Two of the most common questions diesel owners ask are: "How do I lower my exhaust gas temperature (EGT)?" and "How do I make more power?" Well, we're here to answer both of those questions in one article by showing you our results from the installation of a Snow Performance Stage 3 kit on our '89 Dodge Ram project truck we call Rust Bucket. Our Cummins-powered Dodge was suffering from smoking hot EGT thanks to some big injectors and no intercooler. We would hit 1,600 degrees on a 0-to-80-mph run, and that was without the fuel turned all the way up. To ease our EGT pain and add some power, we turned to water-methanol injection. Since methanol is a fuel, it adds power when injected, while the water cools intake charge temperature.
| snow Performance Stage 3 Kit water Methanol Injection
Since we knew our truck could handle all the water we could throw at it, we chose Snow Performance's Stage 3 kit, which includes a high-output pump, multiple injection nozzles, and a digital controller that uses both boost and exhaust gas temperature to control the system. If you're a racer, you can simply trigger the system to come on at a certain boost parameter. If you tow, you can set the controller to EGT mode, where it will trigger at a preset exhaust gas temperature level. You can also set how quickly you want the system to ramp up to 100 percent flow once it is activated. The Stage 3 controller also doubles as a digital boost and EGT readout, which is quite a savings if you haven't purchased gauges yet.
To find out how this sophisticated system performed, we went to Brown's Diesel in Riverdale, California. The system is rated to give a 75hp increase with the big, 625 ml/minute nozzles we were installing, along with a 250-degree drop in EGT. Because the injected alcohol would act as a fuel and our truck already had way more fuel than it needed, we figured our horsepower gain would probably be a little less than advertised, while our EGT should be equal to or better than Snow's rated EGT drop, due to our truck's non-intercooled nature.
Does H2O=Horsepower?
The install was fairly straightforward and only took a few hours. The results were also impressive-a gain in peak power from 312 hp to 346 hp using a 50 percent water and 50 percent methanol solution. On-road acceleration testing revealed a drop in EGT from 1,600 degrees to 1,400 degrees. As our engine speed increased, our injection pump began to defuel-but the methanol helped carry our power further, giving us a wider powerband. In fact, at 3,000 rpm, we saw an impressive 70hp increase.
| Erick Brown of Brown's Diesel is seen pouring some methanol into the tank.
After our testing, we honestly felt that the Snow Performance Stage 3 kit was a very worthwhile modification. After all, we got more power, lower EGT, and digital gauges all for around $900. For those who tow, running straight water and setting the controller on EGT mode will be the hot setup for a 200-plus-degree EGT reduction while towing. If you're a racer, just put the controller on the Boost setting, dump some 50/50 water-methanol mix in the tank, and let 'er rip.
