Beef up my Duramax

[normy41]

Ok so I have a Chevy 2500 Duramax to pull our Coachman. Friends tell me there is a way to “beef up my Duramax” to get more power out of it? I know that it is in there but don’t know what I need to bring it out? Is there anyone who can help with this? Thank you, Merry Christmas and let’s get to camping!

[007matman]

A tuner and larger exhaust are the ways that most guys start to get more power out of their Duramax engines.

There is a whole aftermarket for Diesel trucks and the Duramax is one of the best.

Start at one of the forums for Duramax trucks.

Duramaxforum.com is an example. There are others.

[bob213]

The gain is usually not worth the price. If you live in a state that does smog checks a tuner probably won't pass. Save your money for fuel...you've got a great motor already.
Before CA started it's diesel smog program I did it all. Tuner, 4" exhaust, straight piped, egr delete, etc. Yes I got more power, 1 or 2 mpg extra but it would take years to pay for itself. How much power do you really need?

[polishdon]

Here's some info on the entire "delete" that people do on Duramax engines.



https://dieselpowerup.com/duramax-lml-dpf-delete-kit/

[ronheater70]

You can add a stealth Module and keep all your emissions intact if need be. DOnt know what year your truck is, You might not even have stuff to delete anyway..L

[spock123]

Originally Posted by normy41

Ok so I have a Chevy 2500 Duramax to pull our Coachman. Friends tell me there is a way to “beef up my Duramax” to get more power out of it? I know that it is in there but don’t know what I need to bring it out? Is there anyone who can help with this? Thank you, Merry Christmas and let’s get to camping!

I deleted the emissions on my Duramax, I got more power plus better fuel mileage. Plus I don’t have to buy any more DEF, $1400 bucks. The county I live in doesn’t do smog tests so I don’t have a problem with the truck passing vehicle inspection. The best thing I ever did to my truck

[Crusadernoob]

Depending on the year would decide what one would suggest to do. EFI would be the way to go, start adding over 100 HP and your troubles will just begin.

[PSU Turf]

Curious to know what year Duramax and what model Coachman trailer. Most Duramax engines have plenty of power. Just because the engine rpms increase going up hills doesn't mean you need modifications and add ons.

[Gm Mike]

Originally Posted by bob213

The gain is usually not worth the price. If you live in a state that does smog checks a tuner probably won't pass. Save your money for fuel...you've got a great motor already.
Before CA started it's diesel smog program I did it all. Tuner, 4" exhaust, straight piped, egr delete, etc. Yes I got more power, 1 or 2 mpg extra but it would take years to pay for itself. How much power do you really need?

X2. Mine has 445 hp out of the box. Plenty for all my towing needs.

[muddyrode]

are you saying that your duramax does not have enough power??

[normy41]

I am sure my diesel Duramax has plenty of power. But I want more. I know they’re under the hood of the truck and I just need to get them out. I have a 2007 Chevy 2500 Duramax and I’m pulling a 40 foot coachman chaparral trailer. I hope this answers some of the questions that some of you have asked? Now I’m looking for the suggestions I want to do? Thank you in advance!

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Gm Mike

X2. Mine has 445 hp out of the box. Plenty for all my towing needs.

There is no tune delete available for your 2017 L5P engine anyway.

DMax engines from 2001 thru 2016 can be tuned but not yours.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by normy41

I am sure my diesel Duramax has plenty of power. But I want more. I know they’re under the hood of the truck and I just need to get them out. I have a 2007 Chevy 2500 Duramax and I’m pulling a 40 foot coachman chaparral trailer. I hope this answers some of the questions that some of you have asked? Now I’m looking for the suggestions I want to do? Thank you in advance!

look on Duramaxfourm.com. There are MANY threads on that exact subject.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by normy41

I am sure my diesel Duramax has plenty of power. But I want more. I know they’re under the hood of the truck and I just need to get them out. I have a 2007 Chevy 2500 Duramax and I’m pulling a 40 foot coachman chaparral trailer. I hope this answers some of the questions that some of you have asked? Now I’m looking for the suggestions I want to do? Thank you in advance!

I have the same truck. 2007 Classic Duramax LBZ. Here is what I did to mine. I did them one at a time, as I had $$$, which enabled me to tell what affect each one had.

FASS 95 liftpump and filter system to replace stock fuel filter head which always caused me problems (losing fuel prime). This drastically increased pedal response and improved mpg slightly, more so when towing. No more problems causing me to rebuild stock fuel head over and over. Also increases lifespan of CP3 injector pump by helping it out.

EFI live tuning with PPEI custom tuning with DSP5 SOTF switch. This enables you to switch between 5 different engine/transmission tunes on the fly that increase HP in steps from +30 on #1 to +150 on tune #5. Increased mpg, especially freeway driving. Power increase is unbelievable.

EGR complete delete. No improvement in HP or mpg, but keeps the soot out of the oil and the intake manifold. And no future EGR problems or codes.

PCV system reroute. No longer drips oil into the turbo and makes a mess on the top of the motor.

Replaced stock exhaust with straight 5" pipe from exhaust manifold to rear of truck. Just got this done so don't really know the impact on mileage yet. But it sounds good (slightly more throat than stock, but not loud at all) and seems to have even more pickup.

And no, if you are doing this to save $$$, you most likely will never break even, but that wasn't why I did it. Performance gains make it a true pleasure to drive my truck and towing is just downright fun. The EGR delete was to avoid the expensive eventual replacement and make the motor last longer.

For pre DPF/DEF Duramax trucks like ours, I advise everyone to at least do the liftpump and the tunes. Most bang for the buck.

If you can't do it yourself, find a good diesel performance shop by word of mouth.

Have fun!!!

[changing it up a bit]

Just wanted to chim in too Normy41. I pull a Cardinal Estate 3850 gross weight 16500, with my 2014 Chevy 3500. This year I have pulled 20,000 plus miles all over the US. I have pulled all the terrain that I have pulled at highway speeds. Never did I ever have an issue (I can eat the lunch of any bus out there, I have passed them all on grade.) So my advice is the motor will pull your trailer with no problem. Leave the warranty intact and just enjoy the ride.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by changing it up a bit

Just wanted to chim in too Normy41. I pull a Cardinal Estate 3850 gross weight 16500, with my 2014 Chevy 3500. This year I have pulled 20,000 plus miles all over the US. I have pulled all the terrain that I have pulled at highway speeds. Never did I ever have an issue (I can eat the lunch of any bus out there, I have passed them all on grade.) So my advice is the motor will pull your trailer with no problem. Leave the warranty intact and just enjoy the ride.

No warranty on a 2007 to worry about

[transmission_doctor]

You need to be aware that the engine is not the only thing in the drive line. You also have a transmission and differential (and a transfer case if a 4x4) that have a torque rating. Back when I was rebuilding transmissions, the straight skinny from a GM drive line engineer was that the Duramax engine was capable of something like 1000 ft lbs of torque and had been detuned to around 450 ft lbs, the transmission was rated at around 500 ft lbs. Before you go tinkering with tuners etc you need to find out what your trans is rated at. These torque ratings have changed over the years and have been bumped up since I retired from the trans business. With the torque that engine is capable of, it would be very easy to exceed the rating for the rest of the drive line.

[BandJCarm]

If you beef up your Duramax, you will have a Freightliner!!! Ain't nuthin' that sucker won't do.........leave it alone, man! You have more than you need. Fire it up, hook it up, and roll. The rest of the pack wishes they were you! LOL

[spock123]

I have heard of dealers here in N.C. that let you delete the emissions and still have the warranty. I talked to a shop last year that had a two month wait list to delete the emissions, some were new trucks. I think the emissions is a crock, new Diesel engines are pretty clean without the emissions.

[BandJCarm]

And I think deleting the emissions is a crock. And a total waste of time and money.