Juicin' Up the JK

I have mentioned that I will be reviewing certain products that I have bought, used, and experienced on my own jeep and others'. One of the biggest topics I have seen throughout different forums, and have been asked about personally, is getting more power out of the decent V6. If you are like me, you probably don't have 35" mud terrains with a 4" lift, and probably don't need a new set of gears or a supercharger. However, if you are curious about getting a few more mpgs, or simply want to get from point A to point B faster, then take a look at the performance upgrades I have used:

1. Breathe in! One of the most frequent questions I get is about the Airaid intake I have installed and how much of a difference it makes. Firstly, the power is noticeable (you won't be spinning tires but you will notice a faster response when accelerating at all speeds). I personally like that fact that I have to downshift less when going up inclines on the freeway. For mileage, I noticed a solid all-around 1 mpg boost. In fact, I previously had the K&N drop-in filter (which provided about .5 mpg gains), and  still felt a major increase after installing the Airaid. If you have been interested in investing in a new intake, I highly recommend looking around Jeep performance shops that specialize in V8 conversions. Why you ask, because most people that are on a quest for power usually tinker with upgrading the V6 before forking over the cash for a conversion. I got mine for about $100 simply because the previous owner had left it there after getting a conversion. The only downsides I have experienced is that it gets very dirty after a day at the desert. Cleaning is pretty simple, and maintenance costs less than replacing the stock filter. Here's what it looks like:
   
2. Breathe out! The next performance upgrade I did was an exhaust mod. At first, probably as most newbies do, I wanted to buy the entire cat-back exhaust because it looked cool and had some promising advertising. Not until I talked to a muffler specialist did I realize the entire cat-back isn't worth the big chunk of change. What I found is that if you aren't increasing the diameter of the system (to an extent), you won't be seeing an increase in performance. Most aftermarket systems don't increase the diameter, and would only provide the same increase as a simple muffler upgrade. So what I did was chop off the gigantic stock muffler and threw on a high-flow MagnaFlow muffler. I highly recommend getting rid of the stock muffler, and keeping the rest of the exhaust system in place. The performance upgrades amplify the benefits from the upgraded intake, and have a great sound. The tone is quiet at idle, and isn't "Honda Civic with no muffler" when accelerating. The total cost came out to be about $80 with install. However, today I am no longer rocking the MagnaFlow. Since acquiring a friend who could (well kind of) weld, I had spent sometime looking to modify my exhaust even more. Currently, I am running with a tiny Cherry Bomb glasspack, installed right under the driver door. I also cut the exhaust shorter so that it exited right in front of the rear tire. I do not recommend doing this mod as much as a simple muffler replacement. The glasspack is loud, but it is borderline "fart can". Also, it gets pretty tiring after a long drive. So in general, if you want some exhaust upgrades, simply go with a high-flow muffler. Here is a video of what it sounds like:
3. Zap! One of the most recent upgrades I have installed is the screamin' demon distributor and the livewire set that is sold as a kit. For some reason my plug wires got worn out pretty quickly (probably from long periods of time in the heat). I decided I might as well give the Livewires a shot, and also bought the distributor for kicks. Now be warned, the two pieces together were about $150 (I think). The install was fairly easy except for the plug in the top left corner. After a few test runs I could tell there was a difference, something wasn't right. After talking to Superchips, it seemed my programmer was not too happy with the new ignition system, especially after gapping the plugs to .065. There was a slight pinging noise and definite hesitation by the engine. After trying the various programming settings, I knew the programmer and the ignition system were simply not going to work together. I set the engine back to stock settings, and kept the new distributor and wires. Why? Because I am an American, and in America efficiency just isn't our thing. The performance increase was actually noticeable, and the pinging didn't exist when running on the stock programming. Especially at higher RPM's, the JK was much more willing to get to highway speeds. If you do decide to get the Screamin' Demon and Livewires, make sure you aren't running an aftermarket programming (mainly because you may be confusing the computer and damaging the engine). Also, with a bigger spark, I like to run with 89 octane as I seem to get the best mileage. Currently, I am getting 20 mpg hwy, and that is with 33" inch tires, 2 inch lift, and heavy bumpers, skid bars, hi lift, etc. Here is a pic:
   

Well that is all for this post, I have many more coming talking about a few other upgrades such as the SuperChips programmer, Sprint Booster, and throttle body spacers. Stay tuned, and please subscribe!