If you are a diehard Mopar fanatic, it should be obvious that the LS engines seem to be getting the lion's share of aftermarket love right now. A quick skim through the pages or posts of any of the popular performance magazines will reveal plenty of coverage for the LS family, while Hemi owners go all but unnoticed. Don't get us wrong, we give full props to GM's little wonder motor, but when it comes to performance production power plants, the bowtie brigade ain't the only game in town. After all, only one manufacturer can claim ownership to the legendary Hemi name, and that my friend is Dodge! Blessed with the most recognized name in the industry, the modern Hemi had big shoes to fill, but the engineers at Dodge made sure this successor had the goods. Sure, the 5.7L-6.4L versions might be down on displacement compared to the 426 elephants of yesteryear, but terabytes of technology have proven to be a serious replacement for the missing displacement.

Truth be told, the GM LS and Dodge Hemi have more than few things in common. The most important attribute shared by the pair is that they were designed with what amounts to racing cylinder heads right from the factory. In the case of the 5.7L Hemi, the flow rate of the stock intake ports check in at over 260 cfm. That is enough to support over 525 hp normally-aspirated on the right application. Things get even more impressive with the 6.1L, and especially the later 6.4L heads. Every bit as important is the fact that (like the factory LS heads), the Hemi heads respond well to porting. It is not uncommon for ported Hemi heads to exceed 370 cfm, or enough to easily support north of 750 hp. The benefit to all this flow is that the Hemis respond very well to performance modifications like cam timing and intake manifolds. That the aftermarket hasn't embraced the Hemi in the same manner as the LS is a crime, but that won't stop us from spreading the word.

To illustrate just how well the Hemi responds to modifications, we decided to run an intake test on a typical 5.7L. The test mule started life as a 5.7L crate engine from Mopar Performance, but we made a few changes to the original package. We replaced the original cam with Comp's XFI 273H-14. It offers 224 / 228 degrees of duration, 0.547 / 0.550 lift, and a114-degree lobe separation angle. The cam was teamed with a set of 26918 beehive springs and 762 retainers to provide the necessary coil-bind clearance and rpm capability to take full advantage of the more aggressive cam timing. The stock heads were also treated to porting to further enhance the power potential. The engine came with a single-plane intake and 4150-flange , 4-hole throttle body from Mopar Performance. Run with 1 -inch Hooker long-tube headers using a Holley HP management system, the modified 5.7L engine 479 hp at 6,900 rpm and 404 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm.

We liked the performance and rpm potential of the single-plane intake, but what every Hemi really needs is a serious induction system. From the 331 to the 392, and up through the 426, all the hottest Hemis had one thing in common, they were sporting dual-quad induction systems. Sure, a single four-barrel works well, is less complex and may even offer more power in some applications, but pop the hood on any single four-barrel motor and you'll hear crickets, even with a Hemi! Pop the hood on a dual-quad set up and you'll be swimming in a sea of WOWs! There is just something about having more than one carburetor. The modern Hemi is no exception, as the sophisticated, electronic fuel injection works well, offers an amazing combination of performance, fuel economy and mileage, we all know that. But does anyone every say WOW when you pop the hood to show them the fancy plastic intake manifold-usually tucked under yet another plastic cover? What the modern Hemi needs is a little old-school cool! Enter the Edelbrock dual-quad intake!

Recognizing the inherent coolness of dual-quad induction, Edelbrock designed a dual-plane, RPM Air Gap, dual-quad manifold for the modern Hemis. More than just a home for a pair of 500-cfm, Edelbrock Thunder Series AVS carburetors, the Air-Gap intake design promised plenty of performance. By minimizing contact with the heated engine, the Air-Gap promoted charge cooling, while the dual-plane design maximized torque production through a broad rpm range. The intake also featured o-ring sealing, provisions for oil fill, PCV and the necessary vacuum lines. The intake was designed to accept either the Performer Series or Thunder AVS carburetors. We chose a pair of Thunder Series AVS for this test. After installation of the Edelbrock dual-quad Hemi intake and carbs, the power numbers checked in at 463 hp at 6,600 rpm and an impressive 420 lb-ft of torque at 4,900 rpm. The dual-quad intake looked right at home on the Hemi and improved torque production over the single-plane intake from 3,000 rpm to nearly 6,000 rpm.

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5.7L Hemi Intake Test-MP Single Plane vs Edelbrock Dual Quad

We think every Hemi should be sporting dual quads, but we let the dyno decide if the good looks translated directly into power. Run on Westech Performance Group's dyno with the Mopar Performance single-plane intake, the modified 5.7 produced 479 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque. After installation of the Edelbrock dual-quad intake and matching Edelbrock carbs, peak power dropped slightly to 463 hp, but the peak torque jumped to 420 lb-ft. The dual-quad intake improved the power output of the 5.7L from 3,000 rpm to 5,800 rpm, right where most driving will take place, especially for Hemi owners sporting a milder cam than the 273H run in this 5.7L.

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See all 19 photos The test engine was a 5.7L Mopar Performance crate motor with a few extra mods tossed in for good measure.

See all 19 photos The engine's stock cam was replaced by a Comp XFI grind with 224 / 228 degrees of duration, 0.547 / 0.550 lift, and a114-degree lobe separation angle.

See all 19 photos The stock heads were also given the once over to improve the already impressive flow rate, and we installed a set of Comp's 26918 beehive springs.

See all 19 photos Hooker supplied the exhaust for this test. We installed their long-tube headers feeding 3-inch collector extensions.

See all 19 photos All tuning of the EFI, single-plane combo and timing for the carbureted engine was performed by Holley's HP management system.

See all 19 photos To establish a baseline, we first ran the engine with this single-plane intake from Mopar Performance.

See all 19 photos Feeding the MP intake was a 4-hole, 4150 throttle body, while fuel was supplied by factory injectors and rails.

See all 19 photos With the single-plane intake, the modified 5.7L Hemi produced 479 hp at 6,900 rpm and 404 lb-ft of torque at 5,300 rpm.

See all 19 photos Next up on the Hemi was this dual-quad intake from Edelbrock.

See all 19 photos The Hemi intake featured a dedicated oil fill and breather.

See all 19 photos The Edelbrock manifold relied on factory o-ring sealing for the intake ports and PCV.

See all 19 photos Off came the MP single plane and on went the Edelbrock dual-quad intake.

See all 19 photos Edelbrock also supplied a pair of Thunder Series carburetors for our Hemi test.

See all 19 photos Edelbrock supplied a dedicated linkage designed for street use, but we rigged up a simple system to operate both simultaneously on the dyno.

See all 19 photos The Thunder Series carbs featured single fuel inlets and one of the pair offered an adjustable, electric choke.

See all 19 photos If one Edelbrock four-barrel carb is good, then two must be twice as nice, right?

See all 19 photos Run with the Edelbrock dual-quad intake, the modified Hemi produced 463 hp at 6,600 rpm and 420 b-ft of torque at 4,900 rpm. The Dual-Quad intake improved power production up to 5,800 rpm, by as much as 20 hp and a like amount of torque. Now the question is, will the competition be able to deal with the dual?