May 2008 - Performance Zone
DON'T ABUSE YOUR POWER
By Performance Specialist Bruce C. Mallinson
In my 30-plus years of experience building high performance diesel engines, I have found that owner operators do not abuse power when given to them. Of course, I am talking about their engine, not social behavior. My friend Kevin Rutherford, a radio host on XM’s Open Road (channel 171), recently suggested that cutting back the power of a truck’s engine might help it to be more efficient. Now this might work on a company truck with a company driver, but in my experience, I have found that an owner operator’s brain, wallet and right foot are all connected. Owner operators know that excessive speed takes power and fuel (which costs them money), so they rarely abuse their power – even when they have a lot of it.
I have been towing trailers for most of my life. In 1971, I purchased an open car trailer and towed it behind a 1968 Chevy Caprice with a 396 cubic-inch big block. This vehicle hauled my 1966 Corvette to the races, and being from western Pennsylvania, we had some serious hills to pull. My fellow racers tried to tow using vehicles with small block engines, but no matter what they did to these engines and gears they just couldn’t keep up with the big blocks – and their fuel mileage was less. Smaller engine, less fuel mileage – that was my first lesson on pulling trailers up a mountain.
In 1977, when I first got into the high performance diesel engine business, there were a lot of Small Cam Cummins engines out there. It was amazing how we could tune up these small engines and add an additional 100+ horsepower, and then a few days later get a call from the owner who would tell us that not only could he now cruise over the hills with ease, but that he also had gained 1 mile per gallon. “Interesting,” I thought. “These guys are getting more horsepower, they are spending less time pulling the mountains and their fuel mileage is improving.” It sounded like a winning combination right from the start to me.
Then the Big Cam Cummins engines came along. Again, we figured out how to increase the horsepower and torque, gain some fuel mileage and extend the engine’s longevity. What I found was that when you give an owner operator more power, his fuel mileage improves and his engine stays together longer than a stock engine. It just goes to prove that the better the truck runs, the better care the owner will give it. It’s the King and Queen theory: you treat me good, and I’ll treat you good!
My friends Al and Kym Hemmerson are good examples of this theory. They use to get 5.0 to 5.2 mpg out of their 14-liter DD5-EGR Detroit with 515 horsepower. After we made a few changes to their truck, they now get 6.5 to 7.2 mpg, and have had as high as 8.2 with a load grossing 60,000 pounds. Now they have the power to pull the hills, however they control themselves and only drive 62 mph on the level terrain.
Bob Eubanks is another good example. Bob has seven trucks that use many of our performance parts. His personal truck is a KW powered by an NXS Acert Cat. When the truck was stock, his average was 5.3 mpg. After making some engine modifications, he is now getting 6.5 to 7.2 mpg. He also had a driver in a truck with a “Bridge” Cat that got poor fuel mileage, and after we “un-bridged” the Cat, it went from 5.3 to 6.2 – and the exhaust temperature dropped by 200 degrees. Now, the driver loves the truck.
I could write a book about all of the high performance diesel engines I have built, and how their owners have loved driving them. So don’t be afraid of more power – but if you get it, don’t abuse it. Although I disagree with Kevin on this one point, he is still doing a great job on the radio. So take care, Kevin, and keep helping all of our trucker friends out there.
Let’s talk a little about the Mid-America Trucking Show that was recently held in Louisville, KY. We had a great show this year and saw record crowds in our large booth (see photo). If you were there, then you got to see Brad Ekstam and his FASS Fuel System-equipped 2006 Dodge Cummins pickup. This is a powerful truck that was built for open road racing. At the end of April, Brad and I will be racing in Texas from Fort Stockton south on Rt. 285 for 56 miles to Sanderson at 140 miles per hour. Then, we turn around and travel north at 140 mph back to Fort Stockton. This 5.9 Cummins produces 1,300 horsepower and is geared for 200 mph. Wish us luck! And thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth in Kentucky.
We at Pittsburgh Power would like to welcome Jerry Ray Hairhoger to our staff. Jerry was the owner and operator of an A-Model Extended Hood KW powered by a KTTA-HVT Cummins engine. This 1,150 cubic-inch twin turbo hydraulic timed engine produced 1,200 horsepower and still got 5.5 mpg! He also owns a W900L with a DD-3 Detroit 470 that has one of our performance ECM’s and turbo. The A-Model Kenworth has been sold to our Pittsburgh Power distributor in New Zealand, where it will be used as a toy truck. The W900L is parked at this time. Jerry Ray is our new special projects technician. He is currently working with ECM’s and turbochargers. If you get the chance to talk to Jerry, you’ll enjoy speaking with this fellow owner operator that was born into the trucking industry.
Pittsburgh Power is also pleased to announce that we are offering a new product in our line of fuel saving items – the Pony Pack Generator. We chose the Pony Pack because of its simple design, its light weight, and the fact that it uses the coolant from the truck engine to cool the 2-cylinder Kubota diesel engine. I have known Rex Greer, the owner and manufacturer of the Pony Pack, since 1990. Rex was an owner operator who had a 359 Pete powered by a 3408 Cat. The Pony Pack uses the factory heating and air conditioning ducts, so there are no additional items under the bunk, on top of the bunk or on the headache rack. If you are in the market for a generator, be sure to check this one out. Give us a call at (724) 360-4080 or visit www.pittsburghpower.com for more details.