Two of the most common questions diesel owners ask are: "How do I lower my exhaust gas temperature (EGT)?" and "How do I make more power?" Well, we're here to answer both of those questions in one article by showing you our results from the installation of a Snow Performance Stage 3 kit on a '89 Dodge Ram
This Cummins-powered Dodge was suffering from smoking hot EGT thanks to some big injectors and no intercooler. We would hit 1,600 degrees on a 0-to-80-mph run, and that was without the fuel turned all the way up. To ease the EGT pain and add some power, we turned to water-methanol injection. Since methanol is a fuel, it adds power when injected, while the water cools intake charge temperature.
Since we knew the truck could handle all the water we could throw at it, we chose Snow Performance's Stage 3 kit, which includes a high-output pump, multiple injection nozzles, and a digital controller that uses both boost and exhaust gas temperature to control the system. If you're a racer, you can simply trigger the system to come on at a certain boost parameter. If you tow, you can set the controller to EGT mode, where it will trigger at a preset exhaust gas temperature level. You can also set how quickly you want the system to ramp up to 100 percent flow once it is activated. The Stage 3 controller also doubles as a digital boost and EGT readout, which is quite a savings if you haven't purchased gauges yet.
The system is rated to give a 75hp increase with the big, 625 ml/minute nozzles we were installing, along with a 250-degree drop in EGT. Because the injected alcohol would act as a fuel and the truck already had way more fuel than it needed, we figured our horsepower gain would probably be a little less than advertised, while our EGT should be equal to or better than Snow's rated EGT drop, due to the truck's non-intercooled nature.
The install was fairly straightforward and only took a few hours. The results were also impressive-a gain in peak power from 312 hp to 346 hp using a 50 percent water and 50 percent methanol solution. On-road acceleration testing revealed a drop in EGT from 1,600 degrees to 1,400 degrees. As our engine speed increased, our injection pump began to defuel-but the methanol helped carry our power further, giving us a wider powerband. In fact, at 3,000 rpm, we saw an impressive 70hp increase.
After our testing, we honestly felt that the Snow Performance kit was a very worthwhile modification. After all, we got more power, lower EGT, and digital gauges all for between $400-1000. For those who tow, running straight water and setting the controller on EGT mode will be the hot setup for a 200-plus-degree EGT reduction while towing. If you're a racer, just put the controller on the Boost setting, dump some 50/50 water-methanol mix in the tank, and let 'er rip. Below is a link to the Snow Performance line:
Here is a short video from Stacy Davids of Gearz: