Back when I bought my first diesel truck and started modifying it, I had the desire to find out what kind of horsepower I was putting to the ground. After a short search, two things became obvious: I needed to put my truck on a dyno, and DPM (Diesel Performance Motorsports) had the dyno of choice for diesel guys.
Now, several years later, Dunbar’s Dyno is still making the diesel circuit, and considered by many as the main focal point at any event. I believe it is safe to say that the DPM dyno has had more diesel trucks on it than any other dyno in North America. That is one reason this dyno is considered the standard in the diesel industry.
Recently, while at Scheid’s Diesel Extravaganza, I sat down with Dave and Mike to ask a few questions about DPM’s past, present, and future.
1. How did DPM (Diesel Performance Motorsports) get its start?
Dave: In 2003, I decided that I wanted to buy a chassis dyno, so we could test and play with trucks. Just a chance for us to have a general good time. Once all the diesel guys found out that I had one, I started getting requests to come to shows and shops. It’s just kind of grown from there.
2. Dave, how did you and Mike become associated?
Dave: I met Mike at a shop day at Garmon’s Diesel Performance in Atlanta. Mike offered up his help. With Mike and I both living near Atlanta, it seemed to fit.
Mike: No, we were up at Black Mountain Diesel in Kentucky at an open house. We drove up for the open house, just to hang out.
Dave: OK, well there you go.
Mike: Dave was running it by himself, I just asked if he needed help, and he said yes. And here we are five years later.
3. Obviously, it’s a great combination. You two work great together. What does a normal dyno day consist of, from start-up to shut-down?
Mike: Dave does his part with the electronics, and I do all the mechanical setup. It takes about an hour to get set up and ready to run trucks. After we’re ready, Dave takes care of the front of the truck and I take care of the back. Once we find a nice rhythm, we start knocking trucks out. It’s the same at the end of the day. David does his part, I do mine, and before we know it, we’re done—and on the road home.
4. What is the highest horsepower and torque truck you have ever had on the dyno?
Dave: Right now, our current record is 1,374 hp. My dyno limits the torque to 2,500 lb-ft of torque and he pegged it on that run. So, we’ll say 1,374 hp with 2,500-plus lb-ft of torque. That was a Ford F-250 with a twin-turbo Cummins spraying nitrous. To my knowledge, that’s the highest horsepower truck.
5. What are the most trucks you guys run on the dyno in one day?
Mike: Fifty-three, or 55 at Muncie a few years ago. We just got on a roll.
Dave: What were we timed at?
Mike: Seven minutes.
Dave: Seven minutes a truck.
Mike: That wasn’t an extended day. That was an 8 a.m.-to-6 p.m. day. It wasn’t like we worked to midnight.
Dave: After that event is when I said we’ll never do that again. It’s a safety issue. We’re more concerned that the trucks are strapped down properly. We want to make sure that we take care of the trucks on the dyno. We don’t want to scratch any of them. We don’t want to get them greasy inside. We have to respect these trucks, they are these guys’ pride and joy.
Mike: That’s priority one. Take care of the customer’s truck.
6. I know you both attend a lot of diesel events. Where do you see our sport going in the future?
Dave: I
think the sport is going to continue to grow. I think we may have
crested one of the waves, if you will—still in incline, just not as
rapid as we’ve seen in the past few years. I think that there is going
to be a little bit of adjustment, from everything from EPA regulations
to economy issues. But there is one thing I know about this sport: the
passion these guys have is unmatched. They seem to really enjoy this.
These guys are able to take a vehicle they drive every single day, go
out on the weekend and compete on a dyno, sled pull, or a dragstrip,
and they don’t have to have a separate vehicle. I think that’s what is
going to keep this a hot sport. The dyno competition seems to get
stronger every year. The numbers keep going up. When we first started,
if you had a 400hp truck, man, you were king. Now, if these guys can’t
get four digits, they’re worried they’re going to get embarrassed. I
think, like any other motorsport, it’s going to continue to grow. It
just needs direction, funding, and support from the community.