If you want to complete the breathing package, you definitely want to add a CAI. In order to exhale properly, you must first inhale well... and most CAIs will not make your exhaust any louder. You will probably hear an increased sound under the hood - but that's okay... it's just the sound of your Hemi breathing better

As far as resetting the computer every 200 miles or so, that's only if you want to maintain the maximum HP that the CAI is providing. You see, the stock computer re-learns the air flow and adjusts itself back after roughly 200 miles or so. You don't have to go through this routine if you don't want to. Get a Superchips programmer (not sure of what year your truck is) and the performance program will take care of that issue!

 

I have a 2004 std cab short bed with the hemi, no frills ST.

So this is good that I don't have to reset the computer, but if it just reverts itself back to where I was before I spend another 300 bucks, whats the sense in that? I drive around 300 miles a week in this and don't really feel like going through all the popping the hood to reset fuses things.

So to answer my "probably last question" on this CAI thing, will I retain any of the gains after 200 miles or is this just an affair of sorts leaving me out in the cold less 300 bucks.

Kind of trying to avoid getting screwed in a way!

 

It really depends on what your plans are for the truck down the line... the most common performance mods are CAI, cat-back exhaust, and a programmer. Since you have an '04, you might want to wait on a CAI until you get either a Superchips or Hypertech programmer.
Either way, a CAI will not hurt the engine, and will provide all around better performance since you have the aftermarket exhaust.

 

I have the Ravin exhaust also and yes it is louder than stock ( a bunch ) but I am getting used to it

After adding the exhaust I cant say I could feel any more power but I have not added any headers as of yet ( coming someday ) so I know its having a ruff time exhaleing as MR H said.

As far as adding the CAI - I am in the prosess of kind of making one - have a post under C A I - "dont Laugh" - I can tell you one thing I do notice more power now than before adding the CAI - the Hemi seems to jump off the line and just keeps pushing me into the seat alot more then it was before and my girl friend asked what I did so it must be having some effect on the truck - I have not gotten to the 200 mile mark as of yet but I am plaining on resetting the computer on Saturday am - Taking a run into Chicago on the HWY and want to see how it responds

As far as hearing it under the hood when I step on it - MOST OF THE TIME - I can diffinatly hear it sucking up all the air it can but when just doing normal driving it seems quite to me and I can hear the exhaust instead or both ends.

Dont know if that helps you - but wanted to put in my thoughts.

 

Bigger intake & exhaust means better flow in between = more power.

 

Well, I may have to change my views
on CAI systems for Hemi Rams. Yesterday
I decided to try another 0-60 stop watch
run. Did one of my worse times to date
at 7.5 seconds. Did it this morning and
did a 7.45. This time loss (did 7.2
before reseting PCM) is due to reseting
the PCM the way MrBigwood mentioned it
should be done. Apparently it works as
any OBDII vehicle runs like crap for
awhile after you reset the PCM. It has
been 317 miles since I reset it and my
times are still way down. How long does
it take for the computer to get back to
the way it should be? Now let me mention
why I think I was to harsh on CAI. After
installing a K&N 57-1533 system I
mentioned that the next day I turned a
7.30 with the CAI and after reseting
the PCM. That time is about 15/100ths
of a second better than I am doing now.
Conclusion, Had I given the FIPK system
a 1000 miles or so I calculate that my
0-60 times would probably average around
7.10. Maybe even 5/100ths lower than
that. Oh well Ron!! Enjoy the system.
I may just may make one myself.

 

No disrespect intended whatsoever, but if you really want an accurate test, you should either use a dyno or the track (1/8 or a 1/4 mile). The G-Tech device works well too.
There are just too many inconsistencies with using a stopwatch in my opinion.

 

Yup. I tried the stopwatch and could never get below the mid-sevens. With the G-Tech I'm down around 6.6 - 6.7 secs. The problem is that the average person's reaction time is 3/4 sec, so throw in a start and a stop and you've got a 1.5 second margin of error.

 

Totally agree with both of you
on that. But when one does it
10 times and all the times are
with in 5/100ths seconds it is
a basic way to measure performance
progress and gains/loses. The
last 5 or 6 times I did it before
the PCM reset were 7.19 to 7.23 sec.
Those are pretty consistant runs
for 6 tests. In 10 times my low
was 7.16 and my high was 7.26.
Those are still consistant numbers.
Are they actually what my truck
would do on a track? Probably not.
They aren't meant to. They are
just baseline numbers to see
where my truck is at. If done right
they can give you a good idea, as they have done for me regarding
the PCM reset issue. I lost time
due to reseting the PCM. Like I said.
Very typical of OBDII vehicles.

 

Allllrighty then! Those are pretty consistent numbers, but your RC/SB is still a half-second slower than my QC/SB. Aside from slightly different computer setups, the only variations in our engines are the types of intakes and exhausts, which shouldn't account for 0.5 sec 0-60. The main difference that remains is that you are using the stopwatch and introducing a substantial amount of human error, no matter how consistent that error may be. That being said, I have also experienced bizarre fluctuations in fuel consumption and acceleration immediately following the fuse reset. In fact, my gas mileage gets worse faster with each successive reset. I'll just have to buy Superchips and tell the wife afterwards.

 

quote:Originally posted by Freeze:
Allllrighty then! Those are pretty consistent numbers, but your RC/SB is still a half-second slower than my QC/SB. Aside from slightly different computer setups, the only variations in our engines are the types of intakes and exhausts, which shouldn't account for 0.5 sec 0-60. The main difference that remains is that you are using the stopwatch and introducing a substantial amount of human error, no matter how consistent that error may be. That being said, I have also experienced bizarre fluctuations in fuel consumption and acceleration immediately following the fuse reset. In fact, my gas mileage gets worse faster with each successive reset. I'll just have to buy Superchips and tell the wife afterwards.

I might be .5 seconds slower in
the way we are calculating are
times. But, I bet my truck will
be faster than yours in the
1/4 mile. Elapsed time and MPH.

 

My point was exactly that. I wasn't initiating a pissing contest. Your truck is going to be faster (smaller & lighter w/the same HEMI), but your measurements involved human error so your times were slower. I was driving myself nuts with a stopwatch before I got my GTech for $30 off Ebay. So, stop pulling your hair out and pick up one of these.

 

quote:Originally posted by Freeze:
My point was exactly that. I wasn't initiating a pissing contest. Your truck is going to be faster (smaller & lighter w/the same HEMI), but your measurements involved human error so your times were slower. I was driving myself nuts with a stopwatch before I got my GTech for $30 off Ebay. So, stop pulling your hair out and pick up one of these.

Ya twisted my arm FREEZE. So I ended
up buying a upper end G Tech. I know that the times with the device will be different
than the ol'e stop watch method. That being
said I know the G Tech will still show
a .2 to .3 second loss pulling fuse #23.
That has been confirmed with my method.
I made a appt. with the dealer regarding
the loss of performance and the fuse pull.
They will probably just look for hidden
codes that do not show up as a, "Check
Engine" light and chime. Maybe they will
just reprogram the PCM. At any rate I will
not be pulling fuse #23 anymore. My gas
mileage has also gott worse since I
did that as well.

 

I might have to visit the dealership to see about a PCM flash, too. My mpg has been hovering around 10 lately.

 

DAMN Freeze, thats really low. I drive between city, highway, and country equally.. I dont think I have seen the 10's unless I have been towing my near 8000 lb trailer.

 

Guess you all haven't seen the way Freeze drives around town yet

 

freeze - I am with you on the mpg I am hitting a steady 11.6 - I took it on the expressway this weekend and got it up to 16.4 but when I got ack in the burds and stop and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I returned back to the 11's but its only gas ( money ) right !!

 

quote:Originally posted by Freeze:
I might have to visit the dealership to see about a PCM flash, too. My mpg has been hovering around 10 lately.

WOW!! That is low. I get about 12mpg
in town and my highway best was 17.25.
I think I am around 16 now. My truck
goes in on Tuesday the 22nd. I am going
to push on them to just reprogram the PCM
and see what happens. The highway mileage
with the Hemi is better than my 1999 5.2L
Ram w/3.55 gears. But city driving the 5.2
got around 15mpg.

 

I'll have to re-weigh my right foot.

 

My milage went to shit after I installed my CAI. I think it has to do with the amount of cold air passing over the temp sensor. Causes it to run a little richer. I had the PCM and tranny flash a few weeks ago. It helped a little.

 

Well this is my 2 cts. worth and I will not get into a pissing contest.
everybody is right that the pcm has an adaptive strategy, but not like the one that appears to be on peoples mind.
when you add more air to the system it will see this and adapt itself in away that is called short term fuel trim, it will adjust it self to balance on both sides of stochiometry(spelling) . If its fuel lookup chart is over 20% of its normal settings, it will adjust this to a long term fuel trim adjustment to another 20% if it cannot adapt to this within20% of the long term statagy, it will then set the light off for o2 code.
so I don't really agree with resetting the computer every so many miles, drive it and let it adapt to the changes that are made.
The only time the pcm will detune itself is in a self preservation mode. i.e. engine or trans is overheating and your hot rodding, towing, or a severe problem with the internal trans. If severe enough it will go into limp in mode(stay in second gear and loose a % of its performance.
IMO when someone feels a big kick in the but after a mod is from a lean condition due to the mod that the pcm hasn't adapted for.
I do agree more air in more air out more ponies.
just let the pcm adjust to it, It's not going to detune itself back to exactly 345hp, its going to adjust itself to meet the criteria of the tattle tale o2 sensor, to balance on both sides 14.7 to 1 A/F ratio no matter what mods!
this is the purpose of the adaptive stratagy.
It just has to calculate all the other variables
and adjust to all of the other varaiables that go along with it.

I hope this will help with some of the qeustions that are out there.

 

We don't get into pissing contests here... well, at least not very often

Thanks for sharing the info

Just have two questions... where did you get the info, and isn't 14.7 pretty lean?

 

2lo; I agree with you. The first year (03), I periodically disconnected the battery like everyone else. In 04-05 I never disconnected, and I realized the computer would compensate in time. I have no lag in mine, and it feels like driving a truck with a double pumper holley.

 

quote:Originally posted by 2lo:
Well this is my 2 cts. worth and I will not get into a pissing contest.
everybody is right that the pcm has an adaptive strategy, but not like the one that appears to be on peoples mind.
when you add more air to the system it will see this and adapt itself in away that is called short term fuel trim, it will adjust it self to balance on both sides of stochiometry(spelling) . If its fuel lookup chart is over 20% of its normal settings, it will adjust this to a long term fuel trim adjustment to another 20% if it cannot adapt to this within20% of the long term statagy, it will then set the light off for o2 code.
so I don't really agree with resetting the computer every so many miles, drive it and let it adapt to the changes that are made.
The only time the pcm will detune itself is in a self preservation mode. i.e. engine or trans is overheating and your hot rodding, towing, or a severe problem with the internal trans. If severe enough it will go into limp in mode(stay in second gear and loose a % of its performance.
IMO when someone feels a big kick in the but after a mod is from a lean condition due to the mod that the pcm hasn't adapted for.
I do agree more air in more air out more ponies.
just let the pcm adjust to it, It's not going to detune itself back to exactly 345hp, its going to adjust itself to meet the criteria of the tattle tale o2 sensor, to balance on both sides 14.7 to 1 A/F ratio no matter what mods!
this is the purpose of the adaptive stratagy.
It just has to calculate all the other variables
and adjust to all of the other varaiables that go along with it.

I hope this will help with some of the qeustions that are out there.

Well, after reading this I find it
funny because today I went out and
did a few more GTech runs. It's been
around 250 miles or so since I installed
the Airaid MIT. Well, those wonderful
gains I had are gone. I could tell even
before the Gtech showed me the results
that it lost power. Back to 15.1 to 15.2
at 88 to 89mph in the 1/4. My 0-60 times
went from 6.52 to 6.7's. I would
to say that the PCM eventually does rein
itself back in over time. Kind of sucks
if you ask me!! It must either cut back
on fuel or timing to do this. I would say
it's probably the latter. Any any rate. I
need a Superchips!!! Hope that will allow
for better use of greater air flow.

 

Here's my two cents worth:

I ended up with an approximate 1 1/2 mile increase when I installed the AFE. This was checked over the same road, speed, etc.

The down side is that there is a definate increase in sound coming into the cab.

A CAI should be only one part of the mod if possible. Go to a freer flowing exhaust for the second!

I have a superchip tuner and I don't need to re-set the computer.