For the last few months as I've had time, been working on a Torqstorm install for my 2018 Ram Sport Standard Cab Shortbed 4x4 with a 5.7 hemi. Previously installed:
-ARH LT Headers/Catless-True Dual exhaust and x-pipe with 18" straight through mufflers
-Jay Greene .5 HL Cam
-Intake
-MDS Delete, spring and pushrod upgrade
-Fastman throttlebody
-Jay Greene PCM/TCM tune with Diablo I3 and unlocked ECM
-Fan delete, 180 T-stat, shutter delete, tuned for lower temp
I really like the concept of the Torqstorm, including the limited lifetime warranty, 8 rib belt, improved tensioner, centrifugal setup, self-sealed unit and I liked the company after talking to them multiple times about setups, etc.
To get ready I worked with Jay and Torqstorm and put together a parts list, here's what I purchased:
-Treadstone TR1035 Intercooler $315
-Torqstorm Supercharger Kit for Ram 1500 $2,300
-Kenne Bell BAP $260 (wasted some money $200 trying to retrofit a DW400 pump into the stock basket and ruined a fuel pump setup, making me buy another stock unit @ $180 before just going with the damn BAP)
-Siemens 840 cc/min, 80 lbs/hr Fuel Injectors (I know, too big, but Jay likes them and you can really dial them back)-$600
-Intercooler piping aluminum generic kit $100
-3 bar MAP sensor-$45
-Threaded IAT sensor-$25
-Aluminum channel and brackets/connectors-$25
-Special elbows, adapters, fittings etc-$50
-Boost Guage-$50
-A Column 2 guage pod-$45
-PLX Wideband O2 Sensor/Meter-$190
-Tune update $250
So, all in, plus some wiggle room for the stuff I screwed up, I'm at $4,500, and I could have done it cheaper, but not much! You could also make the argument that the unlocked PCM and Diablo tuner i had also cost around $900...
INSTALL
The install was somewhat challenging, but came together well and was fun to do!
First I purchased and installed the intercooler which meant I had to delete the grill shutter system. Not too difficult, kept the shutter module hooked up and cable tied out of the way, and Jay deleted it from the tune. I purchased the treadstone, which is probably a touch bigger than I needed, and mounted it to the lower support and bent/built some custom aluminum brackets for the top. Underneath I brazed a 18" section of aluminum L channel and threaded some 13MM holes so i could bolt it to the lower support structure. The upper supports/brackets I made are just self-tapped sheet metal screws, I'll put bolts in there later.
Next, I removed the stock coolant and windshield washer reservoirs. The coolant tank fits perfectly on the passengers side where the stock airbox used to go, and I was able to locate the replacement windshield washer container on the front upper support drivers side (with a small custom bracket), and splice in the existing motor connectors. I put a jumper in the fluid level switch so I don't get a light in the cab showing the windshield washer fluid is low.
From there, I tried and failed miserably to upgrade the stock fuel pump. I know on previous years the fuel pump/basket setup is different and a bit easier, on our non-return fuel systems on the '18 they really cram a bunch of crap into the basket, and the fittings are an absolute pain in the ass to adjust/change. I ruined one basket and essentially just put the upgraded fuel pump in and got rid of the stock pressure regulator, using high pressure fuel hose to connect the internals. It actually ran fine for a day or two, then I had really horrible performance. To get to the fuel tank/pump I had been lifting the bed off, I'm fortunate enough to live on some property and have a decent tractor with a front loader and forks, so after six bolts and some electrical connectors it's pretty easy to yank the bed. When I pulled the bed for the third time I discovered that the fuel pump pressure was too high for fuel line and it shredded the hose. I finally just re-installed a stock unit.
From there I bought a Kenne Bell boost a pump. I've read all over the place that the stock pump is more than enough for a small boost application, and I can say they're absolutely right. I really like the setup though, and it gives me some peace of mind. Through the tuning process, running 800CC injectors, I can still flow way too much fuel at WOT and bury the AFR reading below 10.
I had received the Torqstorm in the mail, and started installing a few items.
First started with the ATI dampener, this is the exact same dampener setup you see guys running for better performance/balance, and the pulley matches stock size. It wasn't too difficult to install, had to pull the existing pulley using a rented 3 arm tool specifically made for Chrysler/hemi balancers, used the built in adapter and drill bit, and pinned the crank pulley in place.
From there I installed the large brackets and plates necessary for the torqstorm blower unit to mount. That went pretty well, the torqstorm instructions were pretty simple and accurate.
Mounting the head unit is also not too difficult, some of the bolt sizes are very close, so pay attention to the bolt lengths and head sizes. They're all metric hex-cap screws.
Mounting the belt for the supercharger was an ordeal. There is a belt tensioner, but not enough play to allow you to slip on the belt entirely. After struggling for an hour, I got hold of Torqstorm and asked WTF, do I need a bigger belt? They walked me through unbolting two of the three bolts holding on the plate with the tensioner so I could pivot the entire assembly enough to get the belt on, then had to wrestle the unit back in place and tighten the Bolts.
From there, I loosely mocked up and fabricated the intercooler piping, and came to a good design in about a half hour. Torqstorm provides a pop off valve and a 'weldable contoured ****' made out of aluminum that is not an industry standard size, and I had to cut a hole into the intercooler piping right after the supercharger discharge and install the valve. I plumbed it into the evap vacuum canister vacuum line with a 'T'. I brazed it on with alumiweld and some epoxy when I burned through a spot.
With the Torqstorm kit they provide you a 1/8" ****, and a 3/8" **** presumably for an IAT sensor and the boost guage connector. I also added one for the 3 pound activation switch for the BAP to know when to kick in. With the type of pipe I had I decided to just buy a silicone connector with bungs pre-installed.
I then replaced the injectors. They aren't difficult, but they're longer than stock, and require you to shim the gap on the fuel rail where it connects to the valve cover. I ended up getting longer machine screws that matched the stock ones also and just used washers to keep everything tight.
I also installed a new 3 bar MAP sensor in back. The stock MOPAR sensor needs some tweaking. I had to cut off a small plastic tab, then the stock connector would fit and you could rotate the senor 90 degrees
Finally, I clamped everything together, hooked the sensors up including the new threaded IAT, BAP switch and boost gauge, tweaked a few items, applied the base tune and started testing.
After a few trial runs, log and vid sesions with Jay, and driving it in to work, here's what I have to report:
-This thing is awesome. It's a different driving experience, the supercharger sounds great with some cool turbo/supercharger whine, but it's not horrible.
-I'm running stock internals, so told Torqstorm to keep it at 6 PSI boost. With Jay's tune, I'm into the boost around 1,800-2K, and it ramps up linearly through 6 PSI, where I usually hit about 6,400 RPM and shift into the next gear
-I'm still tweaking the tune with Jay and need to get the fuel leaned out a bit, I've definitely gained some decent HP. Probably not as much if I hadn't done the other mods first, but it's there. I'll get it Dyno'd in the next few weeks to see what the output is
-Drive-ability is great, and when you stomp on it the rear wheels want to break loose at just about any speed
-When you're running this thing without the discharge hooked up to the intake, you really get an appreciation for just how much you can screw up your truck if you don't have a good tune! The amount/volume/pressure of air is crazy! Taking into account you don't want to blow up the engine or tranny, having a good tune is absolutely indispensable.
I've still got a lot of tweaking and cleaning things up, but here are some pics.
-ARH LT Headers/Catless-True Dual exhaust and x-pipe with 18" straight through mufflers
-Jay Greene .5 HL Cam
-Intake
-MDS Delete, spring and pushrod upgrade
-Fastman throttlebody
-Jay Greene PCM/TCM tune with Diablo I3 and unlocked ECM
-Fan delete, 180 T-stat, shutter delete, tuned for lower temp
I really like the concept of the Torqstorm, including the limited lifetime warranty, 8 rib belt, improved tensioner, centrifugal setup, self-sealed unit and I liked the company after talking to them multiple times about setups, etc.
To get ready I worked with Jay and Torqstorm and put together a parts list, here's what I purchased:
-Treadstone TR1035 Intercooler $315
-Torqstorm Supercharger Kit for Ram 1500 $2,300
-Kenne Bell BAP $260 (wasted some money $200 trying to retrofit a DW400 pump into the stock basket and ruined a fuel pump setup, making me buy another stock unit @ $180 before just going with the damn BAP)
-Siemens 840 cc/min, 80 lbs/hr Fuel Injectors (I know, too big, but Jay likes them and you can really dial them back)-$600
-Intercooler piping aluminum generic kit $100
-3 bar MAP sensor-$45
-Threaded IAT sensor-$25
-Aluminum channel and brackets/connectors-$25
-Special elbows, adapters, fittings etc-$50
-Boost Guage-$50
-A Column 2 guage pod-$45
-PLX Wideband O2 Sensor/Meter-$190
-Tune update $250
So, all in, plus some wiggle room for the stuff I screwed up, I'm at $4,500, and I could have done it cheaper, but not much! You could also make the argument that the unlocked PCM and Diablo tuner i had also cost around $900...
INSTALL
The install was somewhat challenging, but came together well and was fun to do!
First I purchased and installed the intercooler which meant I had to delete the grill shutter system. Not too difficult, kept the shutter module hooked up and cable tied out of the way, and Jay deleted it from the tune. I purchased the treadstone, which is probably a touch bigger than I needed, and mounted it to the lower support and bent/built some custom aluminum brackets for the top. Underneath I brazed a 18" section of aluminum L channel and threaded some 13MM holes so i could bolt it to the lower support structure. The upper supports/brackets I made are just self-tapped sheet metal screws, I'll put bolts in there later.
Next, I removed the stock coolant and windshield washer reservoirs. The coolant tank fits perfectly on the passengers side where the stock airbox used to go, and I was able to locate the replacement windshield washer container on the front upper support drivers side (with a small custom bracket), and splice in the existing motor connectors. I put a jumper in the fluid level switch so I don't get a light in the cab showing the windshield washer fluid is low.
From there, I tried and failed miserably to upgrade the stock fuel pump. I know on previous years the fuel pump/basket setup is different and a bit easier, on our non-return fuel systems on the '18 they really cram a bunch of crap into the basket, and the fittings are an absolute pain in the ass to adjust/change. I ruined one basket and essentially just put the upgraded fuel pump in and got rid of the stock pressure regulator, using high pressure fuel hose to connect the internals. It actually ran fine for a day or two, then I had really horrible performance. To get to the fuel tank/pump I had been lifting the bed off, I'm fortunate enough to live on some property and have a decent tractor with a front loader and forks, so after six bolts and some electrical connectors it's pretty easy to yank the bed. When I pulled the bed for the third time I discovered that the fuel pump pressure was too high for fuel line and it shredded the hose. I finally just re-installed a stock unit.
From there I bought a Kenne Bell boost a pump. I've read all over the place that the stock pump is more than enough for a small boost application, and I can say they're absolutely right. I really like the setup though, and it gives me some peace of mind. Through the tuning process, running 800CC injectors, I can still flow way too much fuel at WOT and bury the AFR reading below 10.
I had received the Torqstorm in the mail, and started installing a few items.
First started with the ATI dampener, this is the exact same dampener setup you see guys running for better performance/balance, and the pulley matches stock size. It wasn't too difficult to install, had to pull the existing pulley using a rented 3 arm tool specifically made for Chrysler/hemi balancers, used the built in adapter and drill bit, and pinned the crank pulley in place.
From there I installed the large brackets and plates necessary for the torqstorm blower unit to mount. That went pretty well, the torqstorm instructions were pretty simple and accurate.
Mounting the head unit is also not too difficult, some of the bolt sizes are very close, so pay attention to the bolt lengths and head sizes. They're all metric hex-cap screws.
Mounting the belt for the supercharger was an ordeal. There is a belt tensioner, but not enough play to allow you to slip on the belt entirely. After struggling for an hour, I got hold of Torqstorm and asked WTF, do I need a bigger belt? They walked me through unbolting two of the three bolts holding on the plate with the tensioner so I could pivot the entire assembly enough to get the belt on, then had to wrestle the unit back in place and tighten the Bolts.
From there, I loosely mocked up and fabricated the intercooler piping, and came to a good design in about a half hour. Torqstorm provides a pop off valve and a 'weldable contoured ****' made out of aluminum that is not an industry standard size, and I had to cut a hole into the intercooler piping right after the supercharger discharge and install the valve. I plumbed it into the evap vacuum canister vacuum line with a 'T'. I brazed it on with alumiweld and some epoxy when I burned through a spot.
With the Torqstorm kit they provide you a 1/8" ****, and a 3/8" **** presumably for an IAT sensor and the boost guage connector. I also added one for the 3 pound activation switch for the BAP to know when to kick in. With the type of pipe I had I decided to just buy a silicone connector with bungs pre-installed.
I then replaced the injectors. They aren't difficult, but they're longer than stock, and require you to shim the gap on the fuel rail where it connects to the valve cover. I ended up getting longer machine screws that matched the stock ones also and just used washers to keep everything tight.
I also installed a new 3 bar MAP sensor in back. The stock MOPAR sensor needs some tweaking. I had to cut off a small plastic tab, then the stock connector would fit and you could rotate the senor 90 degrees
Finally, I clamped everything together, hooked the sensors up including the new threaded IAT, BAP switch and boost gauge, tweaked a few items, applied the base tune and started testing.
After a few trial runs, log and vid sesions with Jay, and driving it in to work, here's what I have to report:
-This thing is awesome. It's a different driving experience, the supercharger sounds great with some cool turbo/supercharger whine, but it's not horrible.
-I'm running stock internals, so told Torqstorm to keep it at 6 PSI boost. With Jay's tune, I'm into the boost around 1,800-2K, and it ramps up linearly through 6 PSI, where I usually hit about 6,400 RPM and shift into the next gear
-I'm still tweaking the tune with Jay and need to get the fuel leaned out a bit, I've definitely gained some decent HP. Probably not as much if I hadn't done the other mods first, but it's there. I'll get it Dyno'd in the next few weeks to see what the output is
-Drive-ability is great, and when you stomp on it the rear wheels want to break loose at just about any speed
-When you're running this thing without the discharge hooked up to the intake, you really get an appreciation for just how much you can screw up your truck if you don't have a good tune! The amount/volume/pressure of air is crazy! Taking into account you don't want to blow up the engine or tranny, having a good tune is absolutely indispensable.
I've still got a lot of tweaking and cleaning things up, but here are some pics.
