I drive a 2002 Dakota club cab, its a 3.9

I've done CAI and exhaust. What should the next performance mod be?

What about anything else?

I put in a new head unit.. next im going to put a sub in the back.. where can I get one of those boxes that fits below the two back seats of the club cab?

I also plan on taking off the tonneau cover and getting a bed liner sprayed on during the summer.

A mod that i'm kinda on the fence about is a 180 degree tstat. Can someone explain this a little better to me, and maybe from some personal experience with the 3.9, tell me if they got any gains or if it was worth it? Gas mileage change? As far as i've been able to gather, it just has a larger flow of coolant and so it keeps your engine colder and therefor runs better. What dont i know about this?


Any other ideas??

-red

 

Superchips,Hypertec.Some kind of Computer upgrade Flash,The 180 Thermastat is worthless inless you are runnin a stage 2 Jet Chip.

 

Too bad stage 2 jet chips dont work on our trucks huh buddy. But anyways... Do the 180 T-Stat. It isn't worthless at all, it's a very inexpensive and easy mod to do and it will improve the way your engine runs. Will you notice gains... no. But any little bit helps, and justit's better for components in your engine if the overall temps are cooler. It's not a performance mod, it's a... good measure mod.

 

A 180 Tstat lowers your motor's overall temperature. This will very slightly increase your compression, which will in turn, slightly raise HP numbers. Noticable? Not really, but when combined with other mods, will help your overall performance.

 

A 180 t-stat does not raise compression even one point. Compression is determined by the compression ratio - a number set by the factory that is changeable by such things as milling the head, changing the pistons, etc. A higher compression ratio will result in higher compression.

However, a 180 t- stat certainly is worth doing. It results in lower overall engine temps (if the cooling system is efficient enough to keep the temp that low, and thetemp will surely be lower in the winter) The lower engine water temperatureoften results in the engine computeradvancing the timing, which is where the increased power comes from. The lower engine temp also makes iteasier for the a/c to work, (the a/c doesnt have to fight against the even higher under hood temperature) andhelps belts and hoses to last much longer, andincreases your oil change interval, and the engine itself lasts longer. Remember when head gaskets blew in some older engines? This was usually from running too hot water temp. Just make sure that your engine is actually running about190 degrees (still too high in my opinion) in order to realize the benefits. You can get a laser thermometer and be able to tell what your water temp is without even removing a water hose. I run a 160 stat (i dont have a dodge 4.7 yet) and have never blown a head gasket or overhauled any motor. Inow run a 160 stat in my Jeep G.C. (4.0 inline6) and JeepWrangler (2.5) and works great in those two motors with no CEL - the water temp is 180 degrees. Cant wait to get a dodge 4.7 and try a 160 with it.