5 Easy Mods That Could Boost Your Challenger and Chargers Performance

Why does anyone buy a muscle car? The first thing that comes to mind is the raw power. You know that these cars are pure, unadulterated horsepower on wheels. You might think it doesn’t get any more powerful than that, but you’d be wrong.

If you are in the true need for speed and need to get more hp out of your Dodge, then take a look at the following mods that will give you that extra boost. Please remember that applying mods to your Dodge may void its warranty, so be clear on the impact of a mod before you go ahead with it.

• Cold Air Intake

A cold air intake is a more affordable than alot of other upgrades. It’s a basic aftermarket part that will boost hp, torque and overall efficiency. Your car already has a common air intake, but the cold air intake is more impacting because cooler air has more oxygen than warmer air does. As we said above, more oxygen means more combustion power, which in turn means more horsepower. You can expect to gain around 15hp with an intake change, but it will depend on the quality of intake you buy, and what kind of intake you already have.

•  Replace the Headers and Exhaust

This method can give you an additional 25-50hp in that range. It has an additional bonus, too, which is that it won’t just make your Dodge run like the power machine that it is, but also sound like one. The process will set you back about $1,400 on parts, plus another several hundred dollars for labor, depending on how well you know your mechanic. Replacing factory headers and exhaust will give you greater airflow from the engine, thus boosting power. It should also be noted that replacing the exhaust shouldn’t void your warranty, but replacing the headers probably will.

In greater depth:

A Catback exhaust won't gain you any power but will make your car sound better on the other hand, a full exhaust is a different matter.

Single biggest bang for the buck is to load a custom tune. If you can score a used tuner device and buy an email tune from a known tune designer, you can get a noticeable increase in power/torque for between $300-$500. This will NOT give you 100 more hp, but it will be noticeable and the car will be a lot more fun & enjoyable as a road car.

Headers would be my next recommendation for bang for the buck. They are going to be more costly---figure at least $400 for shorties or a bit more for long-tubes. If you rather not hassle with the install yourself, be prepared to spend somewhere between $600-$1,000 for professional installation. If adding headers, I'd add a custom throttle body as well