18 replies to this topic

[Johnathan Seppälä]

Hi, I have a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 4x2 Laramie SLT Quad Cab with the 318 5.2L V8. I have installed stacks in the back, a K&N Cold Air Intake, and Heddman Hedders, as well as changing the shift points to get more power. Does anybody have any suggestions for getting more power out of the pickup? Should I invest in a turbo charger? I'm kind of new to this so I'm open to anything really.

Thanks in advance,
John

[dana44]

It's not like the old days where you could change a carb, intake manifold, camshaft, compression, and get away with it. There is a hand computer tuner but I can't remember the name of it, something like Firetech, but not positive. It is a truck, so there is not a whole lot you can really do without tearing the engine apart, but you can always go with smaller diameter or lower profile tires, which is the equivalent to increasing the rear end ratio. The problem with adding a turbo is the material the pistons themselves are made out of, they are cast aluminum and will wear out, melt or crack when you get antsy and want to increase the turbo pressure so you don't want to spend several grand and then have to rebuild an old motor, which isn't acustomed to the extra pressure and will simply wear out that much faster, thus costing you even more, so save the money for now.

You also have to remember, this is one giant truck, so going fast isn't part of the requirements for it to be respected, she will outlast all the others, and besides, being a 4door and a big bed, you can carry a lot more people and gear than the faster ones.

[valiant67]

Hyperetech is what Dana is likely thinking of:
http://www.hypertech.com/

Torque us what rules in a heavy truck, even my slightly lighter Dakota with a 5.9 (360) motor and stout 3.9 gears isn't as fast as I think it could be.  I've experimented lately to get better gas mileage though, I've tried with and without a good K&N cold air intake, Gibson headers, a Mopar Performance computer.  Right now, it's all back stock except the exhaust opened to duals after the cat.  Neither performance or my gas mileage was significantly changed by undoing the mods, though going back to the stock computer lets me run regular gas again.

If I had the money and didn't drive the truck as much, I think I'd get a stroker kit and make mine a 408.

All that being said, I think a 5.9 motor, either stock or stroked to a 408 will be a better long term solution than a turbo.  Probably cheaper too.

[dana44]

Thanks Valiant, couldn't remember the name of the Hypertech. I have read several articles in that they work well in adjusting the fuel/air ratio which is a little rich on the Mopar V8s and it helps on mileage, thus gains in HP and torque.

There is also a stroker kit for the 318, comes up to 392 I believe. Stroker kit would give more torque. The heads in stock form are pretty good for flow, intake valves are big enough, but a port job helps get smoother power and better bottom end (and top end), much better than the older 318 heads with the small intake valves. Compared to the turbo setup, given the fact one would spend more than $2000 for a less than 7psi system with the stock pistons, turbos don't do much at the bottom end anyway, and if it does, there is no top end, so doesn't do much for good gains. A stroker kit would be about the same after all is said and done, but the engine would be stronger all the way around, my only concern would be larger injectors due to the larger displacement, but that is an easier fix.

[Johnathan Seppälä]

Thanks guys! Yeah..torque...something long lost for me. Those stacks took all that low end power away so I threw in the Intake and those Hedders to get some of it back, but when I changed the shift points, I lost some of it again. 1-2 used to be at 12 mph and 2-3 used to be around 20 mph but now 1-2 is at 16 and 2-3 is around 35. Aside from the torque loss, the truck is definitely more responsive and really gets going a whole lot faster than it used to. Lower profile tires seem interesting, however, I really like the design of the wheels I have on now. But, I'm open to suggestions! Does anybody know where one could look for quality wheels? I'll also have to look into that hypertech thing as well. Thanks again!

[dana44]

Keep the wheels you have, just go with a lower profile, as in smaller outside diameter, which will allow the engine to rev faster. On the other side, from what you are saying about the lower rpm being better, actually a larger or taller profile tire would keep the rpm lower, down in the rpm band longer. Example, if you have an LT truck tire it would be, say, 50 inches in diameter, but a 70 series tire would be 46 inches in diameter so it would be making one full turn faster and the rpm would increase, but if you went to an even taller profile tire you could take that diameter up to 53 inches and the engine rpm would turn slower to make one revolution, slower rpm is where the torque is.You can keep the 16 or 17 inch wheels, whatever you have, you just change the outer size of the tire itself.

[Johnathan Seppälä]

I just realized what I wrote..it didn't quite make sense..."Losing torque yet getting a more responsive truck" Haha Here are two pictures of the truck if anybody was wondering what it looked like
http://flic.kr/p/bqeJji
http://flic.kr/p/bqeJpc

[ImperialCrown]

If you can find a donor truck with a stick shift, that would bring the engine alive. The swap would be a large undertaking without air tools and experience.
The V10 option is rare and was only in heavy-duty (2500-3500) trucks, but those had some fun torque. This would also require a donor truck for a swap.
Your local emission and state inspection laws may put a crimp on modifications like this, so check local law before even considering this.

[Johnathan Seppälä]

I'll have to look into a donor truck, seems like a good idea. I'm pretty interested in that HyperTech thing as well. Going back to tires, are there performance tires for trucks?

[dana44]

A V10 would definitely give her some grunt, and from the looks of the used truck market with V10s, they do last for a very long time, into the 250K miles a lot of the time.  As far as truck performance tires, yeah, just talk to the tire salesman, they have them.

[Doug D]

Johnathan Seppälä, on February 8, 2012 at 04:57 pm, said:

Going back to tires, are there performance tires for trucks?

Well sort of.  Most truck tires are either passenger type (P series) like mine - I have P245/17/70 Destination LE's on mine (2006 Ram SLT QC 4x2) - or they are true truck tire with the LT designation.  There really isn't sport performance tires like those for a sports car or muscle car.  Kind of stuck with highway all season, on/off road all terrain or snow/mud tires.

[dana44]

Doug, define performance tires for a truck. See the irony in that, along with truck performance being different from car performance.

[Johnathan Seppälä]

I've got General Grabbers on it right now, nothing special, in fact, they're "car rated" if you know what I mean. I don't want to get all terrain tires or anything because that's kind of a 4WD thing. Destination LE's, huh? How are they?

I'll also have to check out V10's! Hopefully I can find one. I doubt the Ram SRT10 engine will fit, correct me if I'm wrong.

[dana44]

Same engine physically. The SRT10 engine is a Viper engine, but the block size, heads, and everything is the same size. The SRT10 and Viper engine has a different firing order, different cam, and is cast iron vice aluminum. Either way, you don't need a Viper engine in a truck, but a V10 in a Ram truck would be great especially for the bottom end torque. SRT10s are rare to start with, but the V10 Rams can be found for under $5K complete and running, $3500 was the cheapest one I have seen on the west coast area, and it was still pretty nice looking,  Mileage is going to be in the 12-14mpg, so keep that in mind.

[Johnathan Seppälä]

Unfortunatly for me, I live in New England haha Would I have to change the transmission?

[dana44]

Yeah, that would be a good idea, given unless someone says differently, the same strength of the one behind the Cummins diesel for strength. You don't take 488 cubic inches of 8.0 liters with ten pistons and not have 310hp and 450lb-ft of torque twist the guts of your transmission, so they are a pair.

[ImperialCrown]

That is why a donor parts truck is the best way to go. You would want the engine, transmission, PCM, some drivetrain, fuel and wiring system parts, all the way down to little hardware bits that you don't want to keep running out to the parts store for.
If you find a good V10 donor truck and do the swap, you can sell the other running truck (with your V8 in it) when the operation is complete to recoup some of your investment.
Again, know and follow all local emission and/or salvage title laws for your state first. The trucks that you wind up with won't match their original certifications and VINs.

Edited by ImperialCrown, February 9, 2012 at 08:41 am.

[Doug D]

dana44, on February 8, 2012 at 08:42 pm, said:

Doug, define performance tires for a truck. See the irony in that, along with truck performance being different from car performance.

Yeah, I know.  That's why I said "sort of".  There really isn't performance tires for trucks - they are either highway all season, on/off roadd all terrain or mud/snow tires.

Johnathan Seppälä, on February 8, 2012 at 09:27 pm, said:

Destination LE's, huh? How are they?

They are not bad.  Noisier than the OEM Michelins.  The LE's have a more aggressive tread than the Michelins that came with it originally and not quite as aggressive as the Desitnation AT's.  Cost about $650 a year ago.

[Johnathan Seppälä]

I found a V10 engine by itself off of a '95 2500. He wants $350 for it, or $600 for the truck and the engine, however, the engine isn't in the truck. Is it a good idea? I think I'd buy the engine, but look for a different donor truck because I really like the Quad Cab, personally, I think it's the best. When you start getting into those huge cabs, you really lose out on bed space. But that's just me.

And I was looking at Superchips, SCT from Hemifever, and Hypertech. Which one was better? I couldn't quite tell because I couldn't find any good reviews.

Edited by Johnathan Seppälä, February 9, 2012 at 08:51 am.