Bolt-on Performance Mods

[NorZeman]

Hi all! New to the Ram family, upgraded from a '13 F-150 to a '19 Ram 1500 Classic (Gen 4.5ish?) Crew with the 76.3" bed on it, 4wd, 5.7L Hemi, 8-speed, and factory blackout package.

I'm looking for some simple (fairly cheap, $300-ish range) bolt-on performance mods.

Plans are eventually to do an upgraded intake and exhaust to let the Hemi breath, and then eventually a tune of some type. Truck is my dd and will be towing a travel trailer with it every few weekends.

Looking around the forums I've found a few different options that intrigue me for both intake and exhaust:
Any reasons to get one over the other, benefits of any of them over others?
Intake:
Vararam Air Grabber
K&N Blackhawk
S&B CAI

Exhaust:
(looking for something mild to moderate due to towing long trips with the travel trailer, preferably a bolt in muffler, keep the stock pipes/resonators)
Mufflex 18" or 24"
Borla ProXS
Flowmaster FlowFX

Tuner:
SuperChips Pulsar

Due to cash strap of buying a new truck, I'd be looking at only doing one of the three at this time, would any of them stand out as a better value for the $ to get started? Any other brands/products that I should be looking at for a good value? Won't be racing the truck, just looking for a little more power and hopefully some MPG improvement.

Thanks for any help guys and gals!

 

[Elevated 2013]

You won’t gain anything from just replacing a muffler other than a different tone and that tone comes down to whatever you like. From talking to a Dodge Tuner with the title of fastest Hellcat to date (and before anyone says it, I know it’s a different engine but he knows how to tune Dodges well and has lots of experience with the 6.4 and the 5.7 and cars and trucks), he says that the stock intake is probably the best overall. He did mention the S&B intake. But that was after I put my Vararam in. Dang it. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MoparBrent]

Hello and congrats on the new truck. You are going to learn real quick on these forums just how quick we are to help you spend your money lol.

As stated above, an intake/exhaust are just supporting mods and alone wont really be anything more than an increase in noise. Your best bet is to start with a good tuner right away and then contact the guys at either Hemifever or Jay Greene, they are the two most popular and preferred tuners for our trucks. You will need an unlocked PCM though ontop of a diablo tuner, it does cost more but worth saving for and doing first.

After you have a proper tuner then I would start looking into bolt ons such as an S&B intake, Borla ProXS or Carven exhaust, fastman ported Throttle Body for starters.

Next thing to mention are vendors on here. Get in touch with Nick@GotExhaust and Matt at Moes Performance. They are both great guys and have some of the best pricing and variety of mods for our trucks.

 

[NorZeman]

Thanks guys! So sounds like I should just hold off on Intake and Exhaust (still debating this though, all these sound clips from aftermarkets have me drooling).

As to the unlocked PCM, I'm guessing that would cause issues with my mfg warranty.. Haven't really gone down that route yet. Used SC flashpaqs on my last 2 vehicles with pretty good results.

So Unlocked PCM (or PCM swap) + Diablo tuner would get me started with preloaded tunes? If I were to add CAI or headers/exhaust down the road could go to one of the guys Brent mentioned for a custom tune?

Has anyone tried out the Pulsar or avoid it due to apparent lack of custom tuning?

 

[Elevated 2013]

If you’re going to get a DiabloSport Tuner, you might as well get HemiFever to put a custom tune on there as it isn’t that much more to add it and he can make adjustments to your tune as you add upgrades. You will need an unlocked or other PCM because the factory PCMs are locked and can’t be tuned from what I understand. You won’t have to use HemiFevers tune right away. You can stick with a different canned tune but it won’t be as good as what he can give you. That’s totally up to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NorZeman]

Thanks Elevated. Looking into the PCM+Diablo tuners now. Looks like I could get the tuner with a PCM swap for about $100 more than the Pulsar currently, so in the long run it may be worth it extra $ if I do utilize Hemifever custom tunes for any future addons.

The issue I'm still struggling with is the whole unlocked PCM thing. Not sure I want to mess with that if it affects mfg warranty being I'm about a week into mine now. Reading through my warranty "Performance or racing parts are considered to be non-FCA US parts. Repairs or adjustments caused by their use are not covered under your warranties." The unlocked PCM would be traceable, so anything that they could claim was caused by having that wouldn't be able to be claimed under my 5 year warranty, in my understanding.

I'm not sure whether the Pulsar would be traceable or not, which is why I was so interested in it. It potentially could allow me to have canned tunes for the next 5 years with little repercussions on the warranty. Also I'm the Diablo works similar to my former flashpaqs, where you have to set aside time to flash the PCM. The Pulsar you are supposed to be able to change on the fly, which is a plus in my book.

 

[Elevated 2013]

What you would do is replace the tubes PCM with the stock PCM before you take the truck in to be fixed. They wouldn’t be able to tell. Your warranty would be fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NorZeman]

Alright, thought I had read that the PCM tracked odometer, and any difference between dash reading and PCM reading would be a red flag.

(though this would add around a $400 core charge to my PCM swap plan)

Brent was right, you guys sure do help spend money quickly

 

[Elevated 2013]

We’re trained professionals at spending everyone else’s money! Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tim Garceau]

Canned tunes are garbage, just wanted to throw that out there. Are they better than stock 87/89, sure but they're super conservative and if you're going to spend money to get the most on higher octane do it right.

Any dealer that is concerned with a well-known custom tuner would also decline a major power-train warranty for an intake or exhaust. Also not sure if anyone has tuned a '19 classic, there may be a new set of security encryption knowing FCA.

 

[MoparBrent]

Alright, thought I had read that the PCM tracked odometer, and any difference between dash reading and PCM reading would be a red flag.

(though this would add around a $400 core charge to my PCM swap plan)

Brent was right, you guys sure do help spend money quickly

My wife hates it when she sees me on truck part sites nowadays lol. It can get expensive and out of hand quick if you’re an impulse buyer.

As for warranty work yes a tuner will cause your odometer readings to be out. However many people have had success keeping their stock PCM and just reinstalling it before going to a dealer and not being denied. You just have to hope and pray they don’t say anything

 

[Pull Ya]

The stock intake is sufficient for your described usage. As has been said a different muffler will give you a different(better) sound and may be a little more free flowing but your savings would be less than minuinal. A tune requires not only the tuner but an unlocked PCM at a total cost of about $800-$900. The tuner(with custom tuning) however will give you the most performance increase of anything mentioned so far. You are running a risk of having warranty issues if you tune your truck! If a dealer can prove damage was done to your truck(most likely the engine or drivetrain) as a result of the tuner, the damaged part/s won't be covered. People can argue about it all day--just remember they have more attorneys than you do. The other thing you can do is buy a Pedal Commander. It doesn't leave any footprint and can be removed in less than 5 minutes if you're going to the dealership. It will increase the sensitivity of the accelerator and your truck will accelerate much faster than stock. It will not, however increase the hp or tq of the truck. It just makes your truck a lot more fun to drive-IMHO. Matt at Moe's Performance, a preferred vendor on this forum, will be glad to discuss any performance issues with you and make any recommendations that he thinks might improve the performance of your truck. Many bolt on performance parts, standing alone, do not give you huge performance gains, however, the various performance parts in total, make a significant difference. Just my .02
Jay

 

[NorZeman]

@MoparBrent, my wife has been rolling her eyes at me from the minute I brought the truck home from the dealer. So begs the question, is it better to ask permission or beg forgiveness?

Hi Jay, yeah, after reading around on here quite a bit more since I posted this, stock intake sounds like it will do for me. Was thinking of potentially doing a DIY intake midpipe to get rid of the corrugated stock tubing, though not expecting much if any gains in HP, maybe a little in throttle response?

Also still considering a direct fit muffler to change the tone a little. Emailed Nick from Gotexhaust, he recommended the Magnaflow 19439 for my situation. Not finding many (any) sound clips of that specific muffler out there though to "test drive" before pulling the plug.

PCM change likely is not in my cards right now, just don't want to worry/risk that, plus little outside of the budget until probably winter. Also don't know if the 2019 has an unlocked PCM yet even (as Tim stated earlier)

Thanks again guys for all the thoughts and help!

 

[Pull Ya]

I have a 22" Magnaflow and it is the second one I have had. Had one on my previous 13 and like it a lot. Not to loud and had a good tone. The one thing that made more difference in sound and tone was when I installed the 5" tips--I was really surprised they made as much difference as they do. A lot more mellow and deeper of a sound
Jay

 

[NorZeman]

I installed the 5" tips--I was really surprised they made as much difference as they do. A lot more mellow and deeper of a sound

What tips did you put on? Direct replacements or universals?

All the direct tips I've found (I've been looking for black ones, the chromed looks odd on my blacked out truck) have been $200+

 

[Pull Ya]

Ya--they ain't cheap. LOL I have the one's from Moe's Performance. They are a direct replacement.
Jay

 

[ThunderMug95]

I second the above from Jay. The best bang for your $300 is a Pedal Commander. Hands down it will make your truck way more responsive on the go pedal and fun. You will see it on this forum, it is beloved.
Muffler-pick a free flow, straight through, non-chambered. Magnaflow for example.
Intake- noticeable difference above 30mph with my Vararam. Pulls like a mother, where it used to fall flat. No noticeable noise from under hood either. Its RamAir type, always pulling ambient air from outside, never inside engine bay. Good things heard about S&B, but I went another route.
Pulsar- Bought it and returned it within 2 days, yes it made a difference, but it shut my truck off twice under normal driving.
No opinion on a tuner/custom tune. I will explore after powertrain warranty expires for me. Other members with credibility in this forum community have them and praise them.
Have fun modding!

 

[ThunderMug95]

Almost forgot...read up on here about installing an oil catch can...

 

[NorZeman]

Thanks ThunderMug!

Am pretty much debating (with myself) if the Magnaflow is worth the extra $ over the mufflex (which I thought was a Magnaflow muffler anyway?) at this point.

Was really wanting the Vararam for the looks and performance over 40mph. But I've read a few times on here now that the Vararam isn't good in the snow (I'm in Minnesnowta) and that it really isn't worth the money without a tune.

I won't be tuning for at least a few years (I don't want to chance that with powertrain warranty, like you), but thank you very much for the feedback on the Pulsar! Hard to find any info on it out there.

and will do on the oil catch can

 

[Elevated 2013]

Was really wanting the Vararam for the looks and performance over 40mph. But I've read a few times on here now that the Vararam isn't good in the snow (I'm in Minnesnowta) and that it really isn't worth the money without a tune.

I live just outside of Chicago and I have a Vararam on my 13 1500 with a 5.7 and I haven’t had any issue in the snow or rain with it. You won’t need a tune for it either. Although a tune will always help. The only thing I will tell you is to check the seal at the bottom of the actual air filter for any gaps in that seal. I had a small 1 in mine. I also have a Magnaflow muffler and love the sound. It too loud and has a nice rumble to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk