Track/power mods, worth it?

[Criscone]

11' ram sport quad cab,4x4, 5.7. 3.55? Gears

Stock besides k&n drop in, I'm getting ready to go to the track soon.

1/4 mile stock is mid-high 15 I'd imagine

What is proper way to launch these trucks? Traction off/tow on/3krpm?

Is a tuner and bolt ons really worth the money on a full size 4x4 truck? I'd be happy to put some money into the truck if somewhere in the 14s was a possibility.

 

[shawnb1043]

They have threads with 1/4 mile times. 14s are very possible and i'd say its well worth the money.

 

[Criscone]

Ya I saw that, it's mainly 2wd. Fastest time is a 4wd but reg cab.

 

[ericlee9386]

Getting onto the 14s isn't hard and mods are worth it. I lunch at 1000 with tow mode set to fourth. I leave between the second and third yellow light. Since your 4wd you may can leave in 4hi get better traction then switch to 2wd. May want to consider a stall if your going to be a track junkie good luck

 

[Criscone]

Not track junkie by any means. Just personal goals really

 

[Gunz86]

To get simple bolt-ons doesn't mean to be track junky by any means, I have the Air Grabber, 85MM TB, BT catch can, 14" Mufflex, and 2800 stall Edge that I am about to install all for street performance and efficiency!

Probably the best spent $ through Moe's Performance to give to my truck and have no regrets =)

 

[Criscone]

Anyone else have launch tips? Headed to track this weds! Basically stock

 

[Hornet]

Do a post search on my name,i'm to lazy to re-post the launch tips i've put up.

 

[BlackRamHemi]

Launch doesn't matter much at stock levels, neither does reaction time.


The clock starts when your front tire breaks the light beam
and you ET doesn't start ticking down until you leave, even if its a full second later than the guy next to you.

Put it in drive, point it straight and floor it that is all.
dont try to stall it up to high or torque management kicks in
1000rpm max. just enough to take the slack out of the drive train.

Never run 4WD Lock Hi, it will be 2-3 tenths slower
and shifting to 2WD mid run wont help, the transfer case wont disengage under load.
You'd have to totally let off the throttle to unload it and go back to 2WD, negating anything you gained.

If you have a 4-Auto setting use that, it will only engage the front drive shaft if rear slip is detected,
then disengage 100% when all tires are at the same speed. use this when track conditions are not 100%

I ran 15.5 bone stock (RCSB 4x4 Sport with 3.55's and 20's) 3 years ago
Ran 14.5 with intake, catback, tuner on 93 octane tune and raised shift points (6200) Diablo Trinity
That turned into 13.89 with 28" Drag Radials on light weight 17" aluminum wheels
(lower weight, lower effective gear ratio, lower ride height)

Recently supercharged this year and ran 13.3's on my heavy 305/50R20 Grapplers
...so should be good for 12.8's or better next time I'm out on my Drag Radials
with some tune adjustments maybe mid 12's, running way to rich right now.

FWIW, the difference between a RC and a QC is 375lbs,
each 100lbs is = a tenth of a second.

A QC 4x4 can run 14.6's- 14.8's with intake, exhaust and tune on 20's with 3.55's
My track bud did it but not until he had a Diablosport Trinity with 6200rpm shift points on a 93 tune with 94 octane fuel. (2500'+DA)

 

[audio1der]

If you read the few DIY airbox mods where guys have replicated most of the gains of a $300-$400 CAI on a <$50 budget, you're about done haha. It depends how worried you are about keeping warranty. If not, the tuners are supposed to be a reasonable gain.
Ported throttle bodies, CAI and exhaust are more to let you play with your truck and spend money, than make power.

 

[Hemi450hp]

Ported throttle bodies, CAI and exhaust are more to let you play with your truck and spend money, than make power.

The correct intakes, throttle bodies, and exhaust systems will make noticeable power gains, especially when paired up with a tuner. These mods have been tested time and time again at the dragstrip. Its all about choosing the right mods.

TylerB got into the 13's with his truck with just basic boltons and a tuner...since adding a converter and gears, he is now deep in the 13's.

I had people tell me the same about my 03 hemi as well, and I got it into the 13's with just a tuner, intake, and exhaust.

If you select mods that compliment each other, then they will make power.

 

[HLram]

Yeah my truck runs soooooo much better now with the Hemifever tune, torque converter, TB, muffler, catch can, 180 degree TS, S and B CAI.......It is truly a night and day difference so I think the mods are worth it. Especially when they are all put together

 

[Hornet]

Put a price on everything boys.
As far as i can tell it's close to 2,000 bucks before you gain anything
A 1,000 bucks worth of bolt-ons doesn't gain you squat with-out a 600 dollar tuner,and said tuner might give you warrenty head-aches at your local dealer.
Gonna be hard to convince guys like Audio who've spent the 1,000 bucks on bolt-ons and haven't noticed any gain.
Personnally i'm a little leery of a vendor telling me how fast i'm gonna go after buying his parts.
Just my .02

 

[audio1der]

^ Exactly. Why was only half my reply quoted by Matt? Bolt-ons are useless but fun. Without the potentially warranty-voiding tuner and a custom tune, it's all neon and whistle tips.

 

[Hemi450hp]

We took a bone stock 2012 crew cab to the track in December of last year, and he went from a 15.1 with the stock intake to a 14.8 with the Vararam. This was done on the same night, on the same truck. This was also before the tuners were working properly, so he was on stock tuning. We also saw a consistent .1-.2 drop in ET on 3 different trucks running our 85mm throttle body...also on stock tuning.

You also do not need the most expensive tuner or custom tuning to see gains either. Canned tunes are much better than stock. My 03 dropped .4 off the 1/4 mile with just a cheap Superchips canned tune. I also have a handful of customers that are running high 13's/low 14's with the standard Diablo Intune which is only $389.

Its all about choosing the right mod combinations, and not just throwing parts at the motor and hoping for the best. People like myself have done the testing at the track and the dyno to make these decisions easier for the guys that don't have the time or money to test every part available.

I'm not trying to single you guys out, but just because the mods you chose did not show the gains you wanted does not mean that bolt on mods do not work. Have you guys been to a track or dyno yet to see if you have gained anything since stock, or are you just going off what you feel?

 

[audio1der]

I haven't dyno'd. I don't have easy access to, not the time.
Just wonder about the verbage "noticeable gains" used to describe gains from bolt-ons. Noticeable to me, means to the everyday driver by SOTP feel.Your definition may vary, but that could be interpreted differently.

 

[Hemi450hp]

Everyone has a different feel for mods. My last truck was an 07 Cummins that put down 606hp/1192tq, and there were days when it felt sluggish to me. Over time, you just get used to the power. Just for fun, you should set your truck back to stock 1 weekend and take it for a spin. I bet you notice an instant change in power.

Many guys install parts and have high expectations. It isn't until you remove them that you realize just how much they actually helped you. I actually had a customer last month tell me that he didn't feel much of a gain with his 85mm throttle body. He thought he would be better off with an 87mm, so I told him to throw the stock 1 back on and take it for a drive. He called me back that evening saying how sluggish his truck felt with the stock TB.

I know it will take a little time, but I think it would be worth your peace of mind. The S&B is not going to show the same gains as the Vararam, but it still showed a .2 second drop in ET when we tested it at the track. You should be able to feel a .2 difference in ET.

 

[RAMAlaska]

The OP question was, are the modifications worth it? This is essentially unanswerable as it is a value judgement; and value judgements are highly individual things. Is it wort spending $1,000 or more to make your truck go faster? How about if it gains 50 Hp? How about making it sound great or look awesome with a very cool paint job.

Well, is it worth spending $1,000 a year for a portable phone/internet machine? Is it worth having cable TV and high speed internet access? How about smoking or drinking beer?

The reality here is simple. Yes the mods are worth it, if they are worth it to you. AND, No the mods are not worth it if you don't seek the benefits they offer.

Will you get performance gains from mods? YES. The amount of gain you get is in direct proportion to amount of time you research the mods and their interactions with each other added to the amount of time/money spent on their implementation.

So boiled down to two things, i guess:

1. Caveat Emptor, baby - buyer beware. Spend a lot of time researching before you spend any money.

2. Enjoy what you have and strive to improve your stuff until satisfied - every minute you waste being critical of someone else's choices is doubly wasted time you could be spending on your ride.

/endofnewguyrant

 

[BlackRamHemi]

I've spent in excess of $10k on performance so far, and have no warranty.
...and absolutely no regrets!

Worth EVERY cent!

I get more Smiles per Gallon than most!
a 12 second Ram that runs 0-60 in 4.0 seconds on street tires is a Blast!!!


Sure I could have kept my Ram stock and bought a fast 12 second SRT8 Challenger for a speed fix.

But those are over $50k
plus I would be paying twice the insurance and operating costs.

So I look at as saving $40K instead of spending $10k

I could blow my engine, trans and rear diff several times and still come out ahead.

Warranty Schmarranty!,
in 20 years I never broke anything I couldn't fix myself.

 

[Hornet]

We took a bone stock 2012 crew cab to the track in December of last year, and he went from a 15.1 with the stock intake to a 14.8 with the Vararam. This was done on the same night, on the same truck. This was also before the tuners were working properly, so he was on stock tuning. We also saw a consistent .1-.2 drop in ET on 3 different trucks running our 85mm throttle body...also on stock tuning.


Calling BS on you Matt,15.1 to 14.8 was more due to temp drop and humidity increasing by the time you had the swap done,and a .1 differance is virtually impossibble to document.

Ran my 4.7 with 1600 dollars worth of bolt-ons against a bone stock 4.7 and until i hit 4,000 rpm i didn't have any gains,and even after 4,000 i only had maybe a fender on him.
1600 bucks should of done more

Matt you were bragging to me about how you're on track to make $800,000 to a $1,000,000 this year,maybe rent a stock truck and some dyno time and spend some of that pile of money doing tests on a bone stock truck,starting with a tuner then adding the average bolt-ons piece by piece and giving us the honest answer on where the most value for money spent is available

BRH yes we know you've spent a ****load of money and have a fast truck,doesn't really apply to this post bud.
I had 5,000 invested in a 74 AMC Hornet and that included buying the car, that went corrected 11.3's at 120,that applies just about as much as your truck applies here.
It went faster then your truck for less then you spent on parts for your truck,and if you want to go even faster,buy a bike.
I also had $40,000 into a 68 Camaro that went 10.70's in the 80's,does that also apply