Nissan Titan XD 5.0L Cummins Deletes and Tuning (DPF, SCR and EGR)

The Titan XD with the new 5.0L Cummins is Nissan’s answer to the 1/2 ton diesel truck market, and from initial impressions they seem to have picked a great power plant.

Nissan seems to have created a monster with this truck, as it is basically a 1/2 ton with the engine of a 3/4 ton truck, which makes it almost an entirely new category.

Considering it puts out an impressive 310HP and 555 ft. pounds of torque in a less than 8,000 pound truck, the XD sure seems to be punching well above it’s weight class.

All New Powerplant

At first glance, you’ll notice some very impressive materials and packaging used on this engine to make it as lightweight, compact and powerful as possible.

The construction of the 5.0L is nothing short of high tech, with Cummins opting to use metal technologies like CGI (Compacted Graphite Iron) to make the block thinner and more lightweight while staying as strong as possible.

Aluminum was used to cast the heads and while we all realize the drawbacks that this has, it heavily contributes to the 5.0L being much much lighter than any of the older diesel v8’s that we are used to.

The turbos have been tucked deep into the valley, with the intake manifold just about molded around them.

 

Clean and Quiet

A lot of emphasis was put into making sure that the 5.0L Cummins V8 would put quietness and cleanliness at the forefront of their design.

The Bosch piezo injector system has the ability to fire five times during each combustion event, keeping the pistons from slapping the walls and creating unwanted noise.

Cummins even took into consideration the timing of the fuel pump, and by running the Bosch CP4.2 off of the timing chain, they were able to set it with precision to sequence the combustion cycle.

Of course, because of modern diesel regulations, the 5.0 has all of the usual emissions equipment that you would find on any new truck.

 

The Problems

Just like every other diesel engine, there are always drawbacks. Namely the DPF, SCR and EGR systems. They’re what really hold this engine back from it’s full MPG and HP potential, while contributing to future failures.

Don’t get me wrong, when these systems are operating properly they do help to greatly reduce emissions and are generally a good thing. They’re also a requirement if you live in a country with regulations on diesel pollution. While they are good systems for reducing tailpipe emissions, they definitely have the trade-off of collateral damage that they can cause that becomes a concern for the longevity of your truck’s engine.

Fortunately, there are options for those of us who don’t have to keep our trucks legal for the street.