318 vs 360 - New dodge owner with questions about his 318
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318 vs 360 - New dodge owner with questions about his 318
Let me start by saying I'm normally a Ford guy, and I'm pretty clueless when it comes to dodge.
My dad owned a 95' Dodge Ram 1500 360 extended cab short bed. Ever since that, I've wanted one. My friend has a 95' Dodge Ram 1500 regular cab long bed with the 318 and a bunch of work done to it.
I'm currently looking at a 98' Dodge Ram 1500 318 extended cab short bed and I'm wondering if I will be satisfied with the power of it.It's an automatic with 130,000 miles on it. What should I look into for cheap upgrades for both power and fuel economy. Heads seem to be pretty pricey for these trucks, so thats out of the question.
Is there a set of cams from another truck that would give this 318 more power? I also plan on going to a glasspack for a muffler. I want something thats deep, and not obnoxious
With the Dodge trucks, do you have to buy a programmer ( such an SCT tuner ) to remove the Catalytic converter, or can I just pull it off and it'll run fine with no check engine light?
What is stock gearing for a 98' 318 Ext. Cab Short bed?
How many MPG am I looking at? I figured 15-18 was right around the right amount.
What other brand rims will fit on this, or is it dodge only 5 lug? I have a set of American Racing rims off of an 02' F-150. Will they fit?
My dad owned a 95' Dodge Ram 1500 360 extended cab short bed. Ever since that, I've wanted one. My friend has a 95' Dodge Ram 1500 regular cab long bed with the 318 and a bunch of work done to it.
I'm currently looking at a 98' Dodge Ram 1500 318 extended cab short bed and I'm wondering if I will be satisfied with the power of it.It's an automatic with 130,000 miles on it. What should I look into for cheap upgrades for both power and fuel economy. Heads seem to be pretty pricey for these trucks, so thats out of the question.
Is there a set of cams from another truck that would give this 318 more power? I also plan on going to a glasspack for a muffler. I want something thats deep, and not obnoxious
With the Dodge trucks, do you have to buy a programmer ( such an SCT tuner ) to remove the Catalytic converter, or can I just pull it off and it'll run fine with no check engine light?
What is stock gearing for a 98' 318 Ext. Cab Short bed?
How many MPG am I looking at? I figured 15-18 was right around the right amount.
What other brand rims will fit on this, or is it dodge only 5 lug? I have a set of American Racing rims off of an 02' F-150. Will they fit?
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Crystal River, FL
All of these questions can be answered by a simple search. I have always been a Ford man myself, but the 318 and 360 are much more powerful than the 302 and 351 windsors found in the late model F150s. They also have more pep than the 4.6 and 5.4, but they 5.4 is a much better work horse than the 318 and 360 when it comes to towing heavy loads.
As far as heads go, they are actually cheaper than you think, I believe there are fully assembled heads on ebay for under 500, If I recall, they are Clearwater heads.
Glass pack is a good choice but check into flowmaster 40, Magnaflow, Cherrybomb extreme, and AeroTurbine.
Catalytic converter is a hit or miss, some people have removed them with no issues, while others have had to use 02 simulators, or a spark plug non fouler. I have found the easiest route is to get a magnaflow hi flo replacement cat.
Stock gearing is 3.55.
MPG depends on a few factors, most see around 12-15 (4x4's). I have a 318 regular cab short bed 2x4, and I get 16.5 city, and 20mpg highway, actually got 22mpg from Key West to Miami on US-1, but I also have a full Magnaflow exhaust, S&B Intake, ScanGauge2, trux sport roll up tonneau cover, and a light steady foot.
If the American Racing rims off of your 02' F-150 are a 5x5.5" bolt pattern they should fit.
As far as heads go, they are actually cheaper than you think, I believe there are fully assembled heads on ebay for under 500, If I recall, they are Clearwater heads.
Glass pack is a good choice but check into flowmaster 40, Magnaflow, Cherrybomb extreme, and AeroTurbine.
Catalytic converter is a hit or miss, some people have removed them with no issues, while others have had to use 02 simulators, or a spark plug non fouler. I have found the easiest route is to get a magnaflow hi flo replacement cat.
Stock gearing is 3.55.
MPG depends on a few factors, most see around 12-15 (4x4's). I have a 318 regular cab short bed 2x4, and I get 16.5 city, and 20mpg highway, actually got 22mpg from Key West to Miami on US-1, but I also have a full Magnaflow exhaust, S&B Intake, ScanGauge2, trux sport roll up tonneau cover, and a light steady foot.
If the American Racing rims off of your 02' F-150 are a 5x5.5" bolt pattern they should fit.