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ShinerBock's avatar
ShinerBock
Explorer
Mar 09, 2018

Budget diesel truck mods: Ram Cummins edition

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 CUMMINS

BUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’94-’98 CUMMINS

BUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’98.5-’02 CUMMINS

BUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’03-’07 CUMMINS

BUDGET DIESEL MODS: ’07.5-’17 CUMMINS
Tow Vehicles

17 Replies

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  • Super_Dave's avatar
    Super_Dave
    Explorer
    Mar 15, 2018
    Is there really any performance improvement with cat back exhaust changes?
  • ShinerBock's avatar
    ShinerBock
    Explorer
    Mar 13, 2018
    blofgren wrote:
    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!



    Give these guys a call...... Calibrated Power Solutions


    VIDEO: CPS Cummins emissions intact tuning
  • blofgren's avatar
    blofgren
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2018
    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!
  • ShinerBock's avatar
    ShinerBock
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2018
    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.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Mar 09, 2018
    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.
  • Durb's avatar
    Durb
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2018
    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.
  • ShinerBock's avatar
    ShinerBock
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2018
    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.

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