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When it comes to power and torque, the top of the food chain these days is the late-model diesel truck. Leaving the factory with over 300 horsepower and 600 ft/lbs of torque, this new breed of hot rod is a force to be reckoned with. And, this is before the addition of any of the popular diesel modifications now available. The burgeoning diesel aftermarket makes it possible for oil-burnin’ motorheads to extract more power—lots more power.

When it comes to hot-rodding diesel trucks, nobody delivers a bite as ferocious as Bully Dog. Since 1999, these guys have been lighting fires under diesel rigs with their hefty lineup of monitors, modules and programmers. Bully Dog’s track record of safely extracting massive amounts of power and torque is how they maintain such a high-profile in the world of diesel performance.

When you’re ready to make your oiler scream like a banshee, there are a few must-have items. Let’s start with control modules. Modules are a quick, no-frills way to add massive power and torque to your rig. Plug one these babies into your OBD-II port and stand by for some stuck-in-your-seat action. For instance, the Bully Dog Dyno Dominator cranks a staggering 171 extra horsepower from a Duramax engine—more ponies than your grandma’s grocery getter even came with!

Take the power a step further and add a performance monitor to the mix. While they don’t actually add power, monitors let you control your module from your driver’s seat. That means you can shift between power levels on-the-fly and tune for special parameters like tire size. The best feature comes in the form of gauges. Bully Dog’s Outlook Monitor displays every engine parameter you’d ever need; MPH, RPM, boost, EGTs, even tranny temperature. It also serves as a virtual dyno that displays horsepower and torque along with quarter-mile and 0-60 times.

The best of both worlds comes in the form of a power programmer. Basically, programmers are a combination module/monitor in one unit. Plug the likes of a Bully Dog Power Pup into your OBD-II port and hang on my darling, you’re gonna go! Extracting huge power gains is no problem for a programmer and it has the added features that you get with a monitor. Kind of like a one-stop-shop for over-the-top performance.

All of these upgrades are readily available and super easy to install. Speed enthusiasts everywhere are ditching their traditional muscle and switching to diesel—hot rods for the 21st century. Don’t take my word for it; check out what your fellow torque junkies are saying about Bully Dog:

“Amazing! The added power I received on just the first setting (50 HP gain) for towing made my truck act like it was on steroids! When I’m not towing my 6 horse trailer, I now get a 2 mile per gallon increase. If you have a diesel truck, don’t hesitate to buy the Power Pup as it’s worth every penny you’ll pay for it.”

“installed the triple dog downloader in my 2006 ram. Cannot describe the power and performance the truck now has. It blows everything off the road if you can control it. Worth the investment over and over”

“The bullyDog chip made all the difference in this truck. In stage 2 the truck really comes to life. It makes the 7.3 so much more throttle sensitive it is amazing. The power band is much wider than stock. I couldn’t believe the torque gain in stage 2 and stage 3 is awesome.”
Located in Texas—where trucks are king—the crew at Bully Dog continues to tinker and tune diesel powerplants for optimal performance. When you want the best, look to Bully Dog Performance Products for all your diesel tuning needs. – David S. Brooks

With all the recent success in the real estate market, one can only imagine where the market will go. I think that the industry may take an interesting turn.

By now every Joe Schmoe knows about the potential of the real estate market. There have been enough television shows, books and stories about flipping houses that the market has become overrun with money hungry people looking to get rich quick. But has anything really changed?

The idea of investing in real estate and properties is nothing new. The potential has always existed, as it always will. The problem is that the actual process of flipping house is much harder than the TV shows let on. Sure, on paper, the concept of purchasing a hidden gem at a great price, slapping on a coat of paint, and reselling for thousands of dollars more sounds great. If only it were that simple.

It’s complicated! The home buying process is a long, complicated, which can fall apart due to numerous factors. Think about it, most people buy one house during their lifetime and spend the next 30 years paying it off. That means the majority of people aren’t versed in housing contracts, mortgages, broker fees, etc. You really need to know what you are doing. If you misread a contract or don’t fully understand the fine print, you could end up dishing out thousands of dollars!

It takes a lot of time! Most people don’t have the luxury of starting off with a lot of investment capital. Most people work full time jobs just to pay for daily expenses. That means they must hunt for houses on breaks, after work and on weekends to find a good deal. Once you find that good deal you need to be able to act quickly. Some houses only stay on the market for a day. Heck, some houses don’t even make it to the market because realtors give their friends first dibs. Then if you’re luckily enough to find a good deal, you’re going to have to contact contractors, realtors, insurance companies, and all the necessary businesses.

It’s expensive! So you think you can understand the process and you have the time, but do you have the money? For a lot of mortgages you need proof of income or proof that you will be able to pay back the bank. If you want to buy at $200,000 home, you will need $20,000 for the down payment. If you can scrounge that much together, you also need money for renovations and money to pay off the mortgage until the house is resold. One more thing – you need credit. So if you happen to come into some money, you still need to have good credit in order to get the loan.

If you’re still interested then go for it. I image this industry can only exist for so long before the payoff isn’t worth it. In addition, there is one key aspect that makes this job so risky – the market. You can’t control the market. You can’t control when and how many homeowners will be selling their houses. What if there is a natural disaster? I live in San Diego and I’m sure the recent wildfires have affected the value of many properties. The houses will probably rise up again, but in the meantime people don’t want to feel like they are in danger.

So where will the market go? Who knows? Maybe people will start flipping trailers.
As for me, I think I’ll check out some Trailer Hitches because I definitely can’t afford to flip a house. My last big purchase was an Edge Evolution programmer. – Mike Rosania