Diesel performance is a hot topic for many Powerstroke diesel and Duramax diesel truck owners. While most think of diesel engines as heavy duty work trucks, this has begun to change rapidly over the last few years as diesel engines have become directly comparable to their gas counterparts. Owners want increased performance in both power output as well as fuel economy and mileage.

With vehicle electronics becoming more and more advances, diesel engines can be fine tuned very easy and safely by even the greenest mechanic. Diesel performance chips and diesel performance modules have been produced to allow the average person to easily adjust engine parameters. This tuner modules have become extremely popular amongst powermax diesel and duramax diesel owners. They allow the user to easily adjust performance sensitive items such as injection timing, line pressure, fuel injector open and close timings and fuel loading to increase power output substantially.

For the true enthusiast, there are other diesel performance accessories such as exhaust systems, mufflers, gauges and fuel control systems. A popular modification is the inclusion of a cold air intake which can produce increased airflow and a lot of extra horsepower when used in conjunction with a performace module. This can be achieved without too much of a negative effect on fuel consumption.

The Turbo Diesel is a factory performance upgrade for diesel trucks. Common models that allow this package include Ford Powerstroke Performance, Chevy Duramax Performance and the Dodge Turbo Cummins. If your truck is already tuned with a turbo, this opens a whole new world of options to make it into a true performance vehicle. There are modifications on the market that place more than 1,000 horsepower at the wheels for some of these big trucks.

While building monster diesel hot rods is not everyone’s objective; some of the diesel performance modifications are better suited to improve fuel economy and gas mileage. This too can be can accomplished with a performance module or super chip. The cold air intakes mentioned above and some exhaust systems can have a positive effect on fuel consumption as well. The amount of improvement depends more on how the driver uses the accelerator but can typically be in the range of 2-5 miles per gallon. This is a nice upgrade and still tacks on some additional power via the mods themselves. But again, the fuel saving will only be realized if you are a conservative driver.