Tuning has been the go-to way for easy horsepower and torque, and the folks at Bully Dog have been experts in this field for 20 years. Their line of diesel-focused programmers, monitors, and other electronic devices have paved the way to handing control back to the driver, and one of their more recent products follows the same path.

Encryption on the ECMs of 2013 and newer Cummins trucks makes tuning and monitoring difficult, but not impossible. Bully Dog has the solution.

The product in question is the Cummins Unlock Cable for the 2013-17 Cummins 6.7-liter engine (PN 42214). Acting as a go-between for the late-model Cummins and a Bully Dog device, the unlock cable allows users to monitor and tune the 6.7-liter Cummins to their hearts’ delight.

We spoke with Bully Dog’s Jill Hepp to find out more. “The vision behind the cable was to allow a performance programming device to flash the 2013-17 Cummins equipped ECM via the OBD-II port,” she said.

After a 10-15 minute procedure, the unlock cable’s job is done, and the ECM will now permit a performance device (such as Bully Dog’s BDX or GTX) to work with it.

“Starting in 2013, the Cummins Rams had ECM encryption,” continued Hepp. “What we did is make a cable that flashes a non-encrypted ECM file into the truck’s ECM. With that done, a user could now get a performance device to flash the ECM through the OBD-II port, and basically the two can communicate with each other.”

Since the unlock cable is strictly meant to open the door, so to speak, a user will still need a device to do actual tuning and monitoring. “To go with our unlock cable, we recommend our BDX or GTX Watchdog,” said Hepp.

Give yourself the gift of knowledge and tunability, and check out the unlock cable for yourself on Bully Dog’s website.