| dodge Ram 1500 front View
When Chrysler packaged the Cummins turbodiesel engine in 31/44- and 1-ton Ram pickups in 1989, the light-duty truck market was changed forever. Not only was it radically heavy duty compared to other diesels of the era, but it was also the first turbocharged diesel engine to ever grace a consumer pickup. Designed as a mammoth mover, the Cummins was barely working when required to push around a 7,000-pound (light duty by commercial standards) Ram chassis. As such, extremely heavy-duty internal parts make the Cummins engine a very willing candidate for hop-ups.
One of the biggest names in the diesel aftermarket is BD Diesel Performance of Abbotsford, British Columbia. BD builds everything from transmissions to injection pumps and has been in business for more than 32 years. With a staff of two engineers, a dozen performance specialists, and more than 350 nationwide dealers, BD is a one-stop shop for Ford, GM, and Chrysler diesel performance products. We took a trip up to BD's headquarters for the biannual dealer-training and dyno day event. We spent hours touring the facility and learning about each division of the company, and about the products BD manufactures. The operation was impressive, and the people in charge were extremely knowledgeable when it came to high-performance diesel pickups. Knowing a good opportunity when we see it, we decided to let them tinker with our resident Cummins-powered project vehicle, to see just what kind of power they could produce reliably and within reason. The results were outstanding, so follow along as we highlight how the guys at BD woke up our oil-burner.
DYNO TEST COMPARISON Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 RPM Torque HP Torque HP Torque HP Torque HP 1,800 421 144 392 134 398 136 414 142 1,{{{850}}} 457 160 420 147 429 151 423 148 1,{{{900}}} 516 186 475 171 491 178 463 167 1,950 580 214 565 209 566 210 545 202 2,000 642 243 616 235 623 237 614 233 2,050 680 265 651 253 665 258 651 254 2,{{{100}}} 716 287 713 286 699 280 687 274 2,150 741 303 771 316 737 {{{300}}} 745 306 2,{{{200}}} 752 316 804 338 798 333 772 {{{323}}} 2,250 764 327 816 349 866 371 792 341 2,300 762 332 817 359 884 385 828 363 2,350 {{{780}}} 349 855 383 882 395 859 383 2,400 797 364 889 406 902 412 892 407 2,450 810 377 {{{928}}} 432 917 425 937 438 2,500 821 391 {{{929}}} 442 965 462 971 459 2,550 807 392 918 445 988 480 1,014 492 2,{{{600}}} 806 399 910 450 989 490 994 492 2,650 805 406 908 458 980 495 981 495 2,700 797 409 900 462 976 502 973 500 2,750 786 411 890 466 970 508 964 504 2,800 774 413 886 471 965 514 959 511 2,850 762 413 874 474 953 517 952 516 2,900 746 412 864 476 943 520 {{{940}}} 519 2,950 731 410 850 477 928 521 928 521 3,000 716 409 838 478 916 523 914 522 3,050 824 479 901 523 899 522 3,100 810 478 886 523 884 522 3,150 798 478 875 524 874 524 3,200 782 476 847 516 849 518 Test 1:Stock turbo, Edge Comp box 5x5, Snow performance 50/50 water/methanol injection.* Test 2: BD twin-turbo, Edge Comp box 5x5.** Test 3: BD twin-turbo, Edge Comp box 5x5, Snow performance 50/50 water/methanol injection.**Test 4: BD twin-turbo, Edge Comp box 5x5, Snow performance 50/50 water/methanol injection, DMH Performance exhaust cut out valve open.**
*Exhaust Gas Temperatures above 1,400 degrees.** Exhaust Gas Temperatures below 1,150 degrees.
These are the horse power and torque numbers. They were generated at BD Power's Mustang dyno facility in Abbotsford, B.C.
