Hi guys,

I'm looking for more HP/torque out of my '96 5.2l 4X4. What the bang for your buck to start with? Intake manifold ? TB? Cat? Exhaust?

Pascal

 

gears are the most noticable

 

Is doing the gears something I can do myself or do I have to bring it to a shop? How much? What size of gears? Will I still be able to tow my trailer?

 

Nope...not a mod you should try yourself.

Cost...anywhere between $700 and $1000 installed.

They would definitely help with towing, especially if you only have 3.55s right now.

 

Raising the air pressure in your tires,
and taking your clutch fan blades off in winter,
are good candidates for
'Best Bang for the Buck'

Running the lubricant levels lower in both engine and transmission,
but checking them much more frequently
are a low buck 'gamble' that can win slight improvements
at 'negative cost' so
'Bang for the Buck is infinite...unless you forget to check levels
and destroy a $2000 short block or $1800 transmission
;(

If you don't count the hours of labor,
adding 50 cent resistors to the IAT and ECT thermistors
gapping the sparkplugs wider
and indexing the open gap
are ways of slightly advancing the 'real world' ignition timing toward the 'best torque' settings
at very low cost, which slightly improves both hp and MPG.

Since the tread on a tire wears out by the mile driven
having both summer and winter tires is almost costless in the long run
and a very good 'Bang for the Buck'
especially if superior braking or cornering keeps you out of an accident
that you wouldn't have been able to avoid with 'all season' tires.

Reading the official Dodge Field Service Manual for your year vehicle
by placing it near your toilet and reading a few pages at a time
(all 1600 pages!)
is very good 'Bang for the Buck'