White-Glove Tuning
26 CUSTOM RIGS Fall 2009 S ince the advent of electronic engine controls, truckers have looked for new ways to tap into the enormous potential of electronic interven-tion in their diesels. For the owners of custom rigs, this means the possibility of something a little extra under the hood to match that exterior shine. Bully Dog Technologies, Pittsburgh Power and Delta Force Tuning each provide white-glove tun-ing electronic diesel-engine performance solutions. And Gale Banks Engineering is about to enter the fray. All add power, and some claim their products also improve fuel mileage. Bully Dog even provides a return-on-investment calculator on their web site (www.bullydogbigrig.com/roi-calculator.php) to crunch numbers. But each manufacturer's approach to such tuning is as different as their individual histories. Pittsburgh Power has been electronically hot-rodding big rigs for more than a decade, while Bully Dog and Delta Force are newcomers. Banks, well-known in diesel pickup circles, doesn't yet have a system in place but is developing a custom mileage-enhancement product for large fleet customers. (Banks says its new product will be on the market before the end of this year. Go to www. customrigsmag.com for a full interview.) Retail prices range from $700 for re-programming your rig's ECM to the upper-$2,000 range for add-on performance computers. PITTSBURGH'S APPROACH With more than 30 years' experience in the Class 8 diesel performance market, Pittsburgh Power slants its add-on performance computer (see , Summer 2009 issue for details) toward non-DPF-equipped engines. The company says the power gain, at the computer's highest setting, can be as much as 200 hp depending on the application. The Pittsburgh Power box is available for Detroit Diesel II, IV and V model engines; the Cat 3126, 3406E, C-10, C-12, C-15 and C-16 and Acert models; plus the Cummins N14 Celect and ISX. Pittsburgh Power doesn't mess with the existing ECM, and the driver doesn't have to worry about up-loading or downloading software; it's a plug-and-play installation using an LED dash-mounted controller/ display. The driver-operated control has a selection dial with eight positions (ten in the case of the Cummins ISX). Setting 0 signifies the computer is turned off and the engine is operating in stock mode, By Photos courtesy of the manufacturers Engine computer upgrades add something special to your custom rig