Bolt on questions
#1
#2
RE: Bolt on questions
First of all, congratulations on your new truck. I can honestly say that as much as I love all the vintage Mopars I have owned, this truck is the most fun I've had on four wheels.
The biggest bang for the buck is red paint. Everyone knows that red is the fastest color. If yours is red, you're already ahead in the game. If it's not red, you might consider a paint job.
Next is a PCM upgrade and a catback. Dodge has recently been voiding the warranty for guys who have put in the Vec II and similar PCM upgrades. They have had some cases with scorched cylinders that they attribute to aftermarket PCMs running too lean. However, the tuners like Roe say that it is probably due to plugged catalytic converters from running too rich. We'll have to wait and see who wins that argument. Mopar now has their own PCM upgrade that won't affect the warranty and those who have it are quite pleased with the results. Mopar also offers a catback, ram air CAI, headers and a cam upgrade. All of these can be installed by your local dealership and won't affect your warranty. I would probably go this route if I was starting over with mine. A couple of guys with the Mopar parts are running in the high 12s. The most popular catback seems to be the Magnaflow. They say they add 20 rwhp or so but there isn't a whole lot on the SOP dyno. It does improves the sound a lot. That's what I had until I put on the turbo system. A complete exhaust with headers, catback and hiflow cats will probably give you at least 30 to 50 rwhp. There is some debate about whether any of the CAIs improve power. Some like just a drop in K&N in the stock airbox. Volant makes a trick looking CAI that hooks up to the scoop. They are claiming some pretty good dyno numbers. Premier Truck is a sponsor on this site and carrys the Volant. I had the K&N. It sounded great but I'm can't really say if it improved power that much.
If you live in the LA area, DC Performance does a Paxton set-up and because they are a Dodge warranty station, they'll honor your warranty if they install and tune it. Check out Quicksilver's badboy truck. Very impressive!
Now, to me, the ultimate bolt-on is an STS turbo system. However, you can kiss your warranty goodbye. If you can change a catback, you can install one of these turbos. Mine made 550 rwhp and 592 ft/lbs on just 5 lbs of boost with the turbo on a stock motor. It made over 500 ft/ lbs from 2,500 to 5,700 rpms. The acceleration from off idle right on up to the rev limiter is amazing. And then there's the sound.
Hope this helps. Good luck
The biggest bang for the buck is red paint. Everyone knows that red is the fastest color. If yours is red, you're already ahead in the game. If it's not red, you might consider a paint job.
Next is a PCM upgrade and a catback. Dodge has recently been voiding the warranty for guys who have put in the Vec II and similar PCM upgrades. They have had some cases with scorched cylinders that they attribute to aftermarket PCMs running too lean. However, the tuners like Roe say that it is probably due to plugged catalytic converters from running too rich. We'll have to wait and see who wins that argument. Mopar now has their own PCM upgrade that won't affect the warranty and those who have it are quite pleased with the results. Mopar also offers a catback, ram air CAI, headers and a cam upgrade. All of these can be installed by your local dealership and won't affect your warranty. I would probably go this route if I was starting over with mine. A couple of guys with the Mopar parts are running in the high 12s. The most popular catback seems to be the Magnaflow. They say they add 20 rwhp or so but there isn't a whole lot on the SOP dyno. It does improves the sound a lot. That's what I had until I put on the turbo system. A complete exhaust with headers, catback and hiflow cats will probably give you at least 30 to 50 rwhp. There is some debate about whether any of the CAIs improve power. Some like just a drop in K&N in the stock airbox. Volant makes a trick looking CAI that hooks up to the scoop. They are claiming some pretty good dyno numbers. Premier Truck is a sponsor on this site and carrys the Volant. I had the K&N. It sounded great but I'm can't really say if it improved power that much.
If you live in the LA area, DC Performance does a Paxton set-up and because they are a Dodge warranty station, they'll honor your warranty if they install and tune it. Check out Quicksilver's badboy truck. Very impressive!
Now, to me, the ultimate bolt-on is an STS turbo system. However, you can kiss your warranty goodbye. If you can change a catback, you can install one of these turbos. Mine made 550 rwhp and 592 ft/lbs on just 5 lbs of boost with the turbo on a stock motor. It made over 500 ft/ lbs from 2,500 to 5,700 rpms. The acceleration from off idle right on up to the rev limiter is amazing. And then there's the sound.
Hope this helps. Good luck
#3
#5
#6