Cummins ISL 8.9 450hp Aftermarket Chip For Increased Performance

[jleamont]

Horsepower and torque are relative to the weight of the coach and its GCWR. Said another way, smaller lighter coaches do not have large displacement engines as its not needed, perhaps its desired but still not needed. There are charts that determine these configurations.

Ours weighs loaded 34,000 plus a 4800lb Jeep in tow. We are 400HP 1250ftlbs of torque, if I am not thinking it will slow and crawl up and over a mountain. I must downshift prior and it walks right up over the hill. If I wait for the transmission to do it it wont happen until mid way up the hill and there goes a lot of fuel to regain momentum that late in the game. When this happens I usually just hang to the right and follow the trucks to save on fuel. 

YES to Bills point, I have to watch my Pyrometer, the transmission will not downshift soon enough and those Exhaust Gas Temperatures will rise to almost an unsafe level, if I take control of the situation and downshift it they do not even come close and my engine has no HP or torque alterations just a modified fuel delivery system.

[manholt]

My coach weight is 61,000+/- lbs, it's including my 4,400 lbs Jeep, GCWR is 69,000 lbs.  600 HP & 2050 lbs of torque, Alison 4000!  So far, great match up...going to Ruidoso, NM Sunday and get a better feel for how it does on long climbs.  Later this Summer we head to Glacier NP & Oregon...I'll post how it's doing.  I set CC at 64 mph!  

3 months ago, I had a AC Tradition 45' with 450 HP  at 1,250 torque, same problem as Joe on long grades...weight with Jeep 58,000+/- and GCWR of 61,000!  

In my 53 years & 18 Coaches, I have never wanted one that was a hot rod or sports car! 

 

[jleamont]

No need to be like this guy 

https://nesn.com/2017/01/travis-pastrana-can-drift-just-about-anything-including-a-motorhome/

 

[manholt]

Joe, no way will I, on purpose or not, do that in a coach!  😂

[wildebill308]

I wouldn't do that if I had Carl's money.

Back to the OP's topic. I agree with Joe about the problems with new diesels. The OP has the disadvantage of having the newer emission particulate filter. That could be a problem as any increase in fuel will cause more soot (particulate) to clog up the filter or cause continues re gen.

This thread made me remember one time I had a heating problem and it wasn't a steep hill. You really couldn't see you were climbing.  I think it was on I-40 west of the Grand Canyon area. I was doing about 65 on cruise when my high temp alarm started going off. The problem was it was enough of a grade that, yes it could maintain speed on cruise but it was all in max boost and max throttle without downshifting for several miles. All I had to do was drop to 4th and let it  cool off and then it would hold speed in 5th without a problem.

Bill

[f433921]

2 hours ago, jleamont said:

No need to be like this guy 

https://nesn.com/2017/01/travis-pastrana-can-drift-just-about-anything-including-a-motorhome/

 

I never drove like that, but I made many trips to the snowmobile park with my last MH.  It was a 32' gas with 454 Chev, pulling a 24' closed trailer with 4 snowmobiles.  I would chain up MH and one axle on the trailer and just take it easy,  Our favorite snow park road was gravel base  road with a couple narrow bridges with no grades >3%.  The road was usually plowed once a week, but it was unusual to have 4"-6" of snow and wheel ruts.  Never had any problems going or coming, couple of time ended up spending a couple of extra days waiting for road to be plowed to get home.  There actually one guy who drove a 40' diesel pusher towing a 4 place trailer.

When I got my DP, I purchase a cheap PU camper and we now use, my DW refers to it as the GHETTO.

Jim

 

 

[manholt]

Ghetto or not, it beats freezing! 😎

[rls7201]

On 5/8/2020 at 6:05 AM, jleamont said:

Richard, I am not saying it WILL damage the engine, the point that MUST be considered here; You absolutely must be on your toes with a modified modern diesel engine watching gauges while driving. You can literally sink your foot to destruction really fast in a modern day diesel that has been modified if you are not thinking clearly. You also must understand how everything works as you step harder into the throttle and know what its going to translate on the gauges. Most motor heads (like myself) probably would have a problem, the average "joe" will destroy an engine, I have witnessed it first hand. 

Today's diesels are NOT built like the ones that gave the diesel engine its good name. The foundation is built to withstand slightly more than the power it produces, some will argue that they are not even built to withstand that much power when you see one with catastrophic failure and no obvious root cause. They are now built to be lighter in weight to help curve emissions and fuel consumption which equates to less robust internal parts right down to the block, some are even multi-piece blocks with portions made in aluminum bolted together.

A good tuner will monitor all those functions and defuel when necessary. Like at shift points and over temperature exhaust gas amd coolant..
I guess the difference between gear heads and just users has become obvious. Gear heads like pushing the edge and and just users don't want more or are not skilled enough to feel safe going after more.There is always more power to be made in a reliable fashion if done correctly.
 

[manholt]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  Majority of RV'rs who come to the Forum, are seeking answer's to a specific problem and there is enough talent here that in 99.9% of the cases, we solve it.  We do not Drag race our coaches and those who have 5'ers or tow behind trailers, generally know what they need to haul and got it.  

I used to be in blue water racing as a hobby...APBA & IPBA, open class.  Those engines have no business being in a 40 foot cruiser or fishing boat, anymore than what your suggesting for a coach!

[wildebill308]

21 hours ago, RLS7201 said:

A good tuner will monitor all those functions and defuel when necessary. Like at shift points and over temperature exhaust gas amd coolant..

Well how many have you installed, run and monitored their performance not just read about them in the catalog? I have run most of the Banks tuners and trust me you can do a lot of damage if you don't monitor them closely.

21 hours ago, RLS7201 said:

I guess the difference between gear heads and just users has become obvious.

Yes, yes it has.

21 hours ago, RLS7201 said:

Gear heads like pushing the edge and and just users don't want more or are not skilled enough to feel safe going after more.There is always more power to be made in a reliable fashion if done correctly.

That  is a bold statement. So going back to the OP what can he do to improve performance on his 2014  ISL 8.9 He is already at 450 HP which is pretty good for a 8.9. Don't just say add a chip. What parameters would you change and what results should I see on a dyno.

Bill

[rls7201]

3 hours ago, manholt said:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  Majority of RV'rs who come to the Forum, are seeking answer's to a specific problem and there is enough talent here that in 99.9% of the cases, we solve it.  We do not Drag race our coaches and those who have 5'ers or tow behind trailers, generally know what they need to haul and got it.  

I used to be in blue water racing as a hobby...APBA & IPBA, open class.  Those engines have no business being in a 40 foot cruiser or fishing boat, anymore than what your suggesting for a coach!

Like you said "everyone is entitled to their opinion." There are hundreds of RVs running down the road with enhanced engine performance. No one suggested "drag racing" them but you. They just want to maintain speed on inclines. 
I used to pit crew, build and tune engines for circle track cars but in my 77 years I haven't lost my drive for "MORE POWER".

Richard

[wolfe10]

I suspect this discussion has run its course.

Closed.