Dear friends and fellow diesel freaks,

It's mid-May 2008, and we are now at a power level with the Banks Sidewinder S-10 that is reminding me of all the nitromethane-burning engines I raced back in the day. We are using up pistons like a good thing. We're not changing them every run like I did with my nitro-burning rails and drag boats, but we're changing them too damn often for a diesel. We've been doing it for a while, and it's only gotten more problematic as we've made more power and gotten down into the 7.70s. Now we are too close to "running on
kill" for my liking.

The culprit is injector on-time as measured in crank angle degrees. As we have gained engine speed (now 5,800 rpm at times) and increased fuel rate, our piston position at injector closing has gone down the hole. The truck weighs 2,930 pounds, we're in the low 7.70s, and we're making good power (1,280 bhp). Of course there's more power to come, but first we need to address getting more fuel in and using less crank angle to do it.

Right now, at 1,280 bhp, the thermal energy from the injected fuel is gradually drilling 7 holes in each piston right at the top edge of the firing cup. We have not killed an engine, but this is not good for long-term piston life. We have gotten to this level using a single Bosch 3.3 pump that we have modified for proper fuel control at the flow and pump speed (same as engine speed) that we are demanding. Honestly, with this engine combination, 1,200 bhp is probably the safe limit. Beyond that, we begin to have demanded rail pressure problems.

It's Friday, but not an ordinary Friday by any means. It's actually a day that I have waited for most of my life. I've never kept it a secret that I'm somewhat of a nerd and a child at heart. Today, both of those traits are in for a treat as I use up a half day of vacation and split work early to catch a showing of Speed Racer! Yep, the show that gave me the automotive bug when I was just four years old is finally a movie!

I'd have to say I'm kinda lucky that my parents didn't really pay too much attention to me as a kid. There was TV, right, so why interact? No hard feelings; after all, I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't been that way. I had great playmates and teachers: Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, Johnny Sako and his Giant Robot, several Japanese super robots, Spider-Man, Batman, Ultraman, and Speed Racer.

I'm on my way back from Tampa and the Truck U shoot. I'm on the plane and just finished watching the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time (a truly bitchin’ movie no matter what anyone says! Naysayers can walk the plank) and I feel compelled to finish my story from my first entry. Arrr... Ye sees me hardies me thinks the show is going to be pretty neat, says I. It focuses on safe towing power (that's where Banks comes in). Apparently the truck they borrowed for the taping was an '08 Chevy Duramax that was used to tow a five-car hauler. That alone takes a lot of grunt, and while the D-max is up for the job, it still could use some help by infusing it with Herculean power. So what we did was put a full Banks PowerPack on it, which if it was FDA recommended would come with a prescription.

Folks are jittery about doing something to a new truck with a particulate trap on it, and why shouldn't they be? You see, there are a lot of choices out there in Performanceville, but not all products are created equal. Sure, I work for Banks and am going to say my stuff is the best, but really it's true and not an overbiased opinion. At Banks, we spend a bundle getting everyone’s offerings and then proceed to test the snot out of 'em with equipment that rivals the original manufacturers. You see, companies rushing to get their products to be "first to market" aren’t really that good for you if quality and efficiency go out the window or, more importantly, out the window goes the safety factor that the stock system afforded you. What will it do to your rig while it unleashes its rush of power? You see, that smile on your face from the extra speed only lasts so long when your investment starts to puke parts like an anorexic model after a hardy meal. Three words can bring confidence to your choice of go-powerful parts: CleanTune™, ActiveSafety® and AutoRate®.