With the increasing concern regarding diesel vehicle emissions and the rising cost of the liquid diesel fuel as well, more conventional diesel engines internationally are pursuing the option of converting to use natural gas as a supplement for the conventional diesel fuel (dual fuel natural gas/diesel engines). The most common natural gas/diesel operating mode is referred to as the pilot ignited natural gas diesel engine (PINGDE) where most of the engine power output is provided by the gaseous fuel while a pilot amount of the liquid diesel fuel injected near the end of the compression stroke is used only as an ignition source of the gaseous fuel-air mixture. The specific engine operating mode, in comparison with conventional diesel fuel operation, suffers from low brake engine efficiency and high carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. In order to be examined the effect of increased air inlet temperature combined with increased pilot fuel quantity on performance and exhaust emissions of a PINGD engine, a theoretical investigation has been conducted by applying a comprehensive two-zone phenomenological model on a high-speed, pilot ignited, natural gas diesel engine located at the authors' laboratory. The main objectives of the present work are to record the variation of the relative impact each one of the above mentioned parameters has on performance and exhaust emissions and also to reveal the advantages and disadvantages each one of the proposed method. It becomes more necessary at high engine load conditions where the simultaneous increase of the specific engine parameters may lead to undesirable results with nitric oxide emissions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.