Power Driven Podcast

Pistons are one of those parts everybody installs but not everybody actually understands. Todd, Will, and Myer break down piston design from top to bottom, and if you have ever wondered why there are so many options or which one belongs in your build, this is the episode you need. They start with piston bowl design and why it matters more than most guys think. Narrow bowl versus wide bowl, reentra...

Myer's drag truck just ran a 4.99 in the eighth mile, and the engine making it happen is almost offensively simple. On this episode of the Power Driven Podcast, Todd, Will, and Myer break down what it took to get there and why the technology available to diesel builders right now is changing what is possible at every level of the sport. The guys dig into what that number actually means in cont...

Every diesel guy has been there. The truck feels great empty, pulls hard, and you love it right up until you hook a trailer to it. Todd, Will, and Myer dig into exactly why that happens and what you can actually do about it. The conversation starts with a real story about building a 12 valve for power without thinking about what it would have to do. Big pump, big single turbo, five speed, and a tr...

Todd poached a purse and the diesel community is not happy about it. He showed up to a Blue Collar class drag race in Phoenix with a high mileage Cummins truck, a nitrous setup thrown together the night before from used shop parts, and no real plan to win. Then he won. Now there are posts. Now there are opinions. And now Todd, Will, and Myer are here to talk about it. The truck was not purpose bui...

Not all Cummins blocks are built the same, and if you are pushing serious power, the one under your hood matters more than most people think. Todd, Will, and Myer break down the full spectrum of Cummins engine blocks in this episode, from the various 12-valve generations to the 5.9 common rail and the 6.7, and explain exactly why the differences matter when the power numbers start climbing. The 6....

The crew is back from Arizona and this one is worth every minute. Todd, Will, and Myer all showed up to the NHRDA Arizona event with trucks ready to race, and nothing went according to plan in the best possible way. If you have ever thought about getting into diesel motorsports, this episode is going to push you over the edge. The NHRDA Arizona event was a well run show under new ownership that de...

If you have ever second guessed whether you have the right turbo on your truck or just assumed bigger always means better, this episode is going to sort that out with real numbers from real trucks pulling real weight. Todd, Will, and Myer just got back from hauling to a race in Phoenix and brought the data to prove what properly sized turbochargers actually do out on the road. The guys recap the f...

What does it actually cost to build a diesel that makes real power? More importantly, what does it cost when you buy the wrong parts? This week on the Power Driven Podcast, the guys are pulling back the curtain on one of the most debated topics in the diesel performance world: cylinder heads. Whether you're building a Cummins street truck or chasing records in a purpose built race rig, the hea...

What happens when a truck you built for testing accidentally becomes the perfect race weapon? That's exactly what we're dealing with heading into the NHRDA Diesel Desert Nationals in Chandler, Arizona, and we are fired up about it. In this episode of the Power Driven Podcast, we're breaking down everything you need to know about the brand new Blue Collar Class, a street truck drag raci...

Ever dropped a stack of cash on a diesel performance mod and wondered why your truck drives worse than before? Yeah, we've been there. In this episode of the Power Driven Podcast, Todd, Myer, and Will sit down in the race shop to talk about the modifications that people do to their diesel trucks that either flat-out ruin them or just don't deliver what they promised. We kick things off wit...

Everybody loves boost. The higher that gauge climbs, the better, right? Well, not exactly. This week on the Power Driven Podcast, Will and the guys get into one of the most argued topics in diesel performance. Boost. What it actually means, why more of it doesn't always equal more power, and where the whole "boost is just a measurement of restriction" idea even came from. The convers...

Ever wonder if cylinder heads actually matter on your diesel truck, or if it's all just turbo talk? In this episode of the Power Jam Podcast, we're diving deep into the world of cylinder head performance after picking up a massive 73 horsepower on our short bed 12 valve Cummins with our stage two street performance head. For years, diesel guys have been told that boost solves everything. G...

Welcome to the Power Driven Podcast from Power Driven Diesel. In this episode, we're answering a listener question from SuperCalFragilisticExpialidocious7314 about different power adding systems for diesel trucks. We start by talking about our experiences with water injection and water methanol injection on multiple builds. Spoiler alert: water injection lost power on almost every truck we tes...

2800 degrees does matter. That will melt everything after the engine.” We kick this one off with a real story about a pegged EGT gauge and use it to crack open what exhaust gas temperature actually tells you and why placement matters. We explain EGT in plain terms and dig into the difference between reading pre turbo and post turbo, including the ballpark rule one of us saw when testing that showe...

Fuel mileage is one of those things everybody talks about, but when you start digging into it, you realize it is not just one magic mod. In this episode of the Power Driven podcast, the guys get into what actually moves the needle on diesel pickup fuel economy and why some trucks can pull off numbers like 30 miles per gallon when most people assume that is impossible. It kicks off with a FreedomWo...

Diesel drag racing is officially back, and 2026 is shaping up to be a turning point for the sport. With new ownership, renewed momentum, and real effort being put into growing diesel motorsports nationwide, this episode of the Power Jam Podcast breaks down why now is the time to get involved and how anyone with a diesel-powered vehicle can jump in without it being intimidating. In this episode, th...

We learned some things in 2025 that completely reshaped how we think about diesel performance, and a lot of it challenged what most people assume about power, smoke, and tuning. This episode of the Power Driven Podcast is a year end breakdown featuring the Power Driven Diesel crew reflecting on everything they tested, broke, and learned throughout the year. The conversation covers diesel performan...

If you had to pick just three upgrades to make your tow truck better, what would they be? In this episode of the Power Driven Podcast, Will, Todd, and Meyers break down their own personal tow trucks and go head to head choosing their top three favorite upgrades. They turn it into a white-elephant style game where once a mod is picked, nobody else can use it, forcing each guy to really think about...

This one turns into a battle royale fast, with Myer and John wasting no time getting into a heated shop floor debate about extreme diesel performance and what really works when you are pushing the limits. The conversation dives straight into drag racing setups, large single turbo strategy, and the tuning challenges that show up when you are chasing real, repeatable power. A major focus is why mech...

We break down how to build a clean street friendly 1000 horsepower 12 valve Cummins without the smoke show or sketchy manners. This Power Driven Podcast features Meyer with guest John Schroeder from Black Tie Race Fab, and the crew gets real about what it takes to cross four digits while keeping a truck fun in town, on the dyno, and at the strip. Instead of throwing the biggest parts at a 12 valve...

One spec turbo, instant green starts, and a purse swelling toward one hundred grand turned this class into the wildest storyline in diesel drag racing. This episode of the Power Driven Podcast is hosted by Will and jumps straight into the future of diesel motorsports with Josh and Myers in the room. The crew uses the 72 Fast class that runs alongside UCC in Indianapolis as the case study for where...

Diesel really is king when it comes to doing real work, and in this episode of the Power Driven Podcast the crew slows things down and explains why in plain language. The whole conversation kicks off because a viewer told them they were talking over his head, even though he is a car guy, so they decided to go back to basics, talk in a way everyone can follow, and break down why they love diesels,...

Scrat, a 1996 second gen Dodge, is headed to the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2026 with Myer at the wheel, and the plan is simple. Build it in the shop, keep it serviceable, and make it live through the dyno, the drag strip, and the sled pull. This episode of the Power Driven Podcast features Will and Todd with Myer talking through the UCC plan, why it matters to diesel fans, and how it stacks up ag...

An 850 horsepower Cummins that tows, daily drives, and still rips the tires at 80 miles an hour. This episode of the Power Driven Podcast is all about building a real 850 wheel horsepower street truck the kind you can hook to a trailer, commute in, and still line up next to the neighborhood Corvette with a smile. The Power Driven Diesel crew walks through proven recipes across 12 valve, VP44, and...

We got the invite to light up the SEMA burnout pit, so we’re bringing the Junker drag truck and a street-driven mega cab named Ruby and seeing how much smoke and noise a couple of diesels can make before the tires give up. This episode of the Power Driven Podcast features Will, Meyer, and Todd bench-racing their way through a last-minute game plan for Horsepower Rodeo at SEMA alongside Weston Cham...