Real World Power Recipes from the Purdue Diesel Club Dyno Day
Dyno events are a great way to illustrate how different power combos play out in the real world. Therefore, the Purdue University Diesel Club, a group of diesel enthusiasts that attend the flagship college located in Lafayette, Indiana, hosts an annual dyno day. So of course, we attended to see what the best diesel truck they had on the rollers that day ended up making. And hopefully the following can give you some insight or at least make you drool over what might be the best diesel engine for your truck. Here’s a quick recap of who did what at the event a few years back:
1,139hp 2006 Dodge Cummins, Brian Randall
As the owner of a diesel performance shop, Randall’s Performance, Brian built this truck to both honor a friend he lost to cancer and be the face of his business. When all was said and done, his triple-turbo terror did not disappoint at this year’s event. It would lay claim to 1,139 hp—most of the day. Backing up those numbers, the truck has gone 6.61 at 106 mph in the 1/8-mile—at a hefty 7,600-lb race weight.
899hp 2010 Chevy Duramax, Kyle Harbin
Kyle’s LMM is proof of how drivable and reliable a high-powered Duramax can be, if built correctly. He drove two hours to the dyno, made 900hp, then made a three-hour trip up to the Chicago area to grab a set of cheater slicks. After that, he drove 350 miles home, all the while getting 19.5 mpg. He hopes the added traction will help him improve on an already-impressive 7.05 at 102 mph 1/8-mile pass.
747hp 2008, Chris Hoffman
Perhaps the most intriguing truck to run on the rollers was Chris Hoffman’s 6.4L-powered Super Duty. When we asked him how in the world his stock turbocharger, stock injector’d Ford cleared 747hp on the dyno, he told us he had no idea, but that it should’ve made 650 hp! Chris regularly installs propane kits on big rigs at his shop, Wasted Diesel, and they usually pick up 100hp. However, he also told us he runs an energy-dense biodiesel concoction through his 6.4L; maybe that, coupled with a healthy dose of propane, had something to do with the truck’s freakish numbers.
732hp 2003.5 Ford Power Stroke, Jason Bannon
Jason sled pulls in Indiana’s highly competitive 2.5 Work Stock Class with his 6.0L. Over the winter, he added huge (by 6.0L standards) 350cc injectors with 150 percent over nozzles, a Fleece S400 designed specifically to excel in the class, and even a rear AAM 1150 axle out of a 2003-plus Dodge. While 732hp isn’t top in his class, it should be enough to keep pace with all the Duramax and Cummins competition.
692hp 2006 Dodge Cummins, Corey Hull
581hp 2001 Dodge Cummins, Jacob Bair
Quick Fact: Jacob’s second-gen 24-valve is proof that a standard output VP44 can make good power. He told us the injection pump is also the original one and has racked up 225,000 trouble-free miles (which is almost unheard of). Jacob was thankful for local shop, Compression Motorsports, which performed all of the work for him and helped get his 24-valve so close to the 600-hp mark.
580hp 2000 Ford Power Stroke, Shawn Matz
This particular event showed a strong lot of 7.3L’s. Shawn Matz’ numbers are even more impressive when you consider his truck sports a 332,000-mile stock bottom end. Shawn and his cousin, owner of Amos Diesel Performance in Michigantown, Indiana, performed all of the work on the truck. Shawn told us he’s got a Gen3 high-pressure oil pump on the way from Swamps Diesel, which means clearing 600hp isn’t out of the question in the future.
