Okay, so you've bought yourself a V6-powered Dodge Truck. Now you want to make it go faster, but assume that there aren't a ton of bolt-on goodies available for your powerplant of choice-certainly not as many as for the V8 Magnums.
However, the performance aftermarket has realized that V6 owners are as interested in go-fast parts as their V8 counterparts and responded well.
So, why not just buy a V8 in the first place? From personal experience, we can tell you that deciding factors include initial cost ("Hmm, let's see-this semester's tuition, or a V8..."), insurance premiums, and fuel economy. The truth is, after driving a '93 V6-powered Dakota for three years, we were so impressed with the stock performance of the 3.9L liter engine, we had a hard time justifying buying the extra two cylinders in the '97 when we traded up!
The 3.9L V6 engine responds to the same basic performance principles that all engines benefit from: Get more air in and out and it's going to make more power.
Remove friction from the valvetrain, it'll make more power. Light the mixture more thoroughly, and it makes more power!
The performance aftermarket companies list several parts specifically for the 3.9L Magnum engines. We've compiled a short list of companies who offer bolt-on parts that should help you get the most of your already-potent mill.
One item, however, is conspicuous in its absence and that's a performance computer for the V6 from Mopar Performance. They currently don't have one available for any year 3.9L V6 Magnum engine. With the millions of them out there in the hands of younger enthusiasts, we think they're missing a huge market-we'd have bought one for our '93 in a heartbeat. For those of you with '96-and-older pre-OBDII vehicles, however, there is the option of having a custom computer chip burned, so you still have a way to get improved performance through new engine management.
There are a lot of readily available options to any Dodge Truck that V6 owners can also take advantage of to increase performance, such as free-flowing exhaust systems and fresh air induction hoods. Any truck is going to benefit from the addition of Sure Grip and traction and handling improvements. Just because you have a V6 doesn't mean you can't run with the big dogs!