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’07.5-’17 CUMMINS

I will add something to the '07-'17 article. You can get your truck up to 450-500 hp cheaper than what they state if you go with EZLynk or MM3 tuning since you do not have buy another module to unlock the ECM and they also monitor gauges. They are not as good as EFI Live in my opinion due to it's shift on the fly CSP switch, but are still safe to run with the right tuner. Another way you can cut the cost is if you decide keep the emissions intact which will cut about $500 out of the equation. There are a few tuners like Calibrated Power Solutions and Double R Diesel that offer emissions intact tuning and will get you up to 500 hp. I say up to because most diesel tunes are shift on the fly meaning you can select from a +30hp, +50hp, +100hp or a +150hp as you are driving down the road.

Thanks for this post. I read the article for my 2004.5 Cummins. It only has 89k so I feel my transmission has some more pulling to do. The trailer is only 10k so 325/600 does OK. Once I have to upgrade the tranny then I might consider some of the other mods.

INteresting, I have pretty much exactly what they call out; SmJr & 4" exhaust. I don't find I need anything more. Then just last year I replaced injectors so I went with with 50 HP parts and I dial the SmJr back to the economy setting (+30) and it tows great.Anyone with a third gen Ram/CUmmins would do well to use a Smarty Jr and set it to either Economy or Tow (+70). Unless you abuse it with WOT starts, etc, your trans will be OK although a Valve body and Torque converter do wonderful things for them.

ScottG wrote:INteresting, I have pretty much exactly what they call out; SmJr & 4" exhaust. I don't find I need anything more. Then just last year I replaced injectors so I went with with 50 HP parts and I dial the SmJr back to the economy setting (+30) and it tows great.Anyone with a third gen Ram/CUmmins would do well to use a Smarty Jr and set it to either Economy or Tow (+70). Unless you abuse it with WOT starts, etc, your trans will be OK although a Valve body and Torque converter do wonderful things for them.Same goes for the newer newer 68RFE trucks. The stock valve body is weak and the torque converter stall speed is too high on both the 68RFE and Aisin.

OK I have no plans while my truck is on warranty and I’m actually very satisfied with how it tows our 16k fiver.Saying that, what would it take to get my truck up to the Aisin power ratings? I would like to keep the truck nice and quiet and not stinky just like it is now. I realize a clutch upgrade is in order (and I would appreciate recommendations in this regard as well), but what else should I be thinking about? I’m not looking for a hot rod, just a good reliable trailer tower.Thanks!

Budget diesel truck mods: Ram Cummins edition | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

Super_Dave
Explorer
Mar 16, 2018
While I believe some mods to be extreme, I find it hard to believe that anyone would be naive enough to think that a factor delivered truck would be optimally set up for all uses.
ShinerBock
Explorer
Mar 16, 2018
Slowmover wrote:
Let’s see, increase not only the amount, but the rate of wear on a pickup. Makes sense (not).

If the mods increased the reliability or longevity of the vehicle; caused it to steer, handle or brake better maybe the changes would be worthwhile.

Changing the towed vehicle to independent suspension, high quality tires and ANTILOCK disc brakes with a Hensley-patent hitch for conventionals, well, that would do everything “good” listed above.

Time to grow up.

So if you don't like mods then why post here? Most grown ups would just hit the back button if they didn't like what the topic was about so maybe it is about that time......

Although, some of the mods named do increase longevity of the engine by allowing it to run cooler by moving more air through the engine. Nick at Calibrated Power explains why doing this actually makes the truck more reliable in a this video(LINK) Also, removing or reducing EGR actuation, which creates a lot of soot and more regens on newer trucks, reduces fuel dilution which increases longevity as well.

But again, if you don't like mods then this thread is not for you and a simple click of the back button like most grown ups would do will relieve you from having to see all these nasty mods.
Slowmover
Explorer
Mar 16, 2018
Let’s see, increase not only the amount, but the rate of wear on a pickup. Makes sense (not).

If the mods increased the reliability or longevity of the vehicle; caused it to steer, handle or brake better maybe the changes would be worthwhile.

Changing the towed vehicle to independent suspension, high quality tires and ANTILOCK disc brakes with a Hensley-patent hitch for conventionals, well, that would do everything “good” listed above.

Time to grow up.

.
Kennedycamper
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
I use a Min-Max on Tow tune, and yes the trans tune was worth the extra $$$. Mechanic I trust told me to only go as high as the tow tune, and I wouldn't have problems. I do have a re-built trans with a triple disk converter. The trans had 185K on it when re-built.
ShinerBock
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
I am not too familiar with the H&S mini-maxx trans tunes since I mainly use EFI Live. I did not think they had trans tunes for the mini-maxx, but I could be wrong.

The only thing I would say is do some research on which tunes to run. I have heard many people popping head gaskets with the mini-maxx due to too much low rpm timing and boost causing too high of cylinder pressure. This was early on and things may have changed since then.
TWZMYJP
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
What do you know about the transmission "tunes" that can be unlocked within the H&S Mini-Maxx tuners? I recently picked up a used one but apparently the transmission tuning hasn't been implemented? Is it any good or worth unlocking, or should one go straight to one of these other options? I'm not using the Mini-Maxx for any added power, just the delete tuning...
ShinerBock
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
Definitely upgrade the valve body first since the 48RFE is the weakest link and higher line pressure will help. The stock torque converter can handle the extra power of the Smarty, but has a higher stall speed compared to many aftermarket TC's.

The aftermarket TC will feel like it has more "pull" due to the lower stall speed and being more efficient at putting power to the ground instead of spinning like the stock TC. The stall speed is higher in stock form to save the trans so you might do some damage putting an aftermarket TC without beefing up the trans.
Super_Dave
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
I'm looking at staying on the lower end of the budget. I've ordered a Smarty Jr. and trying to decided which would be more valuable, the HD valve body or torque converter from section 2?
rowekmr
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
Great articles!
ShinerBock
Explorer
Mar 15, 2018
Super_Dave wrote:
Is there really any performance improvement with cat back exhaust changes?

Performance wise, not that much of a difference, but a more free flowing exhaust with a flow through muffler will help keep the EGT's lower which is the main point for a tuned truck.