Is Ram Underrating Its Factory Horsepower Figures?
Proof that the ’25-newer Cummins is more powerful than we thought, TSD’s IFS Super Duty nears completion, and racers come out of the woodwork for a shot at $100K.
Could Ram be taking a cue from Ford in underrating its trucks’ horsepower? According to Car and Driver’s quarter-mile timeslips, it might just be. In its testing, an 8,480-pound Limited trim crew cab 4×4 Ram 2500 galloped through the quarter-mile in 14.8-seconds at 92 mph. That elapsed time and trap speed both translate into a little more than 460 hp at the wheels, even though Ram rates the new 6.7L Cummins for 430 hp at the crank… Did Ram steal a trick out of Ford’s playbook (Ford’s 6.7L Power Stroke having long been notorious for dynoing high, given its flywheel horsepower ratings), or was a “hot” truck delivered to the publication? We believe the former is true, and we think the ’25-newer Rams are the real deal. Further, we’re also of the opinion that (thanks in part to the new, ZF 8-speed) Ram is back to being a formidable contender for those big, bad Blue ovals.
At The ‘Strip
TSD’s IFS-Equipped Race Truck Is Gearing Up For Take-Off
Aptly nicknamed “Blackbird,” Truck Source Diesel’s aluminum bodied, tube chassis, and independent front suspension Ford project is slowly nearing its launch date. The week of Thanksgiving, it officially became a roller—just in time for the PRI Show in Indy. That shiny Cummins you see was assembled by the folks at Freedom Racing Engines and it’s packing Fleece Performance Engineering’s billet-aluminum block and front cover, along with a billet-aluminum cylinder head from Wagler Competition Products. For fuel, it’s saddled with dual S&S Ordnance 650 CP3’s—pumps that feature a 14mm cam, an integrated G-force block, and that boast a 650 lph max flow rate at 6,000 rpm. Keep your eyes peeled for the unveiling of this truck. It should fly.
Out Of The Woodwork—And Hungry To Win The $100K Race
Trace Wilks hasn’t sent this LBZ Duramax down the track in more than two years—but he couldn’t resist digging it out of the weeds in order to compete for the $100,000 that’s on the line at the Seventy 2 Fast race next June. He’s also after the $1,000 bounties that’ve been promised for every round a Duramax beats a Cummins or Power Stroke (up to $10K)… In order to be competitive, Trace plans to perfect his shift points with the truck’s full manual valve body 48RE and try to strip 300 pounds off of the 3/4-ton Sierra in order to get as close to the 6,000-pound class minimum as possible. “All I know to do is be good on the reaction, don’t miss a shift, give it all the fuel, and let the gate scream,” he said.
Emissions News
Felony Diesel Delete Charges Dropped Against Unique Performance Owner
The tide is changing, and Wyoming appears to be leading the way in bringing back common sense as it pertains to emission system deletes on diesel trucks. Over the summer, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming charged Unique Performance’s Levi Krech with one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and one count of tampering with emissions monitoring devices. Last week, Wyoming U.S. Attorney, Darin Smith, the state’s top federal prosecutor, dropped the diesel delete charges against Krech. According to Krech’s attorney (via this article from Cowboy State Daily), Stewart Cables, this is the first criminal emissions tampering case to be dismissed. If convicted, Krech could’ve been facing up to seven years in prison. On the heels of the pardoning of Troy Lake, we hope it’s a sign of things to come.
New To Market
Goerend’s Quad Disc 10R140 Torque Converter
Ford’s 10-speed automatic just got a much-need shot in the arm. Meet Goerend Transmission’s new torque converter, a quad disc unit for the ’20-newer 10R140 TorqShift. Behind the billet-steel front cover, it packs four active clutch linings, 200-percent more clutch area than the OEM unit, and a billet-steel piston. Factory stall speed is the sole option available, for now, with Goerend hinting that different stalls—as well as a billet stator option—will be forthcoming in the future. Also expect one of the company’s lightweight, cast-aluminum, and industry-leading transmission pans to become available for the 10R140 soon.
Written by Mike McGlothlin
