Tired of seeingGM guys make over 650rwhp with stock bottom end 5.3/6.0 turbo/e85 builds. I'm a big GM guy too and these setups are a dime a dozen in the GM world with some guys pushing the limits even further than that with surprisingly good longevity.

So what about the 5.7? I know the ring lands are the weak point and the general consensus is they are the first to pop when boost is turned up. That seems plausible (and somewhat tested).

But what about the rest? the later Hemis used forged powdered metal rods. GM guys use forged powdered metal LSA rods in 900+HP builds.

Crank? I know a lot of guys swap to the forged 6.1 crank but just wondering if this is necessary. Look at how far guys push the stock 5.3 cast crank. Hardly anyone touches it up to 700RWHP. How much different could the design/material be of the Mopar stuff?


What makes me go "hmmm" is the fact that so many of the boosted hemi guys are running blowers, and to me this kind of skews the comparison. I love blowers but there is no denying that they eat a substantial amount of power in parasitic loss and put more stress on the crank when utilizing serpentine belt drives.

It just bothers me seeing so many people I know making 650+ RWHP with cheap, basically stock bottom end 5.3 turbo builds that still last and take a beating, but you'd be convinced from most Mopar resources that you'd need something like the $2100 MMX drop in forged piston/rod/6.1 crank combo just to start with.

I almost feel like there are a ton of guys in every Mopar group quick to point out how you can't make XXX power with a lot of the factory bottom end parts but you hardly see anyone trying. I mean, I'm sure there is a logical reason for that and it is probably because you don't find 5.7's in junkyards for $500 like you do with GM 5.3's. , but without a solid group of guys pushing the limits it makes me wonder how we know so much about what those limits are?