Legit Reviews

My brother and I went and grabbed lunch today and started talking about cars. The Dodge Challenger came up and I asked him if he has ever seen one. He said no and informed him that the dealer by my house has a few base models in stock if he wanted to see one in person. When we got to the dealer there was a brand new unsold red Dodge Challenger SRT-8 that was running at idle right in front of the dealer. I walked right into the dealer and found it was empty with three sales people right in the lobby. I said I wanted to take the SRT-8 for a test drive and they laughed. They said only interested buyers can test drive cars and that it was $45,000 for that model. I guess I didn't look like I can afford the car. I laughed and said that is what the last dealer told me when I test drove the SRT-4 ACR and bought it after driving it. I seriously took the car that was inside the dealer at the time, made them move all the cars inside around and drove that one. Took it out on the highway and at 135MPH the salesman asked me to slow down. Long story short it's in the driveway... Back to the Dodge Challenger SRT-8... The salesman asks for my drivers license and then says he has to ask the manager if I could have permission to drive it.
After the guy grabbed the plates we took a closer look at the car... I took a few pictures with my Blackberry Bold, so here is the car that I test drove... It had 2 miles on it before I got my 15 minutes of fun with it.
The 6.1L 425HP engine.... The engine was very nice looking, but good luck putting aftermarket performance headers on this sucker. It's a tight fit! Notice the block is hugger orange... A very nice touch that is only on the SRT-8 models.

I took the car, the salesman and my brother out for a test drive and got out onto Interstate 70 and punched it and 10mph and by the end of the ramp got up to about 70mph... Not bad but about 20mph slower than what my Dodge SRT-4 ACR does on the same ramp. Took it up from there to about 110mph and the salesman said nothing. Traffic on the highway was a bit too much to do any higher than this. I went up and turned around and came back to the dealer. Was doing 60mph on the highway and gave it full throttle... It was a complete dog. Hardly any exhaust noise and the RPM was slow rising. The car I was driving was an automatic and I complained about it not being a stick and that I needed 3rd. The salesman told me to override the automatic transmission and to drop it into third. I kindly took his advice and selected third gear and finally got the RPM's high enough up into the torque/hp curve that it went someplace when I floored it again. Took it up 20mph from 60mph, but again wasn't impressed.

I got back to the dealer and was talking to them about options/pricing and asked them about the weight of the car... They said the didn't know... This was all that I saw inside the door.
The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for the car is 5300lbs and the curb weight is 4,140 pounds. The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 features a 6.1L SRT HEMI engine which Dodge says can produce 425 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque and it needs every horsepower it has for this beast. They say it can do 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and quarter-mile times 13.3 seconds, but this thing feels like a pig.

Looking around the web I found this on 'real' quarter-mile times:

Edmunds - 13.8 seconds with the manual and mid 14's with the automatic- http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Ne ... eId=130809



I've driven many sports cars in my life and I just wasn't impressed... Just thought I'd share my story... Went to get lunch and ended up flying down the highway in an SRT-8 ;)

I was wondering about that. For the money it's not the car it should be. In the mid 40's you coming close to Boxster/Lotus territory anymore. I've always prefered my cars agile more than punchy. It's a shame Subaru ruined the looks of the Imprezza on this last generation IMHO.

For me right now it's a toss up between a Jeep Unlimited Rubicon or a Evo for my next car but I'm leaning heavily towards the Jeep as I've got my Miata in the garage.

For $45,000 ($1700 of which is for tax guzzler tax) you get a mid 13 second car that looks great, but it just didn't feel right to me. It really is a big car. You get heated seats and a bunch of nice features that the base corvettes don't have, but i'd rather have a base corvette.

The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette has a curb weight of approximately 3350 pounds (1519 kg) and has the LS3 6.2L V8 engine that comes with 430 horsepower at 5900 rpm and 424 lb.-ft. of torque at 4600 rpm. Not bad for the base model... That's five more horsepower and 790 pounds less weight. Performance is also better as it can do 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds, which is almost a second faster than the Challenger SRT-8. The Corvette also gets a remarkable EPA estimated MPG 16 city, 26 highway with the standard six-speed manual transmission. That is great compared to the 15 mpg in city driving conditions and 23 mpg for highway that the manual 2009 Dodge Challengeer SRT-8...

The final straw that kills the Challenger SRT-8 for me... No rebates, incentives and only a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty since it's an SRT model. The base Corvette is 5 yr / 100k mi drivetrain, 3 / 36k mi basic, 6 yr / 100k mi rust and they have deals on them right now since GM is doing so bad.

That kinda sucks, when I think challenger I think sports car not some bastion of comfort that I can't hear or feel the road in. If I had the money though it'd be fun to get one and strip it of all that 'comfort' weight like it should be. What am I talking about, if I had that much spare change for a toy car I'd get a Lotus Elise. Much more fun to drive...

Sounds like a total dog to me!
0-60 in 5.5 and 13.8 1/4mi. times is slow! IMHO

I'll wait for the Camaro to come out in March(last I heard) and see how it will perform!
I'm betting on something better than the Challenger!
So far I've read rumors about RS, SS, LS7(600+ HP Corvette Motor) and a Dale Earnhardt Jr. version!
I have big expectations from the Camaro, hope I don't get let down!

I remember back when I was considering the Crossfire vs Miata that the Crossfire was more comfortable but not as "fun" or "spirited" when driving. MOPAR has really slipped. I had hoped the rerelease of the Charger was going to be the return of the American Muscle Car, but that turned out to be wrong. Looks like the Challanger is no excpetion. Honestly, I can't tell what it's for. It gets **** mileage, can be outraced by a stock STi, and it's huge. But it IS pretty, I'll give them that.

I second the Lotus comment. When I was looking at the Evo vs Jeep fun factor was/is my primary motivation. The Evo gets better mileage but needs premium. So the gas cost is a wash. With Jeep offering the unlimited power train and my green sheet pricing I think I'm just gonna get an Unlimited.

Besides, the factory head unit in that thing is BOSS. Of couse, I'll have to replace the speakers and install a Clean Sweep.

I like the SRT8 challenger, but I've been leaning to the CTS-V here lately, little more my style. I figure with my dads GM discount (for now) I can get on for the same price as the Challenger and still haul my kids.

im sure eventually, people will be stripping these cars, and putting huge motors in it (720Hp crate engines whether they have to modify the engine compartment or not) because those numbers are pathetic, the car's too da** heavy


im sure it was a fun little drive for you though

A company called Speedfactory is coming out with a Super Charger for the Challenger SRT-8, but check out the modifications needed to get ~600hp

http://www.speedfactorycars.com/challenger.html

* Engine re-worked with forged internals, billet main caps, ATI crank pulley and 8.1 compression ratio
* Vortech V3 supercharger system with custom boost configuration and Speedfactory air intake (no warranty on boost configurations over 5.5 lbs)
* Speedfactory Stage 2 Tune (dyno tuned for 700 HP)
* 1000 HP axle shafts
* Exhaust system
* Speedfactory interior and exterior appointments
* Options such as forged wheels, tires, brakes and rear end components are also available.
* Example: 6.1L HEMI at 425 HP can improve up to 700 HP.

You'll need all new internals in the motor, all new axle shafts in the rear housing and a new intake and exhaust... I don't see a price listed, but that has to cost over $10,000 if I had to guess and it would involve removing the engine and cracking open the rear end. But.... It does look sweet
Someone needs to make a twin turbo kit that mounts at the rear of the car.

that black one looks sick!

Apoptosis wrote:Someone needs to make a twin turbo kit that mounts at the rear of the car.

How in the world would that work? With the turbo being at the rear of the car it would be way to far from the intake to really do any good even if you ran tubes all the way back to it...

Alathald wrote:

Apoptosis wrote:Someone needs to make a twin turbo kit that mounts at the rear of the car.

How in the world would that work? With the turbo being at the rear of the car it would be way to far from the intake to really do any good even if you ran tubes all the way back to it...

Actually I know two people that have setups like that and it works great..

Here is a Corvette C6 (626HP with that kit at the flywheel)
Here is a 2005 Mustang GT (480whp)
They run cooler and provide more power at the rear of the car. It also means more weight is at the back of the car and eliminates all the installation problems.

That's pretty cool though I would think there would be a pretty severe pressure drop with all that extra pipe...yeah you would still get a nice boost but I bet not nearly as nice as if it was closer to the manifolds...

Nope again Remote-Mounted Turbochargers are engineered to spool up as fast as a front-mount turbo system, but eliminates all of the installation and excess heat issues.

Here is the benefits of an STS Remote-Mounted Turbo kit

# Lower underhood temperatures. No need to worry about melting wires, hoses, or other engine components, as with a front-mounted turbo.
# Ease of installation. STS turbo systems can be installed in about 8 hours with standard tools and average mechanical ability.
# Cooler oil to the turbo. Cool oil is better for both the turbo and engine.
# Performance Sound. The turbo acts as a muffler and sounds like an aftermarket performance muffler. Turbo spool and rushing air from the blow-off valve make a unique sound that will turn heads!
# No need for major modifications to your vehicle. STS systems are designed to "bolt-on" to factory mounts.
# Increased gas mileage. Unlike a belt driven supercharger, the turbo utilizes "wasted" energy leaving your tailpipe. Most of our customers get 1-3 mpg increase in gas mileage compared to their original stock mpg numbers.
# Converts back to stock in about an hour.
# More room under the hood. Future repair work or modifications will not require the expense of removing the turbo system to allow access to engine components.
# Lowest Intake Air Temps. Low IAT's equate to more horsepower per pound of boost than any other forced induction option. STS intake piping provides built-in intercooling. Add the optional intercooler, and IAT's drop even further.
# Approximately 500F lower turbo temperatures. Eliminates the need for a turbo-timer, which allows the engine to run after the car is shut off in order to cool down the turbo and prevent oil and bearing damage.
# Denser exhaust gasses drive the turbo turbine wheel more efficiently.
# Turbo is exposed to ambient air rather than underhood air. Allows for better cooling of turbo components.
# No need for expensive headers, mufflers, or exhaust systems.
# Turbo is closer to the tail pipe outlet. Provides a better pressure differential across the turbine wheel which promotes better flow across turbine.
# Better weight transfer. Increases traction because the bulk of system is mounted in rear of vehicle rather than up front.
# Less noise and heat in the passenger compartment.

Not saying it's an entirely bad idea, just not my style...if you can afford all the extra weight (say, if you dropping one into a muscle car) then it's a great idea but between the weight (esp the weight of the extra oil you'll need to run to the back) and the pressure drop I can't see a reason for one on the type of cars I like to drive (smaller 4cyl). The lower intake temps would help a bit though. It's an interesting concept though, one I'll have to look into some more

Allot of the people who're going to buy a $45,000 car, are actually going to be 50 years of age or older. They want a piece of their youth, but don't want to give up on creature comforts. The Corvette is simply... too damn hard to get in and out of. They're also going to want room to carry golf-clubs and passengers.

Alathald wrote:That kinda sucks, when I think challenger I think sports car not some bastion of comfort that I can't hear or feel the road in. If I had the money though it'd be fun to get one and strip it of all that 'comfort' weight like it should be. What am I talking about, if I had that much spare change for a toy car I'd get a Lotus Elise. Much more fun to drive...

You ever drive a real Challenger? You can't feel the road in that thing either...

Tim Burton wrote:You ever drive a real Challenger? You can't feel the road in that thing either...

Mmm, I'm sure you're right, that's just the deluded fantasies talking again

Just saying that that's what I'd want from a car like that

can you feel the road in any old american muscle car? I've owned a 1969 Firebired before and my family has a 1969 Mustang GT Fastback and you can't feel the road in any of those old cars.

moon111 wrote:Allot of the people who're going to buy a $45,000 car, are actually going to be 50 years of age or older. They want a piece of their youth, but don't want to give up on creature comforts. The Corvette is simply... too damn hard to get in and out of. They're also going to want room to carry golf-clubs and passengers.

That's what it seems like most car dealers are aiming towards now