DW  DYNO

Tuned Titans: Calibrated Power Solutions Dyno Day

 While the CPS dyno has been known to be a bit of a heartbreaker, Justin Lilley’s big green Cummins had no problems pushing right past that 800-hp mark to bring home 2nd place out of over 30 trucks on the day with 828hp and 1341fl-bs of torque.
While the CPS dyno has been known to be a bit of a heartbreaker, Justin Lilley’s big green Cummins had no problems pushing right past that 800-hp mark to bring home 2nd place out of over 30 trucks on the day with 828hp and 1341fl-bs of torque.

When you think of Chicago, Illinois, a few things come to mind, such as Michael Jordan and his 6-time NBA championship winning Bulls, the 106-year drought (since the Cubs have won the MLB World Series) and the 1,451-ft tall Willis Tower nestled in downtown, which is the second tallest building in the country. But what Illinois has that goes unseen to many is a strong agricultural economy due to some of the country’s best growing soil and vast farming communities. With farming, come hard working men and women who rely on mechanical expertise to stay busy during the winter months. With that knowledge and time, you can rest assured that some pretty impressive diesel performance builds and sled-pulling trucks can be found within Illinois.

“Unlike some dyno competitions, the day wasn’t so much about who was better than who, but more about owners getting a chance to see what their hard-earned cash and countless hours in the shop tinkering on their trucks had accomplished.”

Calibrated Power Solutions may not be a name you’re familiar with, but if you follow the performance Duramax or Cummins scene you’re sure to have heard of DuramaxTuner and CumminsTuner, some of the most popular and successful EFI Live custom tuning companies in the business. Calibrated Power Solutions (CPS) is the official name of the business, as the names CumminsTuner and DuramaxTuner may limit the public perception to what they actually do. CPS specializes in performance tuning for many applications including: GM, Vortec gas, Jeep CRD diesel, Chevrolet Cruze Diesel, Volkswagon Jetta Diesel, and most recently have expanded into the agriculture market with tuning for the John Deere platforms. While these are relatively small markets, the 2006+ Cummins and 2001+ Duramax trucks are obviously where the bulk of CPS’ business comes from. They’ve helped tune and build some of the strongest running trucks in the country. On May 16th, owner Nick Priegnitz and his crew put together a customer appreciation day and dyno event at their headquarters in Marengo, Illinois.

The CPS chassis dyno room is used almost daily for testing new products and creating new tuning for customers all over the country, but for one weekend a year, the doors are opened to the public, and the bleachers are setup to help prove where bragging rights for the highest horsepower truck belong.
The CPS chassis dyno room is used almost daily for testing new products and creating new tuning for customers all over the country, but for one weekend a year, the doors are opened to the public, and the bleachers are setup to help prove where bragging rights for the highest horsepower truck belong.
 While some mid-morning rain showers and overcast skies rolled over Marengo, IL, during the event, it didn’t keep the spectators and competitors off the dyno. The crew from Calibrated Power put together a great event with plenty of their products and shop projects out on display.
While some mid-morning rain showers and overcast skies rolled over Marengo, IL, during the event, it didn’t keep the spectators and competitors off the dyno. The crew from Calibrated Power put together a great event with plenty of their products and shop projects out on display.
Kyle Novak of Machesney Park, IL, strapped his 2001 GMC Sierra down to the dyno to see where his hard work and bundle of aftermarket parts helped him get to; with 623hp to the ground, it’s safe to say where ever he’s headed to next, he’ll get there quick.
Kyle Novak of Machesney Park, IL, strapped his 2001 GMC Sierra down to the dyno to see where his hard work and bundle of aftermarket parts helped him get to; with 623hp to the ground, it’s safe to say where ever he’s headed to next, he’ll get there quick.

Diesel Dyno

The 1958 Chevrolet Apache truck
The 1958 Chevrolet Apache truck, dubbed “Apache Max” is the latest Duramax-powered truck to hit the DuramaxTuner fleet of competition vehicles and will soon be seen in the local sled pull Work Stock classes. This vintage Chevy has been outfitted with a fully built LB7 engine, all new DT Stealth turbocharger, custom air to water intercooler, plenty of injector and a ZF-6 manual transmission. The truck has been a 2-year work in progress with a complete frame-off restoration job with all new paint, upgraded axles and drivetrain.

Unlike some dyno competitions, the day wasn’t so much about who was better than who, but more about owners getting a chance to see what all their hard-earned cash and countless hours in the shop behind the house tinkering on their trucks had accomplished. There were no classes made for Stock, Single and Compound trucks, as the event was just a way of saying thanks to customers and friends while giving everyone an excuse to talk trucks for the day. Calibrated employees were talking to spectators about different products and options to help improve their trucks, from basic Spade tuners to drop-in replacement Stealth turbochargers out on display.

Taking home the highest horsepower numbers for the day was Jim Rendent’s 2006 5.9L Cummins sporting a massive set of compound turbos, dual CP3s and just about every supporting mod you could think of. As the current record holder on the CPS dyno, Rendent was hoping to beat his previous numbers this go around, setting the record even higher, and at 1,173hp and 2015ft-lbs of torque, he did just that. Second place was another Cummins powered truck at 828hp and 1341ft-lbs torque, owned by Justin Lilley of Princeton, IL. The bright green Dodge proved it wasn’t just built for show. The third place numbers were put down by Chuck Dilley’s 2007 GMC Duramax with 817hp and 1513ft-lbs. DW

diesel-powered 1981 Volkswagon Rabbit owned by Mitch Wherli
No, it wasn’t the best looking rig at the event, but this diesel-powered 1981 Volkswagon Rabbit owned by Mitch Wherli was proud to take home the low number on the day with an earth-shattering 32hp and 121lb-ft of torque.
emission legal LML Duramax with an S475 compound turbo kit
No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you; that indeed is an emission legal LML Duramax with an S475 compound turbo kit. As the DuramaxTuner LML test bed, this 2011 2500HD Denali produces 640hp to the rear tires while maintaining a fully functional EGR, DPF and Urea system.

Firepunk

Jim Rendent’s 2006 5.9L Dodge
Jim Rendent’s 2006 5.9L Dodge isn’t just built for show and definitely had what it needed to snag overall high horsepower numbers for the day. With a pair of big polished turbos and plenty of fuel injector, the Common Rail 5.9L was more than 300hp above second place; this nasty little hotrod came in at 1,173hp and over 2000lb-ft of torque.
It takes a keen eye, but looking closely you can see not two but three S400 turbochargers hanging off the side of that Duramax engine. Owned and built by Jason Wherli of Wherli Fabrication, this LB7 Duramax has a host of custom parts that have helped push it to be one of the highest horsepower trucks to ever cross the DuramaxTuner chassis dyno.
It takes a keen eye, but looking closely you can see not two but three S400 turbochargers hanging off the side of that Duramax engine. Owned and built by Jason Wherli of Wherli Fabrication, this LB7 Duramax has a host of custom parts that have helped push it to be one of the highest horsepower trucks to ever cross the DuramaxTuner chassis dyno.
 Over the course of the past year or two, Calibrated Power Solutions has branched out into the agricultural market with their new John Deere tuning calibrations that can offer better PTO horsepower, better pulling power, and even moderate fuel savings. Their most recent purchase is this unique mobile PTO dyno that can be taken out into the field or to agricultural expos for on-site tuning.
Over the course of the past year or two, Calibrated Power Solutions has branched out into the agricultural market with their new John Deere tuning calibrations that can offer better PTO horsepower, better pulling power, and even moderate fuel savings. Their most recent purchase is this unique mobile PTO dyno that can be taken out into the field or to agricultural expos for on-site tuning.
Just a month before the CPS Dyno Day event, the DuramaxTuner crew had this LB7-powered drag truck outfitted with its Corvette killing attire and tried its hand at The Texas Mile. Running over 172 mph, you’re looking at the fastest diesel-powered truck to ever hit the Texas Mile track.
Just a month before the CPS Dyno Day event, the DuramaxTuner crew had this LB7-powered drag truck outfitted with its Corvette killing attire and tried its hand at The Texas Mile. Running over 172 mph, you’re looking at the fastest diesel-powered truck to ever hit the Texas Mile track.
It wasn’t an official “Show-n-Shine” contest, but there were plenty of trucks on hand proudly showing off what was under the hood. The custom twin and triple turbo kits by Wherli Fabrication and monster 1000+hp LML Dually build by Empire Diesel were a few of the crowd favorites.
It wasn’t an official “Show-n-Shine” contest, but there were plenty of trucks on hand proudly showing off what was under the hood. The custom twin and triple turbo kits by Wherli Fabrication and monster 1000+hp LML Dually build by Empire Diesel were a few of the crowd favorites.

results

[divider]Editor’s Note[/divider]

Calibrated Power Solutions has built multiple competition-based vehicles to showcase their tuning capabilities and aftermarket products performance potential. CPS’ 2001 Chevrolet LB7 1/4-mile race truck has most recently been modified with high-speed rated tires, taller 3.42-gears and a 6-spd Allison transmission in preparation for its run at a record top speed on the famous Texas Mile race track that took place in April. After making some additional changes under the hood to bump horsepower as much as the team could, CPS’ new Stealth 67 and BorgWarner S500 compound turbo system runs through a massive water to air cooler fabbed up to keep charge temps under control during the long wide open throttle conditions on the mile long track. After making a few qualifying passes at the Texas Mile on the first day of testing, driver Owen Powell was able to push the truck to its max the following morning and break the long standing diesel truck record of 168 mph with a wicked fast 172.2 mph-run. CPS says its team is looking to make some additional changes to the truck throughout the year, including gaining a little more RPM and decreasing wind drag across the truck to hopefully set that record even higher in 2016.

Another awesome project truck coming out of the DuramaxTuner stable was the 1958 Chevrolet Apache truck that had undergone a 2-year frame-off restoration and complete drivetrain overhaul that consists of a fully-built LB7 Duramax engine and 6-speed ZF manual transmission. Dubbed “ApacheMax,” this stealth metallic grey truck has had countless hours of paint and bodywork done, along with an incredible amount of attention to detail to the wiring, plumbing and layout of the Duramax engine transplant. Built as a Work Stock sled-pulling truck, the front and rear axles have also been beefed up to be sure it can withstand the abuse and power it will soon be subjected to along the local sled pulling series. The vintage truck will be used as a bit of a test-bed for the soon to be released line by DuramaxTuner’s Stealth series of turbochargers. With their LB7 direct drop-in performance upgrade Stealth 64 already under the hood, the ApacheMax should be able to support low 600hp and offer good street manners. That 64mm turbo will soon be replaced with their latest Stealth upgrade that uses a larger 67mm Forged Mill Wheel that should push the old truck up past the 800-hp level.

SOURCE:

Calibrated Power Solutions

815-568-7922

Calibratedpower.com

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