When I started writing this blog it was my goal to make a post at least once a week. Little did I know I was going to be busier than a one-armed paper hanger this year, which is a great thing!

Just to bring you up to speed; we have decided to sign as a warehouse distributor for MBRP, Inc. MBRP is a manufacturer of performance exhaust systems for both diesel and gas applications. I am very excited about this new vendor, it’s going to greatly expand our exhaust offering. We have been working feverishly to get all the new part numbers loaded in our system and on the web site which takes loads of time. Along with MBRP Performance Exhaust, we have also decided to take on Pacbrake, which offers exhaust brakes for light and medium duty applications as well as Jacobs replacement parts and air bags for heavy hauling.

Besides setting up new vendors to add to our arsenal of performance products I have also been working on some pretty cool projects from a custom upgrade turbo for a customer that specializes in Audi’s to a high output twin turbo Porsche. Even the tractor pulling business is picking up earlier than normal.

Apparently the word is getting out that DW Performance is becoming a leader in the gas and diesel performance world! Keep it coming!

Let me back up for a minute and explain what an exhaust brake is and how it works. There are many vendors out there for exhaust brakes, but aside from each company’s little design changes, they all generally work the same way. Its is a common misconception that an exhaust brake is the same a ”Jake Brake” which is a brand name (Jacobs) that is commonly used on larger over the road trucks. Although the principle is the same, they way they work is very different.  A Jake Brake modifies the timing on the exhaust valves so that, when braking is desired, the exhaust valves open right as the piston reaches the top of the compression stroke. The energy gathered in the compressed air is released, so the compression stroke actually provides braking power. With an exhaust brake nothing is installed internally on the engine, instead it is typically installed on the outlet side of the turbocharger or further downstream in the exhaust . The exhaust brake slows the vehicle by retarding the engine’s ability to push out (exhaust) compression. There is a butterfly valve in the brake that closes when the brake is activated, which causes the back up of compression into the engine, in turn slowing the RPMs. The slowing of the RPMs causes the vehicle to slow thru the attached drive train. The use of an exhaust brake can make your vehicle’s brakes last up to three times longer.

Without an exhaust brake you could end up here

We have sold and installed some exhaust brakes here at D&W but  nowhere near the numbers you see out west. The common misconception I typically hear is “my vehicle has a tow/haul setting, I don’t need an exhaust brake”. Your vehicle’s tow/haul feature works by downshifting the transmission to slow your vehicle, although effective, this method does not stop your vehicle like an exhaust brake. The customers that have had the brake installed love them, with the added stopping power and control they cant imaging towing without them. Not to mention the savings in wear and tear on your vehicle.

Although we do not have the mountains they do out west,  if you do any towing with your diesel pickup I highly suggest you seriously look at installing an exhaust brake on your rig. You will not be disappointed!

UPDATE: The hard work has paid off, as DWPerformance has signed on as a retailer for Pacbrake and MBRP!  These parts will be available on www.dwperformance.com soon, and are available now by calling us at 888.296.8074

The next “hot” product Bully Dog released was the PMT (Performance Management Tool). This really revolutionized the tuner market, being the first downloader and monitor all in one unit! There were a bunch of new features with this unit which included many more de-fueling parameters, monitoring capabilities and design features. But as with the Outlook there are some issues. We have had multiple harness and OBD2 plug warranties as well as issues with the cradles and monitors. In my opinion there are just too many connections with this set up that are way too fragile for the environment they live in.

The latest release from the master minds at Bully Dog is the GT Tuner. As I said earlier I really believe Bully Dog did their homework on this one. The packaging of this unit is very retail friendly, it looks good and it allows the customer to preview the functionality at the counter while the product is still in the package. The installation of the GT Tuner is like no other. On 08 and up trucks with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters) the install is as simple as suction cupping the unit to your window, running one wire to a fuse tap and plugging into the OBD2 port. For earlier trucks without DPF you will just need to add the optional pyrometer kit. Now for the functionality: once again this unit is like no other! It is a downloader and monitor all in one which means you get all the functionality of the PMT but in a smaller and in my opinion more rugged package. On top of all the normal features Bully Dog has also added their all new Driving Coach Software to the GT. This software allows you to grade your driving style and show you how to drive more economically and in turn receive better fuel economy. The GT works on MOST trucks, Bully Dog will tell you it works on all light duty diesel trucks from about 2003 to 2009 but I know from experience the 2008 and 2009 are still hit and miss especially on the 6.4L Fords. The GT, like their other models is internet upgradable so if it doesn’t work for your vehicle initially, eventually they will have a tune for you!

All in all the GT Tuner is one of the best products that has been released from Bully Dog in a while. If you are looking for a good reliable downloader with monitoring capabilities then the GT Tuner is the unit for you!

Check all of these products at www.dwperformance.com

This year's doe with my future hunter

Good news!! My family isn’t going to starve this winter! I was able to bring home the venison! Just kidding we were never going to starve but I was getting frustrated with my hunting abilities. Last Saturday I went out with some buddies to do some driving or as some call it pushing. Basically you surround a piece of woods with “watchers” and the send a few people through said piece of woods and hope to push or drive the deer to the watchers. On one particular drive I was a watcher and was lucky enough to have a nice mature doe pushed out to me and was able to harvest her! This week and weekend are late bow and muzzleloader season, so I might take the old smoke pole out and try for one more. Could be a long winter…

As for the performance world: things are good. This, typically being our slower time of year, gives me a chance to do some of the things that I can’t do during the “hot” season. So I have been loading new parts in our system and checking out new vendor opportunities. I just recently updated our clearance section at DW Performance and loaded a whole bunch of parts, I recommend you take a moment to check them out!

I have recently starting working with a couple of different customers that specialize in certain manufacturers such as Arctic Cat and SkiDoo. We are working on various projects together including specing turbos for naturally aspirated sleds and also installing larger components on currently turbocharged sleds, such as the  Arctic Cat Z1 Turbo. Being a Garrett, Tial, Turbosmart and Vibrant Distributor allows us to offer these customers a “one stop shop” for all their kit building needs.

So as you are rolling your sleds out for that first rip this winter remember: you can never have too much power and well enough is never enough. So call me and let’s talk about how we can help you get to the top of that mountain before your buddies!!

Notice the engine hoist holding up my deer... I like to combine hobbies when ever possible.

Now you should know that I have never been one of those hunters that has deer hanging from the tree out back all season long… But that doesn’t keep me from enjoying to try. I have hunted since I was a teenager except for the six years I was in the Army. But it wasn’t till 4 or 5 years ago that I finally shot my first deer with a shot-gun and not till last year did I harvest a deer with my bow and it was my first buck as well… A nice little eight point.. Actually I think I have an advantage over those “multiple deer a year hunters” in that I still fell the rush and get very excited when even small doe come walking by my stand and I hope that feeling never ends!

Well I have a couple more weekends of shot-gun and then one of muzzle loader to fill my tags and although I am getting a little frustrated and my wife can’t understand why I still go out every morning, I’m going to keep at it right up till the end! I still believe even a day in the woods with no deer is still a pretty good day… So wish me luck and hopefully look forward to a post on my successful season.

First of all for those of you who dont know, SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association. This show, held in Las Vegas, is the mecca for the automotive aftermarket! If it can be bolted, welded, wired, or brushed on or in your car, truck, motorcycle or ATV it was there.

Being the first time I had attended SEMA, or been to Vegas for that matter, the whole experience was quite overwhelming. I was lucky enough to have my wife join me. We stayed at the Treasure Island Hotel on the strip. The view from our room was incredible! Unfortunately I could not get a good pic at night but all I can say is “I would not want to pay their electric bills.” Living in New York you would think I would be pretty citified, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you have read my first post you know that I am a bit of a “northern redneck”. I have never been to New York City but the hustle and bustle of Vegas is how I have pictured it. Walking down the strip was sensory over load! Every hotel has their own theme with music and lights to grab your attention. With everything going on they should really refer to Las Vegas as ”the city that never sleeps”…

The first day of the show I spent the morning trying to get my sense of direction….that place was huge!! Once I found my way I started walking aisle by aisle… I have never seen so many automotive vendors under one roof. Let me re-phrase that, under multiple roofs in one location. This I found out on the third day when the taxi dropped me off in a different location than the previous days and I found myself in a totally different building that I had not yet visited.  So back to day one, after spending some time looking around I had a meeting with our sales rep from Bully Dog and spent some time at their booth. Bully Dog came out this year with what I feel is one of their best products so far: the GT Tuner. The functionality and installation of this unit is outstanding and I believe they are going to lead the off-the-shelf tuner market with this product. I also spent some time at the Vibrant booth with our sales rep discussing some of their new products. I am excited to say they are coming out with their own remote wastegate design. I look forward to seeing how well it performs, if its anything like their other products I’m sure it will be a wonderful addition to the already broad Vibrant line.

Tuesday evening my wife and I were invited to an awesome dinner party hosted by Brad Ekstam, the President of Diesel Performance Products (the makers of the FASS fuel systems). Dinner was outstanding, Brad took us to a Chinese steak house (the kind where the cook in front of you) and the food was delicious! The party was also a great place for networking; I was able to speak with many people including staff from MBRP, Daves Diesel and NADP (North American Performance Diesel). I would like to thank Brad once again for a great meal and a great opportunity.

On Wednesday I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time at the Garrett Turbocharger booth. This gave me a opportunity to put a face with all the names I speak to on a regular basis when working on various performance turbocharging projects. The rest of my time at SEMA was spent exploring new ways to broaden our dwperformance line. I spoke with both existing vendors and new prospects such as MBRP and Pac Brake….; just to give you a taste for what could be coming down the dwperformance pipe….

All in all this was a great show and I encourage anyone who has an opportunity to attend to jump at the chance!

UPDATE: The hard work has paid off, as DWPerformance has signed on as a retailer for MBRP and Pacbrake!  These parts will be available on www.dwperformance.com soon, and are available now by calling us at 888.296.8074

The first day is over and I figured I would write a quick update of what I’m up to. All I can say is WOW! There are some awesome vehicles here, there is something for every different taste. I had a great first day walking around and meeting with vendors.

They all have some exciting new products coming out, stay tuned for more news from my first Show!!

Most people start with a cold air intake and some sort of electronic device. The addition of a cold air intake system is a smart initial upgrade, and can improve both horsepower and fuel economy. It does this by improving the air flow to the engine and keeping as much engine heat out of the air stream as possible, as a result of this you will allow the engine to receive a cooler denser charge of air which equates to better efficiency and more power. There are many choices of electronic “power adders” out there all with the same goal; to improve horsepower and fuel economy. There are really three types of electronics; downloaders / programmers, modules, and chips. Although they all have the same goal they all reach it a little differently. Downloaders (also called programmers or tuners) plug into the vehicles OBD2 diagnostic port and actually reprogram the vehicle ECM/PCM to the new performance calibration. Module work differently in that they plug inline with various engine harnesses and change the signals coming in and out of the ECM. Chips are getting to be out dated technology but still work well in certain applications, these are actually inserted into the ECM to change the vehicles parameters. All options have their advantages but each one seem to reach the same relative goal….MORE POWER! The way they achieve this goal varies between manufactures from increasing fuel pressure to lengthening injector pulse width (length of time the injector is actually injecting fuel) as well as increasing peak turbo boost and changing timing. There are definitely arguments on which way is best but in my opinion it all boils down to personal preference. However I have definitely seen where one product works on a particular vehicle better than others.

The next logical step in the world of performance add-ons is a high flow exhaust system. Adding a performance exhaust system to your vehicle will not only make your truck sound good and look tough it also allows your engine to run cooler by evacuating the exhaust gasses as quick as possible, which in turn allows you to add more fuel and air to make more horse power…..  As with most add-ons there are many option to choose from, you can get 409 stainless steel, 304 stainless steel, aluminized steel or ceramic coated and in sizes ranging from 4 to 5 and 6 inch diameter, single or dual outlet and even stacks. As far as the material goes, you definitely get what you pay for. In my experience I have found that the aluminized systems are the best bang for your buck. Even in our harsh upstate New York winters it still holds up well, but if you insist on stainless then make sure you get 304 or you will be disappointed. Overall it comes down to personal preference and wallet size. As for the sizes, it’s safe to say that 4 inch is good up to 400hp, 5 inch – 500hp and 6 inch – 600 hp and up.

This is just a list of basic add-ons, after these you can roll right into performance fuel systems, upgrade turbochargers, intercoolers, transmission upgrades and even propane and nitrous injection….The sky is the limit when it comes to “hot rodding” your diesel-powered vehicle, and the more you do the more you will realize “well is never enough”!

I’m off to Vegas this week, (I know its tough being me) but look for some highlights and pics in an upcoming post from my first SEMA show!!