I just signed up as a member tonight. I have been a regular on a motorcycle forum so the first thing I did was a search on performance. Didn't find what I was looking for so I started browsing. Still can't find what I'm after so I am starting a thread.

I am wondering how much performance gain I can get by adding an Air Kit and an exhaust. I would like to hear from some of you that have done this and can tell me is it worth the effort for the performance gain and what does it do for gas mileage.

I have a 2008 Dakota Big Horn 4x4 Quad Cab with a 4.7 E85 engine. I appreciate any help.

No replys yet so let me add to my post. I have now come across the Superchips performance mods. If you have added this mod can you tell me what it has done for your peformance and gas mileage. Still looking for the advise mentioned above also.

 

I have an '05 with a V8. I added a Cold Air Intake and dual turndowns. I noticed a definite increase in power. As for gas mileage, when I first got both of these they sounded so good I was heavy on the gas.. But after a oil change with synthetic fluids, and driving conservatively, I get 16-17 MPG where before I was getting 12-13.

 

when i first dynoed my truck stock, i had 170 hspwr at the rear wheels, after the intake and exhaust, i still gained only a few. my biggest gains were a cam swap and a sct tuner, after all was said and done, i am now 280 at the rear wheels, quite an improvement, also i am running a 125 shot of hemi nitrous into my truck. had a professional from florida come down to dyno day, marty knows his stuff. my videos are on you tube, intake and exhaust dont do much, the tuner will be your best friend, very good at changing shift points and fuel paramiters, well worth the money. superchips is good for lightly modded trucks, but if you go big, get the sct tuner

 

your best performance mod will be running e85 fuel, not regular gasoline.

you'll get less mpgs, but test have been shown it creates more power than regular gasoline.

 

Like super Said the intake and exhaust do some but not a huge gain. You will feel the throttle response come to life though after those two are installed. I went with a Chery Bomb Pro exhaust and a KN 77 Series Intake kit. It will sound like a true v8. Mileage didnt really change significantly for me. I gained maybe 1 mpg. I also am running the superchip 3865 tuner on my truck. That by far was the most noticeable hp gain! It feels very aggressive for a truck. Again the mileage didnt really change much however if you are into a lot more it tends to suck the fuel down, but you cant build horsepower with out feeding the horses The mileage tune did give me a 2 mpg jump under noraml driving, but it was very sluggish. The performance tunes are fun! The towing tune makes the engine work less under heavy loads. The tuner overall has been a good investment in my eyes! Hope that info helps!

 

Superchips 3865 tuner is my only add-on (so far). Love the performance 91 tune. Shift points and acceleration feel much better, no dyno tests for proof though. Mpg went up at least 1 in city driving. However I pump premium fuel now so the Cost per mile is probably about the same or a little worse. From what I've read this was a better first step than CAI or Exhaust. But all three together will be nice.

Frenchy wouldn't compression ratios have to be increased dramatically to be able to take advantage of the extra energy potential in E85?

 

Exhaust and intake do help some, I think the biggest difference on mine was the Superchips by far. Improved the throttle response and shifting, really woke the truck up compared to how she felt before. I get pretty lousy mileage compared to many on here but living in Jersey and having a lead foot doesn't tend to do well for mpg. Doesn't help that every mod I add my foot gets heavier.

To clarify on the e85, stock or modestly modded you will not see better performance, in fact I would expect worse. The energy density of e85 is ~92,000 BTU/Gal whereas the e10 mix commonly used in the winter is ~120,000 BTU/Gal and regular Gasoline is ~122,500 BTU/Gal. This means that one gallon of e85 contains roughly 3/4 the energy potential of one gallon of Gasoline. Where e85 can be advantageous is that it has an octane rating of 100-105 which can allow for higher compression ratios or boost pressure without detonation. There are a few turbocharged Saab vehicles I know of that will detect when e85 is being used and run at higher boost levels, ultimately making more power on e85 than gasoline but for most vehicles this will not be the case.

 

AWDmotorsports used that in all there race cars. The hold alomst all the EVO records in the world and worlds fastest E60 M5. E85 is like running 110 octane race fuel, but it burns colder and faster. I would run E85 get a pair of LBA shorties, CAI, True Dual 2.5'' cat-back with x-pipe, Fastman Throttle Boddy, and SCT tuner

 

Unless he is running boost or higher compression e85 will not be beneficial to performance. Remember, higher octane offers more resistance to detonation. If the engine cannot take advantage of that there is no gain. You can also take advantage of higher octane with a tune, to a point...

 

Thanks for the input everyone, that gives me good info to get started on my truck.