clc900

Currently I am shopping for a used diesel truck. I have been out of the diesel scene for a while now and looking for some quick (hopefully unbiased) opinions. I started with a 7.3 powerstroke, then went to a 12v cummins, then put a 12v, twin turboed cummins into a 2001 F350. Back then the 5.9 was still king with duramax gaining fast and the ford had all kinds of problems with the 6.0.

My question is which motor is easiest and cheapest to get to the 500HP mark. I hear the 6.4 ford gets there easy but MPG really sucks. Reliability can be debated but I am biased towards cummins in that department.

Honestly I like the cunmmins best but havent caught up on the latest and greatest technology so Im not sure. I also like the duramax because of the great things I heard in the past but that was years ago and not sure where things stand now. Im sure I have a ton of research to do but maybe you guys can point me in the right direction or at least get me started.

I dont want to spend more than $20K so that rules out anything brand new of course. Which era cummins would be best for me to look at? Which era of duramax would be best. Has ford ever figired out there problems and can they make any power with aftermarket products?

Thanks!

patdaly

Why not really mess with people and stuff a 06 Duramax in a 94-97 Dodge?

J/K

500 Hp cheap should be a chip shot for either the CR Cummins or the Duramax. Grab whichever one you like.

rich

depends if you want it o hold up or not . if you do then get a ctd if not then go with one of the others

peobryant

I'd almost bet you'd find either a 2nd Gen 12 valve, or a Common Rail for a lot less than the other brands, which gives you more money for go fast parts.

Dartmouth 12V

You can get 500hp out of the new 6.4 ford pretty easily but that is about the only good thing that it has going for it. There are a lot of little problems that are cropping up with these engines that no one can explain and certainly don't lead to peace of mind. Not to mention the mileage stinks. The other fords are not easy to get to 500hp while keeping them together.

The duramax is probably the easiest engine to get 500hp from. The early ones had injector problems and then the next gen had overheating problems so do your homework first but the duramax is a very capable engine in a good truck. Also be aware that the allison shifts slowly to protect itself(good thing) which leads to a lot of complaints from drag racers.

The 2nd and 3rd gen dodges are pretty easy to get 500hp from. You are going to have to spend more money on go fast parts than a duramax but it isn't obscene.

Any of these trucks are going to require either a clutch or a built auto. You could get 500hp from most diesel engines produced recently but some will hold together better than others and some will take less mods to do it.

clc900

[QUOTE=Dartmouth 12V;2594037]The 2nd and 3rd gen dodges are pretty easy to get 500hp from. You are going to have to spend more money on go fast parts than a duramax but it isn't obscene.

QUOTE]

so what does it take to get 500HP from a duramax versus a cummins? What years were the dodges a common rail setup? Is this system good for reliability and will it pump enough fuel to make power? I am familiar with the P pump and the 24 valve pump but not anything after that.

Thanks for the info!

Dartmouth 12V

The duramax can hit 500hp with EFI live which is a tuning program which lets you custom tune the engine. It is not unheard of for one to get 700hp on the stock charger although the bottom end suffers severely at these power levels. It would be wise to do some tranny mods as well. Depending on the year cummins, you will at least need to increase the fuel and air($$) and possibly do stuff like o-ring the head. Cummins engines became common rail in 2003.

The duramax is the computer geeks engine which won't hold up as well at really high hp and the cummins is for the wrench turner.

Rednecktastic

Duramax or Cummins. I don't think you can get an 06+ duramax which were improved at your price point unless you shopped around a bit. You should be able to get a third gen Cummins in that price range though.

RottnRam

I would say 2nd generation... and you can buy mine.... with 69k on the clock.

Good luck

madhat

I am a Cummins guy to the heart, don't get me wrong, but I put 14k in my truck to get it to run in the mid 12's, and a duramax wore me out with EFI live and a upgraded compressor wheel.

If all you want is that one goal in the power area, I'd look at a D-max. If you want longevity and the ability to go higher than that with stock internals, get the Cummins.

DBLR

You all can keep the big go fast HP numbers. I'll even stay with one that has 325 HP so as long as it will give me at least 850 fp of TQ.

rich

dang skippy on that. its more fun to go 75 with 15k on the trailer all day long then it is to to do tripple digits for a quarter mile and then have to tow it home

Grit Dog

If you're looking for 500hp pulling power to go to the truck pulls, get a Cummins. If you want 500hp at the dragstrip get a DMax.
Dmax injector problems are hit or miss. Had an '02 with almost 100k miles when I sold it and the balance rates were on the injectors were like new. Even with the extended injector warranty coming up to it's 7year limit, I would have kept the truck had I not stumbled on a good deal on my wifes dream truck...a black Mega Cab.
If I had my way, both trucks would be sitting in the garage an I wouldn't need a new truck for teh next 20 years! Garage isn't big enough!
If you get a DMax, the LB7's, 01-04 have the injector issues. 03 should have a year's warranty left and 04 2 years (7y 200k mi warranty). If you're going to juice it up right away though, it's a moot point.
FWIW, there's a lifted 06 DMAX, cc, 4wd, 70k mi, says exc condition for sale locally here for $23k. Seems like a decent deal if it's in good shape.
Dmax can get you to 500hp with just EFI live or PPE hot.