mikestoick

I just thought id throw this out there and keep in mind that I am no ceritified mechanic and basically a newbie jeeper. So my question is? Are there anyways to practically increase hp, torque or engine "power" on a 3.6 pentastar. It seems to be that air filters, exhaust systems and chips are basically shams plagued with issues for jks and jkus and a 5grand supercharger seems very unpractical for most of us (with its own pitfalls of course.) It seems that the meager 3.6 v6 in modern jeeps would be too little for some trails and for those looking for a bit more pep ob the roads... In my opinion it seems at least on the rubi a v8 hemi or other v8 would be an option especially considering heavy dana 44s and huge tires we so much like our rigs to push. Any thought. Anyone drop a chevy in their shiny new jk? Go ahead and rip me up or give stories, reasons for the current motor and lack of a v8 option. Thought this would be fun! Thanks!

PhxRainey

I am surprised you poo-poo'd a 5K Super Charger that can be installed in your garage (And uninstalled if needed) but considered a 20K V8 using a motor that probably came out of a crash Jeep?


I run the RIPP SC on my 3.8 and it is the only reason I still have it. I was never disappointed in the power the jeep had on the trails as I run a 4:1 Rubicon transfer case. The power was needed on the freeway.

IMHO.

If your ever in Phoenix you can drive mine anytime.

mikestoick

No man sorry i made it sound like that, my buddy is about to put a chevy v8 in his cj7 and i have my doubts. Again i have basically a stock jeep and have no room to poopoo a SC lol. Ive just heard they are crazy expensive and suck on your gas. And yea id love to take it for a spin! If your in michigan and looking to take a stock gecko 2door for a spin have at it brother haha. And so the supercharger is badass eh? Nice. Five details. Was your jeep "underpowered before?

mikestoick

give deatails ***

TheEngineer13

I come from the tuning world, albeit, my experience is mostly with modular Mustangs and LS platform Chevy's, and lots and lots of motorcycles. I have literally zero time spent tuning Chrysler / Mopar Products.

That being said, I can see a cheap chip being a "sham" and any emailed or pre-made tune will only get you so far. All of my experience with modern engines and electronics tells me that every engine is programmed at way less power and torque than it is truly capable of. Manufacturers build in abuse strategies to prevent damage to the mechanical parts and prolong the life of the engine (this is not only safe but smart). If you buy quality parts and bring your vehicle to a reputable tuner who can properly adjust for these add ons, you should have no problems making power.

Keep in mind, it is a V6 that is already outputting 270-280 bhp and 240-270 ft/lb of torque. Slapping an "axel back" muffler or a "high flow" air filter will do very little in terms of performance. To make more power on any naturally aspirated motor you have to think about the properties of the air flow, after all, your engine is just a really big air pump. If you change the air filter out to a less restrictive filter, but leave the restrictive air pipe in place, you may see minor differences due to air velocity, but you are not physically flowing any more air, and therefore cannot increase the amount of fuel without changing your air to fuel ratio.

There is a whole heck of a lot more that goes into creating power, safely, and efficiently, than a $30 air filter and chip.

mikestoick

right on man thx for the info. Any specific parts, products in mind to smartly accomplish more engine power (in general terms). Thanks bud.

TheEngineer13

Well again, this always comes down to, what do you want out of it. I have just recently purchased my 3.6, so I am not to familiar with the flow properties of the engine and what can be / should be done, or who makes what.

Horsepower is what keeps you going, but Torque is what gets you going. If you think your Jeep feels sluggish off the line, you would want to look at what will give you the best upgrade in lower end torque. In all honesty, the cheapest and most effective way to change this is with gears and not engine mods.

If you are just looking to bump up both power and torque, a good intake with a smooth flow and open air filter as well as a cat back exhaust will improve your air flow patterns, and if tuned properly for the mods and for power (rather than economy) I would expect 10-15 hp and maybe 10-15 tq at the wheels.

The biggest thing is don't be cheap. That $50 cat-back on ebay is $50 for a reason. Major companies put time into their products, they test if the vehicle makes more power using different bends and pipe diameters to find the best solution.

Some solutions are also driven by other factors, such as mid mounted mufflers to allow for better ground clearances.

All depends on what you want out of it.

mikestoick

again, good stuff. What exactly does a "cat back" constitute? Is it possible to buy a new exhaust system that is not a catback? Apologies fio my ignorance.

B 1000

I agree that the Pentastar is still not enough for a built JK. It's better than the 3.8, but still. I purchased a kit from Road Race Motorsports that includes intake, exhaust and chip for about a grand. It actually hurt power, and have heard others complain about the same.

Then I bought the BullyDog performer to run my JK with 91 octane for more power. This also resulted in no gain at all.

At this point, I've come to realize that the Pentastar is giving about as much power is it can give right off the dealership.... aside from forced induction.

So either I save up for a while for a supercharger, or I save up for a really long while for a V8 swap.

TheEngineer13

Your Stock JK exhaust system flows through two exhaust headers (one on either cylinder bank), into a mid pipe or collector, from there it passes through a catalytic converter or "cat", then out back over the axle and into the muffler.

I have seen muffler replacements, which basically give you a beefier sound, but no true performance gains. A cat back would go from the catalytic converter - back (meaning it replaces everything after the catalytic converter). This will give you a mild performance increase and a better sound.