Diesel Performance Podcast

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are here with an episode on upgrades! You have $5k to spend on your truck, how are you going about picking upgrades? Truck mod paths they discuss are the 01-10 Duramax, the 3rd Gen 5.9L Cummins, the LML/L5P 6.6L, 6.7L Cummins, and 2017+ Powerstroke 6.7L. If you had $5k to spend on your diesel truck, how are you spending it? Let us know in the comments or on our Diesel Performance Podcast Facebook page!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by CPS transmission builder, Jared Ewert.He is here to discuss the 10-Speed "Allison." How does the GM 10L1000 stack up to its fraternal twin, the 10-Speed Powerstroke transmission? What are the common issues with the 10-speed equipped Duramax? How are we looking at beefing up the 10L1000 transmission? The boys cover it all and more right here!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by Julian Filipovic of PTL to discuss what hes heard after his recent experience at an emissions conference in San Diego. With the amount of talk we see on forums, Facebook, and other online platforms, we figured it'd be a good time to touch on the future of emissions with medium duty diesel trucks. Julian discusses what he learned from the conference, how Performance Test Labs (PTL) offers aftermarket diesel products and opportunity to get pre-certification testing (CARB EO Pipeline) for their parts, and discusses much more with the guys in regards to the inductry. Thanks for stopping by Julian!

We love diesel. Not just medium duty trucks, that's why we brought in Ben Evers of Farm Focused and Calibrated Power to discuss Spring planting and custom tuning for ag equipment! Ben breaks down how tight planting windows, long days, and heavy workloads push tractors and equipment to their limits, and where factory calibrations often leave performance on the table. We get into how custom tuning can improve throttle response, usable power, and fuel efficiency, helping farmers cover more ground without adding unnecessary stress to their machines. We also touch on some of the misconceptions around tuning in the agriculture space, how it differs from the diesel truck world, and why more farmers are starting to look at performance solutions as a tool, not a risk. If you've ever wondered how diesel performance translates outside of pickups and into the field, this episode gives you a real-world look at how tuning is helping keep farms running efficiently when it matters most.

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke sit down to talk about weighing out what you look for when purchasing a new diesel truck. The thing we notice is despite the amount of sh*t talking each brand loyalist does, each the Cummins, Duramax, and Powerstroke are all well made trucks. It really comes down to what you plan to do with the truck. Is it your daily driver? Is it your tow pig? Are you looking to wrench on it? Drag strip? It comes down to quite a few factors and the boys discuss their opinions on the newer models especially when shopping around.

Chris Ehmke and Anthony Bruneni are back to touch on a subject we got quite a few listeners asking us for, 2017+ L5P Duramax horsepower recipes! The boys break down what the ultimate towing recipe is for this Duramax. Then they tackle what they think is the best daily driver recipe. Followed by going big on a build for this RPO and what you should look out for when pushing your newer Duramax truck. Got any interviews or suggestions for the podcast? Hit us up on our Facebook page, Diesel Performance Podcast!

Chris Ehmke is joined by Nick Priegnitz, of Duramaxtuner, to discuss in detail the evolution of engine control modules and how tuning has progressed over the years! Nick breaks down the history of GM's Duramax ECM platforms, walking through key model year ranges,from early LB7 and LLY trucks to LBZ, LMM, LML, and the latest L5P platforms, and explains how hardware changes, operating systems, emissions systems, and security updates shaped the tuning landscape. They also discuss the major ECM milestones that changed the diesel performance industry, how emissions regulations impacted tuning development, differences in tuning strategy, and where ECM technology and diesel calibration are headed next Professor Nick utilizes his almost 20 years of diesel tuning knowledge to give us an episode with immense amounts of knowledge. Enjoy!

We got a bonus episode! Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by Charlie Fish of KC Turbos. He called in to discuss a new diesel class he created for this weekend February 26-28th, The Average Joe Blue Collar 2WD No Prep Diesel Truck Class. Why did he create this race? The spirit of racing isn't how much money you throw at a truck, it's about the passion. Charlie breaks down the rules, what drivers and spectators can expect, and what this class means to the diesel industry. Oh, we forgot to mention that $20k goes to the winner! Want to lean more about the race or buy tickets? Click here

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by Lavon Miller to discuss what he's been up to, but really they had to get the scoop on what's up with the Seventy2fast race going on this year down in Indy during UCC weekend. The amount of interesting aspects and the amount of money that is on the table for the competitors is mind boggling. The Seventy2fast has $500 callouts, where racers can target a specific driver to beat after putting down their money and the target matching, winner of a head-to-head race takes the money. Contigencies for Powerstroke and Duramax, Powerstrokes can win an extra $11k if they take home 1st place and Duramax drivers can earn an extra grand per round if they beat a Cummins or Powerstroke and an extra $3,000 to a winner racing a Duramax. $70k goes to the winner! Lavon walks us through everything about this race and we have to be honest, we haven't been this excited for an event in a while. Check out the event by visiting www.seventy2fast.com or following Lavon Miller's social media channels. Take a listen!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke have on our resident engineer / engine dyno / data man / destroyer of turbos guy Dan Timmer! Dan sits down to discuss what it actually takes to get the engine dynos running, the tyoes of testing he conducts, the occasional fire and explosion and more. We've now utilized 6.7L Cummins engine; LBZ, L5P, and 3.0L Duramax engines, and soon a Powerstroke 6.7L engine. If you like data or carnage, you will love this episode! If you have any ideas for episodes for the future or would like a certain guest on, please let us know on our Facebook page or message us or drop a comment!

The Diesel Performance Podcast is back! Chris Ehmke and Anthony Bruneni have resurrected the show and we have plans that will make our fellow diesel enthusiasts excited for what the future holds. Interviews, horsepower recipes, diesel events, competitions. Get ready! First off, we reintroduce ourselves with what has been happening around the industry with tuning (specifically the 2024+ L5P, 2023+ Powerstrokes, and the 3.0L Duramax). The boys also discuss what 2027 is looking like in regards to change for diesel truck makers. We are stoked to be back! If you have anything you want us to cover or discuss, leave a comment, message our podcast Facebook page, or reach out to any of us. We look forward to a new chapter of the Diesel Performance Podcast!

Chris Ehmke and Tim Mahoney are joined by someone you have heard a few times on this show, Josh McCormack! Josh fresh off his UCC win earlier this spring decided he was done with wowing the masses and put down a new record on the dyno. 4,157 HORSEPOWER. Insanity. He walks the boys through how he accomplished it and what you can expect to see out of him in the future.

Chris Ehmke is joined by the lead tuner at Calibrated Power, Tim Mahoney, to discuss how the 2020+ Powerstroke 6.7 liter world is about to change. They discuss what this means for your 2020+ 6.7L, the ease at which tuning for the end user will be, and how adding 100+ HP is going to feel a lot different in these newer Powerstroke trucks.

Show favorite, Chris Patterson, owner of Unrivaled Diesel, took second at the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2025! He sits to talk with host Chris Ehmke to discuss how grueling and how much it takes out of the competitors and their teams. The whole thing is about survival. Chris is a survivor, he put down a screaming 5.54 at the drags, 2,300 horsepower on the dyno, and 318 feet in the sled pull. He gives us all the details on this episode!

Josh McCormack has won the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2025! He joins Chris to discuss the weekend. Family man, YouTuber, and an overall great guy. Josh lef it all out there and came back with first place. He breaks down the weekend, his big 3,100+ horsepower dyno run, racing, and his Sunday at the pull. Congrats on the win, Josh! Follow him on Instagram & TikTok: @justacommonrail24v YouTube: Horsetorques Diesel

You have to see Patrick Brown's Cummins he is bringing to his first run at the UCC event. Chris sat down and talked with him about what he expects to see it do. Patrick is no stranger to competitions with having his eyes one time set on the Diesel Power Challenge nd having competed at King Of The Streets, he's ready to throw down at the UCC. Humble, determined, and doing wild things with such a cool Cummins, we are stoked to see what Patrick accomplishes this weekend!

One of the show's favorites is back, Robby Garcia joins Chris to discuss what he expects of his truck at this years UCC! This will be his 4th time competiting, a seasoned vet, and continually improving his results; these factors position Robby to finish quite high this year. One thing we know will happen, Robby will have a blast and bring that vibe to the whole field. Good luck, Robby!

Cody Hawk sits down with Chris on this episode! We get the scoop on the new competitor, from his roots with 7.3s to his preferred Duramax platform. He breaks down what he wants to see out of his truck at his first event. The man is in hustle mode and it's hard not to admire the drive and work ethic. Last year two spots on the podium were grabbed by rookies, will Cody continue the trend? We hope so, good luck Cody!

Chris has Mike Brown on this episode! Mike has ditched the mega cab in favor of a leaner regular cab, will it push him to the top? Mike left last year's UCC finishing third in his inaugural run at the competition. New Cummins, big win? We are excited to find out. Thanks for joining the show, Mike!

Chris is joined by Colt Carter to discuss how the hell he went from rookie at the start of UCC 2024 to grabbing a 2nd-place finish. Colt is a gamer, and it's going to be fun to watch what his Cummins will do at the event this year. Another podium finish? One spot higher and grab the win? He's got what it takes. Be sure to check out Colt's shop as well, Black Magic Performance.