Has anyone bought into the hype and tried them out?
Or is this one of those "we only use OEM replacement parts on our rides" kinda places?
Thanks T
2015 DGC RT

 

Yeah that's the kind of place it is....full of wisdom that states that the evil automakers are not involved in some sort of conspiracy to deny you of more MPGs and HPs by not installing a super secret spark plug and magical air filter combo.


...or we could just lie to you.


Welcome to reality land!


Welcome to Dodge Forum!

 

Sorry, I guess I failed to check for an "Intro yourself" thread....

Thanks for the welcome.

I scanned through about 8+ Of the Gen 5 prefixed pages and saw mostly repair/complaint issues. Guess I'm trying to find the 5+/- (?) "performance guys" who have been "saddled" with a mini van too. Lol. I was looking for "performance parts" on the dodge we site when it dawned on me. There are probably not to many made, cause how many guys really tinker with the van?

Check this out,

And a behind the scenes...

Later,
T

 

I just use Champion iridium and Champion plug wires.. I want mileage not horsepower..

When I see someone mention beefing up a minivan I think of a teen or early-twenties kid who got stuck with a minivan and doesn't understand the economics yet..

EDIT: One thing.. When you wear out valves or sleeves pushing these engines don't be surprised when you liquidate the used-engine market around you.. They are rare and outside parts-house $4,000 crate engines, all you have is gasket kits for new parts.. No heads, blocks, sleeves, cams etc..

 

Modding vans is both fun and easy. Nothing better then smoking a "performance" car in a mini.
I'm neither a teen, nor did I get stuck with a van, I bought it out of choice.
Upgrading parts gains both performance and mpgs. Plugs aren't really in that category. Intakes will help some. Full exhaust 2.5" at least will also help. Tuners will help get more out of these mods.
Contrary to most peoples beliefs upgrading and making your vehicle run more efficiently actually increases life and efficiency, not the other way around.

 

Our van is running a cold air intake, newer 3.3l plenum, 58mm 3.8l throttle body, full 2.5" exhaust. Currently @185k and still runs like new. I've got the newer cams waiting to go in this spring. Biggest issue is you have to fab everything yourself, you may have luck getting 3.6 charger/avenger parts, some may work on the vans.

Performance wise it's quick enough to smoke the kids around here without issue. I average 23mpg with it and have pulled 26 on the highway. That's from a 95 sport, which is a brick.

The biggest issue with your van is weight. My van for instance weighs in @ 3300lbs, your van weighs in @ 4700. That's a lot of extra weight. Trying to shave some weight would help performance tremendously (more-so then extra power).

The 3.6l makes decent HP, but lacks strong torque the 3.3s/3.8s/4.0s made. Intake and exhaust should free up some extra power (both will most likely have to be custom), a tuner will help squeeze out more too. If those don't satisfy there are people doing turbo setups and making well over 400hp.

There are those on here that support regardless of the platform, and there are those that will neysay at every step.

 

small track-width, high center of gravity, at least two-tons, very bad weight distribution, legendary bad transmissions.

But if it means aftermarket drive-train parts by all means.. For people without a machine shop, the cost to have parts worked is about the same as another van.. ANY trans shop is also the price of another van for a rebuild, and that's if they do quality work and it lasts at least 150k otherwise you'll have a 10k van that has a 3k resale in no time..

 

Width is about the only thing the newer ones have on mine, which should make them more capable, combine that with the lower ride height from the factory.
Not sure where you are going for machining, but they must be outrageous. I can send my heads out, have them milled/ported/polished/combustion chamber reworked, new seats pressed in w/ 3angle job for $550. Just having them milled and new seats pressed is only $150. So if you can by vans for $150 feel free.
As far as the trans...
1. The newer flash is much better then our older vans, and the trans are slightly heavier built.
2. I can get my trans built (upgraded/extra clutches, diff upgrade, stall convertor, better trans flash) for $1500, that should be capable of 300hp from the older vans, same on a newer one should hold 400hp, again, not sure where you're looking there either. If $1500 is too much for a trans that will outlast the van, I think you need a different hobby.

Looking around and researching will offer you a lot more possibilities, both in longevity and performance, be willing to dig for it makes a lot of difference.

 

I don't mean to down anyone for their thoughts on this, as I like speed as much as the next guy.


I just get frustrated at the companies marketing ONE performance mod to the general public as some sort of implied silver bullet, at the same time never committing to an actual claim they can back up.


These ONE mods are designed and meant to be used in conjunction with several others to achieve their intended purpose.


It's like they want you to believe the engineers just threw your car together *****-nilly and never considered any of this.


I do wish I had an 80s turbo Dodge Minivan though

 

I don't know where you go, but all the trans shops I've been you're lucky if they use the mopar kit for the trans, and if you ask any questions the guys get hostile.. $1,500 is about right.. I just bought a 2003 sport with a 180k 3.8 swap for $1,200. Very-clean with maintenance record 4th gens go for 2k-3.5k here.

I've never seen hardened trans parts for these.. The mopar kit itself is only sold by a few vendors.. There are also a lot of transmissions not documented; like 4th gen alone has like 5 4-speed transmissions.. I don't even know how to tell the difference between them and I have a few sitting on shelves.. I've never had time to tear them down.

I agree on 5th gen reliability, the only reason I don't own one is because the used market is 6k-9k and I don't make payments on anything. I'd love to have the 2011+ with 6-speed and VVT and a towing setup, but even the 2008 is a step up.