Performance Modifications for Your Diesel-Powered Vehicle

Are you looking to increase horsepower and performance for your diesel-powered vehicle?  There are several things you can do fairly easily yourself with a little time, a little money, and a few simple hand tools to boost the power and performance of your vehicle.

Turbo Charger

One thing that can be done to increase the power and performance of your diesel -powered vehicle is to replace the factory turbo charger with a bigger one.  A larger turbo charger with a billet compressor wheel is capable of gains of 75 horsepower along with the proper tuning and fuel.  In addition to a big power and performance gain, exhaust gas temperatures will drop tremendously, which is better for the longevity of your diesel engine under the hood.  In essence, a larger turbo charger will deliver more air, and cooler air to boost the power and performance of your vehicle.  A turbo charger replacement usually runs about $1,200.00 give or take depending on your make and model of vehicle.

Diesel Engine Injector

The replacement of the factory fuel injectors in your diesel-powered vehicle is also a good way to boost engine power and performance.  Aftermarket 8 hole injector nozzles will most-likely give you the horsepower increase that you have been looking for by better fuel-flow design while keeping atomization high.  Performance fuel injectors provide a quicker throttle response, stronger mid-range engine power, and more total engine power.  Precisely balanced aftermarket fuel injectors can provide anywhere from 60 to 250 HP gain by the size and type of fuel injector selected, and cost about $650.00 to $850.00 each to replace depending on your make and model of vehicle.

EGR Delete Kit

An excellent thing to do to older Fords with the 6.0L diesel engine, and any other diesel-powered Ford with an EGR system, is to delete the EGR system entirely.  The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system circulates unburned fuel deposited into the exhaust system from the engine combustion process, and places it back into the intake system of the engine to be re-burned again.  This process robs your diesel-powered engine of needed power and performance, and lowers your fuel economy.  It also clogs-up the air intake system with carbon deposits that can eventually make the vehicle inoperable.  An EGR delete kit solves all of these issues by the removal of the EGR Cooler from the engine, and blocking-off the factory connections.  Coolant temperature is even lowered by removing the EGR system, which allows for better engine cooling while pulling heavy loads up steep grades for example.  The factory EGR valve which is visible, can also be re-used with the special EGR delete kit by sawing-off the bottom of the valve and fastening it directly on top of the special blocking plate, and snapping-off the electrical pins inside the plug on the valve where the factory wiring harness plugs into the top of the valve.  A custom power and performance tuner must be used with the EGR delete kit to trick the vehicle’s computer to not turn-on the check engine light when it notices the EGR valve is no longer connected to the vehicle.   EGR delete kits cost $400.00 to $600.00 depending on the vehicle application.

A power programmer or computer chip added to your vehicles’ engine control module (ECM) or the “brain” can greatly boost the engines’ power and performance.  Power programmers are able to boost engine power and performance levels by essentially reprogramming the vehicles’ factory ECM settings that were designed to inhibit the full potential of the engine under your hood.  With the factory settings in the ECM changed by a power programmer, your diesel-powered vehicle can have instant added power and increased fuel mileage by simply plugging a programmer into the connector under the dash on the drivers’ side of the vehicle, and following some simple directions from the programming device.  For $300.00 to $400.00 roughly, you too can reprogram the ECM in your vehicle.

Having the properly-sized exhaust system on your vehicle is extremely important.  Most vehicles produced today do not have exhaust systems large enough to realize the engines’ full potential.  Replacing your diesel-powered vehicles’ exhaust system is guaranteed to boost fuel economy, power, and performance with a properly sized performance exhaust system.  Replacement exhaust systems are fairly easy to install yourself if the correct system is purchased for your vehicle.  I highly recommend purchasing an exhaust replacement kit for your vehicle that has a direct-fit, bolt-on style installation procedure that does not require any welding or fabrication of any kind if you want to the installation to be easy as possible, and hassle-free.  I also recommend spraying any kind of penetrating oil onto the fasteners of your exhaust system that must be removed for installation of a new exhaust system, at least one day prior to doing the work, which will help dissolve rust and corrosion, and aides in lubricating fasteners for removal.

DPF Delete Kit

In addition, if your diesel-powered vehicle has a diesel particulate filter (DPF) on your exhaust system, you need to get rid of that as well, to increase the longevity of your engine, increase fuel mileage, and to also increase the power and performance of your vehicle.  A large bore performance DPF delete kit will reduce restriction, and keeps exhaust gasses flowing smoothly.  DPF filters become quickly plugged with ash from the regeneration process.  This process was designed to reduce emissions, but by using fuel and heat to have an internal reaction in the DPF to turn the carbon and soot created from the diesel engine combustion process into ash, greatly reduces fuel economy, power, performance, and longevity of your diesel engine.  I highly suggest getting-rid of this system design if you have one, and will cost you around $500.00 to get the job done.

Finally, be sure to change-out the factory air intake system in your diesel-powered vehicle.  The air intake systems in most vehicles are too compact, not large enough, and don’t allow the engine to receive enough cool-air which minimizes performance.  These systems house the air filter element for the vehicle that filters the air suction of the engine, which can contain harmful dust, dirt, and debris.  It is very important to have a good air filtration system for your vehicle that is both large enough for optimal performance, and properly cleans the air ingested into the engine.  These kits noticeably boost engine performance, and lowers fuel consumption because the engine can ingest air easier.  A decent air intake kit will set you back by about $300.00 depending on the vehicle you are buying it for.

For more information on diesel power & performance products click here.  I prefer to buy nearly all my diesel performance products at Rudy’s because they offer good deals and they know what they are talking about when it comes to buying performance modifications parts for your vehicle.