Want to learn how to get more power out of a 5.7 HEMI? We got you. The 5.7 HEMI engine is the most crucial part of a RAM truck. However, some drivers might want to get more out of this good old engine.
There are plenty of ways to get more power out of your engine, including adding a bigger throttle body, a supercharger, and so on.
That said, we’ll explore other robust methods to increase your engine’s power.
To learn more about all the methods available to increase horsepower, check the section down below:
Contents
Budget-Friendly Upgrades For The 5.7L HEMI Engine
Tuning your vehicle can be very expensive. But If you can’t throw down money for expensive tuners, then we got you covered.
Down below you’ll find the most common options we’ve come across to increase horsepower without spending thousands of dollars on modifications:
1. Diablo Unlocked PCM
To start a tuning process, you’ll need to unlock the PCM. The stock one will not allow you to make any progress.
For instance, the DiabloSport PCM will enable tuners to tune their vehicles as they please.
Even if you don’t plan on doing anything extreme with your vehicle, having an aftermarket PCM will come in handy in the future.
2. DiabloSport Intune
The DiabloSport tuner is probably one of the most well-known tuning kits any car enthusiast has heard about.
Besides giving you better horsepower, the Diabloesport Intune is designed to improve your torque, throttle response, and acceleration.
Furthermore, the Diablosport inTune gives you lots of features to play with.
For example, setting the vehicle to one octane table and even disabling any four-cylinder mode.
What’s more, this is a very inexpensive way to get more horsepower.
The only downside to this is that you’ll eventually have to add supporting mods, as you might not notice that much of a difference.
Nonetheless, this is a simple and efficient way to add more HP without spending thousands of dollars.
3. High-performance Exhaust
This is not surprising, but stock parts are pretty restrictive, which holds true even for the stock exhaust.
But why is it? Simply put, the less freely an exhaust can flow out, the worse the engine will perform.
For example, a new high-performance exhaust running two high-flow catalytic converters into an X-pipe has a much easier time producing more power since it does not have as many restrictions as the stock exhaust.
Furthermore, an aftermarket exhaust will make your car sound louder, which is pretty cool to have when tuning vehicles.
As for how much improvement you might notice, we’ve noticed that replacing an exhaust with a stock aftermarket can increase your torque by fifteen foot-pounds of torque and ten horsepower.
But, if you’re trying to get rid of the bottleneck, you’ll need to replace the intake.
If you want to learn more about the wonders a new exhaust can do for your car, check this video out:
4. Performance Improved Intake
Like we said before, if you plan on replacing the exhaust to increase 5.7 HEMI horsepower, you’ll need to replace the intake.
The reason is that after certain high RPMs, the power your car makes drops significantly. This is caused by the stock intake.
That restriction on the stock intake will make you lose power instead of gaining more.
That isn’t good if you’re trying to get more out of the 5.7L HEMI engine.
To put it into perspective, after adding a performance improved intake, you’ll notice up to 12 horsepower gain and a 50HP increase at redline.
This happens as larger intake runners will allow more air at higher RPMs.
If you want to learn more about how an intake manifold can increase your horsepower, we suggest watching the following video:
5. Bigger Throttle Body
Replacing a throttle body is very intensive labor, but there are just so many benefits that you get from upgrading your old throttle body for a bigger one.
For example, if your factory throttle body is about 80-millimeters getting an 85-millimeter throttle body can make a huge difference.
Even though those extra 5 millimeters might not seem worth the effort and money, you’d be surprised by how much of a difference that number can make.
For your car to make more power, it needs to burn extra fuel.
By replacing the old throttle body with a bigger model, you’d make it easier for the engine to breathe, resulting in more horsepower and torque.
Another advantage is that this option is relatively cheap. The average price for a bigger throttle body can go anywhere from $400 all the way up to $500.
Considering just how much horsepower you get, we’d say it’s worth the money.
What’s more, replacing the throttle body does not need a tune. You could add one.
In fact, any professional would advise you to do so for better results. But again, this is not required.
However, it’s not all flying colors. If you have a completely stock vehicle, replacing the throttle body might not be the best thing you can do for your car.
Increasing the size of the throttle body might result in too much air for the engine. As a result, you’ll lose horsepower.
6. Water-Methanol Injection
The old water-methanol injection system. One of the oldest ways to improve performance 5.7 HEMI.
It’s not as popular as it once was, but it’s definitely held strong over the years. As the name suggests, this method is simply a mixture of water and methanol.
Generally speaking, it’s right around 50-50, though some brands might increase or lower that number.
To pour this liquid into your vehicle, you’d do so the same way that nitrous oxide is added into the throttle body.
So, why is this method so good? Well, with boosted engines, there’s a lot of heat going-on inside, which can damage and affect your horsepower over time.
Not to mention that the more boost you add, the more heat the engine produces.
So, by adding water and methanol mixture, you could massively drop the temperature, which would result in a healthier engine.
Some drivers might argue that the water-methanol injection is an excellent way to keep the engine clean as the water is vaporized when it’s inside the engine. Overall, it’s a win-win.
7. Flow Downpipes
Want a cheap and easy way to increase horsepower? Then consider replacing the downpipe.
The amount of power you get from swapping this part of your vehicle is genuinely mind-blogging.
Unfortunately, the stock one is way too restrictive as it is. Most of the time, it has a huge barrier that limits the amount of exhaust flow that is allowed from the turbo.
On the other hand, an aftermarket one has no restrictions whatsoever, allowing exhaust gasses to move smoothly throughout the vehicle, which produces more horsepower.
Since you’re at it, we suggest replacing the intake with a larger one to get even more horsepower.
Usually, drivers swap both parts to get the most out of this simple upgrade. It isn’t necessary, but it can help.
8. High-Performance Air Filter
Boost 5.7 HEMI power with an air filter. Air filters get clogged over time. And when this happens, the engine has to work hard to pull more air into it.
Moreover, stock air filters are quite restrictive, which affects your HP.
If you can bring in more air using an air filter, the sensors will pick up that air. As a result, they will inject more fuel, increasing your horsepower.
That’s the whole idea behind installing a high-performance air filter.
9. Throttle Body Spacer
If there’s something controversial in the aftermarket world, that would be the throttle body spacer.
The throttle body spacer is nothing more than a small piece of metal meant to go between the intake and the throttle body.
The whole idea behind adding one of these small units is to increase the airflow going into the engine, which is supposed to increase the vehicle’s performance and gas mileage.
Some drivers feel that it does not make that much of a difference and that it’s just a placebo.
At the same time, other drivers would happily argue otherwise. Either way, this is a very cheap upgrade, so there’s nothing to lose other than a little bit of time.
High-End Upgrades For The 5.7L HEMI Engine
The price tag for the following upgrades is quite enticing, to say the least.
However, if you’re willing to drop a lot of money to add more power to the 5.7L HEMI engine, you’ll definitely notice the massive improvement.
1. Hellcat Supercharger
Here’s how to get more power out of a 5.7 HEMI: add a hellcat supercharger to the engine. Now, this process requires a lot of time and money.
There’s quite a bit of customization you have to do before you can get the most out of this supercharger. For example, you’ll need an adapter kit for this job.
This kit has a simple job, which is to make sure that it bolts onto your engine. Furthermore, it’ll ensure that the front will accommodate the belts, the pumps, and so on.
Without this kit, you’ll blow the engine in a matter of seconds, so be careful.
2. Procharged 5.7 Upgrade
You’ve probably heard the term procharged before. If you don’t know what it means, this term refers to the company called Procharger.
This brand makes centrifugal superchargers. What makes them different from a regular supercharger is that they are mounted at the engine’s front.
In some way, it’s pretty similar to the alternator and the power steering pump.
What’s more, a procharged engine needs the tubing to push pressure through the throttle body.
A regular supercharger goes on top of the engine next to the manifold and the throttle body.
Overall, a Procharger is an excellent way to increase your horsepower. Also, anybody that pops the hood of your vehicle will definitely bring it up.
Common Questions of 5.7 l hemi upgrades
This section aims to compile and answer some of the most common questions on the internet about the 5.7 Hemi engine.
Can you put a turbo on a 5.7 Hemi?
Yes, you can add a turbo to the 5.7 HEMI. However, there’s a lot of work ahead of you before that can happen.
You first need to redo the entire motor. Otherwise, you’ll blow the engine. But if it’s not a significant amount of HP, the 5.7 HEMI might handle the upgrade.
How much HP can a 5.7 Hemi have?
The maximum HP you can add to the 5.7 HEMI engine is 650HP.
How can I make my 5.7 Hemi more powerful?
The 5.7 Hemi is definitely underpowered compared to other options in the market nowadays.
However, you can add more horsepower if speed is a problem.
To add more than the factory HP, consider adding a supercharger. Alternatively, install a bigger throttle body
Can you put a Hellcat supercharger on 5.7 Hemi?
Yes, you can put a Hellcat supercharger on the 5.7 HEMI engine. But you’ll need the adapter kit.
Conclusion
There are plenty of methods to learn how to get more power out of a 5.7 HEMI.
Each technique is different. So, the requirements for each one might change depending on your application.
Some of the methods we covered might need an extra upgrade. Otherwise, they won’t work as well. In some cases, it could damage your engine.
Some drivers only want a slight horsepower increase, while others might want to take the engine to the next level.
Either way, any of the methods we went through will help you add more power to your vehicle.