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increase horsepower

37K views 112 replies 29 participants last post by  justynkase5161 
#1 ·
what can i do to my 2016 dodge challenger v6 to make it go faster?
 
#2 ·
Generally speaking, a custom tune (requires unlocked PCM, tuner, and cost of tune), or a supercharger (or turbo(s))

You could make several (expensive) mods that can net you 15-25 HP such as bigger throttle body on a ported upper intake manifold port matched to the lower intake manifold. This alone will not get you much, and the tune required to take advantage of these changes will account for most of the gains.

You can increase the performance feel with a higher rear gear and/or a throttle pedal remapping device such as the pedal commander, but these will not add any horsepower.

You can get some great increases with forced induction (supercharger, turbo) and tune. 450-500 HP at the rear wheels, but it will cost you $6,000-$8,000 + labor and tuning.

Unfortunately Dodge left very little extra power available for the V6

A Guy
 
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#4 ·
Recommended is tough. Can I recommend spending $800+ to get 15-25HP IF you always run 91 to 93 octane gas? Too pricey for the gain for me, but you'd have to decide.

If you decided to go that route, you'd need your PCM unlocked, or purchase a 2nd unlocked one. You'd need to decide on which tuner (Diablosport or HP Tuners). This would depend on whether you just want to run a preset canned tune, or pay to have a tuner send you custom tunes (generally requires data logging to get the tune optimized).

I think you get a nice bump you can feel, but at a cost that is an individual thing.

A Guy
 
#5 ·
Recommended is tough. Can I recommend spending $800+ to get 15-25HP IF you always run 91 to 93 octane gas? Too pricey for the gain for me, but you'd have to decide.

If you decided to go that route, you'd need your PCM unlocked, or purchase a 2nd unlocked one. You'd need to decide on which tuner (Diablosport or HP Tuners). This would depend on whether you just want to run a preset canned tune, or pay to have a tuner send you custom tunes (generally requires data logging to get the tune optimized).

I think you get a nice bump you can feel, but at a cost that is an individual thing.

A Guy
i dont think i can do 91 tbh. i was thinking about getting tires n wheels too.
 
#6 ·
People who have added a Pedal Commander, or Sprint Booster almost unanimously praise the effect they give. Again, no added HP, but a difference in feel. It's something relatively cheap in the order of things


Personally, I'm into the looks, it has good enough performance for me, or I'd have gotten a V8 ;)



A Guy
 
#7 ·
Light weight wheels and corresponding tires will increase acceleration.
Rear end will as well.

Then nitrous :)


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#9 ·
I run 17x7 fronts and a 15x10 rear but use to have a 17x9.5.
The 17x7s and 17x9.5s Racestars with summer (235) front tires and rear drag radials (305) cut 40lbs off. Thats 40 pounds of rotational weight. Some old pictures with 17s all around:



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#10 ·
I run 17x7 fronts and a 15x10 rear but use to have a 17x9.5.
The 17x7s and 17x9.5s Racestars with summer (235) front tires and an cut 40lbs off. Thats 40 pounds of rotational weight. Some old pictures with 17s all around:



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those 305 on the backs looks amazing! any mods you have done to ur car to increase horsepower besides the tires?
 
#14 ·
If you have a flat, you can sleep in the back :D

A Guy
 
#17 ·
I ran both my V6 Challengers sans the spares to save weight, and just carried a plug kit and 12v air compressor in the event of a flat.

once I got the Hemi, I kept the spare for the first year and a half and 60K miles, plus the plug kit and compressor.

I’m mo longer Running with the spare since I never used it. I use that space for emergency kit and extra clothes.

blow outs happen, but not very often.

flats happen much more often, and can be taken care of with a plug kit and 12v air compressor, with a total weight of about 3 lbs...vs 25+ for the spare and jack
 
#20 ·
268 ft/lb ;)

A Guy
 
#21 ·
:unsure:

:sneaky:

?:geek:

I know that!

I was merely proactively summing the stock TQ (268) and expected additional TQ from a 91 octane canned tune (17) to present the total (285!) as a theoretical output for the n/a engine...yeah, that’s it, that’s what I was doing!
 
#24 ·
You aren’t gonna win much without extensively modifying the v6.
If you want cheap good power, nitrous is the go to...

Could remove it all later if you trade up or go to something else.


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#26 ·
You could alway throw some NOS and tweak VVT if really are dead set on keeping the V6 but want more power/speed. If you plan to trade to an older (pre-2015 had A5 trans) 5.7 you might be disappointed in the power bump (a member or two commented they were not impressed between a V6 and V8 5.7). If you can find a low cost 6.4 with A8 trans then you have a solid platform for a race car...but just be prepared for the drop in MPG. Just my $0.02.
 
#27 ·
You can always trade up.
5.7s are abundant and relatively cheap.
6.4s are starting to come down too.
I’m a fan of the 5.7 cars because they are more nitrous/boost friendly than the 6.4s but to each their own.



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#31 ·
Drop in a Ripp supercharger kit, a buddy of mine has one running over 10lbs of boost with stock internals and bolt on's making over 550 wheel hp. He has done serious weight reduction and is down to 3300lbs.
He hangs with hellcats. All depends on what you are willing to spend.
 
#34 ·
I hate to be ‘that’ guy but if you want a faster Challenger, buy a V8. The only meaningful gain you’ll get on a V6 is with FI and you’re talking 10K, what’s the point? You’re better off having a built V8 that sounds amazing and has a factory warranty. I’ve never met anyone that tried to upgrade their car and came back with, “yeah and it’s been going 100K miles strong after all that work!!”

They blow up, things fail, it just isn’t worth the headache unless:

A) you have endless income. If so, just but the V8.

B) you’re a gear head and a mechanic and you enjoy wrenching instead of it being built.
 
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#36 ·
I installed a 3.90 LSD in my 2019 and dropped 6/10th's off my 0-60 time. My 1/4 miles are down to 14.6 @ 97. I also have the Mopar CAI and Flowmasters. I installed the gears last and it was obvious from the mufflers and CAI that it needed a tune to take advantage of those 2 mods. The car had actually lost 4/10ths 0-60 - but it SOUNDS much better. I think a tune would get it down into the very bottom 14's and be close to 100 on the top end. The gears are a HUGE improvement. All you need is the diff and a set of R/T axles from any 2015+ car. I paid $789 for mine.
 
#37 ·
I've done just about every mod I can to my Challenger and I occasionally take it to the drag strip as well. I'm currently running 14.0 flat at the track with a 5.4 0-60 being my lowest 0-60. And that was on a 70 degree day.Times could possibly be better in cooler weather. I will say I've raced stock R/Ts and have gotten a pretty good lead on them from a jump until higher speeds were the torque really kicks in.

Weight reduction is always good if you can. Remove the spare and do a rear seat delete if you can. The 3.6 is already lighter than it's V8 counterparts weighing a little over 3800lbs. (without the driver)

Many people will tellk you to get a tune last but you'll see the most gains with a decent tune. Hemifever is the best route to go as it's the closest thing to a custom tune. He's told me that you'll get around18-19HP/TQ and just from a 91 tune alone. I'm also running a 79mm ported throttle body, Volant TB spacer and a Momentum GT CAI. A good exhaust will also help allowing the car to breathe a bit better. I'm running a custom cat-back. A good tune will tie everything together.

Good tires are a must too. The better you hook, the better you can get off the line.

If you're still looking for more power, a supercharger would be the only way to go. But as a daily, bolt ons and a tune are more than enough for me.

It's really not that hard to get a decent bump in power with the 3.6. It won't be the fastest thing on the road but it'll be a little more fun.
 
#38 ·
Although you can put a supercharger or turbo on your V-6 and gain quite a bit of HP, you would probably be spending 10 grand or more and would wind up with an engine that was stressed way beyond what the bottom end was designed for. Your best bet would be to trade in that V-6 for a Hemi Challenger.
 
#39 ·
I'd have to disagree with the stress part. These engines were designed with twin turbos in mind. People are running 10-12 pounds and more on stock bottom end and so far no issues. They have forged rods and 6 bolt mains.

The pistons however are cast and the block is an "open deck" design, and if you plan over 12 lbs, then these would be a good idea. You can get beefier pistons and rods and keep on boosting.

I would say that low end torque V8 power is a different animal

A Guy
 
#41 ·
I'd have to disagree with the stress part. These engines were designed with twin turbos in mind. People are running 10-12 pounds and more on stock bottom end and so far no issues. They have forged rods and 6 bolt mains.

The pistons however are cast and the block is an "open deck" design, and if you plan over 12 lbs, then these would be a good idea. You can get beefier pistons and rods and keep on boosting.

I would say that low end torque V8 power is a different animal

A Guy
That "Block guard" was a little confusing to me having never had one of those engines apart. Is that an upper gasket, kind of like an o-ringed head in reverse?
If the rods are forged and the crank strong those would be good enough, but I would for sure ditch the cast pistons.
 
#40 ·
I think the pentastar 3.6 even has oil squirters to cool the underside of the pistons. Is the 5.7 the only engine offered for the challenger that does not come with said piston squirters?

See "Lightweight block" section.
983248
 
#43 ·
Yes, oil squirters cool the undersides of the pistons at engine speeds over 3500 rpm

A Guy
 
#42 ·
The block itself is open at the top, this is an actual billet piece that fills in the open area, giving the whole "deck" more strength. In this picture you can see the open area around the piston bores

983254


A Guy
 
#48 ·
Ok I see it's apparently a metal reinforcment piece to stabilize the top of the cylinders, the web page showed a couple of pictures but I couldn't tell what the parts were made of. I would still not want to trust cast pistons in a boost application unless they are much stronger than they used to be. Also for a non-automotive mechanic, driving a modified car can be a service nightmare unless you have a good automotive tech who can work on it as a dealership may not be willing to get involved. If I was going to add some boost to a stock engine I would also want to take out the pistons and set the ring gap properly to avoid possible piston failure from the ring gap being to tight. I put a Kenne Bell supercharger on my sons 2010 SRT Challenger and it's holding up fine with no problems after 20,000 miles, but it's limited to 8psi boost. I wouldn't want to run any more without replacing the Hypereutectic pistons with forged and gapping the rings.
 
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