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Home » Features » 2006 Dodge Ram Cummins - Bullet Train
2006 Dodge Ram Cummins - Bullet Train
Chasing 200 MPH in a Dodge Ram Diesel
By Jerry Nielsen
photographer: Jerry Nielsen
Dodge
Ram 2500
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Brad Ekstam woke one morning in the
summer of 1999 feeling something was
missing from his life. He wasn't exactly
sure at that moment what was missing,
only that he would have to find
something extraordinary to fill the void.
Something like building a 200mph 1ton pickup truck just might do the trick.
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Brad is founder and president of Diesel Performance Products
(DPP), manufacturer of the FASS fuel system, which would be
enough for most people. But Brad is a bit more driven than the
average man and makes a Red Bull energy drink look like an
Ambien CR. So when he delivered an '06 Dodge Ram to MCS
Midwest Performance Diesel in Gray Summit, Missouri (with 14
miles on the odometer) to turn it into a race truck, people just
thought it was Brad being Brad.
Brad's goal was to have a 1-ton pickup
truck that would be capable of more
than 180 mph. Small details remained,
such as how MCS would make it go that
fast, where the truck would be able to
use all of that speed, and how long it
would take to finish the buildup. Of
course Brad wasn't going to let that
slow him down.
Bye-Bye Warranty
MCS tore the brand new truck down to
the frame in a couple of days. Most of
the Cummins' engine parts were sent
to Enterprise Engine Performance
where pistons were fly-cut to accommodate larger valves by ATS
and a new camshaft from Enterprise. We asked Brad to share the
specs on those parts, but in this rare instance, he's not talking.
While the engine was apart, the rotating assembly was balanced
to endure 5,000 rpm and upward of 1,200 hp for extended
periods of time.
To feed the 5.9L-powered beast, Brad called on a 200-gph FASS
system, larger injectors, dual CP3 injection pumps, and
compound turbos from Industrial Injection. A Nitrous Express
system was also fitted, but at this point, the engine builds
enough power to go beyond the tires' traction capabilities. ATS
was called on for a transmission that could take this level of
abuse, and a Gear Vendors overdrive was added to give the
Dodge a second Overdrive gear.
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2006 Dodge Ram Cummins - Nevada Road Race - Diesel Power Magazine
Page 1 of 1
2006 Dodge Ram Cummins - Bullet Train
Building a Brick Into a bullet Train
With the Ram's rather pedestrian
aerodynamic qualities, keeping it on
the ground at high speeds could have
been an issue. KORE Performance
supplied a complete suspension system
that dropped the ride height 2 inches in
the front and 4 inches in the rear.
Other touches included a full rollcage,
instrumentation, four race seats, and orange and white cosmetics
for highlights.
Dodge
Ram 2500
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Speed Rated Tires
Brad's American Racing 22-inch forged-aluminum Vengeance
wheels were wrapped with 305/40R22 Toyo Proxes S/T tires
rated at 149 mph and 2,601 pounds a piece. During competition,
Brad swaps on a set of Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico
305/45R22 tires that are rated at 168 mph and 2,915 pounds.
What he really needs though is a set of Dodge Ram SRT-10
production Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires that are rated at 186 mph.
133MPH Passenger Seat
Brad called the author this past
summer to con him into joining Brad on
a Cannonball Rally-type event in
Northern Nevada. The author had
never heard of such an event, and told
Brad "you're crazy." A redundant
comment in retrospect. Brad had
mentioned that Bonneville was his
long-term plan for the truck, but he wanted to shake the diesel
down at the Silver State Classic open road rally first.
The Silver State Classic is a 90-mile run down Nevada's Highway
318, and is actually sanctioned by the Nevada State Department
of Transportation. Highway Patrol personnel shut down the road
for the entire day of racing. The 318 is a beautifully scenic stretch
of road that is conducive to running wide-open. However, there
are some big sweeping bends that can be scary when you're
sitting in the outboard seat of a Dodge Ram 4x4 doing better
than 120 mph.
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10/24/2008
2006 Dodge Ram Cummins - Top Speed - Diesel Power Magazine
Page 1 of 1
2006 Dodge Ram Cummins - Bullet Train
The truck was scoured at tech
inspection, and equal time was devoted
to assessing the sanity of the
occupants. After some math on the
tires' speed and weight-rating, Brad's
truck passed the requirements for the
125-mph class.
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Ram 2500
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Running in the 125-mph class meant
that Brad was shooting for an average
speed as close to 125 mph as possible.
Most class winners were only a fraction
of a second off perfect, or "true" time.
Anyone exceeding their speed class by
15 mph would be disqualified, so
staying near true time was best.
One-minute intervals separated the start times, and it seemed
like an eternity waiting in line trying to keep the iron-lump
Cummins up to temperature. With both the driver and navigator's
GPS zeroed, we took off and were following our course notes. The
author was ready to remind Brad "You're going too fast," or
anything else necessary to stop the madness.
We survived through Dead-Man's Curve and everything else,
finishing with an average speed of 133 mph. So much for
fractions of a second! Surprisingly, the truck averaged almost
eight miles to the gallon during our run.
167MPH Top Speed Charge
On Saturday, the High Noon Shoot-Out standing mile was run,
and Brad's vehicle was the only 4x4 diesel amongst the three
trucks entered. Some transmission issues wouldn't allow Brad to
put down full power until he was in Third gear. Full throttle would
spin the rear tires at 85 mph. Despite the slow launch, Brad
passed through the measured-mile doing 167 mph, good enough
for Eighth Place overall.
"I have no doubt we'd be competitive in the 160-mph bracket if
we were allowed to run it," said Brad. Most people would find this
truck extraordinary, as it stands plenty potent, impeccably
detailed, and worth a heck of a lot more than a couple of new
ones. Good thing Brad isn't most people.
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