Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Mo HP

[MitchellR]

to
In order, what would be the best way to add HP to 300 - 400 HP in a 2002 stock engine with auto transn? In order I mean a sensable progression.

 

[SAndreasen]

Upgrade transmission and torque converter first off then upgrade fuel supply to the vp44 then a set of gauges . I have a edge juice with attitude that gives egt fuel psi boost and trans temp all on one display .

 

[MitchellR]

I have the gauges already. What are the features of the Edge from a user's point of view?

 

[RonaldLarson]

Upgrade transmission and torque converter first off then upgrade fuel supply to the vp44 then a set of gauges . I have a edge juice with attitude that gives egt fuel psi boost and trans temp all on one display .

Good advice, now also add a lockup controller for the transmission. Without an Edge type controller, an EGT gauge is critical for any power adders.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I would add a turbo upgrade, and go with a 4" exhaust system, by the time you approach ~350hp.

 

[drag racer]

Focus on the air side first - air filter/inlet system, 4" exhaust. Then the fuel side. An Edge EZ and a set of Bosch RV275 injectors is a pretty hard to beat combo that will get you north of 300 hp, and is about all you want with the stock turbo and converter. This is what I have been running for a while, and is about the power level I feel the truck should have come with. Not too crazy, but much better than stock. And I still have the stock converter and trans., but have a new beefed up trans and triple disc converter waiting in the wings to install. My converter has started to shudder a bit lately, but is still hanging on.

 

[JR]

My high mileage stock trans in my former 2000 would slip under the higher settings on my Smarty under wide open throttle or a heavy load hooked to it. That's less than 60HP gain over stock. I was putting my wife through an expensive 4 year degree and couldn't afford a rebuild so I ran my Smarty on a mild setting and didn't horse it and the trans lasted another 60k miles. The point is, if stock your trans is the weak link no matter how good it feels now. If you start upgrading power without touching the trans it will leave you on the side of the road in short order. Do the supporting mods first (trans, lift pump, gauges) then go after the power. Doing it the other way around always costs more money, tow bills, added cost of rebuild from broken parts, etc. Not to mention your out of a truck if you dont have the funds to fix it (most dont, because they just blew their wad on performance upgrades to the engine)

 

[SnoKing]

Drag Racer, other than the HY35, the stock intake is good in the low 300-350hp range. I did gauges, exhaust, transmission, stage one injectors, timing box, PDR35-12W. A long the way I had a BHAF, but did not like extra noise. I found no performance different. I did remove the boot to fender and drill some holes in the air box bottom and fender side.

Also everyone with 24v's should check for excess slack in the throttle cable. Pick up the throttle pedal with your hand. If it comes up more than a inch or so you are not getting full throttle, you want to put fishing split weights or something to take up the cable slack at the top of the pedal. A couple tie wraps can be used to test. I read about this years ago and notice the cruise control provided more power than the go pedal. Snoking

 

[MitchellR]

Thanks to all for responding. The mid 300HP is my goal.

 

[SAndreasen]

I like the edge because you can turn it up turn it down all on the go there are 5 settings And you can set the max egt on each level and it will stay below that level on its own I like the display the best it shows trans temp egt fuel psi and boost all at once then it has An alarm that goes off if anything goes above or below your a limit you can set . I wish I could find a manual for mine I bet it would do more things .

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Check what I've done to mine - and results, in my sig below...

 

[drag racer]

Gary: what turbo?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary: what turbo?

Still the OEM, wastegate plugged - about 32 psi at full load. Been perfect so far - EGT under long steep grades towing the 5er EGT maxes at about 1200. I was trying for a well balanced setup where one mod didn't create unacceptable issues elsewhere in the overall setup, seems to be working out as hoped for.

 

[SnoKing]

Gary, NO way can you tow heavy with that amount of power and a HX35 without a bit of EGT regulation with your right foot. Do you have a truck camper or a trailer, combined weight?

I tow a 12K+ 5th wheel with a combined weight of around 20,500 and have to watch temps a bit, but not as much as I did with the HY35 stock turbo.

I have:
Jammer stage 1 60 injectors
Comp in EZ mode, timing only
4" exhaust straight through Magnaflow muffler and a straight through resonator ahead of it.
PDR35=12W with 32-33 lbs boost max
4:10 gears
Custom Auto transmission
Stock drill airbox and filter(BHAF only made more noise)

Have not dyno's with the PRD35 and throttle cable fixed, but is most likely 325 and 650-700 area! Power was down quite a bit because of throttle cable when I dyno'd! If the cruise control gives me very noticeable more power than the go pedal then the dyno should see quite a difference.

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SNOKING

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, NO way can you tow heavy with that amount of power and a HX35 without a bit of EGT regulation with your right foot. Do you have a truck camper or a trailer, combined weight?

I tow a 12K+ 5th wheel with a combined weight of around 20,500 and have to watch temps a bit, but not as much as I did with the HY35 stock turbo.

AH well - not the first time I've been accused of lying!

Gets REAL amusing when I actually PROVE what I claim - and they STILL refuse to believe me! :-laf

My GCVW when towing loaded runs about 16,000, We regularly tow long, steep grades up at the 5000 foot level, 5th gear, at 55 mph - and I built the truck this way SPECIFICALLY so I would NOT be a slave to the gauges - and so far, it's working - believe it or not!

As to Dyno - Imageshack seems to have lost my last dyno run pic, but here's the one from the year before, only slightly lower - I'll have to dig out my originals and rescan them for Imageshack...

 

[SnoKing]

AH well - not the first time I've been accused of lying!

Gets REAL amusing when I actually PROVE what I claim - and they STILL refuse to believe me! :-laf

My GCVW when towing loaded runs about 16,000, We regularly tow long, steep grades up at the 5000 foot level, 5th gear, at 55 mph - and I built the truck this way SPECIFICALLY so I would NOT be a slave to the gauges - and so far, it's working - believe it or not!

View attachment 91427

Yes and I run the Syskiyou's in 3rd at 55 mph regulating the speed with my right foot without EGT issues. If I wanted to go faster then I would have EGT issues, which I dare say that you would also! Not calling you a liar, just trying to level the applies to applies issue. You are running a bit light and low profile compared to many towing with 2nd gens. SNOKING

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[Gary - K7GLD]

It's interesting - and amusing, that I have had this same discussion MANY times in that past - pretty much always with the same result - those who choose to deny what I have stated, will CONTINUE to deny it, REGARDLESS of proof offered!

Same with my Ford loving RV buddy he has a chipped Ford Superduty about the same vintage as my Dodge - and regularly tows a 33 foot Alpenlite that he regularly overloads well over the 22.000 GCVW weight. He constantly used to belittle my Dodge, and the "puny little old RV" I was towing, compared to HIS setup. Naturally, he couldn't begin to stay with me in the hills - and always alibied that it was the weight and height difference between our setups. OK, fair enough, until on one of our trips, the automatic transmission blew on his Ford, and I then had to tow his rig to the nearest Ford Dealership for repairs. As we were driving along up steep hills with him and his wife in the back seat, I pointed out the power and road speed of my truck, as well as the EGT, which he always had trouble with in his Ford in the hills. He had little to say on that subject - but then stated I'd better be careful not to go TOO fast, because my Dodge brakes probably couldn't stop such a heavy load very well...

So I stomped on the brakes, and nearly put him and his wife thru my windshield...

Did I "prove" anything to him? Not at all, as far as HE was concerned, HIS Ford was still the best truck on the road - and Dodges were all pieces of junk!

NO, I'm NOT going to drive over to your place, hook up to your 5er to "prove" what I say - because long experience has shown that "those convinced against their will, are of the same opinion still"

But I DO have this pic of my buddies truck, just to show him occasionally when he knocks Dodges:

 

[SnoKing]

It's interesting - and amusing, that I have had this same discussion MANY times in that past - pretty much always with the same result - those who choose to deny what I have stated, will CONTINUE to deny it, REGARDLESS of proof offered!

NO, I'm NOT going to drive over to your place, hook up to your 5er to "prove" what I say - because long experience has shown that "those convinced against their will, are of the same opinion still"

What ever turns your crank! You have a one in a million HX35 turbo! Hang onto it, as no one else can get one to cool that well at 32 lbs boost! SNOKING

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

What ever turns your crank! You have a one in a million HX35 turbo! Hang onto it, as no one else can get one to cool that well at 32 lbs boost! SNOKING

YUP - and when push came to shove, I've heard THAT one a few times as well...

For sure, after several years testing varying combinations to get where I am, this IS the final setup, and one I intend to hang on to for quite a while, because it WORKS!

Granted, a small bit more PSI boost, a small bit more fuel via injectors or bigger power boxes, and things CAN and WILL get out of hand quickly. I tried adding a Smarty to this setup a few years back, and the added fueling quickly brought the EGT out of the safety point - so I sold it.

The intended point of all this was not for a senseless #$%*&*# contest, but rather to suggest to the OP that a BALANCED power increase that addresses boost, fuel, and exhaust is ALL needed in proper percentages to reach specific goals - adding bigger injectors alone - or a better exhaust - will likely only get PART of the job done - the best plan for most, is one that is balanced, rather than a patchwork plan that only address 1 or 2 areas - especially up in the 350-400 HP range.

 

[SAndreasen]

So what turbo should my 98 24 valve with a 2000 engine it it have ??