Knowing when it is time to consider a particular modification is just as important then the part itself. With that in mind, when is it the right time to look at replacing your 7.3-liter or 6.7-liter damper? We had the chance to sit down with Rob Sappe of ATI Performance and get the answers.

ATI produces over 500 different types of dampers for all types of engines. Regardless of which one you pick up they all share some features while being fully rebuildable and tunable. Each part for the damper is available individually so you do not have to purchase an entire damper if something were to need replaced, and they offer internal and external balance versions and have added inertia weight to help with increased horsepower and RPM.

ATI Racing offers dampers in plenty of different sizes depending on your application.

“Until now the 7.3-liter Powerstroke damper was 12 percent overdrive to keep inertia weight in the damper up to properly protect the engine. The fully updated 7.3-liter damper will have an OEM drive diameter without sacrificing protection for the engine. It obtains this ability by using ATI’s 6-inch five ring inertia weight. This damper can easily facilitate the mounting of any accessory drive, trigger, or mandrel designed for a big block Chevy, bolted to the face of the damper for a more custom application,” Sappe explained to us.

Sappe also told us about the 6.7-liter damper, “The 6.7-liter is also an OEM drive diameter with plenty of inertia to protect everything from a stock engine to a dedicated sled puller. Instead of the 6-inch five ring, it uses a 7-inch three ring inertia that is upgradable to an 8-inch.”

All of that is great, but when is it time to look at replacing the factory one? Sappe finished by saying, “Any factory damper should be replaced any time the engines horsepower output or RPM range has increased from stock. The factory dampers are typically a center hub, surrounded by a bonded rubber strip, and an inertia weight on the outside of this rubber strip. Once this rubber strip fails the inertia can come complexly detached from the damper.”

The ATI damper moves the inertia inside, between the two shells and surrounded by the elastomer O-rings. This prevents the inertia from coming off the damper. ATI recommends there damper is rebuilt every 10 years when under 850 hp in a street or drag race application, and every year over 850 hp for the same applications.

For more information be sure to check out ATI Performance’s website.