Diesel racers seeking performance upgrades should look beyond the ordinary.

Diesel racing is growing on all fronts, and the flood of parts to service the market is growing right along with it. To get the best performance from a diesel engine, though, it helps to look beyond the obvious intake/exhaust parts and investigate the possibilities from every angle. There are plenty of parts that can make a big difference when replacing OEM parts and systems, even if these aren’t the first components that spring to mind.

The products highlighted in this article are designed to improve on-track performance, but some are also primarily aimed at improving durability and are equally effective whether used in a race truck or a diesel tow vehicle. Large numbers of racers bring their daily-driver trucks to the track to compete, so ensuring durability is as important as gaining that last little bit of power.

It’s a great time to be fielding a diesel engine in racing, and this sample of recent products may very well include that final piece of the puzzle a diesel racer needs to smoke the competition.

Cummins Hydraulic Lifter Conversion Kit

Factory diesel engines have a reputation for toughness, but in a constantly changing marketplace, even that can’t be taken for granted.

Regarding the latest Ram truck model, “In 2019, they came out with a hydraulic roller,” said Austin Myers of Wagler Competition Products, Odon, Indiana. “In the past years, from 1989–2019, the Cummins used a flat-tappet style. Now they’ve updated it to this hydraulic, and the hydraulic portion starts to fail, and you’ll get a tapping sound. It lets the lifter bounce on the cam, and if it’s not fixed soon, it will beat the roller down out of the lifter. Then all chaos breaks loose, and you’ve ruined everything.

“If you catch it soon enough, our kit allows you to use your own lifter bodies and roller, and simply dump out the hydraulic portion of the lifter,” he continued. “We have a spacer that takes up the slack, basically, and then we have our own custom-length pushrods that come to the top. And we use an OEM 2018-style rocker that has the adjustment back up top, because the newer style rockers, being hydraulic, don’t have adjustment. So we have to put adjustable rockers back on top.”

Although straightforward, the hydraulic lifter conversion kit does require a specialized tool for installation and some skill. “It’s a simple kit, although it’s kind of difficult to install. Mopar actually made a tool to do it in the truck. It’s like a little slide tool that goes through the cam tunnel to get the lifters in and out. Without that tool, you’re looking at taking the engine out and flipping it upside down. So the install is quite in-depth,” Myers concluded.

Everyday Diesel Treatment

Racers at the early stages of building a diesel truck for competition can sometimes get distracted by the countless speed parts choices available in the aftermarket. But before installing those power-making bolt-ons, it’s smart to address the basics—like what goes into the fuel tank. Hot Shot’s Secret’s Everyday Diesel Treatment can be thought of as “step 1” for anyone interested in elevated diesel performance.

“It’s designed to solve the issues with low-quality diesel fuel that we find at the pump, typically,” said Josh Steinmetz of Lubrication Specialties, maker of Hot Shot’s Secret products in Mount Gilead, Ohio. “Diesel is less refined than gasoline and some of the other fuels that we use in racing, so we need to treat it to bring it to more of a premium-style spec. Everyday Diesel adds cetane to the fuel, which helps it burn more completely. It’s kind of like octane for gas, except because of the way it works in a diesel we measure it as a cetane rating. Also, we add lubricity to the fuel as well. Ultra-low sulfur diesel that’s now available everywhere is really low in lubricity. That can lead to fuel pump failures and injector failures.”

Besides improving diesel engine durability, there are definite performance gains to be had from the Everyday Diesel Treatment. “They’ll notice faster start-up times, faster turbo spooling, and they’ll also notice a horsepower gain. We can actually see some horsepower gains because of the cetane and the lubricity in the Everyday Diesel Treatment,” Steinmetz said. “Even if you’re not trying to get performance gains, the protection you add with the lubricity is really peace of mind to make sure you’re not going to grenade that couple-thousand-dollar injector pump.”

Cast Ford Power Stroke PowerPak Piston Sets
for 6.0L and 6.4L

Diving into the engine to replace the factory pistons is no casual upgrade, but eventually the serious racer will reach that decision point. High-level racers will select forged pistons, but for the intermediate Ford Power Stroke 6.0L and 6.4L racers, MAHLE’s new PowerPak piston sets allow them to step up to the next level of performance and durability.

“We take the base replacement piston that’s manufactured by MAHLE Aftermarket, and we de-lip the bowls, we add the pockets, we can do crown coatings, just to increase the strength. It’s really for a hot street truck or a mild sled-puller, or mild drag truck,” said Justin Dossett of MAHLE Motorsport, Fletcher, North Carolina. “By de-lipping the bowls, anytime you can increase the radius dimensions in the bowls it adds strength to the crown. So it makes the piston stronger. Also, we do fly-cut for valve reliefs for guys who are running larger cams. It’s going to allow the person to make more power with our part than the stock piston would.”

MAHLE offers its PowerPak cast performance piston sets for Cummins and Duramax applications as well, but the Ford applications are its newest offering, having been introduced at the 2022 PRI Show.

Ford 6.7L CP4 to DCR Pump Conversion Kit

Reliability is crucial for anyone competing regularly on track, and especially for those whose truck is doing double duty as a race vehicle and go-to-work truck. For Ford drivers, one OEM weak spot has been the 6.7L Power Stroke CP4 high-pressure fuel pump, which is prone to sudden failure, often followed by catastrophic collateral damage.

S&S Diesel Motorsport in Seymour, Indiana, teamed with PurePower, a Stanadyne company, to produce a drop-in DCR pump conversion. “It is a more robust pump design,” said S&S Diesel’s Justin Norris. “We’ve been validating it for more than a year in 20-plus different trucks, trying to rack up as many miles as we can to make sure it’s spot-on.” Unveiled in February, the DCR Conversion was scheduled for release in summer 2023.

“Where I see the DCR being a benefit to racers is improved reliability out of their tow rigs,” Norris said. “There are a lot of 6.7 Power Stroke-powered trucks out there pulling trailers with race cars on them. The whole intention of the DCR was to be a reliability improvement product. There are some performance advantages to be had, but you’re not going to get any extra performance out of the DCR without tuning.”

Those racers who do take the time for proper tuning can take advantage of significant potential. “We have a DCR in one of our sponsored trucks, purely a race truck that doesn’t see any street use,” Norris said. “The DCR pump conversion has roughly 25% more displacement than the CP4, so it has the potential for 25% more output if the calibration would call for it. In a race vehicle that’s not seeing any street use, you can tell the pump to make whatever output you want it to.”

Boost Cooler Water-Methanol Injection Kit

Excessive heat is an enemy of just about any competition vehicle. Snow Performance in Wichita Falls, Texas, attacks that problem with its Boost Cooler Water-Methanol Injection Kit.

“Snow Performance Water Methanol Systems were designed to greatly reduce exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) and intake air temperatures (IAT), increase air charge density, improve fuel economy, and add low-cost horsepower with gains commonly above 100 hp,” said Cody Sprague of Nitrous Express and Snow Performance.

Cooler temperatures translate to greater air density and greater power output. “Diesel drag racers should expect to see an EGT drop of 200–300 degrees and an IAT drop of 100-plus degrees, resulting in more power safely and efficiently,” Sprague said.

The Snow Performance boost coolers are available in four different stages for different levels of competition. “The stages differ by complexity and tunability of the system,” Sprague explained. “Stage 1 is an on/off system based on boost. Stage 2 is a progressive system based on boost (1–30 psi). Stage 2.5 is progressive based on boost (1–50 psi) and can activate a second stage of water-methanol injection. Stage 3 is a 2D progressive based on boost (1–100 psi) and EGT and is also capable of activating a second stage.”

FASS Competition Series

As diesel racers move up the ladder into faster and more competitive series, reliable fuel delivery and protection from fuel contamination are crucial. FASS Diesel Fuel Systems of Marthasville, Missouri, took aim at racers’ needs with the release of its Competition Series Fuel Air Separation System late in 2022.

Racing diesels can require extremely high flow rates, and eliminating air bubbles and water that can harm the injection system is key for longevity. “The FASS system ensures the continuous flow of fuel from the tank to the engine,” said Mike Fischer. “While maintaining the high horsepower, the Competition Series will clean and polish the fuel, which is what you really want when you’re dealing with diesel in those high-horsepower applications.”

Racers have always had the option of installing two or more FASS signature series kits for high-powered applications, which works fine, but the Competition Series delivers those benefits while increasing simplicity, with a single filter base, one set of filters, and the plumbing required for only a single set. The Competition Series comes with a new high-flow fuel pressure regulator, adjustable up to 100 psi, and a competition filter base that accommodates AN braided lines.

FASS Diesel Fuel Systems offers the Competition Series in three different stages to accommodate a wide range of horsepower outputs.

SOURCES

FASS Diesel Fuel Systems
fassride.com

Hot Shot’s Secret
hotshotsecret.com

MAHLE Motorsport
us.mahle.com/en/motorsports/

Nitrous Express Snow Performance
nitrousexpress.com

S&S Diesel Motorsport
ssdiesel.com

Wagler Competition Products
waglercompetition.com