Highest HP while keeping reliability...

Vance

Vance

I have faith in you.
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
27
I know, I'm a whimp. :)

But, I don't want to race my truck or pull a sled or anything. I just want to maximize my fuel mileage and get enough poop out of it to make it fun while off road camping/daily driving, etc.

I have an 04.5 HO Cummins 5.9.

I've done just the basic mods that I've been learning about. Opened up the air flow by adding Banks cold air intake, Banks high Ram, straight piped the stock 4 inch exhaust.

I replaced the stock lift pump with a BD unit that claims it can handle up to 600hp worth of mods...

I put a Bully Dog on it to get a supposed 90hp gain on high.

The truck Dyno'd at 306hp 599FT.

It feels decent with the bully dog on.

I'm getting the mileage that I wanted. 17.9 around town. (Haven't done a highway run yet.)

So. Should I just leave well enough alone and assume that I have maxed out the truck while keeping reliability? Is there a bit more that I should do to the truck to make it more reliable?

I know you guys are racers, but, that's where the knowledge is...so that's why I'm here.

Any help appreciated. This truck will be going on an extended camping trip. (year at a time.) I just want it rock solid.
 
If you start getting into much more your ganna find yourself buying a tranny $.02
 
Yea built Trans is the next step if your looking for reliability with your power, I daily drove my VP truck. 150k @ 580+HP with supporting mods.

Lavon
 
Cool. Thanks.

I had a very nice dealer replace the stock tranny at 80,000 miles (truck has 130,000 now...) back in 07 and it feels tight.

It really didn't need replacing, but, he got it covered. It just sort of "plopped" into over drive and I've heard that most do...

I'm very handy with tools (although I am just learning with this truck.)

Eventually, do I just buy a built tranny? Or is there anything I can do to this one in a preemptive attempt to make it stronger?

Do those shift kits do any good? I helped a friend put one in a Duramax...and he's happy with the shifting, but he wants to build the crap out of his truck and race.

I live in Dallas, GA.
 
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honestly, you live so close to Garmon's, I would just do a well built tranny. At that point, you can run about a 200hp tune (450-500rwhp) and enjoy it IMO
 
You should be able to keep the truck reliable at c.600-700hp at the wheels as long as you're not doing locked shifts, sled pulling, or drag racing. For maximum reliability, keep an eye on your injectors!
 
I just haven't seen/experienced the "reliability" of the 600-700hp trucks :eek:

he wants to keep this truck running forever... not saying they'll do it at 450-500, but I've never had a problem at that power level but have seen lots of people tearing stuff up at 600+ :eek:
 
You could do 450-500 and have it very reliable. It will also be a fun little truck to drive around town in.
 
Vance, how much are you willing to put into your truck?I bet you a satisfied with the added power you have already. I'd say leave your truck where it is at for now power wise just beef the tranny up a little and be done with it. You could upgrade your tubro also, nothing bigger just a more effecient turbo.
 
I drove my 2006 on road trips back and forth to KY from FL, daily drove in FL traffic every day, and drove it to the track on most every thursday night. I even pulled a couple large backhoe trailers with it. It was 2wd and made 844 rwhp on Dunbars dyno without the nitrous. It ran over 131 mph in the quarter, but the times weren't as good as they probably should have been without traction. I always ran street tires. Best time was an 11.1. It turned in 23 mpg on the interstate with the cruise on 78. I never removed the head. It was a great truck. Wrongway and TurboMatt1 here on the forum helped me out with another project 94 that ended up pulling trailers great, turned in great economy, and ran a best of 11.4, unfortunately it was 11.5 with me in it.

When making a combination for your truck, you have to see what works together. Don't just throw parts together. You have to have a gameplan or you'll end up wasting money and never have the results that are possible.
 
how many miles did the truck have on it when you got it and how many when you sold it?

Morse said:
I drove my 2006 on road trips back and forth to KY from FL, daily drove in FL traffic every day, and drove it to the track on most every thursday night. I even pulled a couple large backhoe trailers with it. It was 2wd and made 844 rwhp on Dunbars dyno without the nitrous. It ran over 131 mph in the quarter, but the times weren't as good as they probably should have been without traction. I always ran street tires. Best time was an 11.1. It turned in 23 mpg on the interstate with the cruise on 78. I never removed the head. It was a great truck. Wrongway and TurboMatt1 here on the forum helped me out with another project 94 that ended up pulling trailers great, turned in great economy, and ran a best of 11.4, unfortunately it was 11.5 with me in it.

When making a combination for your truck, you have to see what works together. Don't just throw parts together. You have to have a gameplan or you'll end up wasting money and never have the results that are possible.
Click to expand...
 
I've got 70k on my CR...the last 60k it's been 600rwhp and for the last 15k been 700rwhp.

Daily drive it, tow with it, anything I want with it.
Reliability with anything revolves around how you treat it.
Abuse it...loose it

Use it...(don't have a rhyme) it will last a long time.
 
I had a great running and greatly reliable truck at 680hp for a couple years. All the problems that I started getting was when I put twins on and since then all hell has broken loose. I highly suggest a tranny it will also maximize you fuel mileage. If you want reliability leave it alone. Took me along time to relize it but its true.
 
And so spoke those who have done it. You don't need to do boosted launches on slicks everyday to enjoy a 700rwhp truck.....
 
Why have 700 rwhp and not do a boosted launch atleast once a day?LOL
 
if I may throw in my .02. my perfect daily driver/tow rig would have this setup: bag of parts in pump, 60hp injector nozzles, fass 95, intake and exhaust opened up, bullydog power pup, stacked with a dr.p pressure box. and a valve body. maybe maybe if the funds allowed a silver 62 turbo and a built trans. this combo would net somewhere around 400 rwhp and get 20+mpg on the highway high teens pulling a trailer. and I wouldn't be afraid to drive it across the country.
 
I don't remember exactly how many miles were on it when I sold it. I'd have to ask Jim Layden. I think it was somewhere around 26,000 miles. I honestly can't remember. It was a nice truck. I bought it new, and it was running 12's the first week I owned it. Wasn't bad for a 2wd with an open rear. After a few weeks, it had twins, a posi, and was running mid 11's on 20'' street tires. Again, it was a 2wd 2500 that weight in between 6,350 and 6,380 pounds. The longer i kept it, the faster it was. It would run traction limited low 11's at 131 mph on normal 20'' street tires. Here's a video of it running 11.1 at 117 mph. It blew a boot between the eighth and quarter, and I also tapped the brakes. I drove to the track on drag radials this time, and it hooked better than normal. The eighth mile was over 104 mph. Turn it up if you haven't seen this video. This truck sounded awesome going down the track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9zSp2eeUI4
 
By taking the bully dog off and throwing a smarty in the truck you will pick up around 150hp, putting you right at about 450rwhp, but on that hp level your trans will be a little weak and you won't be able to tow because egts will get a little warm you will just have to turn the smarty down a little, I have a guy with an 04.5 running a smarty, 62/71/14 turbo, bag of parts, and a mild built tranny and that is a really nice daily driver, it did 525rwhp, he can tow whatever he wants and gets good mileage! We will be throwing some 40-60hp injectors in it soon and I think the mileage will get even better and should put him somewhere in the 550-600 hp range without too much smoke, great reliability, and tow anything he wants with the smarty turned down a little..
 
Thanks to you all. I think I need a smarty and tranny work for my purposes. I really don't like the way the bully dog acts in this truck. It sort of "blubbers" at the end of acceleration. Like it wants to keep going when I let my foot off of the gas. Don't like it.

It may be due to the fact that the bully dog is for an 04 and not an 04.5? It's just not right...but it does deliver the horsepower and pulls nicely when my foot is in it.

You can sort of hear the "blubbering" in my dyno vid below if you turn up your volume at the end. After the tech takes his foot out of it and it goes back to idle...it goes "Blub, blub, blub, blub, blub..." five times...which it does every time I stomp it and want to slow down. It just keeps shooting fuel for a bit for some reason.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3BdNLBYZg
 
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