Gary Connor could be considered a typical Diesel Tech reader. He bought a stock 2007 Dodge from a dealer a couple years ago and immediately began working on it, getting it ready to compete in sled pulls and dyno events in his home state of Utah as part of United Truck and Tractor Pullers (www.unitedpullers.net). While he enjoyed the competition, the results were not what he was looking for.
"I was finishing second, third or lower in these events," Connor said.
Like most of our readers, second or third is simply not good enough, and Connor continued to make adjustments to his truck, in hopes of taking first and earning the bragging rights that come with a victory.
A Fortunate Meeting
While attending and competing in these events, Connor met Zach Fuller, another truck owner, though Fuller is more into drag racing than sled pulls and the like.
When Fuller started racing his Duramax five years ago, he trusted others to do the tuning and tweaking necessary to compete at a high level instead of learning how to tune with EFILive himself.
"I finally had a motor go, so I decided to take the reins myself on the tuning side of things," Fuller said. "I started learning, and I've now been doing it myself the last two to three years."
Fuller was a member of EFILive's private forums back in December 2009, and a call came down for owners of EFILive that had access to a particular kind of truck to do some beta testing for Dodge trucks. Fuller knew Connor's truck as well as a few others fit those specs, so he signed up for the program.
Fuller, Connor and the others waited for months with no word, but finally, in January of this year, EFILive hooked them up with the software specifically designed for his Dodge. And the results have been impressive.
Time To Test
The first pull Connor participated in with his custom tune was in Logan, Utah, in June. He took third place, no different from what he'd usually finished in the past, but using the EFILive data logs from the pull, he was able to make some tweaks to the wastegate, and added more fuel in the upper rpms as well as made timing adjustments to give the truck more boost.
"I made some recommendations and changed the tuning so it will rev a little higher on the takeoff," Fuller said.
With these changes made, Connor proceeded to finish first in pulls in Spanish Fork, Tremonton and Malad, all events in his region.
"It just made a huge difference," Connor said. "Everyone thought I cheated, because I'd been taking third place for the last two to three years and now I was winning."
Connor's competition felt there was no way he was running stock anymore, but the EFILive tuning was definitely able to give him the edge he needed to succeed.
"My dyno numbers with Diablo Sports' Trinity and power puck were 474," Connor said. "And on the same Dyno a year later, with the brand-new EFILive custom tuning on my truck with a stock turbo, I made a whopping 504 horsepower!"
People have been waiting for years for EFILive to come out with custom tuning for Dodge and Connor is ecstatic to be among the first to test it out.
"I want to tell people what I have done to make my truck a winner on a normal man's budget," Connor said.
Get What You Need
The extreme customization available on the EFILive software is what makes EFILive a completely different approach to customizing a truck's performance. Connor is able to use a single custom tune for it while racing, and also while driving on the streets of his hometown. In addition, the tuning can be customized for every single race, something that is necessary to get the edge you need to win.
"Sled pulling is so much about particular setups in the truck," Fuller said. "The suspension, the tires you pick, etc. A winning setup at one track may be a loser at the next, so you have to be able to read the track and know how your truck responds."
In the end, this is a great opportunity for Connor and Dodge truck owners everywhere. EFILive became publicly available for sale at the end of May this year for the 2006-2007 Dodge Cummins 5.9L engines, and is currently in beta on the 2007-2009 6.7Ls. Custom tuning is available from several different individuals such as Zach Fuller (of StarLite Diesel) and many diesel performance shops around the country. EFILive will make a splash in drag races and sled pulls everywhere over the next few years!
Visit EFILive at www.efilive.com and see Connor's company website for SBS Diesel at www.sbsdieselperformance.com.