Tuned by Walkinshaw, the Australian-spec Dodge Ram is the country’s best-selling large pickup. The truck has fended off competition from the Silverado and Toyota Tundra as the heavy-duty alternative to smaller Utes. With close to 30000 units sold over the last decade, the Ram offers superior towing power, unmatched cabin space and peerless performance from the legendary HEMI, turbocharged Hurricane and workhorse Cummins engines. Growing sales have also meant more flexibility with aftermarket additions, especially for power upgrades.
Upgrading the RAM for Power
If you need more than the 4500-kilo-rated towing capacity, sub-6-second 0-100 times, or just a simple power increase, air intakes, cutting-edge Dodge Ram performance exhausts and ECU tunes are the simple modifications that get you there. These improve the already meaty power and torque numbers in a truck that embarrasses pure sports cars for pace and acceleration. All three components change factory parameters, such as airflow, exhaust backpressure and air-fuel ratios, while ensuring longevity. Incidentally, these are also the least expensive power modifications for the RAM this side of upgraded camshafts, new fuelling components or experiments with forced induction and bigger turbos.
Benefits of a Dodge Ram Aftermarket Exhaust
The aspirated 5.7-litre Hemi engine is undoubtedly the most popular Ram engine variant in Australia. The narrow factory exhaust piping doesn’t do the HEMI any favours, creating multiple airflow restrictions with unneeded bends that ultimately kill engine efficiency and the sound leaving the tips. Subjected to harsh Australian conditions, the lower-grade 409 stainless or aluminised steel also suffers from advanced rust wear and puncturing when off-road. Aftermarket exhausts for the RAM not only boost performance, but also improve pipe durability from manifolds to tips. Real-world benefits include:
- Increased power and torque: Full header-back systems, with revised parts and new layouts, conservatively add roughly 5 per cent of overall power. The additional 15kW is tangible when accelerating with a full tub and towing on inclines. Moreover, improved airflow, reduced backpressure and increased scavenging result in a more responsive throttle in an engine that’s already happy to rev to redlines. Similar power gains are seen in less costly cat-back systems, especially those fitted with wider 3″ piping (up from 2.5″ in stock trucks) from the cats to the mufflers, free-flowing resonators and wider 5″ tips.
- Customised sound profiles: Wider, straighter pipes create fewer restrictions when exhaust gases exit the manifold. This ensures higher exhaust velocity and a louder, deeper sound from the tips. The sound can also be tuned to personal preference with proprietary manufacturer tech, such as muffler valving. Compared to a factory system designed to meet emissions and noise regulations, Dodge Ram performance exhausts also deliver sound befitting of a truck this size.
- Durability: Aftermarket builders ditch mild and aluminised steel for tougher yet lighter mandrel-bent 304 stainless steel. The material better handles the heat levels generated by the HEMI V8, preventing heat soak in surrounding parts and systems (notably the transmission) and demonstrating higher impact and corrosion resistance, making it more suitable for demanding Australian conditions. It also prevents gas leaks from puncturing.
Specific considerations for Australian owners include exhaust components for right-hand conversions in imported trucks, state and federal laws, noise and emissions in trucks used solely on the street, and choosing local builders to ensure quality and defined warranties. To ensure consistent temperatures and ward off damage, also consider wrapping pipes in exhaust wraps or fitting exhaust shields adjacent to the transmission.
Bumping Power with Cold Air Intakes
New exhausts work perfectly on their own. However, the addition of a cold air intake in the HEMI improves power, produces a more audible rumbling engine sound, and minimises maintenance needs. Cold air intakes replace the restrictive piping and paper filters in the HEMI, carbon fibre or aluminium in the air intake tubing and oiled, cone cotton filters to ensure reduced heat soak, increased intake air volumes, lower temperatures and improved filtering.Parts are pushed lower and closer to the front bumpers to draw oxygen-rich atmospheric air; heatsink-equipped pipes ensure air stays cool when directed to throttle bodies, and filters remove airborne particles and debris for cleaner combustion. By reducing intake temperatures and directing higher air volumes at optimised speeds and angles into the engine, cold air intakes significantly improve throttle response, engine sound and power figures. Estimates are around 10 to 20 horsepower, tenths off of 0-100km/h sprints and lower fuel at low revs due to improved efficiency.
Balancing Air-Fuel Ratios with ECU Tunes
Air intakes and Ram performance exhausts change factory air-fuel ratios. These are vital for smooth engine operation. More air necessitates more fuel. Generally, a factory-tuned ECU will compensate with higher fuel pressure from the injectors in aftermarket cat-back and cold-air intake combos. Bigger modifications, such as full header-back systems, require remapping the fuelling and timing with an ECU tune – possible in pre-2015 trucks, or a new ECU module in newer trucks, considering the locked ECUs in recent Ram models. The aim of both is to calibrate engine performance and accommodate the addition of new exhaust and intake components.
