Powder coating is a tough paint-like coating that gets baked on. Putting it on a transmission helps protect it from rust and wear, and it also makes the parts look nicer.
A turbo has a hot part called the exhaust housing. Ceramic coating helps it survive extreme heat and can keep the turbo bay from getting as hot around it.
Allison is a company that makes automatic transmissions for heavy trucks. A “10-speed Allison” means the truck’s automatic gearbox has 10 different gear ratios, which can help it pull hard and stay in the right engine speed range.
The aftermarket is the market for non-factory parts—like upgrades or replacement components made by other companies. Here, it’s about people making parts to help fix or improve the 10-speed transmission.
In an automatic transmission, the valve body is like the control center that directs transmission fluid to make the gears shift. If there are “valve body issues,” the transmission may shift poorly or not work as reliably, particularly under heavy use.
Term
built 10 speeds
That phrase means the truck’s 10-speed automatic transmission has been strengthened or rebuilt. People do this so it can handle the extra stress of towing without wearing out as fast.
A tow rig is basically a truck that’s set up to pull trailers. It usually has upgrades so it can tow longer distances without overheating or wearing out.
A gooseneck is a trailer hitch where the trailer’s front sits higher and connects through a ball in the truck bed. It’s common for heavier towing because it helps the trailer track more steadily.
In trucks, “airbags” usually means air springs that help support the truck when you’re towing. They keep the truck from squatting too much and can make the ride steadier.
Here, “reliability” means the truck can make the whole trip without problems. For towing, that usually includes not overheating and not stressing the transmission and engine too much.
Term
LML mods
“LML mods” means changes people make to a specific diesel engine (the Duramax LML). Enthusiasts do it to improve how the truck runs, especially when towing, and to address reliability concerns.
Intake tuning means adjusting the truck’s settings to work with an intake change. The goal is usually to help the engine breathe better and run more correctly, especially when towing.
Cummins is a company that makes diesel engines. The host is saying they prefer trucks with Cummins engines because they trust them more for towing and long trips.
“Lifter tick” is a noisy tapping sound from inside the engine. It usually means the parts that operate the valves aren’t working as smoothly as they should, so it’s a sign you may need to inspect or fix the engine.
Term
Hamilton flat-tapid conversions
This sounds like a specific modification done by an engine shop (Hamilton) to fix a recurring engine noise problem. In this case, it was done because the truck had a lifter tick, and after the work the engine seemed to run normally for a while.
A downshift is when the truck changes to a lower gear so the engine can spin faster. The host is saying that during a pass the transmission shifted in a way that didn’t feel right and likely selected the wrong gear.
Term
incorrect six gear ratio
This means the transmission likely picked the wrong gear when it tried to shift into 6th. When that happens, the shift can feel really rough and can point to a transmission problem that needs diagnosing.
Modern trucks store error codes when something goes wrong. “Clearing the code” means resetting that stored error so the warning light may go away, but the problem might still be there.
Term
limped the truck
When a truck goes into “limp mode,” it reduces power so it won’t get worse. It’s basically a safety mode that lets you drive to get it checked.
Operating temperature is the normal heat level the truck is designed to run at. Warming up first helps the fluids work correctly and reduces the chance of overheating or weird behavior while towing.
A diagnostic tool is a scanner that can read the truck’s error codes and sometimes live data. It helps you figure out what’s wrong instead of guessing.
Onboard diagnostics are the truck’s built-in way of noticing problems and saving error codes. Better diagnostics make it easier to diagnose issues quickly when you’re on the road.
Turning radius is how tight you can turn when you’re driving slowly. Bigger tires and wheels can make it harder to turn sharply because they may hit or rub parts of the truck.
Wheel well plastics are the plastic covers around the tire area. If your tires are bigger or sit differently, they can rub those covers and tear them up.
Fender flares are the extensions around the wheel area. They help keep dirt and rocks off the body, and they can get scraped or damaged if your tires rub.
UCC is an event where people bring trucks to park and show them off. The speaker is using it as an example of what kinds of trucks you’ll see there.
Concept
Goosers
“Goosers” sounds like slang for a certain kind of towing truck setup. The speaker mentions it while talking about competitors, but they don’t explain exactly what it means here.
Concept
01 to 10 era
“01 to 10 era” means trucks from around the early 2000s through 2010. The speaker is using it like a category to talk about different styles of truck builds.
A lift pump is a small fuel pump that helps send diesel from the tank to the engine. When you tow, the engine may need more fuel than usual, and the lift pump helps keep that fuel supply steady.
Intake air temp control means keeping the air going into the engine from getting too hot. Hot air can make the engine less efficient and can increase stress when you’re towing.
Gauges are extra meters that show important temperatures and pressures. When towing, they help you catch overheating or excessive stress before it becomes damage.
An exhaust brake helps slow the truck using the engine and exhaust system. When you tow downhill, it can help you control speed and reduce how hard you have to press the regular brakes.
Intercooler pipes are the tubes that move compressed air from the turbo through the intercooler and back to the engine. Better piping is sometimes claimed to keep that air cooler, which can help the engine run more efficiently.
High flow intercooler pipes are bigger/less restrictive tubes for the turbo’s compressed air. The idea is that the air moves more easily and stays cooler, which can help the truck perform more consistently when towing.
An air intake is the path that air takes to get into the engine, usually with a filter. Upgrading it can change how much air the engine gets and how hot that air is, which matters when you’re towing.
Boost is the extra pressure a turbo creates to push more air into the engine. More boost usually means more airflow, which can translate to more power—up to the engine’s limits.
Restrictions are anything that makes it harder for air to move through the truck’s intake system. If you reduce those bottlenecks, the engine can breathe easier and may not need as much turbo pressure to get the same result.
Term
system becomes more efficient
When they say the system is more efficient, they mean the truck gets the air it needs with less “wasted” effort. So it can make power without needing as much turbo boost.
Different elevations mean the air pressure changes. At higher elevations there’s less oxygen, so a turbo diesel has to compensate to keep power and efficiency while towing.
EGTs means exhaust gas temperatures—how hot the gases get in the exhaust. When you tow hard, EGTs can climb, and keeping them under control helps protect the engine and turbo from overheating.
A “domino effect” here means one problem makes other temperatures go up too. For example, if intake air gets hot, the exhaust and engine cooling temps tend to rise as well.
Hot shot trucks are work trucks that haul smaller loads for businesses, usually on tight schedules. They’re typically set up for hauling efficiency and speed, not necessarily for the same front-end mods you see on some enthusiast tow builds.
Tow trucks are the vehicles used to pull or move cars that can’t drive. They’re usually built for recovery work, so their setup isn’t always the same as a truck built specifically for towing a trailer.
Cow pushers are tough front guards meant to protect the truck’s front end. They can change how the truck looks and sometimes how it breathes/handles, which can matter if you’re trying to keep temps down while towing.
A six-inch lift means the truck is raised higher than stock by about six inches. That usually lets you fit bigger tires, but it can also make towing harder on the truck.
Regearing is changing the axle’s gear ratio so the truck’s RPM and pulling feel match your setup. When you run bigger tires, regearing can help the engine pull better and not lug or over-rev.
The drive line is the set of parts that sends power from the transmission to the wheels. If you tow hard or run bigger tires, those parts can take more stress and wear out faster.
Wheel offset is how far the wheel mounting surface sits inboard or outboard relative to the wheel’s centerline. “Custom offsets” usually means changing that offset to fit larger tires or achieve a specific stance, which can affect tire clearance, scrub radius, and steering feel.
On GM diesel trucks, the LML is the engine code. A turbocharger is a device that uses exhaust gases to force more air into the engine, which helps it pull harder—especially when towing.
Michelin is a well-known tire maker. Choosing a Michelin tire can change how the truck grips and how much energy it takes to roll—both matter when towing.
A trailer is what you hook up behind the truck to carry the load. When towing, the trailer weight and balance can change how hard the truck has to work.
A “dually” is a truck with extra wheels on the back. It helps the truck carry and tow heavier loads more safely because the weight is spread out over more tires.
Rotational weight is the extra “work” needed to spin heavy parts like wheels and tires. If the wheels/tires are heavier, the truck has to spend more energy to get them moving, which can hurt towing efficiency.
The Dodge Ram is a pickup truck, usually bought for work or for towing things. Many versions come with diesel engines that make strong pulling power. In the podcast context, it sounds like they’re talking about a specific Ram and how it’s set up or maintained.
They mean the tires mounted on the wheels. Bigger or heavier tires can make the truck harder to spin, which can cost fuel and can also change what the speedometer shows.
Adapters are parts that help wheels fit correctly on a vehicle. They’re used to make the wheel match the truck’s mounting points, and they can add extra weight.
Lift kits are parts that raise a truck higher off the ground. They can change the truck’s weight and tire setup, which can affect how much fuel it uses while towing.
Picking the turbo isn’t just about making more power—it changes how fast the engine responds when you press the throttle. For towing, the “right” turbo helps the truck stay in the power band instead of working inefficiently.
An “RPM window” is the sweet spot of engine speed where the truck pulls hardest and works efficiently. When towing, you want to keep the engine in that zone so it doesn’t strain or feel sluggish.
Concept
second gen swaps
“Second gen swaps” means putting newer/other-generation turbo parts into a different truck. If the rest of the setup isn’t matched (tune, supporting mods), the truck can feel rough and be less reliable.
An “S 400 swap” means installing a bigger turbo (an S400-type) instead of the stock one. That can help the truck pull harder, but it can also make throttle response different depending on how you drive and tune it.
Term
S 300
“S 300” is a name people use for a certain style of turbo used in diesel performance setups. Different versions of that turbo can change how quickly the truck responds and how well it pulls for long towing runs.
“Fourth gen” means a particular generation of the truck model. The speaker is saying people often install parts from a different generation onto that truck, which can change how it drives and how reliable it is.
“24s” means the truck has very large wheels (24-inch rims). Bigger wheels can change how the truck rides and how efficiently it rolls, which can matter when you’re towing.
These are the tubes that move compressed air from the turbo through the intercooler and into the engine. Better pipes can help the truck breathe more easily, which can make it feel more responsive and efficient.
Airflow tuning means setting up the engine so it gets the right amount of air at the right time. On a turbo diesel, that can help it respond better when you press the pedal.
The power band is the RPM range where the engine feels strongest and most useful. If it’s broader, the truck pulls well across more driving situations.
Tuning the engine means reprogramming how the truck runs—like how much fuel and boost it uses. The right tune can make it pull better and feel smoother, especially when towing.
Term
do the trans
If you change the engine tune, you often need to adjust the transmission too. That helps the truck shift correctly and stay reliable when you’re towing heavy loads.
A gauge pack is a set of extra meters that show important numbers while you drive. It helps you spot overheating or boost/fuel issues early—especially when towing.
Engine vitals are the most important “health” numbers for the engine. Watching them helps you avoid overheating or running too hard, especially while towing.
An OBD scanner is a tool that connects to your truck and tells you what warning codes it’s throwing. It can sometimes clear the code so you can keep going to get it checked.
Throttle response is how fast your truck reacts when you step on the gas. If it feels delayed or weak, it can mean the engine isn’t getting the right power or is protecting itself.
A bigger injector is a fuel part that can spray more fuel into the engine. If you upgrade it without the right supporting changes, the truck can run poorly or cause problems.
Term
big turbo kit
A big turbo kit is an upgrade that increases the turbo’s ability to make boost (extra air pressure). More boost can mean more power, but it can also make the truck run hotter or feel worse if it’s not matched to the rest of the build.
The Dodge Charger is a large car (a sedan) that’s built for performance. People talk about it a lot because it can be made very powerful and still work well for driving on the road. It’s the kind of car you’d choose if you want both comfort and strong acceleration.
A weak link is the component in a system that limits performance or becomes the first to fail when you add power or load. In towing builds, the weak link might be something like cooling, fueling, or drivetrain durability—so improving it can help reliability, but only if you don’t create new bottlenecks elsewhere.
A maintenance bottleneck means your upgrades make it harder to do normal service. If it’s too complicated to maintain, the truck can become less reliable over time even if the performance parts are good.
Term
supporting modifications
When you upgrade one big thing on a truck, you often need other changes too. Those “supporting modifications” help the truck handle the extra power without overheating or stressing components.
Instead of changing everything at once, you upgrade your truck step-by-step. That way you can see what each change actually does and fix issues before moving to the next upgrade.
“Horse” is shorthand for horsepower, which is how much power the engine can make. More horsepower generally helps a truck pull harder, especially when towing.
“64” here probably refers to a particular upgrade or turbo size that affects how the truck drives. The speaker says the truck feels better with it, but this clip doesn’t clarify what “64” stands for.
LIVE
All right, everybody, welcome back to the Diesel Performance Podcast.
I am Anthony Bernini, and I'm here with my co-conspirator, Chris Emke.
Chris.
How you doing, man?
We're a little beaten and battered.
You know, we're coming back.
You know, 2026 is the come up year.
Yes.
So it's the comeback year for us.
So, you know, our listeners have been listening.
You've been absent.
Been absent.
You've been absent for a couple months.
Yeah.
You had, you know, kind of some serious stuff going on.
Why don't you share with the listeners what happened to you?
I mean, I want to lie to make it seem like a cool story.
I mean, that's kind of a cool story, but...
It is, but it isn't.
So you went bull riding.
Mechanical bull riding?
Yeah, I've been out.
I fractured two vertebrae in my back.
I got on a mechanical bull to show my friends' kids, like, hey, the mechanical bull is not
scary.
Uncle Anthony, I'll hop up on there.
About three seconds.
So I didn't make the full seven.
I didn't even think you asked the three seconds from the video.
Yeah, probably two and a half.
Yeah.
And just landed on my shoulder.
Folded like an accordion.
I folded up like a pretzel and I felt three pops and I started screaming and I've been
in a walker and a back brace for the past month or so.
So DJ, the shop manager here at the shop and I were riding our BMX bikes at a skate
park of all things that day.
And we get a video sent to us of Anthony on a stretcher and we're like, hey, we're risking
our lives doing dumb stuff in our mid-thirties and here you are riding a mechanical bull.
The thing that's crazy to me is I've taken a lot of falls over the years.
You falling on the mechanical bull proves to me that you've never taken a lot of hits.
You don't know how to fall, which is, it's a skill.
It's a skill.
I don't think I've fallen like that since I was a kid.
I believe it.
Like I cracked my ribs on a dirt bike last summer, but that was just, it happened so fast.
This just felt like it was slow and gradual and just is so stupid.
It was brutal.
When I saw the video and I saw the body accordion of sorts, I was like, I cringed.
Yeah.
It was, oh God.
Like you can like, you could hear the crack in the video.
Yeah.
And now you, you got, you got half an Iron Man suit over there.
Mine, mine's a little different.
So I, I had arm surgery last week on my elbow.
It's been an 18 year deal that I finally decided to get taken care of.
So I'm going to cast for a few weeks, can't really do a whole lot.
So, you know, I, I missed out on, you know, ultimate call out challenge this year.
So had a ton of fun doing all the interviews leading up to it, but my surgeon was able to
get me in and it just so happened to be the day before UCC and I don't want to wait any
longer.
So here we go.
You look tough though.
I, you know, it looks like maybe a dog bitch or something.
Police training.
I'm built back and I'm better.
You're built back better.
You know, we'll see.
Again, 2026 are a year.
It's, it's our year.
Did you last longer on the bull or?
Compared to what?
Never mind.
No.
He's, he's a two seconder.
Oh yeah, dude.
I know a couple of the past, you know, situations for that one.
So you check my references.
He's simple and quick.
Anyways, anyone that called in on Thursday and Friday, if you weren't at UCC this dude
after surgery was answering phone calls.
Yeah.
It was pretty wild.
They calibrated power works me like a dog.
I need to pay a raise.
I'm sick of it.
Next time you see Jason Worley, light them up.
They made Chris Nampke come in post-surgery.
Still delirious.
Yeah.
Unreal.
I'm the Valium's and the hydrocodones and everything else.
Skelter group.
Big time.
But it was fun.
You know, at the, at the end of it, you know, UCC was a success.
It looked like it was a good turnout.
Looked like some badass, you know, competitions and, you know, the fast 72.
I was watching following some of that.
Like just the whole event seemed like a little different than years past, but super solid
nonetheless.
It was very fun and, you know, just kind of touch on, you know, what I saw kind of a
wrap up more or less on that.
It was, we've always had booths, a smaller booth.
And again, we've always been separate.
Yeah.
With WC, wow, I cannot talk.
We've been separate from WCFAB, but now with us kind of joining forces, it was very neat
to share a corner spot.
It looked very fluent.
Yes.
They've always had like a big spot in the corner and, you know, people were always driving
trucks in and out.
It's right by the pit.
So you can kind of see all the racers getting ready and you see motors and transmissions
get pulled out of the trucks, but being able to kind of share that and have a collaboration
like we've changed our turbo carts, we had powder coated transmissions.
All the turbos on the stand had powder coated covers in like ceramicotic exhaust housing.
So being able to build an empire of sorts, like in terms of booths, it was very cool
to not only upgrade our stuff, but work with those guys because they put on a top notch
deal when they go to shows.
You know, Jason and the guys have always done a really nice job with designing their booth
and just the fluidness of having cool vehicles on display, showcasing their parts, now with
the collaboration of the two businesses.
Now, you know, that display gets a little longer and I guess there's a couple more excuses
to have a few more trucks in the lineup and have more powder coated bling under the hood
of the vehicle.
So that's where I think if I had any FOMO from the event, like it's all, it's always
awesome talking to customers and, you know, tons of people always come up, acknowledging
the podcast, which, you know, I've always been grateful for, but I think the FOMO of
like the new booth layout and just it looked easier.
Like everything looked more enjoyable, like especially with that new turbo cart that had
wheels and we were talking about getting little PYOs for it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
For the wheels.
That would be cool.
You know a guy that can do it.
I know.
We know a couple of them.
But it was very cool to, and I'm kind of getting to the point where I've been here coming
up, you know, eight and a half years that seeing the booth renditions over the years
like we had that big, like a better term, monstrosity.
It was neat.
It was 2018, man.
It was neat, but it was a bear to put together.
You remember taking that apart?
Yeah.
I think a lot of listeners maybe don't realize is, you know, vendors go to these events, right?
So they're away from their families, loved ones a day or two in advance.
They then have to be inconvenienced to drive or fly to a show.
Then they have to set up a booth and set up, you know, apparel layout, parts layout, all
these things.
And then they have to be on their A game for two or three days talking to customers, which
we all enjoy.
Like that, I feel like that's a piece that brings all of us together in the industry.
Yes, absolutely.
But then when everybody else gets to like enjoy the event or pack up and head home,
you then have to unpack the stage and everything that you brought on display and pack it all
up and secure it and it sucks.
It sucks.
We're always fortunate enough to have a fair amount of people to always help with that.
And thankfully we're only, depending on traffic, anywhere between three to four and a half hours
away.
It's not too far.
And like, we can drop the trailers off.
Hey, let's go home Sunday.
You should make it.
Deal with this Monday, Tuesday.
Yeah.
But then like you come in Monday, it's like, oh, shit, we got all these trailers on the
road.
We got all this shit.
But no, we had a real nice crew.
It was a real good turnout.
I was at a kind of a more of a fortunate enough position with all the people that we had,
where if I wanted to step away for an hour or two, I could go get something to eat.
I could walk through because they had the first gen show, which was nasty.
That was the other FOMO.
There were a lot of trucks.
A lot of cool trucks.
Folks, I, every time I feel like I see a first gen, it's either a cream puff perfect deal
or it's just a complete pile of shit.
Call it patina to an age.
It's okay.
All right.
My bad.
My bad.
You got to respect.
Come on.
But there is a very, a large, there's a whole shit ton of trucks.
I mean, Chris Cyril, when we interviewed him, like this was the largest first gen event
ever in the history of first gen events.
And he sort of gapped.
200 trucks, he said.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, it was several hundred.
But I mean, you factor that in being able to go sit in the bleachers, watch the races,
watch the dyno competition, you know, and then, you know, seeing the after hours burnout
competitions with people in some Walmart parking lots.
But it's very nice to actually go and be able to enjoy the show for a little bit.
You sure as shit can tell of when somebody oils down the track, but it gets flooded.
Everybody's coming out.
I mean, it's like that every year, but, you know, the people start racing, nobody's by
the booth.
Well, I think, I think UCC did a really good job this year, filling the stands, putting
people in the stands and having a lot of action, an action packed weekend full of great racing
and great competition, you know, so it, it, it warrants somebody to travel halfway across
the country or from out of the country even, and we've seen customers and, and spectators
from, from overseas come to this event, like it's those type of, you know, operations that
allow that take place.
There's people from Australia, a lot of guys from Canada and, you know, going through just
kind of the parking lot and the first gen show, people drove the first gen style from Ontario.
And I'm like, you got to be shitting me and Joey, well, of course, his first gen's, you
know, patina will say that.
And I'm like, he's like, I could not imagine my first gen from Ontario.
You say that until you, you open up the butterfly window.
So that front angle window, dude, and get the air facing on you, dude, say less factory
AC right there, dude, better than AC.
It's natural.
No, that it was a good, very good turnout, a lot of fun.
It's, it's very nice kind of catching up with the people like we talk to on the phones or
dealers we see every year.
One of our dealers blaze, he had the, now has the world record.
He beat Dimitri and the highest horsepower to through like a 10 speed Allison, 1300
and change 1300 and change, I think a little bit more.
He's one of our dealers.
He runs a lot of our chargers.
He's a very good customer of ours.
He represents the brand.
Well, he had, I want to say it was like him, his crew, maybe his wife or his girlfriend
was there and like they came by, dude, he was stoked, got him a couple of shirts, a
few hats for the crew.
And like that's, that's a shit ton of horsepower through one of those transmissions.
I mean, it's crazy to think a couple of years ago, you think of the 10 speed world and
oh, 10 speeds are never going to make any power.
10 speeds are junk.
And I'm not saying the aftermarket is caught up to what the 10 speeds capability is, but
it's, it's moments like that.
Yeah.
That can, that make you consider what the 10 speeds capabilities are.
Absolutely.
You know, and there's only more to come.
No.
And I feel like focusing on that, my big thing that I kind of wanted to talk about
today was reliability because again, 10 speeds have, people don't think they're
very reliable.
There's a lot of issues, valve body issues, people are starting to make parts for them.
I know DHD has a handful of stuff, Randy's and I believe Rev Max for at some point was
doing built 10 speeds.
Um, I wanted to talk to you because this whole past week, it was about racing, burnouts,
sled pulling, bringing your biggest baddest shit to the show.
And most guys are traveling across the country.
Yeah.
Some guys are like us within a few hours, but everybody have the race trucks out.
But what got the trucks there?
Yeah, that's a good point.
So like my big thing is I'm walking through the pits and while everybody's out racing,
all the tow rigs are there, all the goosenecks are unloaded, people had all their RVs, the
you know, stock 450s, you're seeing just regular trucks, maybe sudden airbags on them.
So a kind of question I have for you and we will both talk about it is what does
reliability mean to you?
I think that that's a loaded question, depending on your age and experience.
We had a podcast about like LML mods and being reliable with that.
I mean, I'm more or less kind of want to go to, if I told you, hey, Chris, because
you're bringing the boats, you've got your boat and you've got to travel 12 hours.
You know, brand loyalty aside, what kind of what truck are you picking?
Why are you picking it?
Is there any add-ons that you would do like airbags if they don't come with it from
the factory? Are you going to do intake tuning?
I mean, a lot of these are no brainers because of the business we're in.
But if you want to tow 12 hours reliably, what is your truck of choice?
What are you going to do?
And just before we touch on that, what does reliability mean to you on a trip like that?
So reliability on a trip like that means, can you make it from A to B in one piece,
right? Not have to pull to the side, not have to work on the vehicle, not have to,
you know, overlook or diagnose a potential problem.
Now, granted on a 12 or 13 mile or 13 hour drive, things can arise, right?
But there's still things you can do to be preactive.
At some point, shit's going to happen, regardless of what truck you pick.
So as far as platform goes, you know, I think any of the listeners or long term
listeners, I'm very Cummins oriented.
That's my truck of choice.
My personal truck has been nothing but a pile of shit this year.
You know, we talk about, you know, a long, long trip.
So I actually had to go back in May up to Northern Michigan to the engine
builder I'm working with to pick up my newly built motors for my boat.
And three weeks prior to me leaving, the guys in the shop had to do one
of the Hamilton flat-tapid conversions because I was having a lifter tick.
Oh yeah, that was noisy.
And drove the truck around town for a week or two, no issues, everything was good.
Get the truck on the open road.
It's a nine hour drive.
I'm about an hour and a half out from the builder.
This car is next to me.
I go to pass it and transmission downshifts, bangs incorrect six gear ratio.
I didn't hear about this.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh shit.
So cleared the code, limped the truck there, loaded up two big blocks in the back
of the button, the back of the truck, you know, 1,600, 1,800 pounds for the two.
And I limped the thing home.
The thing slipped on me three separate times on the way home.
So I come home and I'd order a trance.
I had to put another trance in the truck.
So that this is now the third transmission that's been in the vehicle.
And it has the valve body as a converter, right?
But there's other issues, but that's neither here nor there.
So what I say when doing a travel like that is you definitely want to get
some miles on the truck, get up to operating temp prior, make sure there's no
leaks, no nothing like that.
But what saved me on that particular trip is a gauge pack.
Oh yeah.
And having a diagnostic tool at my disposal.
So, you know, I think for me, um, I don't think I'd have a preference at
this point of saying, Oh, I would choose a Ford over a GM over a Ram.
I think it's more of what kind of onboard diagnostics are going to help
me navigate an issue if I run into one.
And then what are some other upgrades that you can make to the truck to not
stress it, but to make it work more effectively and to make the windshield
experience more, uh, enjoyable.
Yeah.
Is there a way to put it?
Yeah.
So, you know, I'd say I've learned a lot.
And again, that goes back to my initial statement of, if you were to have asked
me this when I was 22 or 23, I'd give you a completely different answer than
I'm, than what I'm going to tell you now, but less is more, man, less is more.
Yes.
And that's where again, a lot of the trucks that I've seen and, you know, kind
of you've told a lot more of the years than I have, but my experience is less
is more is a thousand percent.
Like, you know, we always, I always, DJ always gives me shit.
Anytime he works on like my truck or our cars, he's like, dude, OEM is best.
It's like, yeah, okay.
Well, I want, I want wheels.
I want tires.
I want this.
And that's the aesthetics and it's going to look cool, but you know, you go
and tow and you, you have a big wheel and tire that you don't get full turning
radius on that becomes an inconvenience at some sort, but you're ripping up your
wheel well plastics, your fender flares for the factory.
And like, yeah.
And I feel like that, that question that you're asking is loaded, because when
you go to an event like UCC and you have a lot of trucks out in the parking lot
with Goosers that are there for, you know, the, the competitors, you have, you
like your, your, your early era truck, right?
And there was a, there, there's always a far amount of fair amount of trucks there
that are in the 01 to 10 era, which, you know, you're going to modify those
slightly different than what you're going to do into the newer truck.
So, you know, I think let, let's cut out, you know, some trucks need lift pumps,
some trucks don't, right?
I think that that's a standard for, you know, fuel delivery, but you know, what
are some actual towing modifications that are going to help with intake air
temp control?
Okay.
Less stress at the turbocharger providing air, you know, enhance the experience
tuning, stuff like that.
Um, and then gauges, like I, I think like those are kind of the main things
I would look at.
Yeah.
I mean, I would just more or less echo that.
I feel like regardless of what platform you want to go with or what your
preference is, I mean, because everybody's going to have their own personal
preference for like creature comforts.
Again, I'm very big into the Fords.
I just drove down to Florida and back into Ford, granted I was unloaded, but
just the windshield experience, the driving experience, I loved it.
I have nothing against, you know, I don't have a lot of time in the new GMs or
the new Rams, but that's always been my preference.
But like you're saying, you know, if you can get something that's just tuned to
be a little bit more responsive, you've got a good quality exhaust break, which
I feel like any, if we're talking, any three brands going to have any three
brands going to have, I'm always impartial to the Ram because I feel like
that's just, those are the best exhaust breaks on the market.
Um, and like a gauge pack, like, you know, you keep it simple, you tuning, maybe
an intake, I think an intake.
One of the things that if, if you were to have asked me, you know, five years
ago, I would tell you, you know, run a factory air box, maybe do a cold air
intercooler pipes really don't mean much.
I've seen test data that, that supports something slightly different.
And I think like being more toe oriented, you know, I do see where, you know,
high flow intercooler pipes do add a value with, um, you know, better intake air
temp control, especially paired with an air intake, the turbocharger, you know,
a lot of times you explain to customers like, okay, well, if you do an air intake
and an intercooler tubes, the truck might actually make a pound or two less
boost while I'm not looking to lose power.
Well, you're not losing power.
You're creating less restrictions for that air to travel.
Therefore the system becomes more efficient.
Yeah.
But I was making more boost before you're not comprehending what I'm telling
you, you know, it's, it's about efficiency.
And that becomes an educational piece.
It becomes an educational piece.
And now it's, you know, you explain to that guy that, you know, he's hooked up to
10, 12, 15,000 pounds and he's going across, you know, the country and he's
going into different elevations where he's hitting different, uh, grades.
And it's like, okay, well, you want to do anything and everything you can to
stabilize that intake air temp, right?
And take air temp gets hot, EGTs get hot, coolant temp gets hot.
It's a domino effect.
It's everything.
So if you can control it from the front of the engine, it's all going to give
you a better experience.
Yeah.
And none of these, you know, hot shot trucks or tow trucks, like nobody's got
ranch hands on the front.
No, nobody's got, I mean, there might be a shoe, they're the ones calling us
saying everything's hot.
Um, most people don't have big bumpers or cow pushers on the front.
Um, guys are typically aren't getting stupid with the wheels and tires.
If they are, they're kind of stunting just for like, you know, I get it.
I mean, there, and there's going to be the listeners out there that are like,
Oh, you know, I tow with 37s on a six inch lift.
Yes.
We're not saying you can't tell with 37s on a six inch lift.
However, if the truck is a dedicated to her, unless you're regearing the truck
and you have this whole theme of the truck that you're building, most guys
are going to run a relatively smaller tire wheel combination because they're
looking for fuel economy.
They're looking for mileage.
They're not looking to put a ton of wear and tear on the drive line.
Also, one of those 37s blow out and you know, there's a tire shop down the
road, Grant, they have all sorts of, sorts of shapes and sizes.
The odds of them having a stock or closest stock tire size is much higher
than your mudgrap 37s that you bought off custom offsets and you financed.
You know, so it's funny.
My, one of my longterm friends, customers of ours, his name's Doug, he
owns a body shop and he's actually the gentleman who, uh, he was our test bed
for our SDR for the LML turbocharger and he's had competitors, turbos.
He's had two variations of our 64 Mach 1s.
And then, you know, we've noticed over my seven years of friendship with him
that the turbocharger is getting smaller and smaller and smaller, but the
truck is getting better and from a towing perspective, from
a fuel economy perspective.
And Doug's one of those guys where, um, when, when he's into it, he's 180%
into it, right?
And he's, he's going to research, he's going to, you know, collect data,
like he's, he's in it.
And the new thing has been the difference of having a factory, uh, like
the duly wheel that's on the new GMs, or I think they're like, uh, 20 inch wheels.
Um, and his truck originally came with like 17s, right?
And, you know, he calls me up a couple of months back.
He's like, Oh, I scored this deal on, on marketplace.
I got the 20 inch takeoffs off this L5P.
I'm going to put a Michelin tire on it.
It's going to look badass.
And I'm like, yeah, your mileage is also going to drop.
No, it won't be bad.
It's all right.
Well, he gets a truck out of storage this spring has the truck, you know,
wheel and tire on there and he's moving some boats around doing his thing.
And he's like, Chris, he's like, I would get 14, 15 driving around.
He's like, I'm getting like 12.
He's like, I hooked up to the trailer.
Like I'm, I'm, I'm not single digits.
He's like, but you know, his boat, 12, 13,000 pound boat.
He's like, it was getting like 10, 10 and a half.
He's like, I was getting 12, 13 before.
And it's like, okay, go on your chat, GPT and search this.
Right.
Yeah.
So he realizes that each wheel weight from what he had in 2014 till now is about
a 30 pound difference per wheel.
Well, it's a dually.
So multiply that by six and just the wheel, no tires, the wheels.
And then the tires were something like 15 or 18 pounds.
But what you're not accounting for is the rotational weight.
Like it's, it's a byproduct at that point, right?
It's a domino effect.
So he goes, oh, something's wrong with the truck.
You know, I need to look at it.
I'm like, you save your old wheels tires.
Yeah.
All right.
Just, just put them back on.
What do you mean?
You never had this problem with the old wheels, but the new wheels on now you're
bitching and complaining and like, yeah, fuel prices are $6 a gallon.
And I'm sure his shit of green that they're probably watering down the fucking
fuel, but different episodes on that one, different episode, conspiracy about fuel.
Um, but he swapped the old wheels back on.
My other job right back up.
I would say pop right back up.
You know, so it's, you don't, you know, you don't really think about that.
And I have another buddy down in Florida and he's got a newer Ford, big Ford fan
like you are.
And, you know, we, we did, you know, tuning for them and stuff like that.
And he was super happy and, you know, he wanted to stunt and put 24s on 37s.
And he's calling me, my mileage went down, man.
Like, you know, I was getting great mileage.
And it's like, right, well, do you know how much you're 24 by 14 inch wheel
ways and like it looks good in photos, but the practicality, especially when
you are trying to calculate mileage and you are trying to have a good tow rig,
like those functionalities go out the window.
So those are the reasons why I say like, Hey, if you asked me this when I was 20
versus me at 36, like the wants of neither are vastly different.
Very different.
I mean, we have a 25 Ram to do really and just taking the stock ones off of there.
Like those aren't light by any means.
And then we put American forces on there.
Holy shit.
Like, I mean, like we also are not going into this thinking, Oh, we're going to
get great mileage.
Like we know what we're getting ourselves into.
But when you have a 234 mile per gallon drop, like that substantial
and you're towing out to Colorado and, you know, there's no tuning for these
trucks are like the speedos off.
Like, you don't know what kind of mileage you're getting, but just putting the
wheel and tire on the truck and trying to finagle that on with the adapters.
It's like, that is a shit ton of weight.
No, I mean, I, I went from my, my 2020, I went from a 22 by 10 with a street
tire back to a factory, you know, the 20, the 20 inch limits on the, the factory,
you know, uh, trans forest tires.
My mileage went up three miles to the gallon.
I didn't tune the truck.
I do nothing.
Speedos been accurate on both ends.
That's just wheel weight, tire, uh, contact to the ground and just rotational weight.
I mean, we could even get into the argument.
I mean, this probably opens up a whole nother can of worms, aside from like wheels
and tires, like, I mean, I'll group lift kits in there as well, because everybody
knows you have a few hundred pounds of metal and, you know, aerodynamics.
That's going to mileage.
You're going to shit the bed there.
Um, like turbo choice plays a huge factor in reliability and towing and just
response of the truck is like, let's say you're operating in a certain RPM
window like that, you know, call it 2,000 RPMs, 2200 depend on what gear you're in.
Speed, all that stuff.
Um, you know, if you sing, if you, uh, S 300 or S 400 swap, I mean, the amount
of guys with second gen swaps on their fourth gen, which is, if you like, you
could throw a rock and hit six trucks.
Yeah.
But I mean, those guys are also on 24s.
They got rubber bands and they're not really there for mileage, but like, oh,
it drives like shit.
Can you tune it?
Well, I don't want to be a dick, but it drives like shit because of exactly what
you did.
The turbo and what you did to the truck, but it looks good.
If the trucks rip, they look good.
There's a handful of trucks around like, Oh, it's another second gen swap.
And I look under the hood and I'm like, damn, this shit's nice.
It looks clean.
But yeah, when we're talking about the topic of reliability, it's like getting
from A to B with the best mileage possible given the scenario.
You know, we're not asking for miracles or anything.
Like what's, if, if I got, you know, the wife and kids in the back and you're
hauling your boat to go down to the Ozarks, for example, like I want a quiet
truck, I want a clean truck and I want something that I know that every time I
fire it up, it's going to work and do everything that I want it to.
And if I have an issue, I can either fix it on the side of the road or parts
are readily available where I don't have to special order anything and stay a
weekend somewhere and just ruin the vibe.
Yeah, I would say on something like that intake intercooler pipes, you know,
there's, there's simple ancillary upgrades you could do to clean up some
weak links from truck to truck, which this is like broad spectrum, right?
So intake intercooler pipes help with airflow tuning to help with the
responsiveness and broaden the power band, help with efficiency.
If you're going to tune the engine, do the trans, right?
And deal with a reputable source that knows what the hell they're talking
about and not take four days to get back to you.
Chances are they're not doing the tuning.
A gauge pack, I can't stress that enough.
And I think a gauge pack is so overlooked.
And then when you explain a story, like what I told you about my truck prior,
it's like, Hey, man, you don't want to be driving the middle of the night, you
know, and you get a code on the truck and you got to wait for that auto zone to
wake up, you know, wake up to open up the next morning for you to be able to check
the code, like, you know, something like that, which is an on board that you
can monitor the engine vitals.
It's a protection of the investment.
Like to me, you're buying a vehicle, whether it's 10,000, 20,000 or 100,000,
a $500 gauge pack goes a very, very long way to see what the truck's doing.
And again, be able to check codes.
Or even if you're not in a position to get a gauge pack, because again,
depending on what you get, that can be pricey.
Like, I don't, kind of, I don't want you to get like a shitty OBD scanner,
but something, something where if you need to clear code and get you to the
next exit, it's so much better than, than having nothing.
Cause the last thing you want is a stupid code.
It's just that, that ruins the trip that you're on the side of the road again.
No throttle response.
What ruins the trip, right?
You're in your truck having an issue.
So you're frustrated and then you have your significant other who is, I told you
not to do this or I told you not to buy this or I didn't even want to go on this
trip and you have the kids in the back screaming and yelling.
And it's like, you could have been a little bit more proactive.
You didn't need to buy that bigger injector.
You didn't need to buy that big turbo kit.
You, you could have spent your money in better areas and not been the bragging
warrior and your group of friends with the biggest charger or the most power.
But hey, man, I went on a trip and my wife was happy, right?
I didn't, I'm not getting divorced and I didn't have a domestic on the side of
the road.
Like you hear about this stuff all the time.
My RV is uncovered and soot and doesn't smell like smoke on the inside.
Yes.
We've, we've all either been, we've all had that firsthand or we've heard
enough experiences in our life to be like, I mean, because there's a lot of stuff
over the years I've learned from customer stories calling in of horror
stories.
I'm like, well, I thought about doing that to my truck, but I'm definitely not
going to do that anymore.
I think the best way to sum this whole thing up to me is, is I understand you
want to justify a weak link and improve it, but you don't want to over
complicate the setup to where it becomes a bottleneck to maintenance or the
long-term reliability of the truck down the road.
Yeah.
You know, and that's why, you know, you keep it simple.
I think that's where you see guys like, Hey, I want, you know, I'm looking
for a turbo upgrade.
Well, is there anything wrong with your turbocharger?
No.
Were you looking for more power?
Well, no, it's like, okay, what are we doing?
What are we, what are we talking about?
Yeah.
Well, you know, my buddy said that if I do a turbocharger, I'll make more boost.
Well, you said you didn't want more power and you are happy with where the truck is
and you don't have the two or three supporting mods to be able to do that
turbocharger.
So let's play a game of charades, right?
Devil's advocate here.
You're that guy who has that new truck that you put a new turbo on that you
didn't need when I needed three other supporting modifications.
Now you're hooked up to that RV trailer that your buddy told you that you needed
to buy the turbo for to help.
That's a cluster of fucking its own, right?
Right time.
You know, so I don't know.
I would say be tasteful, do it in stages, be smart about it.
Stages is a big thing.
And I've learned that over the years.
Again, just what kind of what you've taught me since I've started, you know,
especially with the guys in the shop, watching trucks get built.
I feel like, and I think you kind of resonate with this as well, I've turned
away people from wanting to do mods because they didn't have those three or
four other modifications or, hey, you're looking at our 67, like perfect.
Like I have a 67 on my LOY with stock feeling.
Is it a waste of money?
At the time I planned on trying to make 7,800 horse, I was just setting
myself up for the future.
Like my truck drives nice, but it drive a hell of a lot better with an STR on it
or a 64.
I also feel like at the time that was your only truck and that's kind of what's
resonating in my head now when, because we, the reason for this episode was,
is we generally see a surge in performance parts after a big show like this.
You get spectators that go to an event, they get fucking fired up, right?
Like I want to be that local Tom hero, local sled pole.
I want to do bad shit with my truck.
No difference, no difference from us when we go to the drag strip with like our
cars and it's like, I gotta go faster.
What's next?
The difference is, is these competitors that are competing at an event that you
were aspiring to potentially be in, have the reliable test or the tow rig in the
parking lot that's going to get them from A to B.
It's not their daily driver.
It's not their only vehicle.
They are able to break it and just let it sit.
And I think this is that.
Rude, lead, disgusting lesson that we've all dealt with.
We all preach it as we get older, but the only way you're going to learn it is by
fucking up,
you're going to be on the side of the road and then you're like, I'm never going
to put myself in this position.
Y'all get married twice.
Y'all going to pay child support because your girlfriend that you got pregnant,
you know, doesn't want to be with her anymore because your truck broke down,
been there, done that.
That's why that sounded pretty small.
But you know, it's just one of those where it's like, you know, don't modify
outside your means, but you need to have something that's reliable to get you from
A to B and don't overcomplicate it.
You know, I think anybody who is competing at a big level is going to tell you that
same thing, you know, not aspiring you not to have fun.
No, like have fun, you know, make your modifications.
Like I've had my LV seven, you've had your 59 and a half full of other
trucks, like we've built shit.
Built shit when that was my only vehicle and I had a kid on the way and my, you
know, girlfriend, ex-wife, I'm a girlfriend, but you know, that thing broke.
I got bitched at, I got yelled at.
What are you doing?
Shut up, leave me alone.
It's like now I've got my little Volkswagen, my daily driver.
You've got your BMW daily driver.
Like are both of our trucks are tastefully or I'd say tastefully modified for
reliability or like we're not getting ignorant with them.
My excitement of modifying a truck over the last 13 years of employment here have
gone down.
I'm not saying I don't have another modified truck in my, in my future.
Oh yeah.
There is another play vehicle that's going to come before too long, but you need
to have that reliable daily tow rig to be able to get from A to B when you want
to have one.
Yeah.
I mean, that's more or less like the topic today was reliability because I'm
at this event, I'm at UCC and you know, anytime you go to a drag strip, anytime
you go to any sort of event, truck show, car show, you see the biggest, baddest
shit, but like, Hey, what do these guys have at home?
What got them to the show?
What got them to the events?
Like, Oh, you see that bust out 450 with 400,000 miles on it.
That thing is the most meticulously maintained truck and that guy just set
the world record on the dyno.
I, uh, I always, I always talk to customers and I relate to them by
saying your truck is a tool, right?
It's no different than any, you know, any mechanic that has a, you know,
20, 30, $40, $50,000 in tools and a toolbox, their truck is a tool to get
them from A to B, right?
They need to be reliable.
Use it for money, use it for whatever the case may be.
It's no different.
It's reliable awareness, reliability awareness.
I call it.
You don't want to mess with, with somebody's tools.
No, no, not at all, but that's, uh, that's what I got for today.
Chris, you got any party gifts for anybody on the way out?
Heal up, hopefully healing up nice.
Now, hopefully you are, you're walking around looking good.
I'm walking, I'm talking, I'm out of the brace for now.
We're on the up and up.
I think moving forward, we'll be doing, uh, you know, tandem podcasts again,
which are cool.
It, uh, I love doing them by myself.
I'm shaking my head.
No, I hate doing them myself.
I felt so bad.
It's always nice having someone to feed off of.
So, you know, I appreciate you being back and healing up quick and, you know,
looking forward.
We have some, we have some exciting episodes ahead of us.
Some, some awesome interviews, doing some UCC follow ups.
Um, and then we have some other stuff in the hopper, some drive along, some
interviews with, you know, just different parts, manufacturers, things like that.
So new products on the horizon to lots of new products, products.
But no, appreciate everybody coming out to UCC.
It was nice to, uh, put some, some faces with names that you'll talk about Facebook
over the years and, and, uh, Instagram and everything else.
But, uh, no, just want to thank everybody for coming out and a nice chat with you.
And, uh, we'll catch you next time.
What do you mean?
You never had this problem with the old wheels.
But the new wheels on now you're bitching and complaining and like, yeah,
fuel prices are $6 a gallon and I'm sure as shit agreeing that they're probably
watering down the fucking fuel, but.
About this episode
Reliability for long-distance towing takes center stage, with the hosts framing it as “getting from A to B” and sharing real-world breakdown stories. One Cummins-oriented truck suffered a lifter tick, then a harsh downshift with an incorrect gear ratio, and even limp-mode trouble that required multiple transmission repairs—until a gauge pack helped them manage the situation. They also break down towing build priorities: intake/air-temp control, exhaust braking, staged tuning, and why “you don't want to over complicate the setup.”
Anthony and Chris got to thinking after the AMSOIL UCC event, you see these beast trucks competing, but no one talks about what they used to get them there. Diesel trucks modified and created to be towing machines. The boys wanted to discuss building a reliable, bad ass tow rig. Wheter you are towing boats, campers, your race car or truck, the boys put together mods they think make an ultimate tow rig. Enjoy!
