Every diesel truck owner knows the itch: more power, especially if it means beating your buddy’s rig. KC Turbos recently dove into this friendly fire, helping truck owner Cameron wring out his Ford 6.0-liter Power Stroke on the dyno.

The big goal? Make enough grunt to finally shut down a rival’s built 7.3-liter, with KC’s Charlie Fish calling the shots during the tuning session.

With stock injectors, Cameron’s 6.0-liter first hit around 440 horsepower at the wheels. Fish had hoped for more and stated, “I’d love to see that 500 horsepower mark everyone dreams about.”

He admitted later on that he never saw a legit 500 horsepower with stock injectors. They decided to swap Cameron’s big 37-inch tires to smaller 32s afterwards and it brought a nice jump to about 470 wheel horsepower (whp).

To really chase down that 7.3-liter, Fish declared, “We got to go bigger injectors.” However, upgrading to bigger injectors quickly uncovered a dreaded 6.0-liter problem.

“… here’s how we know it’s got fuel in the coolant, you see it’s sitting on top,” Cameron pointed out. They managed a temporary head fix right there in the shop, allowing them to continue the dyno assault.

Even with the head temporarily patched, the bigger 190/30 injectors quickly overwhelmed the stock fuel pump. Watching the pressure gauge.

Tests removing the air filter did little to help, leading Fish to call the idea that the stock filter severely limits power a myth. After several tuning adjustments to work around the dropping fuel pressure, Cameron’s 6.0-liter Power Stroke put down a respectable 518 wheel horsepower, even with the big tires back on. Cameron felt this was enough to finally challenge the 7.3-liter.

KC Turbos’ dyno day really shows the ups and downs of chasing big diesel power. Cameron’s 6.0-liter build definitely made progress, but that pesky fuel system held it back from its full potential against the targeted 7.3-liter.

What do you think about this Power Stroke project and its quest for more power using 190/30 injectors? And what are your honest opinions on the infamous Ford 6.0-liter engine – a beast when it runs right, or just too much trouble for most?