Best Performance Mods 2015 Ram 5.7L

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guido874

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I have read so many discussions across the web on this, I believe I'm cross-eyed lol. So please forgive me for beating a dead horse as vehicle performance modifications is a new subject to me......

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman CrewCab 4wd 5.7L hemi and 8 speed trans. It sits on 18" rims with 295/70-18 Mastercraft tires. Current mods are Rouch Country 3" leveler,, Bridgestone airbags in the springs, 3" cat back Black Widow exhaust with side exit, SuperChips FlashPaq with unlocked PCM and a K&N 63 series CAI.

This truck hauls (in bed & heavy at times), tows 4 various trailers occasionally (large pontoon and dual axle trailer the most) and sees a ton of highway miles. Yes I do like to romp on it from time to time.

What would be the next steps for the best performance. I'm thinking BBK 90mm TB and BBK ceramic headers. I want to keep and possibly increase my low end towing power but in the same breath have decent performance when I step on that pedal. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
 

Treburkulosis

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Veraram intake or CAI, 3.92 gears, headers, muffler and resonator delete. "This woke my truck up" Or a good aftermarket muffler. handheld tuner, or custom tune, cam, I would venture and say probably the E fan mod as it will have no drag on the engine. Pedal commander for better pedal control. That would be my list right off hand.
 

Loudram

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I have read so many discussions across the web on this, I believe I'm cross-eyed lol. So please forgive me for beating a dead horse as vehicle performance modifications is a new subject to me......

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman CrewCab 4wd 5.7L hemi and 8 speed trans. It sits on 18" rims with 295/70-18 Mastercraft tires. Current mods are Rouch Country 3" leveler,, Bridgestone airbags in the springs, 3" cat back Black Widow exhaust with side exit, SuperChips FlashPaq with unlocked PCM and a K&N 63 series CAI.

This truck hauls (in bed & heavy at times), tows 4 various trailers occasionally (large pontoon and dual axle trailer the most) and sees a ton of highway miles. Yes I do like to romp on it from time to time.

What would be the next steps for the best performance. I'm thinking BBK 90mm TB and BBK ceramic headers. I want to keep and possibly increase my low end towing power but in the same breath have decent performance when I step on that pedal. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
You might want to repost this in the 4th gen section. You'll get more views.
 

Nick@GotExhaust

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A quality set of long tube headers is the way to go. ARH or SW are the best fitting and best quality headers for the RAM while also providing the best performance. Headers makes a big difference on the 5.7. The stock manifolds are restrictive and the stock y pipe is absolutely terrible on them. Long tubes and the y pipe is going to make a noticeable difference in all driving conditions.

message me if you would like more info and a quote
 

G-Ride990

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Welcome!!
 

Wild one

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I have read so many discussions across the web on this, I believe I'm cross-eyed lol. So please forgive me for beating a dead horse as vehicle performance modifications is a new subject to me......

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman CrewCab 4wd 5.7L hemi and 8 speed trans. It sits on 18" rims with 295/70-18 Mastercraft tires. Current mods are Rouch Country 3" leveler,, Bridgestone airbags in the springs, 3" cat back Black Widow exhaust with side exit, SuperChips FlashPaq with unlocked PCM and a K&N 63 series CAI.

This truck hauls (in bed & heavy at times), tows 4 various trailers occasionally (large pontoon and dual axle trailer the most) and sees a ton of highway miles. Yes I do like to romp on it from time to time.

What would be the next steps for the best performance. I'm thinking BBK 90mm TB and BBK ceramic headers. I want to keep and possibly increase my low end towing power but in the same breath have decent performance when I step on that pedal. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Have you gave any thought to a 6.4 swap.If you tow heavy you'd probabably want to look at the 6.4 truck engine,but there's a few guys who've done the SRT 6.4 swap and say it has lots of grunt for towing.The 6.4 SRT is rated at 485hp and 470 lb-ft and comes with a 3 year warrenty.All you'd need is a 6.4 long block,then swap your 5.7's oil pan/pick-up tube/front timing cover / intake and exhuast manifolds onto it,and it'll bolt right in,then invest in a custom tune to get the most out of it.A set of long tubes would be a good upgrade though,as the stock manifolds choke off a 5.7,and it'd be worse with a 6.4
 
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guido874

guido874

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HEMI 5.7L
Have you gave any thought to a 6.4 swap.If you tow heavy you'd probabably want to look at the 6.4 truck engine,but there's a few guys who've done the SRT 6.4 swap and say it has lots of grunt for towing.The 6.4 SRT is rated at 485hp and 470 lb-ft and comes with a 3 year warrenty.All you'd need is a 6.4 long block,then swap your 5.7's oil pan/pick-up tube/front timing cover / intake and exhuast manifolds onto it,and it'll bolt right in,then invest in a custom tune to get the most out of it.A set of long tubes would be a good upgrade though,as the stock manifolds choke off a 5.7,and it'd be worse with a 6.4

Have you gave any thought to a 6.4 swap.If you tow heavy you'd probabably want to look at the 6.4 truck engine,but there's a few guys who've done the SRT 6.4 swap and say it has lots of grunt for towing.The 6.4 SRT is rated at 485hp and 470 lb-ft and comes with a 3 year warrenty.All you'd need is a 6.4 long block,then swap your 5.7's oil pan/pick-up tube/front timing cover / intake and exhuast manifolds onto it,and it'll bolt right in,then invest in a custom tune to get the most out of it.A set of long tubes would be a good upgrade though,as the stock manifolds choke off a 5.7,and it'd be worse with a 6.4
I have never thought of an engine swap at all. I have done a few when I was younger but those engines were easy as they were naturally aspirated and nothing for computers. My big concern would be the wiring harness, would it be a direct hookup/compatible?
 

kurek

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I get that a lot of people do a fan delete for whatever reason and that's probably not a problem on a truck that doesn't tow but car manufacturers have to pay for every ounce of material they stick in these vehicles they wouldn't just bolt an engine driven fan in there for tradition.

OP tows, probably not a good idea to remove a cooling fan.

The factory intake is already a cold air intake, the only aftermarket intake that makes any kind of meaningful power is Vararam because it's the only one that gets rid of almost everything the air has to go through before the throttle body.

There's probably a bit of horsepower hiding in the factory Y pipe.

If your truck came with 3.21 gears in the diffs that's the first thing you should change if you want to feel more pull. That's a lot cheaper in a 2wd than a 4wd for reasons that should be obvious.

If your sense of aesthetics could handle i going to smaller and lighter tires will make a significant difference. 285/70r17's work out to about a 5% difference in torque to the ground so we get to do the ol napkin math again.

With 3.21 diff gears your peak first gear torque at the wheels (410 from the engine, 4.71:1 first gear ratio) is just about 6200 ft-lbs.
With 3.92 diff gears your peak first gear torque at the wheels is just about 7618 ft-lbs

In 6th gear (1:1) your maximum torque with 3.21 diff gears is 1316 and with 3.92 it's 1607 ft-lbs.

In terms of t_h_rust sorry the forum censors that word - the actual pulling force your truck has - it breaks down like this:

5.7 Hemi stock, peak torque 410 ft-lbs
8HP70 1st gear ratio 4.71:1, 6th gear ratio 1:1

With 3.21 gears and 295/70R18 tires 1st gear 4340 lbs 6th gear 921 lbs
With 3.92 gears and 295/70R18 tires 1st gear 5332 lbs 6th gear 1125 lbs
With 3.21 gears and 285/70R17 tires 1st gear 4557 lbs 6th gear 967 lbs
With 3.92 gears and 285/70R17 tires 1st gear 5598 lbs 6th gear 1181 lbs
 
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guido874

guido874

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HEMI 5.7L
I get that a lot of people do a fan delete for whatever reason and that's probably not a problem on a truck that doesn't tow but car manufacturers have to pay for every ounce of material they stick in these vehicles they wouldn't just bolt an engine driven fan in there for tradition.

OP tows, probably not a good idea to remove a cooling fan.

The factory intake is already a cold air intake, the only aftermarket intake that makes any kind of meaningful power is Vararam because it's the only one that gets rid of almost everything the air has to go through before the throttle body.

There's probably a bit of horsepower hiding in the factory Y pipe.

If your truck came with 3.21 gears in the diffs that's the first thing you should change if you want to feel more pull. That's a lot cheaper in a 2wd than a 4wd for reasons that should be obvious.

If your sense of aesthetics could handle i going to smaller and lighter tires will make a significant difference. 285/70r17's work out to about a 5% difference in torque to the ground so we get to do the ol napkin math again.

With 3.21 diff gears your peak first gear torque at the wheels (410 from the engine, 4.71:1 first gear ratio) is just about 6200 ft-lbs.
With 3.92 diff gears your peak first gear torque at the wheels is just about 7618 ft-lbs

In 6th gear (1:1) your maximum torque with 3.21 diff gears is 1316 and with 3.92 it's 1607 ft-lbs.

In terms of t_h_rust sorry the forum censors that word - the actual pulling force your truck has - it breaks down like this:

5.7 Hemi stock, peak torque 410 ft-lbs
8HP70 1st gear ratio 4.71:1, 6th gear ratio 1:1

With 3.21 gears and 295/70R18 tires 1st gear 4340 lbs 6th gear 921 lbs
With 3.92 gears and 295/70R18 tires 1st gear 5332 lbs 6th gear 1125 lbs
With 3.21 gears and 285/70R17 tires 1st gear 4557 lbs 6th gear 967 lbs
With 3.92 gears and 285/70R17 tires 1st gear 5598 lbs 6th gear 1181 lbs
I just pulled up my trucks build sheet..... I just saved a couple grand as she already has the 3.92 gears with LSD, THANK GOD!!
 

savage_46

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I have never thought of an engine swap at all. I have done a few when I was younger but those engines were easy as they were naturally aspirated and nothing for computers. My big concern would be the wiring harness, would it be a direct hookup/compatible?
Yes, harness is direct fit.
 

Wild one

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I have never thought of an engine swap at all. I have done a few when I was younger but those engines were easy as they were naturally aspirated and nothing for computers. My big concern would be the wiring harness, would it be a direct hookup/compatible?
You use everything off your 5.7 and it's a direct bolt-in,but should be tuned to maximize which ever 6.4 you settle on.Personally if it was me,i'd do the SRT 6.4,the engine is a torque monster,and you'd be hard pressed to build a 5.7 to it's 470 lb-ft of torque reliably,plus the 6.4 comes with a 3 year warrenty,you won't get that with a built up 5.7,lol
 

Dan Topp

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We are talking about trucks weighing 6-9k right. Just blow some air at about 8 lbs an have fun.I’m sure even that will fry the 8 hp70 eventuall. The loud exhaust is ok but unless you have a 2 chamber muffler with mild to wild, eventually it will grow old. The S/C is fun to hear,never heard anything but the blowoff valve with loud exhaust.The 5.7 needs true dual exhaust,agree. As soon as I get over the rise in header prices.AA5412CC-0FEB-4008-AC0F-2D852FB6FD4C.jpeg
 

Noob2Trucks

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I get that a lot of people do a fan delete for whatever reason and that's probably not a problem on a truck that doesn't tow but car manufacturers have to pay for every ounce of material they stick in these vehicles they wouldn't just bolt an engine driven fan in there for tradition.

OP tows, probably not a good idea to remove a cooling fan.
I don't tow as you mentioned so I can see why, if there's a problem, I haven't seen it. I removed my fan as I can't see why it was needed, but not on the newer 5.7s. The fifth gens don't have them.
 

Ram Night

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Hemi 5.7
I have read so many discussions across the web on this, I believe I'm cross-eyed lol. So please forgive me for beating a dead horse as vehicle performance modifications is a new subject to me......

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Outdoorsman CrewCab 4wd 5.7L hemi and 8 speed trans. It sits on 18" rims with 295/70-18 Mastercraft tires. Current mods are Rouch Country 3" leveler,, Bridgestone airbags in the springs, 3" cat back Black Widow exhaust with side exit, SuperChips FlashPaq with unlocked PCM and a K&N 63 series CAI.

This truck hauls (in bed & heavy at times), tows 4 various trailers occasionally (large pontoon and dual axle trailer the most) and sees a ton of highway miles. Yes I do like to romp on it from time to time.

What would be the next steps for the best performance. I'm thinking BBK 90mm TB and BBK ceramic headers. I want to keep and possibly increase my low end towing power but in the same breath have decent performance when I step on that pedal. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
I would not install the 90mm throttle body because you will loose bottom end power. Plus this is way to big for a stock engine. If anything, get a modified oem 84mm from fastman. These work better than others being sold.
 
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guido874

guido874

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I would not install the 90mm throttle body because you will loose bottom end power. Plus this is way to big for a stock engine. If anything, get a modified oem 84mm from fastman. These work better than others being sold.
I would not install the 90mm throttle body because you will loose bottom end power. Plus this is way to big for a stock engine. If anything, get a modified oem 84mm from fastman. These work better than others being sold.
Forgive my ignorance, but I was under the impression that fastman TB’s are all cable driven?

I definitely do not want to loose my bottom end and nice torquey pulling power. Would a bbk 85mm work as well as the fastman?
 

Wild one

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Forgive my ignorance, but I was under the impression that fastman TB’s are all cable driven?

I definitely do not want to loose my bottom end and nice torquey pulling power. Would a bbk 85mm work as well as the fastman?
Dans/Fastmans 5.7/6.4 ported throttle bodies are based off a ported stock 251 casting thottle body,using the stock drive by wire system and not a cable.There are a few guys who've done a cable throttle body,but usually only on an all out drag style car.The 5.7 and 6.4's including the Scatpack 6.4's all use the identical 251 casting throttle body,and for the guys thinking a Hellcat throttle body is 90mm,no such thing,the Hellcat throttle bodies are 92mm
 

Ram Night

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Forgive my ignorance, but I was under the impression that fastman TB’s are all cable driven?

I definitely do not want to loose my bottom end and nice torquey pulling power. Would a bbk 85mm work as well as the fastman?
No sir, the 85 is still to big. You want the modified stock TB. Go to his website and there is an explanation on the different sizes.
 
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