Diesel power upgrades are getting extremely easy. The diesel truck has become the newest tuner car/hot rod for the 21st century, as the power-increase potential on them is amazing, and so far the Man has not yet cracked down with dictaterial regulations on the smoke belchers. Companies like Pacific Performance Engineering are taking advantage of this power potential and have engineered the diesel Xcelerator that can hold your stock vehicle program in its memory, while inputting a hyped-up program into your truck. Besides that, it doubles as a DTC (diagnostic trouble code) reader, so you no longer have to go to the dealership when a "check engine" light comes on. A modified diesel computer program can increase your power, torque, fuel economy, and fun for well under a thousand bucks. And this is no 35hp-increase snake-oil mumbo jumbo. We're talking real dyno'd power increases of 240+ lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, and fuel efficiency gains of more than 2 mpg! So why not pony up the ching for a new programmer? It's by far the cheapest and best bang for your buck you could spend on your diesel. Trust us-there's nothing like smoking (literally) a guy in a Supra or Mustang with a 1-ton truck. And you wouldn't believe how pissed they get after getting dusted by a diesel. It just feels good.
Fuel EconomyThe other absolutely beautiful thing about reprogramming the PCM with the Xcelerator is the increase in fuel economy each time we stepped up the power. We know, it would seem to not make sense since you've always been told that it takes more fuel to make more power, right? After we ramped up our Cummins diesel's PCM, we recorded the mileage and fuel consumption over the next two months, and our fuel economy actually increased! So not only were we now flying down the road and able to outhaul medium-duty trucks, but we were also doing it with better fuel economy. And by the way, these numbers were pulled from an almost brand-new six-speed manual diesel that we will later break in and which will provide us with even better fuel economy results.
| | Cruise | Stop 'n' |
| Mode | 75-85 mph | Go Traffic |
| Stock mpg | 15.1 | 14.0 |
| Tow mpg | 15.6 | 15.1 |
| Extreme mpg | 17.1 | 16.2 |