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What mods are there to do for my 2017 Daytona 392??

27K views 20 replies 7 participants last post by  FST4DR 
#1 ·
Im brand new to the Mopar scene. Former mustang and corvette owner. And from what I have heard/read, these new 392 cars are not very mod friendly. Its not a big deal. My Daytona seems to be very good in every respect. Doesnt need a stall, exhaust sounds awesome, factory CAI and so on. Plus the wheels/tires/brakes are fantastic.

Whats left?? I heard tuning was expensive. Not sure if thats totally true. What about cam, headers, NOS, blowers and so on? What are the common mods that make good power, without costing a ton??

How much is a cam+install on these cars? And is it worth the cost?

What about NOS? Any safe kits out there, with or without tuning needed??

I already have a MT Drag radial going on for the track. I'd like to break deep into the 11's. Any modding guidance I can get would be helpful. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I hate to say it but there are no cheap options when it comes to adding power without significant cost, especially considering your goals.

It's a 4400lb. car before you add the driver. With nothing more than a sticky set of street tires and good track prep and DA, you're going to be capable of very low 12s and maybe high 11s.

Getting deep into the 11s is another story.

- PCMs are locked from the factory so the days of hooking up a tuner are gone with MY 2014. Canned tunes will be OK, but dyno tuning will net better results. (visit diablosport.com for more information)
- Cam and head packages will add good power but will be costly if you're not installing yourself. Check out Arrington Performance (shophemi.com) and look at their power trip packages
- Nitrous isn't a common mod for whatever the reason. Speedlogix has a bunch of info on different packages. These will also require tuning (speedlogix.com)
- The factory shorty headers make great power. You can go with long tubes but these are expensive and will also require tuning to avert a lean condition.

If you plan on going with forced induction, you'll need forged drop in pistons and new rings since the ring lands on the 392 are subject to breakage under light boost. Some shops will tell you you're safe on 6-7 psi and others have trashed their motors on 5 psi. It's all in the tune. Oh yeah, you'll need dyno tuning (do you see a theme?)

The better option to run the times you want would have been to pick up a Hellcat and slap some Nitto NT05s or 555Rs on it and hit the strip.

My recommendation would be to throw the drag radials on and see how it does and then decide from there if you still want to run deep into the 11s.

Congrats and enjoy your new ride!
 
#3 ·
Yikes. Thanks for all the info. By the looks of it, I might just save my pennies and get a procharger. The rest all seems like fluff at this point. $1000 for tuning with a canned tune...lol nope.

Maybe my local tuner can do better, but I wouldnt spend that much for a custom dyno tune either. Guess I should have looked harder at the aftermarket before I bought. The HC probably would have been a better deal seeing how cheap they are now.

I really wanted to do a cam too, but $800 for the stick alone??? Comp sticks used to be like $300 a piece.

Oh well. Like I said, the car is awesome as it sits. Just wanted to run a better number than low 12's like everyone else. I still may grab an NOS kit from that site. $900 for a plate kit is not bad.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I understand how you feel. I tuned a lot of SN95 Mustangs in the mid 90s and they were great to work on. We had a stock bottom end Cobra with TFS heads, a mild cam, mass air, throttle body, gears, pulleys and exhaust on a Vortech V1 running 10.70s at Gainesville on VP110. Tuning was through an MSD 6 BTM for when you wanted to run on pump (11.30s on Drag Radials and 93 octane). The car would respond to everything you did.

Keep in mind that the CONTEXT of these cars is very different. The Daytona 392/Scat Pack/SRT are gentleman's hot rods designed to shuttle you around with low 12 second potential and still provide excellent drivability if you want to take a 600 mile trip or attack some canyon roads. It's the Swiss Army Knife or performance sedans at a reasonable price point.

If you do decide to go the nitrous route, I would start with a 100 shot, custom tune and replacement PCM. You're probably looking at around $2500 - $3000 with custom tuning. OR you can try custom tuning as a standalone and see how you feel about that. A skilled tuner can work with more than A/F maps, fuel curves and ignition timing. The really good ones can work with the VVT system to either favor horsepower or torque.Nitrous can always be added afterwards.

Keep in mind that due to the fragility of the ring lands on the 392 an exceptional tune is going to be essential to keeping the motor intact. I'd also recommend a nitrous pressure gauge and an AF:R gauge install to ensure that you're running in the right range.

I'd also STRONGLY recommend using the best fluids you can use to wring more horsepower out of the motor. I use a custom blended 7.5W-40 and Aces IV fuel additive. If you check our vendor section, look for BND Automotive and give Brian a call. His products are amazing and price effective.

It's not all bad news. It's just different news than what you were expecting based on past experience.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,

Andy
 
#5 ·
How about enjoying your brand new Daytona the way it came from the factory? Drive it, and put some miles on it. The 392 puts out a nice amount of horse power. The look of the Daytona is awesome as is. So if you could please explain it to me, why do you want to change things before they break-in..

Big John
 
#8 ·
Hey John,

I think this is the difference between people who enjoy the stock package (like you) and others who want to personalize the car and sneak up on some unsuspecting faster cars (a bit of the sleeper image). We certainly can't call the Daytona 392 a sleeper unless you pull all of the badges and take off all of the stripes.

I understand both sides. Some like to modify and personalize for the sake of appearance and some like to create an absolute monster. It all depends on the goal.

Cheers,

Andy
 
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#6 ·
Big John , I'm going to have to ask....... why not?? I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean within the first 500 miles. That said , I've modified to some degree EVERY car/truck that I've ever owned, simply because I'm an enthusiast. These forums are FULL of enthusiasts who also want the most out of their vehicles. Why wouldn't they modify their car from the stock form that everyone else has. Just curious??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
I guess you can call me a Stock-er. My 66 Pontiac GTO it mainly stock. It has Tripower four speed, 390 posi rear. My 2010 Charger R/T has the Road and track group option. I don't want to change it from the way it came from the factory. When I'm ready to sell anyone can do what they need to do to make it faster and more responsive. Now a days cars cost so much that when you stop and look at the amount of money they cost, then do racing options to make them go faster, well to me it's mind boggling. What ever makes them happy. :)

Big John
 
#9 ·
As a former Challenger Scat Pack owner, I still visit the Challengertalk.com forums and keep up on guys who are building strong N/A packages.

Here's a thread from one of their users who has done well on some basic mods and this is fairly representative of what many people are seeing:

http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f100/new-personal-best-565818/

I think a great place to start is with the tune to see how much you can wring out of it. The canned tunes will be average at best. Where the car can really shine is in running Aces and 93 octane which should allow for some significant timing bumps and creative fuel mapping.

Add some sticky tires, a good track and low density altitude and you could run 11s without breaking a sweat. If you want more, people are seeing great results with the Comp 270 and a custom tune. Could definitely be worth your while.

Keep in mind that while the Challenger is a bit lighter than the Charger, the Charger has a distinct advantage provided by the extra wheelbase. My Challenger refused to hook in any weather on the stock 245 A/S tires. My Charger is MUCH better on the launch and is more of a hook and go ride. I'll be changing out the stock A/S tires for some sticky 275 summer tires and I know it'll launch even harder and with more consistency.

Challengers are perceived as more of a muscle car so you don't see as many modded Chargers at the track. That certainly shouldn't dissuade you from going after bigger power and surprising people in the process.

Keep us posted on what you decide.
 
#20 ·
ACES IV is used all the time and replaces the premium fuel with 89 octane fuel and ACES IV together. Gets more power right upfront along with more torque. 1 oz. per 6 gallons and you are ready to go with no tuning necessary as your speed density system picks it up and adjusts automatically!. :bigthumb:

http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101392

Regards,
Brian
BND Automotive LLC:driving:
440-821-9040
www.bndautomotive.com
 
#21 · (Edited)
I have been told by a few vendors that I could expect 50-75 rwhp with a Cam/Heads package. Using all of these fluids will give me about 1/3 to 1/2 of that? Is the 25 hp gain at the wheels or at the engine?

Also, if I got the cam/heads package and got 75 rwhp and used all of these fluids (25 hp), we are getting very close to supercharger gains (100-125) for less cost?
 
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