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Dodge Ram 2009-Present: Engine Tuning Guide

Tuning your Dodge Ram is the best modification you can do if you are looking for serious performance gains. Here are all the tunes you can do to give your truck an extra boost.

By Jeffrey Smith - August 6, 2015

This article applies to the Dodge Ram 1500 (2009-Present).

Some call it a sickness, some call it a hobby, and some call it a requirement. Whichever camp you subscribe to, tuning your Dodge Ram 1500 can't be denied that it is a lot of fun to do. Tuning has been around since the dawn of the motor vehicle. Engines and autos have come a long way since then, and what used to be purely a mechanical pastime has, along with just about everything else, become a computerized process. Today's modern engines are almost purely controlled by a computer, also known as an Engine Control Unit or ECU. The ECU controls just about every aspect of your truck, from the proper air-fuel mixture to throttle position and timing. Tuning an engine is manipulating every single process the ECU ultimately controls. The main targets of tuning are the air-fuel mixture ratios, ignition timing, throttle body modifications and transmission shift points or patterns. Read on to learn what each of these can do for your performance, such as HP gains, top end speed increase and fuel economy.

Various Methods

Tuning the Air-Fuel Ratio

When you are tuning for better mileage, the MAP and MAF sensors are the key components. The ECU has limits on ratios that will be over-ridden if you use the stock MAP and MAF sensors. Changing out your stock MAP and MAF sensors to ones that have lower voltage signals will allow your ECU changes to remain, keeping your truck in good harmony. Many tuners out there claim that you can see a 30% increase in fuel economy. If you are interested in increasing your fuel economy only, adjusting your fuel-air ratio is the way to go.

Figure 1. The MAP sensor feeds the ECU with the current air-fuel mixture.

Ignition Timing

Tuning kits will electronically retard the ignition timing, which will help with pinging that often occurs when the air-fuel ratio is adjusted for maximum fuel economy changes. Tuning the PCM doesn't necessarily create any performance increases. However, it will keep your truck running smoothly.

Figure 2. Updating the PCM will help with pinging performance when the air-fuel mixture is manipulated.

Throttle Body Modification

Cleaning, polishing and boring out your throttle body can really increase the responsiveness when you mash the gas. A tuning with torque management will take you so far, but cleaning out your throttle body is one of the best things you can do to get more responsiveness and stronger shifting at a wide open throttle. Additionally, you can either bore out the TB or purchase an upgraded kit to install. You will really feel and hear a big difference after this tune.

Figure 3. Modifying your throttle body can really increase the acceleration response.

Tuning Kits

Manufacturers such as HemiFever, Flashpaq or Superchips allow simple plug and play operation to tune your truck. It also allows you to reset your truck back to stock specification if you need to take it back to the dealership for any warranty work. These items may cause you some warranty pain at the dealership if they see that you have tuned the truck beyond what is considered factory. These tuners come with a variety of canned settings to tune for your driving conditions and fuel choice, or you can customize your tune based upon others' successful tunes. They do come with a price though, so plan on spending anywhere from $300 to $500.

Figure 4. Tuning kits allow electronic manipulation of multiple components to increase mileage, torque, raw horsepower and performance.

Common Questions

Do these superchips and tuners really work?

Many tuners will claim to boost hp by 15-30. Search for real world dyno testing reports to make the best decision for your purchasing options. The biggest gains you will likely see are throttle responsiveness and top end speed. Some tuners are geared more for the track, while others are geared more to better towing performance.

Common Issues

Warranty Concerns

You should definitely check with your dealership what their warranty concerns are with tuners. The last thing you will want to do is spend your hard earned money on a tuner, only to find that it voided your warranty. Make sure that you will be able to reset it to factory settings before you take your truck in for any work at the dealership.

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