Spring has been in full gear and it’s about to give way to the summer months, which means it’s time for our annual diesel issue! I hope you’re as excited for this content as our team was to put it together. It got me thinking about my own interest in diesel trucks and engines and how far into it I’ve gotten over the years..
Prior to 2019, we admittedly covered diesel engines sporadically, but to the best of our abilities. In 2019, AMSOIL partnered with us on our Diesel of the Week series, which shines the spotlight on diesel engine shops, racers and enthusiasts and their awesome diesel builds each week. That was the impetus for us going head-first into the diesel rabbit hole, and we haven’t looked back. Now, five years later, what used to be sporadic coverage has been weekly, and thus, a dedicated issue featuring diesel content.
I even went back to read my column in 2020, titled “Diesel Dominance,” where I wrote about how cool diesel engines and trucks were getting then, and how amazing the evolution and innovation within the industry was. If I thought it was crazy then, it’s been continuing that trend today too. Diesel engines remain a bright spot in our industry, and more and more shops are offering performance work and more and more truck owners are opting to spend money to make their trucks perform better, whether it be for towing, drag racing, sled pulling or chasing chassis dyno numbers.
Shops are improving imperfections from the OE, creating better components, and building stronger engines to meet the high demands of customers. In competition-level stuff, what used to be a 2,000-hp mountain, has now eclipsed 3,000 hp and we can’t wait to see what the next peak is in diesel performance.
Through our Diesel of the Week series we’ve gotten to know so many folks doing great work in the diesel industry such as Drew Pumphrey at D&J Precision Machine, Lavon Miller at Firepunk Diesel, Steve Burton at New Performance Automotive, Jared Alderson at Kill Devil Diesel, Jeff McCord at LinCo Diesel Performance, the Chase brothers at Fleece Performance/Freedom Racing Engines, Jeremy Wagler at Wagler Competition Products, and the list goes on and on.
Each and every one of them work their tails off to grow this industry and advance it. Heck, some diesels are outperforming their gas counterparts, which just a few years ago was completely unheard of. Whether you’re a Ford, Dodge or Chevy guy, the Powerstroke, Cummins and Duramax platforms are all being pushed beyond their prior limits to reach new milestones. Even the transmissions are now soaring to new heights in an effort to keep up!
In the pages that follow this column, we have placed the spotlight on diesel engines, the shops building and repairing them, the components and systems that make them tick, and how truly great the diesel world is. Toss out that old thinking of what diesel is and step into the now. EB
