Hennessey Performance has announced a supercharger kit that will bring the 2009 – 2011 Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 to 500 horsepower. The Hennessey HPE 500 kit for the Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi includes a supercharger along with a new intake, new fuel injectors, cat-back exhaust and new engine management all designed to optimize the supercharger, according to Autoblog. Not included but available are headers, high-flow catalytic converters, and a wheel and tire upgrade package (I strongly recommend better tires than the stock Ram rubber, 500 horsepower will vaporize most tires, especially in an unloaded pickup truck).

With the 2011 Dodge Ram Adventurer on the way to dealers soon priced at just $23,830, buyers now have the option to build a 500 horsepower vehicle for about $30,000 (Hennessey is not advertising a price on the HPE 500 kit, but supercharger setups typically run between $5,000 and $10,000). What might be the most exciting part of Hennessey’s new 500-hp Ram 1500 supercharger kit is the inevitable comparisons with the Toyota Tundra TRD supercharger, which makes 500-hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. Competition is always good for the customer and in this case, we will hopefully all be able to enjoy the benefits with videos of the two supertrucks going at it.

In the dyno video below, Hennessey claims the supercharged Ram 1500 made 422 rear-wheel horsepower and 422 lb-ft of torque at the wheels, which supports the company’s claims of 505 engine horsepower, as that would be approximately a 16% drivetrain loss.