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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Upgrades That Can Bulletproof Your Truck

By Jone Carducci


While aftermarket upgrades are cool, they do make your diesel engine more temperamental. In addition to making sure that maintenance is properly scheduled, it is wise to add some features that will help accommodate the changes that you have made to your truck.

Generally one of the first upgrades most people make is adding a tuner to their truck. This device offers you the flexibility to adjust and control your engine. Without it, you are stuck with factory computer settings, which really don't allow you to get the most out of your powerful diesel truck engine. If you want to alter the fuel injection and pressure, boost and much more, a programmer or tuner is essential. There are many brands out there, including Edge, Smarty, Bully Dog and more. Some of the tuners can even make adjustments on-the-fly which is pretty amazing, but it's not really that big a deal to simply pull over, change to a new program and drive off again.

Your truck might be an awesome example of aftermarket bliss with a tuner, an exhaust kit, new fuel pump or any combination of upgrades. In general, a diesel truck requires careful maintenance in order to avoid serious problems, and this is even more the case if you have upgraded. So don't add upgrades without also adding in some way to monitor your engine. There are monitors and gauges that can give you a better idea of what is going on and allow you to more closely check the engine performance and identify problems before they become major disasters.

When your truck is heavy, it has to work much harder, but there are ways to reduce weight. Upgrades add weight, so you can counter the weight by removing the winch and opting for lighter bumpers. In addition, bigger wheels and tires also add weight, so skip plus-sizing if you want to save a little weight. Obviously if you plan on off-roading, you might still want the winch and brushguards, but if you are always driving on paved roads, you really don't need these weighty extras.

There are so many great upgrades that allow you get better mileage and increased torque and horsepower, as well as improve the whole drive experience. But they do take their toll on your factory transmission. The good news is that you can certainly upgrade to a better automatic transmission, and while it's pricey, it's definitely a way to better accommodate all of these great new upgrades you have installed or are planning to install.

In the end, it's all about vehicle care. The better care you take of the vehicle, the less likely it is that you will face serious problems. If you have added aftermarket parts, don't rely on manufacturer's suggestions for maintenance visits. You need to check the engines, clean filters and do oil changes much more frequently. In addition, if you drive off-road, tow heavy loads or drive a lot more than the average driver, you need to adjust maintenance to ensure that all the parts are working correctly.




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