5 Best Tuners For Dodge 5.7 Hemi Ram 1500 & Buyers Guide (2020)

by · Automotive Expert
Published
Updated

Each vehicle owner has an interest in improving the efficiency of a car in such a way that the fuel consumption at increased performance remains the same. In the ‘90s I achieved this effect by forcing the engine, which, accordingly, decreased MPG`s.

Modern cars, however, can be modified without mechanical changes in engine design by implementing a tuning for cars. This was made possible by the transfer of major systems control to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU). It is the on-board computer of the vehicle that regulates the supply of the fuel mixture to the combustion chamber. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Why you can trust me?I accept nothing from product manufacturers. Never. Here — only unbiased reviews and my opinion. I only earn commission from Amazon

I recommend:

our pick

Superchips FlashPaq

Game changer

So, i would recommend this device, because it`s very easy to use, very straightforward with very clear instructions and, in my experience, the Flashpaq honestly is probably one of the fastest tuners when it comes to tuning your truck.

runner up

Diablosport

So, the Diablosport Predator 2 is definitely the product that i recommend you to try out. Plug this into your OBD-II port, which is located underneath your steering column, put your key in the position (but don`t start in, lol) and choose the tune that you need. Easy as that.

best value

Bully Dog GT 40417

Tuning a vehicle today is a safe and easy way to add performance and before it was a serious permanent decision you had to make, but with something like the Bully Dog tuner you can increase performance, add drivability and fuel economy without giving up anything and if you want to put the car back to stock you can, but no idea why you would.

premium

Superchips Dashpaq

The Dashpaq does offer some other features that many other tuners do not. It`s pretty cool and it's pretty easy to use and there is a ton of other available features on this device. So if you like those performance gains, you like the way this device looks, and I'm personally a fan with the layout, you should stick around.

budget

Superchips FlashCal

So for that reason alone, I really like this device. The FlashCal is a very user-friendly device and it allows you to calibrate your truck very easily. Definitely recommended tuner that you should try out.

If you are reading these lines, you definitely must have been thinking of updating your truck performance and boosting its efficiency. If so, you are at the right place. In this article I’ll reveal the best tuners and their greatest features to match and fit your Dodge/Ram. I’ll give you a piece of advice on how to unleash your truck’s power at its best.

The tuners, which are described in the article, will help enhance your car performance to its highest level. I know how tough it may be to pick the right thing for your Dodge. I also know that the market is packed with tuners offering various features you may even have never heard of. So here I am to help make the right choice. I’ve already done the research for you and ready to give a brief outline of the best options. Enjoy reading!

Are the tuners worth it?

They definitely are! Dollar for dollar. Any expert would agree that the best modification you can do to your truck is get a tuner for it! There is so much potential for power that isn't utilized in the factory tuning that there really is a HUGE increase in engine power alone with a tuner, in addition to the automatic trans tuning.

The variety of features that current tuners can offer you is endless and you can feel the difference from the first ride. In fact, most tuners are really affordable today and there is a good option in each price category.

Table of Best Tuners For Dodge 5.7 Hemi Ram 1500

NameOur ratingtypescreenwi-fi updatesProgrammed tunesCustom tunes Required yearspriceShops
Superchips FlashPaq
tuner/programmer2.8 lcd displayyesyesyes03-19$$
Diablosport
tunerlcd displayyesyesyes09-14$$
Bully Dog GT 40417
tuner/programmerlcd displaynoyesyes03-17$$$
Superchips Dashpaq
tuner/programmer2.8 lcd displayyesyesyes09-14$$$
Superchips FlashCal
handheld devicelcd displayesnono02-18$

swipe left to see more

How I decided

box-icon
22
models considered
clock-icon
63
hours spend
interview-icon
2
experts interviewed

Best Tuners For Dodge 5.7 Hemi Ram

Superchips FlashPaq

our-pick
Our rating:
5.0

If you own an '03 to '14 Ram 1500 with the classic 5.7 Hemi, basically you wanna get the most performance out of your motor without actually turning any wrenches, you should be checking out a tuner like the Flashpaq F5 from Superchips.

Now there are a couple of tuners available for the 5.7, however, I'm a big fan of the F5 for a few reasons.

Number one, pretty simple, it's one of the most affordable, right. You wanna spend the least amount of money as well, this is definitely the way to go.

Number two, for how affordable it is, it actually has some of the most preloaded tune files available of all the tuners on the category page.

Number three, it's very easy to use and it's actually pretty fast too, it has a new processor in it compared to Superchips' older models, so tuning your truck only takes a couple of minutes.

A bit more about the tuning options. There's an 87 Octane performance tune, it's gonna make some basic changes to your air and fuel mixture and firm up your shift points. You also have a towing option, it's obviously gonna be pretty self-explanatory. You also have a mileage XS save tune, that's gonna help you get better MPGs, certainly helpful if you take your truck on a daily commute. And also the 91 octane tune. 91 octane is the most commonly available high-grade fuel wherever you live.

It has a little battery voltage gauge here, this is convenient if you're doing any diagnostics in the driveway with the engine off, just a convenient way for you to monitor the voltage and output of your battery, so you don't kill your battery while you're using the Flashpaq

Now besides tuning, the Flashpaq does offer some other cool features. You can scan and read, and clear diagnose trouble codes, otherwise known as check engine lights.You can also run real-time gauges and data logging water driving around, so let's show you how to do all that.

Will Dergoauto mechanic from YourMechanic, CA, says:

The Flashpaq can build and save the stock files on your ECU, that way if you ever want to untune your truck or convert it to stock or if there are any issues during the tune install, the device can go into failsafe mode and it can reload your stock profile

So besides tuning and scanning being the two main features of the Flashpaq, there are some basic options you can find under info. This is a convenient way for you to pull some basic car and device information. Under vehicle info, you can see what tune you're currently running. You can also check the VIN for your truck, you'll really only ever need that if you're working with troubleshooting device with Superchips customer service. And the same thing applies to device info, just gives you some basic information about the Flashpaq itself, it's gonna let you know that it's locked with your truck because of the tune. And again, this is information that you'll generally only need to find if you're ever troubleshooting your device.

Key features:

  • Wi-Fi
  • Pre-loaded tunes
  • Reads/Clears DTC Trouble Codes

Product score:

  • performance (8/10)
  • quality (8/10)
  • price (9/10)

MY RATING: 8.3

Pros
  • monitoring gauges
  • price/quality
  • user-friendly
  • 58 HP/ 70TQ
Cons
  • might have some issues with updating

Diablosport

runner-up
Our rating:
4.0

Diablosport Tuner is an interesting option for owners of RAM 1500 equipped with 5.7 Hemi 09’ - 14’. This little guy will help with increasing the horsepower and torque.In my opinion, this is currently the most affordable, and in my experience, the most easy to use tuner that you can buy for this truck.

As a bunch of cool preloaded tunes on here, including a towing and economy tune, but more importantly as a higher octane fuel tune, which also forms your shift points, improve throttle response and definitely improves performance.

It`s got a lot of different features. You can clear your trouble codes, you can data log your truck in real time if you are troubleshooting or doing in advance custom tuning.

It`s a very user friendly tuner. It only takes a couple of minutes to pull it out of a box, plug it in and keep going.

Key features:

  • Wi-Fi
  • Limited warranty
  • Diagnostic codes

Product score:

  • performance (8/10)
  • quality (7/10)
  • price (7/10)

MY RATING: 7.3

Pros
  • different variations of preloaded tunes
  • price/quality
  • 20 HP and 33 TQ
Cons
  • the call-center of the Diablosport a bit toxic

Bully Dog GT 40417

best-value
Our rating:
4.0

You might take a look at this Bully Dog tuner if you own an '03 to '17 5.7-liter powered Ram.

One of the great things about this tuner is that it gives you a lot of different tuning abilities, to specifically tune different aspects of your vehicle for performance.

Plus, it has a lot of convenient safety things for you.You can monitor different aspects of what's going on with your truck. Lets you know if something is going to be a problem.

Tom Gruntfrom CA, RAM 2015, says:

I am the manager of a transport company. And the great thing that I am very happy about, that Bully Dog tuner can be used for a different car make. I bought one item and can use it to trucks such as RAM, Ford, Chevy, Cadillac, GMC.

Takes about 20-30 minutes to install it on the truck. It can be the trouble for you, but it`s all about the result, right?

You can set a lot gauges on your main monitor such as fuel economy, because these days that's important for everybody, especially if you're driving around in a big, beefed-up truck. Also you can see your engine RPMs as well as your speed and your coolant temperature, because if you're pulling something down the road, you don't want your rig overheat, causing you some issues.

There are a lot of other different things that you can mess around with, as far as the different gauges that are available and different settings, anything from fuel flow to your mass airflow sensor, timing, battery. All kinds of different things on here that you can actually set and adjust yourself. It even has a feature for performance testing, so that you can actually go ahead and go out in some empty parking lot some place or whatever and test how you got your thing set up. Make sure it's set the way you want it and so on.

Key features:

  • Wi-Fi
  • Pre-loaded tunes
  • Fuel economy

Product score:

  • performance (8/10)
  • quality (8/10)
  • price (7/10)

MY RATING: 7.6

Pros
  • a bunch of gauges
  • price/quality
  • user-friendly
  • 30 HP/ 30 TQ
Cons
  • install a bit spoofy

Superchips Dashpaq

premium
Our rating:
5.0

For those owners of '09 to '14 5.7-liter powered Ram, who are looking for one of the tuners that includes the most tunes and most features of all the available options, you should be checking out the Dashpaq in-cabin controller tuner from Superchips.

Now, yes, this one is more expensive than the other options available on the page if you've been looking. However, this one comes with a total of five tunes, whereas most others only come with three pre-loaded tunes. One of the other reasons why I really like the in-cabin controller tuner is because you can customize those pre-loaded tunes.

So if you're familiar with doing any Dyno or speed shop work or familiar with changing air and fuel mixtures, you can squeeze even more horsepower out of this device without needing an actual custom tune.

There are a couple available tunes on this device. One's for towing. One's for economy. One is a basic 87 octane tune for regular pump gas. And if you want to up the octane to 91 or 93, you can do so.

One of the other reasons why I really like this device is because on top of the real-time data logging and the gauges and all that other cool stuff, this thing will actually benchmark your truck. And even though it might not be as accurate as a Dyno, it will actually provide pretty accurate horsepower and torque numbers once calibrated properly.

Now, the next function on the Dashpaq is pretty cool, it's the performance tests. This allows you to benchmark your truck using different measurements. Besides data logging and the ability to read and clear trouble codes, this thing does stand out because it provides you with the opportunity to record your 0 to 60 times and your quarter-mile times. And it is pretty fairly accurate from what I've seen, you can actually record horsepower across your power band.

Vic Guerrerofrom YourMechanic, CA, says:

An exclusive. The Maintenance Manager. I've never actually seen this on any other tuners and this is a pretty cool way for you to make sure you're staying up on general maintenance on your truck, like changing: air filter, axle fluid, cabin air filter, engine coolant, engine oil and so on.

Also, you can data logging. Data logging is very useful for troubleshooting your truck or if you want to make any changes to the parameters on the pre-loaded tunes, this will allow you to optimize your truck. The data logs will be saved on the device itself. You cannot view them on the device. However, once you're done data logging, you can plug the device into your computer and you can download those data log files.

Another cool function of the Dashpaq is the Mileage Coach. This is a pretty cool way to track the cost of your fuel consumption as well as your overall fuel economy. Your truck might be equipped with a fuel economy gauge, however, that gauge really only displays your average MPGs and your mileage range. Mileage Coach takes it a step further. Basically, the Mileage Coach is going to use your average MPG values in order to determine the cost of your driving habits. This is a nice way for you to optimize your driving habits, if you will, and it's going to allow you to save some money at the pump as you continue to use the Mileage Coach.

Key features:

  • Wi-Fi
  • Pre-loaded tunes
  • Data Acquisition

Product score:

  • performance (8/10)
  • quality (8/10)
  • price (7/10)

MY RATING: 7.6

Pros
  • a bunch of gauges
  • price/quality
  • user-friendly
  • 42 HP/ 41 TQ
Cons
  • might have some issues with updating

Superchips FlashCal

budget
Our rating:
3.0

If you own a 02’ to 18’ Ram 1500 and you're like a lot of other owners and you wanna put bigger wheels and tires or you wanna swap out your gear ratio, you should be checking out something like the Superchips FlashCal.

So if you wanna go ahead and calibrate and diagnose your truck and you're a techie guy like me, stick around. This is not a generic device. This is actually built specifically for the ECU in the Ram 1500. This is gonna be a very easy way for you to adjust your ECU, your tachometer, and your speedometer to accommodate for those bigger wheels, tires and those new gears that you might have thrown in your truck.

Eric Mortfrom CA, RAM 2016, says:

I am an off-road guy. So, every month I go to the Johnson Valley and my compulsory procedure is to change tires size from 35’ to 37’. Flashcal is helping me to adjust my speedometer.

Now, I wanna make something very clear here. This is not a tuner. It does not have pre-loaded tunes on it. It does not have custom tunes. But still, you can upgrade this little thing to a tuner settings, like FlashPaq.

It's gonna be one of the most affordable calibration and diagnostic devices currently available. Now, like I said, you could go for a generic one, but it's honestly not gonna provide as much functionality as the FlashCal does for the Ram in particular.

I like this device for a couple of reasons personally. I've actually used this to troubleshoot my vehicle. This has some very nice easy to read real-time gauges and data logging. So if you get some check engine lights or you have some trouble codes popping up on the dash, you can actually figure it out at home without spending some time and labor at your local shop.

Got a high def color screen on here which displays all your information, very simple little interface here with arrow keys and the little confirmation button.

Key features:

  • Wi-Fi
  • Recalibration for Axle Swaps and Gear Ratios
  • Diagnostic codes

Product score:

  • performance (6/10)
  • quality (7/10)
  • price (9/10)

MY RATING: 7.3

Pros
  • monitoring gauges
  • price/quality
  • cheap
Cons
  • customers arguing on small package of possibilities of this device

Best Tuners For Dodge 5.7 Hemi Ram Buying Guide

Does a tuner help economy?

Most customers purchase tuners for their trucks so that they could have all the upgrades for them and boost the performance as well. However, another priceless feature of most tuners is help with economy. One result of improved engine performance is better fuel economy, but driving habits have a big influence on fuel economy as well.

What I recommend to keep in mind is that your fuel economy dramatically decreases when driving over 60 mph. Also accelerating and braking hard have negative effects on fuel economy. Thus, we can see that a tuner can impact your economy, however, it’s not its prior feature and if you help it as well, it will do you the world of good.

How to install the tuner?

Purchasing a tuner is not an only thing that concerns most of you. The first question one may ask first is how it should be installed and what I should be ready for, right? So, we’ve got good news for you – each kit provides a detailed instruction with illustrations. Just bear in mind that you always use a power supply at programming, to avoid to run in a low voltage programming issue.

What’s more, most features are free to download. So you won’t have any difficulties to install your tuner and it really doesn’t take long. Just assume what effect it will have on your truck and enjoy the purchase!

Conclusion

To sum up, have to say that your truck deserves the best! So with the tuners listed above your Dodge can have best transformations ever: you can add drivability and fuel economy, boost its performance, you can monitor every single modification that is taking place with your truck. Everything works really fast and is really simplified, so anyone can handle it.

What’s more, in case you don’t really feel like enjoying your new features, you can always go back to the stock. Thus, this is you, who has total control over the situation. All tuners are worse paying your attention and they are really affordable. So stop dithering, go for it!

Resources:

  1. Car tuning - wikipedia
  2. Automated tuning of an engine management unit for an automotive engine - researchgate
  3. What is tuning? - hks-power