D.Wiggs

Don raised a few interesting points about high horsepower CR engines (over 700HP); namely that they will not last long under certain conditions. My questions have to do with making my engine and truck be as durable as possible.

I consider myself to be a very good driver and more than capable of handling high horsepower vehicles (e.g., Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche, etc.) so I know how NOT to drive vehicles with tons of power. I hav tried to take steps in "bullet-proofing" my truck as muich as possible. I have fire ringed the head gasket, have head studs, new cams (and soon to be Helix 2s), dual disc clutch, fluidampr, etc.

What else can I do to help the truck last longer?

I am putting on custum twins, and will do a new 6" turbo-back stack exhaust and will even go to a bigger intake if one is ever made!

I don't "beat" on my truck. I use the big-rig "roll-on-the-throttle" method with the power. I have yet to even turn the TST up beyon 1/0 because I have not had it dyno-tuned. I just would rather spend $$$ to make it bullet-proof than pay $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to fix something that is totally busted.

Thanks Don and any other contributors...

PourinDiesel

You have the right attitude.

Just make sure to keep EGT's in check and only use the big power when it is an absolute must.

Water injection helps also...

D.Wiggs

That's why I got the Water/Meth kit from Snow Performance.

I have never had pre-turbo EGTs over 1350 (I have the TST set for 1450), and also would like to add Nitrous for Dyno/track runs to help keep things cool.

omaharam

Not questioning your ability to handle the rig, but there's a big difference in 150mph in 2800lbs than 150mph in 7200lbs. You seem to have plenty of funds to throw at the truck. Spend some on an outrageous brake package that I'm sure someone would be happy to custom fabricate for a price. Hey, wait, hire me.

John DiMartino

Use the power repsonsibly,showing off repeatedly,and flogging it will only break things faster.Use the power wisely.With the 6 speed,use the power in the upper gears where you can feel it,the first few gears,trying to accelerate hard,is rough on the truck.I would avoid 4WDs launches with the 6 speed ,they are brutal(i have seen this done many times,and I cringe when they drop the clutch at 3500 with foot to floor.

SSminnow

Anytime you add power to something, reliability comes into play in how it used. You are looking at a motor that made 325HP from the factory and now making upwards of 700HP+ @ the tires, and the same reliabilty is not going to be there. Sorry. The only "hard" parts you have thrown at it for reliablity are head studs and a head gasket. Crank, Rods, Pistons, rings, bearings, and quality machine work are what is necessary for reliability as well as your right foot at those power levels.

Eric Logan

Hey D.Wiggs have you been out to a diesel dyno event yet?

and if so were there high HP trucks there??

I ask this because ive seen a few high HP diesels dyno and it was down right scarry. Once trucks pass the 600hp mark things get really scetch around the truck. The last dyno I went to there was a huge explosion and back fire on this once 2nd gen that was spraying N02 and the others trucks keep on slipping the rollers and had lots of weight in the bed like water drums and concrete.

As soon as the big guys go WOT everyone gets back and some run for cover.

It just doesnt seem right and definetly not wat I'd want to put a daily driver through.

Lots of stuff happens once you strap your 600+hp diesel to the rollers and after seeing and hearing for myself what a true 700hp diesel looks, feels, and acts like on the dyno there's no way id associate a 1,000 hp CTD with daily driver in the same sentance.

I think once you get your fuel/air dielvery and everything else dialed in you should keep it there at that level since there isnt much more you can do for everyday HP and realiableability. Even if Optimus puts down a stout 720HP I think it would be best if you stopped there and just enjoy what you have......or keep going and swap in an auto and run mid to low 11's and still slead pull and dominate the 2007 Diesel Power shootout....

I hate to say it but there's no way Optimus will win the drag race or place very high in it with a DD manual going up against 700hp auto D-maxes..

Like what Timinva said all the little imperfections start to rear their ugly heads once your at the 700hp level and then you want more 300 on top of that.... on a DD...???

I believe in goals its just you will be giving up alot of realibility and driveability at 1000hp.....

But hey I hope you get as close to 1000hp as possable and still be able to drive your beautiful CTD everyday..

D.Wiggs

I could not agree more. I wouldn't break 120 in my truck. I rarely break 90! I am probably closer to 9000lbs. also!

I agree, brakes are something I want to do but have not found a top-notch kit around.

D.Wiggs

I know Optimus will never beat an auto that has anywhere near the power, but at least I will know I have more of it! And I only use the high power in 4th, 5th, or 6th when you can actually give it time to work. Use it any lower and you run out of RPMs before you blink!

acook

Ive seen several trucks over 600 hp...never seen one catch on fire...many of the trucks ive seen/driven are dailly drivers as well.

XLR8R

D - these new Rams have awesome brakes right from the factory... the 15" rotors on all four corners are what actually pushed me over the edge on the test-drive to buy a new one. 60-0 mph stopped so fast I had to pull the seat cushion out of my rear end...

D.Wiggs

Who makes these parts or who CAN make them?? I definitely want to minimize the weak points on my truck.

XLR8R

D - I'm not sure how much stronger reciprocating assembly parts are available for the CTDs, since they're overdesigned from Cummins for durability reasons.

Surely the dedicated pro sled-pullers have plenty of tricks in their collective bag...

I would think blueprinting the long block, PVDing everything you can, massaging the fantastic stock oiling system to maintain a hydrodynamic film even under extreme combustion-induced pressures, etc. would give the longevity you desire, since you're not planning on abusive (i.e. competition-style) driving habits. Cummins engineered the 5.9 to run at rated power with a 100% duty cycle, so tweaking the long block as you would a race engine should allow you to bounce off 4K rpm as often as you'd like. My philosophy on street-driven vehicles is to sacrifice whatever dyno-power and racetrack performance is necessary to achieve the maximum possible real-world STREET performance (read lots of area under the torque curve and lower peak HP rpm). Just my opinion, but I don't see the benefit of winding up a CR past 3500 rpm - especially when you've got a 6-spd.

... don't forget: if you need a good reason to rebuild that engine, run a 90% load of nitro or maybe even a bit of hydrazine through it.

Don M

Assuming there are no factory defects i.e. stress risers in the castings, inclusions in the castings, ring gaps too tight, etc. the engine should hold together for tens of thousands of miles with pretty hard use. Maybe more.

HP is like money in a savings account with a finite number. Everytime you run the engine hard you withdraw a bit of that money until finally you or your engine are broke/broken.

Hard core sled pullers use the power very little @ 300 feet per pull. Peak heat and stress in many cases would be higher than a street truck but the street truck is constantly pulling money from the account with use. Towing withdraws a larger sum than daily cruising.

The bigger the account to begin with i.e. stronger and more thermal resistant parts and designs, the longer we can withdraw from it.

For an overwhelming number of us, the stock shortblock and parts Cummins has in the engine from the get go are adequate.

I had various levels of power in my 12 Valve over the last 6 years and the worse damage by far was from high timing. Followed by heat.

Some guys can run a 600 HP truck for 100's of thousands of miles, but they dont use the power every time they get behind the wheel. Not enough of us on here run 700 HP daily on the street and use it alot so we really dont know yet how long these new engines will last.

Control the heat. I have dozens of customers that run 600 plus HP, and they have not experienced any bad engine failures like rods, pistons, cranks, etc.

Byron Haner is one guy that sled pulls his truck half the year in the NW. He has over 600 HP. But with his cam, injectors, and twin turbos he never sees over 1300 degrees with a 40,000 lb sled behind him. 1200 on the dyno and street. This thermal control is part of what keeps his truck on the track and road everyday. I worry more about his drivetrain in conversations with him than I do his engine.

Lsufan78

aside from the obvious engine problems, what about the rest of the truck?? driveshafts, rear-ends, FRAME, etc...?? can all those things hold up to 1000 hp??

later, dustin