Performance upgrade sanity check

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

eric_sfo

Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2018
Posts
35
Reaction score
11
Location
Alabama
Ram Year
2010
Engine
5.7 Hemi
2009 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX4, 3.92 gears. Goal, add torque for towing and more HP is a plus. Faster 0-60 is always fun too.

So this is what I’m looking at doing. I’ve read lots of good things on here about Moe’s Performance so looking at them for most stuff. If there was a great package deal I might do everything with them. Also read lots about priority for adding TQ and HP. So these are in priority order except not sure if I should put CAI before or after PTB.

  1. Diablo Tuner w/Hemi fever tune.
  2. JBA Longtube Headers, is the ceramic worth the extra $100?
  3. Y pipe kit but thing is I need the cats because next place I’m moving to, NC, has emission inspections. Unless someone knows a way to pass without them. I don’t see a Y pipe kit Moe’s has that comes with cats. Would attaching a single high flow cat to end of y pipe work and pass?
  4. I’d like to leave rest of pipe, for cost reasons, and replace muffler with maybe a flowmaster HD50. Any suggestion on one with good notes, better flow, but not too much louder than the stock and no highway drone.
  5. CAI, either Veraram or maybe custom CAI, because I’m a cheap ass. I’m open to suggestions?
  6. 85 or 87 Mm ported throttle body. Moe’s has both, would either be better than the other?

So 1, 2,3, and 4 are the ones I’m trying to get from same shop and want everything pretty much bolt on. The cats is the hang up for me. If I was staying in AL I would just go catless.


Does Moe’s charge for additional tunes if say I added the muffler, cai and/or PTB later. I thought I read that they don’t charge of the diablo and hemifever was purchased.


Thanks all for input. There is suspension I’m wanting upgrade so trying to prioritize but that’s another topic altogether.


-Eric
 

Pull Ya

U.S. MARINE VETERAN
Supporting Member
Military
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Posts
15,787
Reaction score
23,056
Location
Cedar Creek, Tx
Ram Year
2015
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Once you have a Hemifever tune I believe any adjustment in the tune because of added mod's is no charge. You can double check with Matt at Moe's. He also may have some additional information for you on your "cat" question. You might give him a call and visit with him and get his recommendations. He's great to work with and extremely knowledgeable. He uses what he sells and has one of the fastest 4th gen trucks in the US.
Jay
 

MoparBrent

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Posts
391
Reaction score
549
Location
Ontario
Ram Year
2016
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I would look at a fastman ported TB over moe’s 87mm(no disrespect). It’s a true bore TB. Remeber bigger is not always better when it comes to TB.

Also wait on the CAI until you have the TB done.

Vararam is a great option unless you live in an area with lots of snow, they don’t do well in winters and the filter will ice up quickly.

S&B CAI is the other best option if snow is an issue like I have
 

Hemi395

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Posts
8,965
Reaction score
15,598
Location
Cape Cod MA
Ram Year
2013
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Definitely start with a custom tune. That will give you the biggest bang for the buck performance wise. Hemifever tuning comes with a tuner if you buy it from Moe's. I've been very happy with my Hemifever tune and Sean is a great guy.

Personally I would skip the CAI for now and go with longtubes which will require a custom tune to take advantage of anyway. If you need to pass emissions you may be limited in what you can run for longtubes.

After that is done, I'd look into a ported TB. As mentioned Moes TB isn't a true 87mm bore but it is ported and I can tell you from experience it does make a difference but only after you have some other mods done. It's also a Mopar unit whereas the Fastman isn't so that's something to consider. I went with Moes TB mainly for that reason.

Any muffler you do isn't really going to get you much for performance, it's more for sound which is personal preference. I personally like how Magnaflows sound so I went with Mufflex. But some people like a Flowmaster sound and are running that.
 

popcenator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Posts
917
Reaction score
291
Location
Omaha, NE
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Definitely start with a custom tune. That will give you the biggest bang for the buck performance wise. Hemifever tuning comes with a tuner if you buy it from Moe's. I've been very happy with my Hemifever tune and Sean is a great guy.

Personally I would skip the CAI for now and go with longtubes which will require a custom tune to take advantage of anyway. If you need to pass emissions you may be limited in what you can run for longtubes.

After that is done, I'd look into a ported TB. As mentioned Moes TB isn't a true 87mm bore but it is ported and I can tell you from experience it does make a difference but only after you have some other mods done. It's also a Mopar unit whereas the Fastman isn't so that's something to consider. I went with Moes TB mainly for that reason.

Any muffler you do isn't really going to get you much for performance, it's more for sound which is personal preference. I personally like how Magnaflows sound so I went with Mufflex. But some people like a Flowmaster sound and are running that.
Are you back to using HF?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

Hemi395

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Posts
8,965
Reaction score
15,598
Location
Cape Cod MA
Ram Year
2013
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Are you back to using HF?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Yup. Long story short, Jay could never get my trans shifting right and after towing my camper from MA to UT and back last summer, I haven't had any ST knock problems with my HF tunes.
 

popcenator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Posts
917
Reaction score
291
Location
Omaha, NE
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Yup. Long story short, Jay could never get my trans shifting right and after towing my camper from MA to UT and back last summer, I haven't had any ST knock problems with my HF tunes.
I've been running stock tuning since my transmission debacle and I can't stand it. I'm thinking of throwing either an earlier revision of Jay's tune back on or giving HF's tune a try again. [emoji848]

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

Hemi395

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Posts
8,965
Reaction score
15,598
Location
Cape Cod MA
Ram Year
2013
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Yeah the stock tune is horrible. I would give it a shot. My HF tunes make the trans shift quicker which is better for the trans in the long run...
 

popcenator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Posts
917
Reaction score
291
Location
Omaha, NE
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Yeah the stock tune is horrible. I would give it a shot. My HF tunes make the trans shift quicker which is better for the trans in the long run...
The second time they dug into the transmission they added some heavier clutches and the Sonnax line booster to help strengthen the shifts. I do remember really enjoying his tunes for daily driving, Jay just went above and beyond for me so it's hard to move away from his. In the end it's whatever the trucks wants I suppose lol.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
OP
OP
E

eric_sfo

Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2018
Posts
35
Reaction score
11
Location
Alabama
Ram Year
2010
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Definitely start with a custom tune. That will give you the biggest bang for the buck performance wise. Hemifever tuning comes with a tuner if you buy it from Moe's. I've been very happy with my Hemifever tune and Sean is a great guy.

Personally I would skip the CAI for now and go with longtubes which will require a custom tune to take advantage of anyway. If you need to pass emissions you may be limited in what you can run for longtubes.

After that is done, I'd look into a ported TB. As mentioned Moes TB isn't a true 87mm bore but it is ported and I can tell you from experience it does make a difference but only after you have some other mods done. It's also a Mopar unit whereas the Fastman isn't so that's something to consider. I went with Moes TB mainly for that reason.

Any muffler you do isn't really going to get you much for performance, it's more for sound which is personal preference. I personally like how Magnaflows sound so I went with Mufflex. But some people like a Flowmaster sound and are running that.
Thanks just the kind of insight I was looking to get. Unfortunately I just recently found a leaking front shock so that was an unexpected expense because I hadn’t planned on upgrading the fronts. Not a huge expense if I stick with OEM but why change if you don’t upgrade right. Anyway probably gonna order the tuner today. If the new tunes are free then I will piece it together for now because of budget reasons. i was reluctant to doing that if it was going to cost me everything I add another part.

Thank all for the input.
 
Top