Dodge Ram 2500 diesel engine comp mods...

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by steve05ram360

whats ABA testing?

The A test is the control. Data is gathered before the mod is added to the vehicle.

The B test gathers the data collected after a modification has been performed.

The last A test undoes the modifications and brings the vehicle back to the same condition it was in when doing the control test. This should confirm the original A test data. If it does not, then some condition has changed which should cause the B test to be questioned.

An example of why the second A test could be significantly skewed is changing wind conditions. If the wind changed during testing, then the B data is invalid.

[steve05ram360]

yeah that makes sense...

[JQmile]

Grille block, electric fans, and driving slow were worth the most for me.

1997 Dodge Ram 3500 Dualie Cummins - Diesel Power Magazine

[steve05ram360]

Update... did the grille block, 2nd air dam, tonneau & tailgate spoiler and got a consistent 20.2 mpg on my test run. Then went to the Smarty UDC for engine control and got that up to 22.2 on that same run and it is repeatable. I expect that with a 22 mpg on tap doing 65 I should be easily able to get the 20 mpg on the hiway I was shooting for.

Truck still has the 3" lift, 34" tires and a 180* t-stat. I may test further with a hotter t-stat once I get a new radiator (mines leaking)

Thanks to everyone for their input! (greatly appreciated)

[ECONORAM]

Originally Posted by steve05ram360

whats ABA testing?

Good how-to here: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ery-11445.html

I always thought turbos like large exhausts...

You might want to look at my garage picks for some aero ideas. Check Big Dave's truck also.

[steve05ram360]

just read the link you provided, I pretty much did just that. Always the same time of day, out & back on the interstate at a part of the day where traffic would be dropping off, let cruise control handle the throttle over the route as much as possible (95% of the way if not more). Didnt do ABA testing because of the costs involved (unemployed ATM) but I did find that during the testing I was able to get repeatable runs. I picked days that were similar in temps and forecasts and avoided windy rainy days. I also logged each run for various parameters in case I wanted to pick thru the data (using LabView to analyze/pick it apart).

I wish there was a way to give a good measure of the city mpg so I could check out the rest of the tune I modified. Would be sweet to get into the 17's in the city but I wont hold my breath.

[oil pan 4]

Turbo diesels love wide open exhausts.

Unlike a N/A gas engine a turbodiesel is trying to put its full displacement or more out the exhaust every 2 crank rotations.

You don't really want a 180'F thermostat in a diesel.

[steve05ram360]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Turbo diesels love wide open exhausts.

Unlike a N/A gas engine a turbodiesel is trying to put its full displacement or more out the exhaust every 2 crank rotations.

You don't really want a 180'F thermostat in a diesel.

Wide open exhausts are best for competition use in my experience, no restrictions equal great top end power and lower mpg. I have had both an unrestricted intake & exhaust and just the exhaust and both times fe sucked. I have found that anything that reduces part throttle low end torque will reduce mpg...

Since blocking the grille i have seen coolant temps rise approx 5-8*f overall, i tried to get a definite answer thru searching the web & forums to find out if a hotter stat was worth swapping in and could not find anything. Any personal experience with it on a diesel? I have a leaky radiator that i will need to swap out with an all aluminum one soon and plan on fitting the truck with a couple of taurus fans so i can ditch the oem fan. I could probably go experiment with the hotter tstats before i do and get my own answer before i get it done...

[DieselX]

http://www.dieselsite.com/dieselsite203thermostat.aspx

Here is some info on the themostat. This is for Ford but it gives you an idea of the temp range diesel trucks prefer.

[steve05ram360]

Thanks I saw & read that. Researched part numbers and found a 200* stant that should be a drop in. I may go try it sooner rather than later.