Hi there......Has anyone else run against a dodge 5.9 RT. I assumed they'd be really quick with the added CI's In the last week I've dusted 2 of them, and I have a really mild mannered 4.6. Did these guys have no idea how to drive or arre those trucks that slow?

 

Just a big motor in a small truck. They are quick down low, due to the torque, but fall on their face on the high end.

 

Hi Mandrake,

Those Mopar V-8's are older design, using only a pair of fuel injectors in an old-style throttle body ala the TBI GM systems of the mid-1980's, as well as being lower-tech OHV designs & thus not making much power above about 4400 rpm or so, they are primarily about low-end torque.

There are other reasons aside from just raw power available for the variance in reported performance levels of *all* these trucks.................

Mopar does things like keeping the trucks a bit lighter (like offering V8's in the Dakota series), so the Dakota's can run OK and be a bit of a contender, but not their full-size trucks for the most part. In the full-size RAM series they have 3.91 gearing available, & that helps them accelerate. All in all, it's really about the power-to-weight ratio combined with the power band's profile & available torque multiplication in each individual vehicle, and in a number of those configurations, the F-150 can top them.

There is significant variance in the performance levels in all the full-size American trucks ranging from 2WD to 4WD, cab & bed configurations, Off Road packages, Towing packages, etc., so that among the Ford, GM & Mopar trucks just in the full size half-ton series alone, it's not hard to find well over 3000 lbs. of weight difference from the lighter full size configurations to the heaviest. Even running a pair of 4X4's against each other, you can still have 1000 lbs. of weight difference, and that's not even taking into consideration the various different gear ratios available (3.08, 3.55 & 3.73 in the late-model F-150 alone) along with the different tire sizes, which generally range from about 29.5 inches to 31.5 inches. So you have a *lot* of variables in the mix, and that can add up to some surprises out on the street and at the track.

 

Thanks for the reply Mike....Makes a lot of sense....I didn't know that they were TB injected. I guess I never thought about how many variables there could be in halftons. Also I think mine with a 3.55 and 285/75/16's probably gives me an edge over stock...perhaps. Now I can't wait til I get some christmas bonus cake to add some ponies. What is your opinion on dual out the back Cat backs vs. the Gibson supertruck out the side style? I was pretty happy with my gibson dual out the back, but I just got rear ended by a 17yr old with no license no safety no insurance no emissions no ownership no plates ((((NO BRAIN!!!!)))) Needless to say he's looking at a bunch of fines and I'm looking for a new cat back! Thought you'd get a kick out of this. The truck is fine but this kid almost ate one of my tailpipes.....right up the hood of his 86 nova and POW perfect little hole right in front of his face. Fortunately no frame twist or anything......the truck LOL the NOVA is toast. Man was the Cop pissed. If you could put your mind to some mods I'd appreciate it.....
My thirsty Baby is:
1997 supercab Lariat 4X4 , 4.6 L , 3.55 open (grr) diff, 45000m , 285/75/16. I have part of a gibson cat back LOL and a drop in K&N filter. Plugs and wires are brand new....platinum plugs...premium wires.
Hope you didn't fall asleep in this LOOOOOOONg post Cheers Mike!!! Phil

 

Hi Phil,

Well, since you *have* to do an exhaust system change from the sound of it (and thank God you weren't hurt, I'm assuming?), I'd say skip all the Gibson & other lower-end stuff and go straight for what will actually do the best job for you, which is Magnaflow.

We can set you up either with their complete cat-back system, which adds more HP than any other cat-back system offered by any of the other manufacturers (19 HP on 4.6 & 21-22 HP on 5.4 along with increase in torque at *any* throttle position or rpm), or we can do a custom true-dual setup that will add significant power *everywhere* in the power band, not just on the top end, and give you a terrific sound, too.

We don't recommend *any* existing true-dual exhaust system on the market today for these F-150's, due to large losses in torque below 3000 rpm at virtually any throttle position. This is due to a lack of proper flow engineering typical in lower-cost systems, but also present in systems costing 2-3 times what Magnaflow does as well, so it's not "just" a price issue.

The best thing to do would be to give us a quick call when you get a chance, & that way we can go over all the numbers & configuration options with you, as well as the power results, etc., so you can give some thought to it and choose what you feel works best for your needs & desires.

Sorry to hear what happened, we hope you're OK!

 

on the topic of the R/T's, many of them aren't that fast but thats not to say they can't be. There is a guy in my town that has one that says he runs mid 14's. I got a chance to line up beside him one day and it was impressive considering the ones i had seen in the past. We were going out of town one day and we were the first at the red light. I knew he was gonna race but i was gonna let him hit it first. He hit it and i hit mine. He didn't pull me much but he did pull me about a fender at 50mph when i heard him hit the rev limiter about 3 times and then we let out. If he would have kept pulling on me like he was then he might would run a mid to high 14. Later my brother talked to him and found out he has been in drag racing for a long time and has a good bit of stuff done to it (he's probably 40 years old). As a matter of fact, i think he had just about everthing you can do to a N/A truck done. Since i last raced him back in the spring, i have done a few more things that have dropped my 1/8 mile times from 9.66 to 9.44 so i wouldn't mind giving him another run. On a side note, he also told my brother his tranny wasn't working right when we raced and also this was a regular cab with the 3.92 gears. Anyways, most of these trucks may not be the fastest but thats not to say they can't be made quick.

justin