Boosting Performance for towing

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erickpl

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Okay, I'm a TOTAL newb with performance upgrades (I can handle offroad suspensions), but engines and such are not my strong suit.

I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport with the 5.7 Hemi 4wd, and 8 speed. I'd LIKE to get a bit more power out of it for towing. We have a 20' travel trailer that while light, DOES make itself known when towing to Arizona from Alabama. My mileage drops off A LOT, and I'd like to try to find a way to boost the engine and performance a bit without going to a 2500 or 3500 - YET. ;)

I've seen things like tuners, ECU chips, internal upgrades (cam, valves, etc), but bang for the buck, what are some of the more effective mods that I can do. ARE there any?

I'd prefer to not do mods that I cannot undo, so electronic adjustments would be preferred, but not knowing as much in this area, I just want to see what's out there.

Thanks!
-Paul
 

Pull Ya

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The first two things I would look for is a set of long tube headers and a Diablo tuner with a "custom tune". I think Hemifever has a tune that is specifically for "towing". If you decide to get a tuner you will also have to either get a new unlocked PCM or send your PCM into Diablo to have yours unlocked. Additionally, I'd also install a catch can.
Jay
 
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Ridgerunner665

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#1 thing to always remember, or it will kill you...

If you enable to pull it faster, you must also enable stopping it faster.

Power without brakes is bad.

Proper weight distribution.

Proper gearing.

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Ridgerunner665

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The stock setup on the newer 5.7's is pretty dang good in my opinion.

395 hp and 410 torque.... from a small block V8 is nothing to sneeze at.

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MRFREEZE57

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while have never done any towing with my truck, have to say the performance of the hemi is nothing short of impressive. back in the 60's mussel car era one would have to be pushing well over 400cid to get the kind of performance of the 345cid hemi.
 

Tim Garceau

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3.92 gears are really the only way to put less stress on the engine throughout the range. A tune will get you some, lots of variables in gasoline/climate/elevation to get dialed in for a noticeable improvement.
 

ScLeCo

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The people saying that the performance is great are smoking CRACK.

It may have 395hp at the motor but it weighs around 6000+ pounds.

To put this in context the power to weight ratio for the Ram is roughly .0658hp/pound.

The power to weight ratio for the current model Honda minivan is roughly .0823hp/ pound.

Even supercharged my truck is NOT FAST.
It's not even what I'd consider quick. Physics are a mother ****** and these trucks are fat *******.
 

Ridgerunner665

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Depends on what you want it to do....

I pull loads well in excess of 100,000 pounds down the road for a living...got a pretty good idea of the basics of towing I think.

Fast isn't even on the radar of top priorities in a safe and dependable tow vehicle.

While a 575 hp diesel with over 2,000 ft pounds of torque is different from a 5.7 hemi.... those physics you speak of don't change... works the same way regardless of the truck.

Light loads that catch a lot of wind get terrible fuel mileage.... much worse than heavy low profile loads....period.

Examples....13 ton grain cart, 14 feet wide, 14 feet tall on the trailer....3.2 mpg from Ohio to Washington state.

30 ton excavator....12.5 feet wide, 12.5 feet tall on the trailer....7.2 mpg from Georgia to Washington state.

The fight is wind.... not weight.

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ScLeCo

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Depends on what you want it to do....

I pull loads well in excess of 100,000 pounds down the road for a living...got a pretty good idea of the basics of towing I think.

Fast isn't even on the radar of top priorities in a safe and dependable tow vehicle.

While a 575 hp diesel with over 2,000 ft pounds of torque is different from a 5.7 hemi.... those physics you speak of don't change.

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Apples to Oranges.
We're talking about the 5.7 gas trucks.
Performance and towing of these to what you're talking about aren't in the same ballpark, they aren't even in the same sport.
 

Ridgerunner665

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I disagree.... they're both doing the same thing.

Different gear ratios for sure.... but the basic principles of aerodynamics apply to both.

Towing is towing... wind is wind.

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Ridgerunner665

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Apples to Oranges.
We're talking about the 5.7 gas trucks.
Performance and towing of these to what you're talking about aren't in the same ballpark, they aren't even in the same sport.
If we were building a competition truck for pulling a few hundred feet down the race track.... you'd be right.

But that's not what the OP is after I don't think.... pulling down the road at highway speeds for hundreds or thousands of miles requires a different approach than racing down a track pulling a sled.

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gofishn

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hemi 5.7L, 345 cu in
The people saying that the performance is great are smoking CRACK.

It may have 395hp at the motor but it weighs around 6000+ pounds.

To put this in context the power to weight ratio for the Ram is roughly .0658hp/pound.

The power to weight ratio for the current model Honda minivan is roughly .0823hp/ pound.

Even supercharged my truck is NOT FAST.
It's not even what I'd consider quick. Physics are a mother ****** and these trucks are fat *******.


First off, power comes from teh motor. that 345 motor produces a lot of power for its size. so too does the honda minvan motor but, we are talkign trucks.


OP< increasing POWER means reducing Fuel economy. You can try different ways to offset a gain here or a reduction there but the factory has already done alot of what is possible. to get any significant gains, you got to spend money, lots of money and the gains are not that great.

read up on 450HP Hemi to see what he has done..

Gearing is where its at, for towing. in addition to power.
next up is suspension, to allow truck to more readil handle the load, then brakes to stop the load.

Buy some tuftruck springs to help with the load. SPrings are cheap and quick easy upgrade.
Add air bags, if more help is needed,
upgrade to stiffer side wall tire so the load and road conditions do not affect the tire as much.
Upgrade brakes and trailer brakes, aswell.
Learn how to properly set up your truck/trailer combination.
Upgrade your trailers brakes, if it has them and learn how to properly set up your electronic brake on the truck.

Get someone who has towed, alot for many years to help .

good luck
 

Ridgerunner665

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In other words... geared right.... the stock 5.7 could quite handily power a medium duty dump truck, and do so far better than any 396, 427, 454 or 460 ever did in the past.

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NapaRam

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Okay, I'm a TOTAL newb with performance upgrades (I can handle offroad suspensions), but engines and such are not my strong suit.

I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport with the 5.7 Hemi 4wd, and 8 speed. I'd LIKE to get a bit more power out of it for towing. We have a 20' travel trailer that while light, DOES make itself known when towing to Arizona from Alabama. My mileage drops off A LOT, and I'd like to try to find a way to boost the engine and performance a bit without going to a 2500 or 3500 - YET. ;)

I've seen things like tuners, ECU chips, internal upgrades (cam, valves, etc), but bang for the buck, what are some of the more effective mods that I can do. ARE there any?

I'd prefer to not do mods that I cannot undo, so electronic adjustments would be preferred, but not knowing as much in this area, I just want to see what's out there.

Thanks!
-Paul

I have't towed yet with my v6 but it seems to be more about how the truck is configured more so then how much power it has when it comes to towing. Proper braking and leveling are key from everything I have seen. Should look at getting something like this https://www.airliftcompany.com/products/air-springs/air-lift-1000-hd/ for starters if you don't have them. Good luck!
 

Wild one

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All of the above suggestions are very good,and come from guys who have towed so i'd listen to them.But if are hung up on following Pullya's tips about long tube headers and a tune,wrap the headers with header wrap,before install.They'll generate a pile of underhood heat that will melt everything and anything in their vinicity when you hit a long uphill grade with a trailer in tow,and no ceramic coating them isn't a cure,not for towing at least.
 

Midnight Storm

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Okay, I'm a TOTAL newb with performance upgrades (I can handle offroad suspensions), but engines and such are not my strong suit.

I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport with the 5.7 Hemi 4wd, and 8 speed. I'd LIKE to get a bit more power out of it for towing. We have a 20' travel trailer that while light, DOES make itself known when towing to Arizona from Alabama. My mileage drops off A LOT, and I'd like to try to find a way to boost the engine and performance a bit without going to a 2500 or 3500 - YET. ;)

I've seen things like tuners, ECU chips, internal upgrades (cam, valves, etc), but bang for the buck, what are some of the more effective mods that I can do. ARE there any?

I'd prefer to not do mods that I cannot undo, so electronic adjustments would be preferred, but not knowing as much in this area, I just want to see what's out there.

Thanks!
-Paul
Hi Paul,

You have come to the right place!

The answer will change depending on your budget and/or what you’re towing. @Pullya is right (he knows his ****) in that ARH long tubes with a custom tuner diablo will give you the best results. If you don’t want to spend $3000 you can spend $300 and look for a pulsar tuner.

Great little device for the money and you get better throttle response and there is a setting for towing which adds some HP and helps the shifting points for when you’re pulling.
 
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McBroom

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My opinion is your loosening a lot of your power due to wind drag. A topper shell will help a lot with aerodynamics/wind drag

Blue Mule
 

joshuaeb09

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Okay, I'm a TOTAL newb with performance upgrades (I can handle offroad suspensions), but engines and such are not my strong suit.

I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport with the 5.7 Hemi 4wd, and 8 speed. I'd LIKE to get a bit more power out of it for towing. We have a 20' travel trailer that while light, DOES make itself known when towing to Arizona from Alabama. My mileage drops off A LOT, and I'd like to try to find a way to boost the engine and performance a bit without going to a 2500 or 3500 - YET. ;)

I've seen things like tuners, ECU chips, internal upgrades (cam, valves, etc), but bang for the buck, what are some of the more effective mods that I can do. ARE there any?

I'd prefer to not do mods that I cannot undo, so electronic adjustments would be preferred, but not knowing as much in this area, I just want to see what's out there.

Thanks!
-Paul

Easiest, cheapest way to get back some performance is to stop using 87 if that's all you're putting in the tank. Under load the Hemi will show some knock retard, as designed, when running 87. The owners manual specifies 89 as "optimum" as that's how Mopar was able to get the full rating out of the engine. Running empty you probably won't see much difference, but towing changes that situation. Would it be earth shattering ? Probably not, but if it's warm and you're under sustained load you might notice it a bit.

That being said you'll never see great MPG towing with a gaser, especially towing something that has some wind resistance. They won't fight the wind nearly as well as an oil burner with their early torque and instead have to rev into the powerband. On the other hand a lot of the modern diesels aren't as good as they used to be for fuel economy with all the emissions equipment on them (A frequent gripe around here in farm country).

The biggest bang for your buck would be in the following order when looking at towing :

1. Gears, if your 1500 already has 3.92's then that's as good as it gets without hacking in the front diff out of an early 4th gen. If you've got 3.21's then swapping to 3.92's requires replacing the entire front diff due to the design. This can be a balancing act as gears can help when loaded, but can hurt unloaded depending on other variables. It is also possible to go too far one way or the other when playing with axle ratios.

2. LT's (Plus Tune). The logs on the 5.7 suck like most manifolds. They do the job, but you'll see better volumetric efficiency out of the Hemi with the right set of headers like @Pull Ya mentioned. Being an air pump better volumetric efficiency = better fuel economy at the same power output or more power output.

3. Lighter Wheel/Tire combination that are still properly load rated. The reduction in rotational mass reduces the effort required to turn the wheels freeing up power to go elsewhere.

4. A decent tow tune. This won't be ground breaking without other modifications, but adjustments can be made to various PCM/TCM strategies to help.

There are of course the other usual mods to the 4th gens like a colder T-Stat, Intake Mods (Eco D lower box, Vararam, S&B, etc), etc. By themselves they won't do much of anything, but they can be applicable in the right combination to solve for certain deficiencies. The catchcan is one exception as the Hemi's can get pretty dirty with blowby and keeping that mess out of the intake stream does have some benefits.


Comparing the Hemi MPG stock/empty to towing can be easily deceptive as there are ALOT of things FCA has done to chase the grocery getter market with MPG while still offering a 5.7L pushrod V8 (Also CAFE). They tend to start falling off once you change things up or put that engine under load. In my case I'm lucky to get over 15mpg empty on a tank unless I'm doing all highway and the wind is being kind.
 
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