While we know that the truck aftermarket caters to Chevy/GMC and Ford trucks, Dodge's latest product is its best ever and the new 5.7L Hemi V8 absolutely screams. Because of this, it came as a surprise to us when we found out the aftermarket was having difficulty cracking the Hemi's computer. Dodge computers have always been notoriously difficult and the '09+ Ram 1500 apparently had the mother-load of tuning issues.
After years of experience, we know that tuning a truck is a sure-fire way to release some of the power potential the manufacturer left on the table, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to test Superchips' new Flashpaq tuner designed for the new Hemi trucks.
To get our Superchips Flashpaq at a great price, we logged on to AutoAnything.com and placed an order for part number 3865. In just a matter of days, we had the new programmer and were ready to hammer on the Ram. Autoanything.com has thousands of parts ready to ship out and we couldn't find a cheaper price anywhere. Rather than just show the unit plugging in and calling it a day, we wanted rock-solid data to compare 0-60 mph acceleration, 1/4-mile speed, 60-0 mph braking, and a slalom agility course. Using GPS data acquisition from Racepak, we were able to see just how big of a difference the new tuner made on our '09 Ram. After putting our heavily customized '09 Dodge Ram through its performance evaluation, we introduced it to a Superchips Flashpaq performance tuner and once again dropped the hammer on the track.
The new Superchips Flashpaq...
The new Superchips Flashpaq tuner has all of these capabilities: Enhances throttle response, adjusts transmission shift points, shift firmness, adjusts the rev-limiter, can achieve power gains up to 20hp and 28 lb-ft of max torque on 91 octane gas, it can calibrate tire diameter sizes from 22.5 inches to 42 inches, calibrate for axle and transfer case gears from 1.00:1 to 10.00:1 ratio, adjust electric cooling fan settings, it can be used as a diagnostic scan tool, and it can serve as a vehicle performance data logger with 0-60 mph and 1/4-mile times.
5.7L Hemi V8 engine
26-inch wheels/tires
Before Flashpaq
0-60 mph 8.36 seconds
1/4-mile 17.33 seconds
After Flashpaq
0-60 mph 8.0 seconds
1/4-mile 16.86 seconds
* Testing was performed with 87 octane and recorded using Racepak G2X GPS data acquisition equipment
Installing the Flashpaq Tuner...
Installing the Flashpaq Tuner is as easy as plugging it in and following the onscreen directions. Check out the quick video tutorial, log on to truckinweb.com.
As part of our new testing...
As part of our new testing procedure, the Truckin' '09 Dodge Ram, with its 5.7L Hemi was put through its paces going from 0-60 mph and we made several 1/4-mile passes. As you can see, those 26-inch wheels sure look good, but they did slow the big truck down with a best before run of 0-60 mph in 8.36 seconds, with the 1/4-mile coming in at 17.33 seconds at 93.2 mph. After the Flashpaq was plugged in, we made a best run of 0-60 mph in 8.0 seconds and 1/4-mile in 16.86 seconds at 94.4 mph.
To give us a metering point,...
To give us a metering point, we brought out the Truckin' long-term '09 Dodge Ram Hemi 4x4 and made several runs with it. On the factory 20-inch wheels, it ripped 0-60 in 7.6 seconds and blasted through the 1/4-mile in 16.53 seconds at 95.1 mph.