Could You vs. Should You: Mopar Tuning Questions

Every modified Mopar starts with two questions. The first one is easy: could I do this? The second one is where money gets saved or burned: should I? On Friday, Oct 24, we went live from the new shop in Marengo, IL and spent more than an hour answering exactly that, straight from the chat. Six Pack Chargers, pump-gas 426s, 5.7 strokers and Hellcat-power shortcuts all came up. Here are the answers, backed by real cars that have been through our doors.

Six Pack Charger: JB4 now, intake for the sound

The first big question came from a viewer with a brand-new Charger Six Pack: aftermarket intake, a plug-in tune, or wait for something better? Our answer was quick. Right now the JB4 for the Charger Six Pack is "killer" and "the best bang for the buck." You get real horsepower, and acceleration times actually drop.

Why the intake doesn't add power yet

Intakes and exhausts on the Hurricane are, in our words, "just for sound" for now. The 3.0L's factory computer is torque driven. It aims for a torque number, decides how much boost that takes, and learns how hard to work the wastegate to get there. In the example from the stream, it might need 60% wastegate duty cycle to hold 20 psi. Free up the intake and exhaust and it may only need 30%.

So what happens? The first dyno pull after an intake swap can show a bump, because the computer is still commanding the old duty cycle. After a few runs it sees the overboost, learns the duty cycle back down, and you land right where you started. We saw that with our own 3D-printed Six Pack intake. It showed a little power at first, then leveled out the more we drove it.

Unless you're looking for sound, there is no real point to an intake right now. And that's coming from people that make one for this car.

Satera Tuning

Our fastest quarter-mile testing has been done with the factory airbox in place. It's the best option so far for heat soak, because open-element setups sitting on the passenger side can pull in hot air before the intercooler. With hundreds of launches and well over 100 quarter-mile passes on one of our cars, there was no difference in the data between stock intake and exhaust with a JB4 and the same car with an intake and exhaust. It does sound better, and if sound is the goal, the Legmaker carbon fiber intake is a great-looking way to get it.

Should you wait for a full tune?

As of the stream, the Hurricane computer had not been cracked for full tuning, and nobody knows when it will be. It could be weeks or years. Our take: if it were our Six Pack, we'd run the JB4 now. When full HP Tuners support lands, switch over and sell the JB4 to someone who just wants a plug-in. You won't be out the money completely.

Could you build a 426 for pump gas?

Absolutely. Our answer on the stream: a 426 built for 93 octane will exceed 500 wheel horsepower. With proper intake and bolt-ons, you could get closer to the mid 500s. The catch is compression. Keep it around 11 to 11.5:1 and pump gas is 100% on the table. We have a high-compression 426 being built right now, and that engine will live on E85 because of its compression.

Should you, though? Maybe not. We've seen 500 wheel horsepower from stock-bottom-end 392s, so you might not need the 426 at all. If you want maximum all-motor and you're fine with E85, the REX Pack high-compression package is the other end of that road. Compression decides how aggressive you can go, so talk to us before you buy parts.

5.7 to stroker, or straight to boost?

Thinking about a 392 or 396 stroker in your 5.7 car? The easiest route is a 392 swap at the same 10.9:1 compression. You'll get "100-plus thousand miles" out of it, and you can make 450 to 460 wheel horsepower without a big, aggressive cam. That's well over 100 horsepower more than your 5.7. Push toward 550 at the wheels and you can still daily drive it. You just give up some comfort.

Planning to boost it later? Spec the bottom end for that from day one. A high-compression NA build isn't boost friendly, and a 5.7 bottom end specced around Eagle head chambers will lose a lot of compression if you later swap to Apache or 392 heads. We don't want to see you do anything twice.

If your target goal is to make stock Hellcat power, add a power adder to your 5.7 and a fuel system to run E85. That's all you need.

Satera Tuning

Our estimate for that combo is mid-600s. We have more 5.7s than we can count making 700-plus wheel horsepower on bone-stock engines, roughly 50 to 100 over a Hellcat. Will they last forever? No. You're almost doubling a stock engine's power. Build it the way your long-term goal needs.

The receipt: 622whp on pump gas

Here's what boost on a Gen 3 HEMI looks like in real life. This 2020 Charger Scat Pack 392 got our Level 5 HEMI Performance Package: a ProCharger D1SC, ID1050x injectors, in-house PCM unlocking, complete install, and a custom PCM and TCM tune. It made 622whp and 553 lb-ft on pump gas, more than 150whp over stock, with smooth, stock-like drivability from centrifugal boost.

• 622Wheel horsepower
• 553lb-ft wheel torque
• PumpGas

Already have a Hellcat? Here's "should"

"Should you" doesn't mean "go easy." It means doing it right. This 2015 Challenger Hellcat got our Hellcat-powered Level 2 Performance Package. That's a SaT.Tun 2.86" supercharger pulley plus an ATI 10% overdrive crank pulley for 3-plus psi more, ID1300X injectors, a dual fuel pump upgrade from @poweredbyhhp, a Mishimoto 180-degree thermostat, a Billet Evolution catch can, sensored flex fuel, in-house PCM unlocking and full PCM/TCM tuning.

• 850Wheel horsepower
• 815lb-ft wheel torque
• E85Fuel

The result was 850whp and 815 lb-ft on E85, "wrinkling the tire" on the rollers. Every component stays in its safe range, with no sacrifice in reliability.

Too far away? Distance isn't the problem

This Demon 170 clone in Canada runs a 426 with a Whipple 3.0L on Q16 race gas, tuned remotely by Jeremy. On its first outing, at only 13 to 14 psi, it ran several 8.7s with 1.2-second 60-foot times. The best was 8.70 at 156 mph with a 1.27 60-foot. More boost comes next. Our Hellcat-powered remote tuning kit brings the same tuner to your driveway.

Ask before you buy

That's the theme of every question on the stream. There are direct ways, right ways and shortcut ways to make power, and we have the road map for all of them. Tell us your car, your fuel and where you want to be in two years, and we'll help you spend once.

Call us at 331.444.4570, email sales@sateratuning.com, send a work request, or shop packages at sateratuningstore.com. Stay tuned!

Parts in this build

• JB4 Tuner for 2026 Dodge Charger Six Pack 3.0L Hurricane
• Legmaker carbon fiber intake, Charger Six Pack
• SaT.Tun Level 5 HEMI Performance Package
• SaT.Tun Hellcat-powered Level 2 Performance Package
• SaT.Tun REX Pack high-compression package
• In-house PCM unlocking, 2015+ Mopar
• Remote tuning complete kit, Hellcat-powered vehicles