Pentastar performance upgrades

[SitKneelBend]

The pentastar is a very nice engine. I'm about to buy a new AWD 300 with 3.6L - 8 speed combo.

I was surprised by how nicely it pulls that boat of a car, and it sounds a lot better than many V6 engines at higher RPMs.

My experience with K&N, it doesn't net you much power..more for sound. $300 for wooshy whistly sounds is kinda steep.

I always notice a marked improvement in throttle response and if you are an early adopter and keep your vehicle for a long time (I won't be in the market again for at least the next 200,000 miles), it pays for itself in air filters.

But I do really like the whooshy whoosh[emoji1]

 

[TerraNewf]

Ummm,, turbo kit
https://www.prodigyperformance.com/product/2012-2014-jeep-wrangler-pro-2001-jeep-turbo-kit-stage-1/

Wonder how hard that would be to adapt to a ram?

So much room under the hood with the Pentastar, I believe that unit could fit the Ram no problem

 

[TerraNewf]

We don't get to decide what is competing with what. The fact that they are putting Pentastar engines in both the lower and the higher trim levels means that the Pentastar is competing with the entire line up of engines that the other brands offer.
Ram has decided that the Pentastar is competing with all the other truck motors in the 1/2 ton market.
At this point it would be nice to get this thread back onto the topic of increasing the performance of the Pentastar instead of comparing it to other engines.

Always wondered why they only offer the Pentastar in higher trim levels State side only. Up here it's not offered past the Outdoorsman trim level. Only Hemi's and eco Diesels in higher trims.

 

[hemihustlin]

The pentastar is a very nice engine. I'm about to buy a new AWD 300 with 3.6L - 8 speed combo.

I was surprised by how nicely it pulls that boat of a car, and it sounds a lot better than many V6 engines at higher RPMs.

My experience with K&N, it doesn't net you much power..more for sound. $300 for wooshy whistly sounds is kinda steep.

I got to drive (for like 5 minutes lol) a 14 charger awd 3.6 & 8 speed and it was amazing. Love the 8 speed! Do want! In my truck haha
But i would buy a car like that for commuting long dstances every day. Real nice.

 

[BlownGP]

So much room under the hood with the Pentastar, I believe that unit could fit the Ram no problem

I would think so...
Would make a nice little sleeper

I love boosted V6's
Like this mustang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcuXLuUI8wg

 

[2015er]

Always wondered why they only offer the Pentastar in higher trim levels State side only. Up here it's not offered past the Outdoorsman trim level. Only Hemi's and eco Diesels in higher trims.

I have a 2015 Laramie with the pentastar and I purposely ordered the truck with this motor and I am sure glad I did - best decision ever! My truck is loaded - air suspension, quad cab, 4x4, 3.55 gears, navigation, sunroof, Ram boxes, skid plates, spray bed liner and I also had a dual exhaust with the rear bumper cutouts installed before I picked it up. I love this truck.

In my opinion this motor with this transmission and this rear axle is the best overall configuration out there today. If you consider everything - mileage; purchase price (no up charges); maintenance (no DEF, no special filters, or excessive amounts of oil at oil change time); towing - 7,000 lb. rating; payload - 1,100 lbs. (better than a Hemi); power, acceleration (sure not as quick as the Hemi but plenty enough for me) and overall smooth performance and handling - there is no better combination for the money and the cost associated with day-to-day fuel and maintenance.

 

[TerraNewf]

I have a 2015 Laramie with the pentastar and I purposely ordered the truck with this motor and I am sure glad I did - best decision ever! My truck is loaded - air suspension, quad cab, 4x4, 3.55 gears, navigation, sunroof, Ram boxes, skid plates, spray bed liner and I also had a dual exhaust with the rear bumper cutouts installed before I picked it up. I love this truck.

In my opinion this motor with this transmission and this rear axle is the best overall configuration out there today. If you consider everything - mileage; purchase price (no up charges); maintenance (no DEF, no special filters, or excessive amounts of oil at oil change time); towing - 7,000 lb. rating; payload - 1,100 lbs. (better than a Hemi); power, acceleration (sure not as quick as the Hemi but plenty enough for me) and overall smooth performance and handling - there is no better combination for the money and the cost associated with day-to-day fuel and maintenance.

Great minds think alike. I love mine as well. I'm starting a 3300 kms run this Thursday. Can't wait to see how it performs. I'll keep you posted

 

[SitKneelBend]

K&N 77-1564KS Performance Intake Kit

Just wondering if you got that K&N CAI yet? If so how is it performing for you?

https://youtu.be/liM9AeNrwiQ




Ok, I installed the K&N 77-1564KS Performance Intake Kit for my 3.6L Pentastar yesterday and I love it. It took a little under an hour to install and the truck sounds much more aggressive under acceleration and the throttle response is improved as well.


The best way to describe the sound difference is it goes from a low "growl" to a loud "howl" when moving through the RPM range at wide-open-throttle. When maintaining speed it's just as quiet as it was with the stock air box. Keep in mind that I have a 2014 Sport OEM dual exhaust on my 3.6L

I'll give some gas mileage opinions once this tank of e85 has run out and I get regular unleaded back in, but from my first impression the truck seems to get better gas mileage and has a much easier time of maintaining speed with little throttle manipulation.

When installing, be aware that the stock intake box on the throttle body side is rigid and flimsy. I split mine on top during its removal when trying to twist the intake off of the throttle body. Another thing I noticed is the throttle body on my truck is pretty loose and wiggles around on the intake manifold. I'll get back in and tighten it up today.

One thing that I thought could have been done better by K&N is the fitment of the air box/heat shield to the inner fender of the truck (see pick below). There are some gaps that could have easily been closed with a little more/better contouring of the heat shield, but they are not so large that I cannot seal them myself. The only reason I want them closed off more is to avoid water infiltration from below (I'm thinking the under body sprayer at the car wash).

 

[hotpotato]

Cai

HUGE thanks for posting your experience so far. Your truck in the video sounds awesome under acceleration. Definitely let us know about the MPG effects.

 

[SitKneelBend]

HUGE thanks for posting your experience so far. Your truck in the video sounds awesome under acceleration. Definitely let us know about the MPG effects.

No problem...I know there were a few interested on this and "other" forums. I filled up yesterday with almost 24 gallons of 87 octane 10% ethanol blend so I still had a little e85 in the tank, but the MPGs went from 12.8 to 21.5 on the EVIC calculations. Before this upgrade I had an average of 19.5 in the EVIC.
Admittedly I need to drive a bit more to get a better average, but from what I observed from obsessively watching the MPGs on the ride home, I expect the MPGs to rise even more. I'll post up another update once this tank is run through and I get all of the E85 out of the truck.

 

[Buddy]

Nice!! Your truck has a mean sound to it, and it goes along very nicely. People here and there can rage on the V6, but remember, it has 305 hp stock, thats more than V8's had just a few years ago. I remember around here when everybody loved Chevy Sport shortbox's with 5.7's. They looked just like a 454 SS but where cheaper, and they had 210hp!!! Heck even the 454 SS only got to 255!!! Mind you they had more torque, but I bet your Pentastar V6 will walk either of them.
Nice truck, the V6 is a relevant choice!

 

[loveracing1988]

Nice!! Your truck has a mean sound to it, and it goes along very nicely. People here and there can rage on the V6, but remember, it has 305 hp stock, thats more than V8's had just a few years ago. I remember around here when everybody loved Chevy Sport shortbox's with 5.7's. They looked just like a 454 SS but where cheaper, and they had 210hp!!! Heck even the 454 SS only got to 255!!! Mind you they had more torque, but I bet your Pentastar V6 will walk either of them.
Nice truck, the V6 is a relevant choice!

Try again...
http://www.autorooster.com/0-60-times/ram/ram-1500/
http://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicle-make/chevrolet-0-60-mph-times/

 

[TerraNewf]

Arrived at my destination Sunday past. We drove 3300 kms and averaged around 11-12 Litres per hundred kms. Truck was completely loaded and never had any issues, average speed was 110 kph. Total cost of fuel was $410.00 with the average price per litre around $1.20.

Parts of the journey involved steep climbs and the Pentastar 8spd never skipped a beat. I had to make excuses to stop because the truck would go over 1000 kms on a tank.
It just turned up 6000kms so I'm doing the first oil change and switching to a high end oil and filter.
I'm thinking the truck will do much better on the return trip in the fall with more kms on it. I'll post the difference then.

 

[TerraNewf]

https://youtu.be/liM9AeNrwiQ

View attachment 51186
View attachment 51187

Ok, I installed the K&N 77-1564KS Performance Intake Kit for my 3.6L Pentastar yesterday and I love it. It took a little under an hour to install and the truck sounds much more aggressive under acceleration and the throttle response is improved as well.


The best way to describe the sound difference is it goes from a low "growl" to a loud "howl" when moving through the RPM range at wide-open-throttle. When maintaining speed it's just as quiet as it was with the stock air box. Keep in mind that I have a 2014 Sport OEM dual exhaust on my 3.6L

I'll give some gas mileage opinions once this tank of e85 has run out and I get regular unleaded back in, but from my first impression the truck seems to get better gas mileage and has a much easier time of maintaining speed with little throttle manipulation.

When installing, be aware that the stock intake box on the throttle body side is rigid and flimsy. I split mine on top during its removal when trying to twist the intake off of the throttle body. Another thing I noticed is the throttle body on my truck is pretty loose and wiggles around on the intake manifold. I'll get back in and tighten it up today.

One thing that I thought could have been done better by K&N is the fitment of the air box/heat shield to the inner fender of the truck (see pick below). There are some gaps that could have easily been closed with a little more/better contouring of the heat shield, but they are not so large that I cannot seal them myself. The only reason I want them closed off more is to avoid water infiltration from below (I'm thinking the under body sprayer at the car wash).

View attachment 51188

Thanks for that update, looks and sounds excellent. My next purchase for sure.

 

[SitKneelBend]

https://youtu.be/liM9AeNrwiQ

View attachment 51186
View attachment 51187

Ok, I installed the K&N 77-1564KS Performance Intake Kit for my 3.6L Pentastar yesterday and I love it. It took a little under an hour to install and the truck sounds much more aggressive under acceleration and the throttle response is improved as well.


The best way to describe the sound difference is it goes from a low "growl" to a loud "howl" when moving through the RPM range at wide-open-throttle. When maintaining speed it's just as quiet as it was with the stock air box. Keep in mind that I have a 2014 Sport OEM dual exhaust on my 3.6L

I'll give some gas mileage opinions once this tank of e85 has run out and I get regular unleaded back in, but from my first impression the truck seems to get better gas mileage and has a much easier time of maintaining speed with little throttle manipulation.

When installing, be aware that the stock intake box on the throttle body side is rigid and flimsy. I split mine on top during its removal when trying to twist the intake off of the throttle body. Another thing I noticed is the throttle body on my truck is pretty loose and wiggles around on the intake manifold. I'll get back in and tighten it up today.

One thing that I thought could have been done better by K&N is the fitment of the air box/heat shield to the inner fender of the truck (see pick below). There are some gaps that could have easily been closed with a little more/better contouring of the heat shield, but they are not so large that I cannot seal them myself. The only reason I want them closed off more is to avoid water infiltration from below (I'm thinking the under body sprayer at the car wash).

View attachment 51188

Update:

Performance wise throttle response is much improved and it seems that the truck has "learned" that the airflow has increased. I'm going to have to hand calculate on my next tank before I feel confident reporting mileage improvements. The EVIC seems to think it is getting much better mileage (high 19s all city driving). I also am having a hard time keeping my foot off of the gas...

As far as after installation goes, the throttle body was definitely loose and needed about a quarter turn on the four 10mm screws holding it to the intake manifold. In addition, the breather hose extension that comes with the kit needed some slight modification due to the fact that in the new configuration it lays atop the intake manifold. The hose clamp that is on it was vibrating atop the engine during hard acceleration so I wrapped it in electrical tape to deaden the noise until I find a more permanent way of keeping it off of the intake (see below).

 

[jmr]

I put on Hemi duals and run a K&N filter and the 4" air tube mod. My mileage is usually around 22-23mpg with a best of 25mpg hand calculated. The truck has 18K miles on it too.

Is there anybody out there that has done a catback exhaust addition on a 3.6L? I've only seen one review – it was a guy on Amazon that had purchased a Flowmaster Force II exhaust (I think) and he rated it very poorly.

I'm also curious about any fuel mileage changes after a K&N CAI. Thanks!

 

[TerraNewf]

Update:

Performance wise throttle response is much improved and it seems that the truck has "learned" that the airflow has increased. I'm going to have to hand calculate on my next tank before I feel confident reporting mileage improvements. The EVIC seems to think it is getting much better mileage (high 19s all city driving). I also am having a hard time keeping my foot off of the gas...

As far as after installation goes, the throttle body was definitely loose and needed about a quarter turn on the four 10mm screws holding it to the intake manifold. In addition, the breather hose extension that comes with the kit needed some slight modification due to the fact that in the new configuration it lays atop the intake manifold. The hose clamp that is on it was vibrating atop the engine during hard acceleration so I wrapped it in electrical tape to deaden the noise until I find a more permanent way of keeping it off of the intake (see below).

View attachment 51600

What was the total cost for the K&N kit and where did you purchase it?

 

[SitKneelBend]

Amazon Seller DNA Performance $319.99.

 

[TerraNewf]

Amazon Seller DNA Performance $319.99.

Thanks for the reply, so do you feel the $300 was money well spent for the results?

 

[SitKneelBend]

Thanks for the reply, so do you feel the $300 was money well spent for the results?

For me it is, however if Spectre had put out a CAI kit it would be half the price and the same materials and I would have bought that instead. As stated in my previous posts there are some fitment issues with the heat shield and breather hose extension that I think could have been easily addressed for the price.

Throttle response is improved, it "feels" faster and sounds better (last two are completely subjective). I'm waiting to report on MPGs until after my next tank of gas. If I watch the display that shows MPGs it has gone from 20-23 MPG range to 25-28 under cruising conditions under 65MPH. I'll do a hand calculation on the next tank.

After that calculation, I'm going to perform the BIG 3 power upgrade in parallel (starting with grounds only) and possibly run a ground to the throttle body as well to see if I get the reported 1-1.5 MPG increase. At the very least the electrical system will operate more efficiently.