[UnleashedBeast]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 2009 Ram 1500 TRX 2WD Crew Cab from my father. Currently, with 105,000 miles on the odometer.....it's well maintained. He's always taken this vehicle to the dealer for servicing. When I changed the fluids over to Amsoil, everything was clean for the 2,500 hours on this engine. I'd like to add more under the curve torque, better throttle response, and better shift points to the automatic transmission. Not to mention, hopefully more efficiency on the hwy (mpg). With that being said, I need guidance on this, as I know little about the aftermarket offerings for Ram trucks.

If you want to talk about 2005-2014 Mustangs, I can tell you anything you want to know, as I have owned 3 of those. 2008 GT, 2009 GT500 (700 RWHP), and currently a 2014 Mustang (garage queen).

*if any mod listed below will not help power or efficiency significantly, I'm not interested in upgrading. Example, on the 2011+ Mustang GT 5.0 engine, a cold air intake investment is a waste. You might not gain anything, even after custom tuning. The factory air box is well engineered.*

Here is the criteria I'm looking to improve on the used Ram.

Air intake - Currently using the stock air box, tubing, and air silencer setup with an aftermarket Amsoil EA air filter. I like the looks of the Airaid setup for this engine, but not sure it will make a noticeable difference (with custom tuning - more on that later).

Tuning - Sure, I could easily go with a canned tune from Superchips, or another company, but that's not going to satisfy me. I want to know who you guys use that can do email tuning, and possibly datalogging submissions to dial in the tune perfectly. I'd use nothing more than 93 octane. Who is the top guy? In Mustang land, we have three choices....Jon Lund, Shaun @ AED, and Rev Automotive. Need advice for the Ram.

Exhaust - Again, this isn't about sound.....I really don't care if it's stock quiet, as this is my daily driver. However, I do care about power under the curve and engine efficiency. What do you guys run? I do not want ear ringing loud. A deep subtle tone would suit me just fine. Power under the curve and "mpg" is far more important to me. I would even consider header swaps, cat deletes, or high flow cats.

Those are the major areas for improvement on this truck. Throttle response currently sucks, and I feel like the truck is underpowered. Hope you guys can help. I do not want to waste money on something that sounds good, but does nothing for power and efficiency.

Last comment, Google isn't great searching these topics. Guess you guys don't get as hard core as we do in Mustang world.

 

[GTyankee]

My 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 5.7L is stock, except for the muffler, 108,000 + miles on it

I got 17.2 mpg on the highway on Friday, had a moderate cross wind, Summer blend mid grade gas

A month ago on the same trip i got 16.7 mpg, on Winter Blend mid grade gas

I personally have the 18" Magnaflow, single in dual out
if i wanted a bit more noise, i would think that removing the resonators would do the trick
( i don't use the highest gear in town, i dislike the sound of the MDS kicking in reflecting off of buildings, etc. )

 

[UnleashedBeast]

Update, I bought a Superchips tuner using the 93 octane performance tune for normal driving and the 91 octane towing tune when I pull the trailer with my Mustang GT on it. Had a local exhaust guy add an 18" Magnaflow muffler with stainless Y pipe replacement. He even replaced the piping from the driver side that was flattened for ground clearance. The truck performs a lot better than before, with improved throttle response.

I'm still on the fence about the Airaid intake and throttle body spacer for this engine. I find this dyno sheet too good to be true (especially the low rpm improvements), not sure it's worth the $550.00 total investment. Can anyone who purchased this after their tune and exhaust upgrade tell me if it was worth it?