6.5 Performance

[shaneorton]

I am new to the site so forgive me if I do something that is not customary here. My head gasket blew and the mechanic wants a grand to fix it so instead I thought I could save up and put that money into having a better truck. I've been looking pretty seriously at getting the "HT#4 Performance Camshaft" from heath diesel, marine injectors and the s&b cold air intake. Dose anyone have any experience with these products? Or know of any better things to do?

[racer55]

Stock 97+ K47 round air filter intake/filter housing is a better value from the wreckers.

Most reports say little to no value from the cam swap.

No benefit to marine injectors-the stock injectors can flow more fuel than the IP can deliver so don't waste your money on unfounded claims.

The marine injectors can add power but they must be paired with the DB4 marine mechanical I.P.
A set of new stock injectors or rebuilt injectors that have Bosch nozzles ONLY will give a prefromance increase over worn out nozzles and should be done every 1000,000 miles anyway as a maintenance item.

A performance tune is worth spending on if you have the electronic IP,otherwise turning up the fuel screw a bit is all you can do on the mechanical IP.

[Kennedy]

I would ask to see some form of real proof of performance from this camshaft. Lot's of big claims, lots of money, lots of work, and I suspect lots of BS. I've been hearing the outrageous 70HP camshaft claims and I sure don't buy it. If I had something like that I'd sure have some proof to back it up.

[More Power]

The Duramax performance community long ago rode herd on the aftermarket by demanding proof of an advertised performance gain. If company advertised a xxxhp gain, it'd better be close or the word would get out on the Internet and the underperformance exposed.

For some unexplained reason, 6.5 owners don't hold the aftermarket to the same standards. As a result, there are a few aftermarket vendors who advertise impossible hp improvements, and they somehow get away with it.

Always ask the vendor for dyno charts showing before and after. Ask the vendor if anyone has reviewed the product and provided independent testing (by someone who has dyno'ed/performance tested their truck before/after).

The 6.5 isn't seen all that often at dyno events around the country, but some thoughtful owner somewhere may have done his own data collection for that product. Back in the 1990s, before chassis dynos were available to more people, testers used 0-60mph runs and loaded hill climbs to measure the performance changes. This data can be useful to help consumers determine whether a performance product is delivering.

In short, be just a little skeptical. Don't believe any 6.5 performance claim without proof. Don't install a performance product without understanding how to safely use it. You don't want to damage the engine by not having that information.

[racer55]

Stock 97+ K47 round air filter intake/filter housing is a better value from the wreckers.

Most reports say little to no value from the cam swap.

No benefit to marine injectors-the stock injectors can flow more fuel than the IP can deliver so don't waste your money on unfounded claims.

The marine injectors can add power but they must be paired with the DB4 marine mechanical I.P.
A set of new stock injectors or rebuilt injectors that have Bosch nozzles ONLY will give a prefromance increase over worn out nozzles and should be done every 1000,000 miles anyway as a maintenance item.

A performance tune is worth spending on if you have the electronic IP,otherwise turning up the fuel screw a bit is all you can do on the mechanical IP.

Miss typed- injectors should be every 100,000 miles,got too many 0's first time.

[shaneorton]

alright thanks guys. dose anyone know anything else i can do or is it true that you cant really do anything with the early 6.5s

[racer55]

A diamond eye or similar 4" exhaust and 3" downpipe helps every 6.5TD along with a new exhaust crossover pipe-the stock ones are often collapsed-both are big benefits.

Making sure that the lift pump is working also is mandatory-the 93 lift pump is the best stock option for all 6.5's as well as AC delco ONLY for OPS,along with an OPS relay mod for reliability.

Clean the cooling stack and ensure a working fan clutch too.