Exterior Discussion / ModificationsWant to change the look and appearance of your Dodge Challenger? This section is for the discussion of any exterior visual modifications. Examples include wheels, custom paint, grills, etc.
Hopefully there's a significant amount of people out there who plan on driving their Challenger year-round and not walling her up in storage for the winter. I know I'll be driving my Challenger year-round.
Based on the fact that it's looking like I won't get a whole lot of fun-time with my Challenger before the all-too-fun Michigan winter rolls around, I guess it can't hurt to start preparing and setting aside funds now to purchase a set of wheels/tires for the winter months.
I've never driven a car before that has warranted winter tires, so this is new for me. I figure it would be best to get some cheap wheels to prevent my summer wheels from getting screwed up with the road grime/salt, and then get some great winter tires. I believe one of the challenges with the SRT8 in getting winter wheels is getting wheels that will fit over the Brembos. It looks for winter tires I'll have to utilize 18" wheels/tires? Will that mess with the electronics/gauges readouts which are expecting 20" wheels/tires? Will they even fit?
Again, all pure guessing from looking at our supporting vendor's site (DiscountTireDirect.com)
Any help with this and recommending a set of wheels and tires to use for the winter months on my soon-to-be '09 Challenger SRT8 would be appreciated.
I doubt the 18"s will fit on an SRT over the brembos but I could be wrong. One of the reasons I went with an R/T was so I could run 18" wheels. For the winter I am going to run Blizzaks on the stock 18" wheels and buy a set of chrome 18" Cragar SS wheels for the summer.
I do not know of any snow tires in 20" sizes. If they do make them now they will be very very expensive.
The Bridgestone Blizzaks and Goodyear Ultragrips are both great winter tires.
Well I'm parking mine for the winter. Don't want to risk screwing it up. We don't have slushy roads. We have ice most of the winter. I would be worried about the calipers as well. Guys over at the srt jeep forum have been having corrosion problems with the brembo's where salt is used. They are currently and look to remain an unservicable assembly. Meaning you don't buy parts to rebuild the caliper you must buy the whole setup. Maybe somebody makes some kind of anticorrosive protectant you could spray on the calipers during the winter.
__________________
Brandon
Current-
2008 Challenger Black-C&L intake,Jet 180,BT Catch Can w/ BMC Hoses,Diablo CMR tune by Modern Horsepower,MBRP Catback,Bright Pedals,Multiple Shifter Handles,Kicker Dual Sub Upgrade and much more to come
2008 GCSRT8 SBM LOADED-BT catch can,Weathertechs w/srt logo,Jet 180stat,Bwoody 4" CAI,Bwoody Links,Diablo predator w/Modern Horsepower CMR tune, Kicker Premium Upgrade and much more to come
2005 RAM 1500 QC DAYTONA-Lotza goodies
During the last SRT Chat Session, someone complained to the engineers about corrosion marks on the calipers. The engineers responded that "surface white oxidation" was normal since they are made of aluminum.
I will be driving my car in the winter but only when the roads are dry and free of salt.
This BREMBO brake system is top-of-the line but costs thousands to replace. Better to play it safe.
I really don't have a choice in the matter It will be the only car that I own, so it will have to be my daily driver year 'round. My current car is a lease that I actually had extend the lease on by a month until Sep 17th in hopes it'll be close to when I get my Challenger.
Yeah, Tough being your only car. I had trouble finding winter tires for even my 19" tires on my Crossfire SRT. I have a backup beater truck (77 F-150). I only got caught once in snow with the Crossfire. I got halfway up a steep hill covered in snow/slush and stopped moving forward and started sliding backwards. I do not plan to get caught in the same situation with my Black Betty. Going to be in the garage nearly the entire winter.
Good Luck with your tire search.
My brake calipers get a good wax ,by taking the wheel off.and its a daily driver,three years salt dirt THAT DARN DUST and still no cracking or dulling.keep them clean and they stay bright,in the snow no problem ice,park IT and dont even try.The f1s are worthless at 32 F
I apologize in advance for the limited information I have. Our winter options will not show on the web until the end of this month/ beginning of Sept. Also, the exact fitment info for this car has not been added yet to our fitment guide so I am going to make some assumptions based on the Charger. We hope to have the vehicle in our guide shortly.
For a situation like this, I find its better to locate a wheel first then search for a tire because its going to be harder to find a wheel that fits the criteria than a tire. (neither will be that easy though) Our guide shows that you can run 18" wheels on the SRT8 version of the charger. Not any 18" though. You are correct that it has to be a wheel with a large enough "x=Factor" (term for brake clearance/ curve of the back of a wheels spoke) to clear the Brembos. I do show a few wheels in 18" that will work on the vehicle but although they can be used in the winter they aren't dedicated to winter use and therefor may not have a durable enough finish for full time winter use. (especially on salted roads).
I will have our wheel department look for some more wheels options for this. There may be a steel wheel option.
If you are willing to spend the money and you find a wheel you like that isn't a dedicated winter wheel, there are some clear powder coats out now that can be applied to strengthen the wheels finish. (Call your local powdercoater for prices and details.)
As for tires, again, if the Challenger is set up similar to the Charger a 225-60/18 or a 235/60-18 tire would be great for a winter size. There are a number of tire manufactures that build snow tires in these sizes. (these will show on our web site at the beginning of September as well)
__________________ We guarantee the lowest delivered price for tires and/or wheels on the web. We'll do our best to match or beat the competition. We offer free mounting and balancing on packages, and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee! We also offer the industry’s best warranty, and no, it's not pro-rated. Purchase our certificates and if anything goes wrong for the life of your tire, we'll replace it for FREE. 1.888.459.4080 www.discounttiredirect.com www.myspace.com/discounttiredirect
For the price of winter wheels and tires, about 2000.00, you could get a beater truck 85-88 toyota and not have to worry about hitting a curb. I bought an '03 Tundra to drive in the winter as we get 2-3 foot drifts out here in Colorado.
My brake calipers get a good wax ,by taking the wheel off.and its a daily driver,three years salt dirt THAT DARN DUST and still no cracking or dulling.keep them clean and they stay bright,in the snow no problem ice,park IT and dont even try.The f1s are worthless at 32 F
Thanx for the tip Daytona.. Luckily I have a back up car and here in Southern Colorado the snow only last a day to a few days, so the Chally can sit in the garage..
__________________ 08 Challenger SRT8,Limited Edition #248,6.1 Hemi,Hemi Orange with Black Carbon Fiber Hood Stripe,Interior Dark Slate Gray,MY GIG/NAV,Sun Roof,Kicker System
Add-ons:LoJack,Mopar CAI,Chrome Challenger Doors Sills,Racing Pedals Kit, MyGig Lock pick,27% Lluma tint,American Racing Torq II Chrome wheels,Rear Camera,Mopar T Handle.
Fiancee's Ride:09 R/T Inferno Red Challenger,fully loaded
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share
experiences and opinions as a community.
It will be the only car that I own, so it will have to be my daily driver year 'round. My current car is a lease that I actually had extend the lease on by a month until Sep 17th in hopes it'll be close to when I get my Challenger.
Linear Mode
