David Schaefer’s 2015 GMC 2500HD Denali, known as "Time Bomb," is a remarkable achievement in the world of diesel performance. With a stunning 700 horsepower while maintaining full emissions compliance, this truck is a testament to what can be accomplished with thoughtful engineering and high-quality components. Let’s break down this comprehensive build, exploring the features that make it special and how they come together to create a never before achieved driving experience.
You bought a diesel truck because you value power, fuel economy, towing capabilities and long-term durability. However when it comes to modern diesel trucks, performance seekers often face a dilemma: how to enhance power and efficiency while keeping emissions systems intact. With increasing regulations and the desire for cleaner performance, finding a solution that strikes a balance is crucial. Enter Calibrated Power's Emissions In-Tact Custom Tuning—the ultimate upgrade for your diesel truck that ensures you get the best of both worlds.
Unleashing Hidden Potential Without Compromising Emissions
Calibrated Power's Emissions In-Tact Custom Tuning is specifically designed to optimize the performance of your diesel truck while keeping all emissions systems fully operational. This means you can enjoy improved power, torque, and fuel efficiency without the need to remove or tamper with your truck’s emissions equipment.
With the L5P being the newest Duramax engine on the scene it's also one of the best performing right out of the box. Making 400hp and 850 ft-lbs of torque when tested on our dyno. This iteration of the Duramax engine has been redesigned in all the right ways. From a thicker crank shaft, to a more advanced turbo, and pistons that can handle more load and heat than we've ever seen come in a stock Duramax engine before. Not only do we get improved performance but we also get an engine that can handle way more power than it left the factory with. Which means with bolt on upgrades alone you can raise the horsepower way beyond stock without having to do any upgrades to the internals of the engine. We've seen L5P's pushing up to 900ph on the stock internals. Even trucks still equipped with emissions systems can gain about 300hp and 500ft-lbs of torque with just a few bolt on upgrades. Today we will show you what upgrades you want on your L5P to make the biggest difference for the least about of money. So if maximum performance is what you’re looking to get out of your L5P this article is for you.
Here are the top four L5P upgrades!
- Tune
- Transmission
- Turbo
- Intake
Do you need to delete your L5P DPF?
We've all heard from forums and numerous outlets that deleting your DPF system is the way to go these days. What we never see backing these claims is data and tests. There is plenty of personal stories around a failed sensor or even the occasional DPF failure. However, once data starts fueling the debate on whether to delete or keep your emissions intact you may change your mind of what to do.
Get your truck the horsepower you need:
It's summer time and that means trucks are out sled pulling, towing, and getting worked! It also means you are more likely to be considering your trucks next upgrade (or repair).
For the diesel owner who wrenches on his own truck the cost per horsepower is lower and his acceptable margin of error is inevitably higher. In other words, it's cheaper but if something goes wrong there is only yourself to blame. Many enthusiast thrive on this and only trust themselves or a few select others to work on their truck. The reality is however, that many diesel power fanatics don't have the time or skill level to tackle the bigger jobs - They just want to drive them! Read on to see what things to consider in selecting a shop to do work on your truck.
Here are some examples of truck builds we have done in the past:
Your 600HP Duramax Needs These 3 Things:
There are a lot of part combinations that can take your 2001-2004 Duramax to 600HP. No matter what selections you make, there are 3 things you have to include if you want to keep your truck healthy and making power.
Here are some other articles about LB7 trucks:
Stock Duramax Turbo Upgrades!
Duramax owners are generally proud of how their stock turbos perform. They spool quickly, run hard and are capable of over 500 RWHP (once you tune it and make a few supporting modifications to handle the power). However, after driving your truck around 520 RWHP for a while, the addiction will creep in and you may find yourself shopping for more power. We all do it! For some, it may not even be about more power, it may be about EGT control under load, or it may just be the factory turbo had an issue and needs to be replaced. If you are anything like me, you will not want to replace it with the factory components if there is an upgraded, after market, charger available.
Drop-In Duramax Turbo Options
In the old days, there was no such thing as a "drop-in" turbo. You pretty much had to buy a turbo that was designed for a different application and convert it to run on your Duramax. Meaning the requirements for installation included several custom fabricated pieces to make it work.
As technology in the diesel performance industry has advanced, our options for parts have expanded. No longer do we have to use semi turbo's and roal coal to make power. Now with the common rail injection system and variable vane turbo advancements there is a real need to find a turbo that makes more power than stock, while retaining all the benefits of a stock turbo.
Benefits of a stock turbo:
- Quick Spooling
- Clean installation
- Reliable
- Serviceable by any dealer or reputable shop
- Requires no custom fabrication
However, they do lack peak power, and peak power matters! When looking for which upgraded unit to replace the stock turbo, we recommend matching the replacement as close as possible to the desired power level to minimize compromising drive-ability. Any extra capacity you buy in peak for performance will cost you low end response. Example: Looking to make 650rwhp? Buy a turbo that can just barely squeak out 650rwhp, do not buy something that's good for 850rwhp because it will drive poorly a light load.
Did you know there is no reason to delete the emissions from your 2011-2016 Duramax?
DuramaxTuner.com's SPADE is capable of adding up to 135HP to your EMISSIONS INTACT LML.
Actually, more and more people are tuning their 2011 + Duramax (LML) with the emissions equipment intact. This is a great option for Duramax owners that would like a nice, quiet, reliable, efficient truck that performs well every time. However, many LML Owners have some basic questions prior to pursining emissions intact tuning.