More Power On The 8.1

bpshunter · November 6, 2008

ok guys i have the 8.1 of course and i just put a cold air intake on it and i am wantin to squeeze out some more power along with a couple more mpg. it has tru duals 3 inch all the way but no mufflers. if a nice flowmaster or somethin would help power and mpg i wanna know. i have 1100 bucks to spend so lemme hear what i can do i dont know much about the 8.1s yet but i do know i am gonna get the westers 91-93 hot tune. or if there is a better tune out there lemme know. but what else is there to do on this beast. i have 305s on it and im pullin about 12 on the highway and i wanna get a lil better. that was before the cold air intake. i havent done the spark plug mod or anything yet and it needs a tune up.

FloodRunner · November 6, 2008

After you put the cold air intake on i'd open up the exhaust a bit.. I'd go with a hi-flow cat and a quality dual system.

Let me know how you like the cold air intake...

Thanks

MEGA14 · November 7, 2008

I have zero statistical data to back me up but there was a considerable difference when I poured synthetic fluids into the 8.1 , the Allison and the rear diff . You can feel it .

I started out with Royal Purple and switched to Amsoil after reading more about them . Mostly I switched because it was getting harder to find RP locally but I was happy with it .

Something that has more to do with convenience is to replace the air filter on your CAI ( if it needs oiling like the K&N ) with an Amsoil replica because it only needs vacuuming and sucks alot more air into the motor .

Plug wires from Taylor are Severe Duty 10.4mm which come with sleeves to protect the wires from heat . I have them and they're worth it since the ones the Dealer installed previously were killed by the heat . They're ridiculously thick , obviously .

Some things the Boys and Girls here have brought up are not to waste your money on a new Mass Air Flow unit unless you exceed 500 HP . The stock one is more than capable . Don't buy a Throttle Body Spacer either . Headers have to be Long Tube for best power gains . There have been debates on the 160 Degree Thermostat . Electric fans add more power as long as you don't plan to tow much and are worth the money as I understand it .

The Tune seems to be the best bang followed possibly by the Electric Fans .

That's about it for now .

Great Motor , though .

ZZ327 · November 7, 2008

cut back to 285 tires!

Jennabear · November 7, 2008

After you put the cold air intake on i'd open up the exhaust a bit.. I'd go with a hi-flow cat and a quality dual system.
Let me know how you like the cold air intake...

Thanks

Unless you really want to spend money, I would stay away from the hi-flow cats, as the stockers flow extremely well, better than those of a Viper as a matter of fact. If you wanted to help the flow, I would look into new headers and a cam. You may also want to look into your spark plug gaps throw some Seafoam through your system and clean your MAF.

bpshunter · November 12, 2008

but the cam will kill my mileage tho wont it? im looking to keep gas mileage with power. . i ran right with a 7.3 powerstroke this weekend that was chipped cold air and exhaust and i pulled ever so slightly so i was impressed but i want more lol

Riverjet502 · November 12, 2008

If you are wanting more power I would call and speak with the cam grinders. Like Crane, Comp, Lunati..ect. And be honest with them. Tell them what you plan on doing with the truck, what you expect out of it, what your gears are, Heads, induction and exhaust. These guys will be very helpfull and will give some good answers based on what you tell them to help you make a better choice on cam selection for your needs and desires..

Stewmeistr · November 17, 2008

I'm kind of in the same boat. I don't have 1100 to spend right now... and if I did, I would probably save it and buy some "better stuff" with a couple grand more. Stuff thats going to knowingly make more power vs little stuff that dribbles all of your money from your pocket for moderate, if any gains. I've talked with a couple of guys on here and they indicate that a cam change and long tubes with a tune are the way to go for 30-40 hp and tq...thats just on the cam change alone without tuning..

So, cams, I've talked to crane, comp cams, and Raylar engineering. They are the only companies that I've come across that have cams for our trucks. I like comps actually the best and Raylars are for all out performance apparently. I can't seem to get Raylar to give me any specs/sound files etc... on their cams for comparison.??? I guess its proprietary information, but it would sure help me in my decision which to buy. www.raylarengine.com

I've heard to stay away from larger rocker ratio's than stock due to piston clearance issues. With a cam change you'll need to upgrade the springs though. So factor that in to cost. I think for 1100 though thats what I'd do.. Get a comp cam and get a wait4me performance tune to manage it. You'll run healthy. If you can find some headers, longtubes, get some of those too. Just lay off the little junk mods, they aren't worth it.

Let us know what you decide to do.

Rob

pura vida · November 18, 2008

thanks for the info. pretty much what i was looking for when i logged on. guess i don't have to start a new thread then...

anyway, so what is the order of operations for increasing the power out of the 8.1? step by step with out throwing away money by buying parts you just have to upgrade later. there has to be a large amount of performance left in that motor? how much can you expect to get out of this motor with out having to worry about new rods and pistons? and where is the breaking point that completely destroys gas millage? obviously not supper concerned with mpg if i'm looking for more power, but always good to know. (besides i'll just buy that magic pill that makes your truck get 25mpg!)

btw, i have an 05 crew cab short bed with 4.10 gears.

thanks

pv

bpshunter · November 24, 2008

well. i sent out for the 91-93 tune from westers and having all torque management removed. i heard i should get better mileage with the all out tune so i figured why not. i also just switched out spark plugs to bosch ones that are already gapped to .040. not sure if it helped but we'll see. i am wanting power WITH mileage ppl. right now im getting 10-11 with all around driving and i never tow anything. its a reg cab too.

Stewmeistr · December 5, 2008

Quote "i am wanting power WITH mileage ppl. "

Ahhh, Panacea... something for nothing.

I've heard that EFI live is the way to go for ultimate tuneability, however the price of admission is steep and you have to ask yourself. How much does that 1mpg cost me and is it really worth it?

I use the analogy (ripped it off from somebody?) Imagine 8 coffee cans pumping up and down that have to carry around you and your truck. Squeezing a little more out of it may be possible, but its still 8 coffee cans going up and down.

I have a CCSB 01 2wd. I get 10.5 and 12.2 ave out of it with K/n, JBA's,.45 iridiums and a wait4me performance tune that cost 160. I have no complaints and can live with it for the cost.

Future mods consist of Raylars heads/cam change and a tune. Should be fun.

Rob

Swang · December 8, 2008

From what I've found, no one makes Headers for our trucks...the Manifolds are plenty. Get a balance tube or a dual/dual muffler. This factory exhaust is very free flowing, as I'm sure you can tell from the beautiful roar that comes from your tailpipes when you unleash unholy hell. I know they sound awesome with true duals but it helped my MPG's out a little bit, 1 mpg. Maybe it was because I just didn't get on it as much, I don't know, but some back pressure helps. Of course this is not why I did it because trying to get better economy out of an 8.1 is like trying to polish a terd. its still a terd. Remember to factor in your tire size change whenever you're figuring your mileage. If your truck came stock with 245's, roughly a 29" tire, and now you're running a wide 33" tire...add 12% to your economy right there.

Also, I apologize for the hijack-What's this spark plug mod, what brand and gap should I go with? And how did the CAI work out?

vern650 · December 8, 2008

there is a few companys that make shorty headers for the 8.1 but people say they dont flow any better than stock. also there is one company called Stainless Works that makes a set of long tubes for the 03 and up 8.1, i was interested until they told me they wont work on my 01 also they cost about 900 bucks but they look cool. recently i had my 8.1 dyno tuned at a local shop and on a safe driveable tune the tuner told me i gained about 24 hp at the wheels which i thought was decent. oh this was in 3rd gear on the alli. as mines the 01 which you cant lock out in fourth so i dont know what the difference it would make to be in 4th and have a 1:1 ratio like your supposed to. he also told me that he tuned it to run with a CAI so he recommended i get one. he said i would see an extra 7 or 8+ hp. so i searched and found a decent deal on a volant on ebay which i bought. i chose the volant cuz it was the only one i could find for the 8.1 that was a completely closed in true CAI. it seemed like a good quality and looks good but the fit is not the best, some of the holes were hard to line up and such but once i got it on and took it for a drive i would have to say it made a noticable seat of the pants difference, not like huge hang on to your hat power but noticable. havent had it long enough to see if i gained any mileage yet.

p.s. ive heard of people swapping out for 180 degree t-stats, what the purpose of this? i know my truck seems to feel the meanest at the middle mark between 160 and 210, is this just supposed to keep it closer to that temp or something for a bit more power?

bpshunter · December 9, 2008

well, i just got the westers tune and all i have to say is. . . wow. . . no joke with my set up i can turn a 6.2 to 6.6 second 0-60 time depending on how good i hook up im just wondering what else i can do now haha