The World is Changing.....Again

Typical street scene in downtown Baghdad.

Group of Challenger and Charger enthusiasts in downtown Baghdad.

Throughout the 20th and 21st century there have been many products that represented America to the outside world. In my grandfather’s time it was chocolate and nylons as he made his trip across Europe. In my father’s time it was it was Rock and Roll music and blue jeans to the European countries behind the “Iron Curtain”. In my time it is modern muscle cars to the Middle East.

Strange that none of these products are linked in anyway but all of them represent the same thing, Freedom found only in the United States of America. What is even more impressive is the car counts from the Chrysler Car Shows happening in Iraq. A place where showing a Pro- American attitude can still get you killed. These young people don’t care about the risks and want to take advantage of their new freedom by blasting high horsepower American cars down the desert highways.

There are quite a few differences in driving in Iraq than in the States. Traffic laws are still in their infancy in the country. After talking with a customer from Baghdad he informed us that only 20 percent of the country, other than Baghdad, has traffic signals and it is nothing to see a 10 year old driving a vehicle. Jbv states “other than that driving a Challenger in Baghdad is amazing”. “It’s been about two years that people are wanting muscle cars before no one would want such cars but now it’s different.” The ability to stay calm under these extreme difficult conditions is amazing. Jbv believes that driving in such conditions makes amazing drivers. I would be experiencing some world class road rage.

DiabloSport has always helped with freedom. The freedom from lazy acceleration, weak shifts, MDS (Active Fuel Management, and the dreaded Chrysler Torque Management. We have been there since the beginning helping these customers get the “Power They Can Feel” in their Chrysler vehicles.

Please check out all of DiabloSport’s tuning products, Trinity (T-1000) and inTune (I-1000 and I-1000 DCX) at www.diablosport.com

“It’s a Jeep Thing.”

This is a statement I have never fully understood, until recently. Even with my Jeep training wheels, a 2004 Jeep Liberty, I still never got it. I finally figured it out yesterday after getting to drive a customer’s 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited Soft Top.



My first impression was, holy cow does this thing accelerate like a dog. Once I finally got up to speed, what in the world was that flapping noise-- sounded like there was a tornado in the back seat. Lane changes were white-knuckle inducing because I was pretty sure I was going to flip the thing making a lane change. This was the way my brain processed the first five miles of my trip.



Then something weird happened. I started to fall in love with this Wrangler. The first thing I noticed was how well I fit in the driver’s seat (I am 6’9” 255 lbs. so it’s not something that happens often). The flapping noise created by the top became a very peaceful hum, and then a surprise I never suspected: another Wrangler drove by and waved and smiled as they passed me. I thought maybe I was driving too slowly or I was dragging something and thought, oh well blow it off. That is, until it happened again fifteen minutes later. Awesome, my first Jeep wave. A wave from a happy person can improve even the worst of days.



Luckily, DiabloSport is coming to the rescue with our tuners, Trinity and inTune DCX, to cure the one flaw I couldn’t live with: the horrible acceleration. Once you add an extra 15 horsepower and 20 foot pounds of torque, and maybe about ten percent on the Throttle Booster parameter, it’s a whole new vehicle. I am half way to understanding, “It’s a Jeep Thing".

Please visit our website www.diablosport.com to get more information about all of our tuning products. 

2014 GM Truck "Changing of the Guard"

2014 GMC 1500 5.3 Liter 

I remember my Dad’s 1979 Chevrolet pickup. It was a beast, both in power and gas consumption. It also rattled like it was going to drop the undercarriage onto the road at any time. The top speed of 58 miles an hour at 3800 RPM may not have been then the best, but as a six year old I thought it was the coolest thing on the road. This is what I thought a truck was supposed to be like.

Fast forward 34 years and we have a newly restyled 2014 GM Pickup truck. It looks like a truck from the outside. Inside looks more like a car until you get behind the wheel. The long hood and the great view of the bed from the rearview mirror. Then you do the exciting part: turn the key and bring life to the all-new direct injected 5.3 liter engine. It doesn’t sound any more impressive than any other GM small block; until you smash the throttle and it accelerates like a rocket ship. The LS-based small block’s 350 horsepower pushes this thing through the air faster and smother than any other vehicle I have driven. To top it off, all this is while maintaining a very respectable fuel economy.

Chevrolet’s new marketing campaign is “Strong”; DiabloSport took strong and made it stronger. inTune legitimately enhances the 2014 GM Truck; tunes included are 87 octane tune, MPG Booster Tune, and the Diablo Tune, which should be used with octane higher than 91, and will net increases of up to 15 hp and 20 ft lbs of torque across the entire RPM range.

Our tunes are calibrated specifically to improve performance, drivability, and economy and reduce the factory's power-robbing "torque management" to put more power to the ground when you need it. Other options include TCM (Transmission Control Module) control to adjust automatic shift characteristics, DOD (Active Fuel Management) disable, speedometer adjustment for gear and tire changes, and raising speed and rev limiters.

To learn more about all of DiabloSport's products please visit www.diablosport.com.

On the Road

2007 Silverado, 1000 mile round trip, and a DiabloSport inTune.

The round trip all mapped out.

 

 

Jason Powell started out from Dover Delaware on a 1000 mile trip to Pensacola Florida with a mission. He wanted to prove to himself and the world that the price of his inTune was worth it. He started his trip in his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado without a tune to see what the resulting fuel economy would be. After his 18 hour trip he pulled into the driveway and took a picture of the average economy of his truck. The results were 18.5 mpg and total fuel used at 57.1 gallons.

Jason loaded up the inTune and installed the Mileage Booster tune for the return trip. The return trip saw the average fuel economy jump to 19.2 mpg. Jason pointed out that the return trip was not identical to the trip down. The warmer weather caused Jason to crank up the AC and he got stuck idling on I 95 for three hours during an accident.

Assuming the average American driver clocks 18,000 miles annually, Diablosport’s Mileage Booster tune can offset the cost of an inTune in just a few years.