First time owner
02-26-2019, 10:36 PM
#1
New Member
Thread Starter
First time owner
Long time fan, first time owner and I love it. Bought car (2007 Charger R/T) used with 159,000 on it. Seems like it's been well taken care of, general mechanic gave it a thumbs up.
What should I specifically check through to ensure I'm in a good place to eventually start doing some minor performance upgrades. Also, what are some good minor performance upgrades I could do? It already has had an aftermarket exhaust system done and a K&N air system installed?
Thanks for any advice and yes... It's time to take the 6 month old for a ride again! The sound of the motor makes us both smile!
What should I specifically check through to ensure I'm in a good place to eventually start doing some minor performance upgrades. Also, what are some good minor performance upgrades I could do? It already has had an aftermarket exhaust system done and a K&N air system installed?
Thanks for any advice and yes... It's time to take the 6 month old for a ride again! The sound of the motor makes us both smile!
02-27-2019, 10:13 AM
#2
Super Moderator
Long time fan, first time owner and I love it. Bought car (2007 Charger R/T) used with 159,000 on it. Seems like it's been well taken care of, general mechanic gave it a thumbs up.
What should I specifically check through to ensure I'm in a good place to eventually start doing some minor performance upgrades. Also, what are some good minor performance upgrades I could do? It already has had an aftermarket exhaust system done and a K&N air system installed?
Thanks for any advice and yes... It's time to take the 6 month old for a ride again! The sound of the motor makes us both smile!
What should I specifically check through to ensure I'm in a good place to eventually start doing some minor performance upgrades. Also, what are some good minor performance upgrades I could do? It already has had an aftermarket exhaust system done and a K&N air system installed?
Thanks for any advice and yes... It's time to take the 6 month old for a ride again! The sound of the motor makes us both smile!
02-27-2019, 11:00 AM
#3
As was pointed out to me by another member here:
The Gen III 5.7 Hemi has an issue with dropping valve seats when overheated. So, keep an eye on that temp gauge and keep the radiator fluid at the appropriate level.
Also, if you have the MDS system (which cuts off 4 cylinders during gentle driving to save gas) use a high quality oil. The solenoids that manage the MDS system can sometimes stick and cause a noticeable tapping noise.
The valve seat issue requires disassembly of the cylinder heads to diagnose early, but it's worth it if you're going to modify the engine internals, or try to get fast track times.
I've seen the tapping noise issue cleared up by adding Marvel Mystery Oil to engine oil, but I'm not sure that's a permanent fix.
For mods,
The Gen III 5.7 hemi responds really well to just about every mod you can put on an engine. Depending upon how much power you want and your budget, you could feasibly put down sub 10 second quarter mile times. You'd pay through the nose to do it, but it's possible.
I'd recommend starting by deciding what your end goal is first.
Do you want to take it to the track, or just get some giggles from jabbing the throttle on the highway?
For the track, nitrous or a supercharger or turbo charger is the way to go. That kind of power will probably require you to beef up engine internals and driveline components.
For street, you can easily grab up a nitrous system for under $1000, spray 100 horsepower on it, tune it and be out of the shop in a week or two. But, it does cost to refill nitrous and the fuel doesn't last long (a few seconds from a 10lb bottle).
Assuming you want something easier to bolt on and cheaper to maintain, I'd recommend that you look at an aftermarket cam, exhaust and a tune.
A reputable shop can do all of this for you, but be prepared to wait a few months (as I am doing now, argh!) and also expect to pay some hefty labor rates.
If you want a couple of things you can do yourself with minimal tools and no helpers:
BBK Throttle Body- Increased pedal response and higher airflow
Cat-Back Exhaust - Mostly for sound, but less restrictive mufflers can offer better performance.
Diablo Tuner Module - comes with a pre-built engine computer map for 91 octane tune and gives better performance when combined with better airflow from the intake, throttle body and exhaust.
I'd caveat all that do it yourself stuff with the point that:
If you are going to have a shop work on engine internals eventually anyway, don't waste the time and money on those bolt-on parts. Also, if you're going to put forced induction on it, don't bother with much else unless you plan to take it to a track.
I only recommend those bolt-ons because they're cheap, they work together to amplify each other, and don't require special tools or knowledge. A 10mm socket and some locktite is about all they require.
My 08 Grand Cherokee has a 5.7 in it. Currently, I'm having a shop do the following:
Fix valve seats
Port and polish cylinder heads
Performance valve train install
Custom cam install
Custom ECU tune for 93 octane
Catalytic Converter delete
Custom echaust Y-bend fabrication
Borla Cat-back exhaust install
I chose those mods because I wanted my jeep to keep being easy to drive, make nasty noises, require no additional maintenance or inspection, and to push it's weight more easily. So far, it's taken about 5 months and we are nearing the end of the build. We should be tuning and test driving soon.
Check out my thread on the "Members Rides" section for more details about how the build is going. I will be sure to post pictures and video once it's done. That might help you decide how crazy you want to get with your own mods.
The Gen III 5.7 Hemi has an issue with dropping valve seats when overheated. So, keep an eye on that temp gauge and keep the radiator fluid at the appropriate level.
Also, if you have the MDS system (which cuts off 4 cylinders during gentle driving to save gas) use a high quality oil. The solenoids that manage the MDS system can sometimes stick and cause a noticeable tapping noise.
The valve seat issue requires disassembly of the cylinder heads to diagnose early, but it's worth it if you're going to modify the engine internals, or try to get fast track times.
I've seen the tapping noise issue cleared up by adding Marvel Mystery Oil to engine oil, but I'm not sure that's a permanent fix.
For mods,
The Gen III 5.7 hemi responds really well to just about every mod you can put on an engine. Depending upon how much power you want and your budget, you could feasibly put down sub 10 second quarter mile times. You'd pay through the nose to do it, but it's possible.
I'd recommend starting by deciding what your end goal is first.
Do you want to take it to the track, or just get some giggles from jabbing the throttle on the highway?
For the track, nitrous or a supercharger or turbo charger is the way to go. That kind of power will probably require you to beef up engine internals and driveline components.
For street, you can easily grab up a nitrous system for under $1000, spray 100 horsepower on it, tune it and be out of the shop in a week or two. But, it does cost to refill nitrous and the fuel doesn't last long (a few seconds from a 10lb bottle).
Assuming you want something easier to bolt on and cheaper to maintain, I'd recommend that you look at an aftermarket cam, exhaust and a tune.
A reputable shop can do all of this for you, but be prepared to wait a few months (as I am doing now, argh!) and also expect to pay some hefty labor rates.
If you want a couple of things you can do yourself with minimal tools and no helpers:
BBK Throttle Body- Increased pedal response and higher airflow
Cat-Back Exhaust - Mostly for sound, but less restrictive mufflers can offer better performance.
Diablo Tuner Module - comes with a pre-built engine computer map for 91 octane tune and gives better performance when combined with better airflow from the intake, throttle body and exhaust.
I'd caveat all that do it yourself stuff with the point that:
If you are going to have a shop work on engine internals eventually anyway, don't waste the time and money on those bolt-on parts. Also, if you're going to put forced induction on it, don't bother with much else unless you plan to take it to a track.
I only recommend those bolt-ons because they're cheap, they work together to amplify each other, and don't require special tools or knowledge. A 10mm socket and some locktite is about all they require.
My 08 Grand Cherokee has a 5.7 in it. Currently, I'm having a shop do the following:
Fix valve seats
Port and polish cylinder heads
Performance valve train install
Custom cam install
Custom ECU tune for 93 octane
Catalytic Converter delete
Custom echaust Y-bend fabrication
Borla Cat-back exhaust install
I chose those mods because I wanted my jeep to keep being easy to drive, make nasty noises, require no additional maintenance or inspection, and to push it's weight more easily. So far, it's taken about 5 months and we are nearing the end of the build. We should be tuning and test driving soon.
Check out my thread on the "Members Rides" section for more details about how the build is going. I will be sure to post pictures and video once it's done. That might help you decide how crazy you want to get with your own mods.
02-27-2019, 11:25 AM
#4
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