New big money starters worth it?

[mrbone]

Replacing the starter in my fresh rebuilt street 512 RB with cope 727. Wondering if the new Summit and MSD starters are worth the money? Especially, versus the Chi-Com OEM mini. I don’t mind paying $400 versus $100 if it is worth it. Thanks!

 

[pnora]

Save your money. For the most part none are worth that much money.

 

[mobileparts]

In a word — NO.

The Chrysler Products Reduction Gear starters put a lot less wear / strain on the motor — and have that awesome , distinctive sound…..

 

[furious70]

I've used many junkyard or parts counter mini starters for 20yrs and none of them have failed yet

 

[R413]

In a word — NO.

The Chrysler Products Reduction Gear starters put a lot less wear / strain on the motor — and have that awesome , distinctive sound…..

He uses a mini not a factory gear reduction. He is missing out on the benefits Chrysler engineered in.

@mrbone What compression ratio does the "street 512" have?

 

[Some Car Guy]

Get a new mini off Amazon. AC Delco brand box. No telling who made it. 86 bucks versus the markup on those others. Uh, nope.

 

[Kern Dog]

In a word — NO.

The Chrysler Products Reduction Gear starters put a lot less wear / strain on the motor

How so? What difference is there to cranking an engine over faster?

— and have that awesome , distinctive sound…..

In some cases, I agree there. I know that I have grown accustomed to the mini starter sound so when I hear an original Mopar starter, it is nostalgic.
I do like the old fashioned sound sometimes.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Highland park hummingbird is a sweet sound. The mini isn’t far off and worth it for clearance and half the weight.

 

[#41]

It depends.

I paid for RobbMc starter to install in my race car because of the threat of having to change out a no-name mini with the convoluted headers. It's not a job you want to have to do at the race track. It was worth it to me.

Otherwise I have a shelf full of Mopar standard starters on standby that I like to put on everything else.

 

[Don Frelier]

A Dakota or ram magnum starter is about as good as it gets for torque and reliability.

 

[gkent]

This one works and fits awesome ... RockAuto

 

[440 4 speed]

Probably shouldn’t say this, might bite me. Mopar starter is the same one that was in the car since we bought it in 2004. It hasn’t been used since 2018.
As I probably mentioned before. New target date January 2026.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

1999 Dodge Dakota starter is cheap and does the job. v6 or V8.. Just dont get one for a 4cyl truck.

 

[dvw]

Been running the same stock Mopar factory mini in my racecar for 13 years. Cranks perfect at 34 degrees fixed timing with 15.1-1 compression. The header sets about 1/8" away from the case.
Doug

 

[451Mopar]

I think just about everyone uses the factory mini starter.

 

[Kern Dog]

Add this to the list of things that you can spend more money but you don't have to. I've had equal performance from Powermaster starters to Denso, MP lightweight ones to parts store rebuilds.

 

[Geoff 2]

The most important thing about the starter has not been mentioned: it's power rating. 512 cubes means the starter has to compress a lot air. This is a fresh build. If it turns out to be a 'tight' engine & you bought a 2 hp starter, you will probably wish you spent a few extra $$$ & bought a 3 hp starter....
Since it is a one time only expense [ not every week/month ], I would buy a 3 hp starter. Several companies make them...

 

[BMosely]

Mini starter is it; Now which one? I run long tube headers and iron heads which means this is a 4-5 hour repair on my back letting antifreeze down, pulling headers, tight wiring conditions etc.. I started with the 440 Source mini and it made it 3 years, 17,000 miles for reference. Knowing I never want to do this again I sourced the Power Master line and you can choose your power rating and of course price. I think the PM starter turned the motor twice as fast but of course I went up on the power rating also. If you have aluminum heads the job is a little easier but not like the original manifold set up.

 

[cosgig]

Those old gear reduction starters draw a lot of power, especially the long barrel ones. I switched to all mini starters, straight out of trucks in the junkyard, and from helping to clean out others hoards. They haven’t failed me yet.

 

[icetech]

Those old gear reduction starters draw a lot of power, especially the long barrel ones. I switched to all mini starters, straight out of trucks in the junkyard, and from helping to clean out others hoards. They haven’t failed me yet.

Plus they don't have that sound which is a huge plus.