The 4.7HO makes ok hp and torque, by the numbers. But just looking at the numbers is kind of meaningless. The 4.7HO makes 330 ft-lb of torque, stock. So does a stock 5,2 Magnum. Yet everyone says the 4.7HO has no grunt like a 5.2 or 5.9. That's because the torque "curve", or the shape of the torque output per rpm on the 4.7HO is a sagging belly shaped. It doesn't make good torque till nearly 3,000 rpm and the peak is at 3,300 rpm like it is for the 5.2. Right after 3,300 rpm the torque output for the 4.7HO drops off fast.

By contrast the 5.2 has a humped torque curve from just off idle up to 3,300, it crests up like crescent roll up to the peak torque and then trails off much less sharp than does the 4.7HO. That's why people say the 5.2, and especially the 5.9 Magnums have so much more "pulling" power, like the power is always on. In a way it is, the torque is steadlily increasing along with RPM and HP. That makes the engine feel much stronger. The 4.7HO makes decent torque, but its a sharp increase from a low belly shape and it has a sharp peak and then drops off.

To make a 4.7HO feel strong you have to keep the revs between 2800 and maybe 3500. That's hard to do with a manual or 5-speed automatic trans. Maybe the 8-speed auto from a Ram of Charger would help to keep right in the torque range. But the 4.7HO won't connect to the 8HP-70 trans common to the Ram and Charger. But it will connect to a 318/5.2 Magnum, either of which can be built to make much more usable HP and Torque than the 4.7HO could ever hope to produce.


My 56 C3-B8 Dakota build