'09 Challenger R/T Gathered Specs / Equipment & Info Related

[RoostKing]

So the only stripes available on the SRT is the hood stripes? I must be reading this wrong, because it says the HEMI emblem(I assume hood) is only available on the R/T??

[Cuda340]

Originally Posted by EVERRET

Thanks for the great photos.....

I wish someone would make some 20" wheels that match the concept wheels.

Still don't see hood pins yet either.

Someone speculated that, due to the shape of the engine bay, hood pins would have to be mounted much further back on the hood than those on the 1970-1974 Challengers. Because of this it wouldn't look right.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Cuda340

Someone speculated that, due to the shape of the engine bay, hood pins would have to be mounted much further back on the hood than those on the 1970-1974 Challengers. Because of this it wouldn't look right.

Could just have cosmetic hood pins. We already have cosmetic hood scoops.

[money2burn]

Originally Posted by Chris

Could just have cosmetic hood pins. We already have cosmetic hood scoops.

sad, but true! LOL

[SIX-PAK]

ok sad if Dodge installs them .. more sad though if someone punctures it themselves - not OEM + non functional = ricer IMO

[MoparG]

Truly, there needs to be a limited-slip anti-spin option for the automatic V8 cars, not just for the manual V8 cars.

Even the V6 Cadillac CTS has it as standard.

Please, Chrysler, make the Trak Pak optional on the automatic cars complete with ESP defeat option. Otherwise, the car is one step closer to being front wheel drive and this is a CHALLENGER not some other poser.

The Chargers should be getting this too especially for police duty (and optional for other models). The SRT 300C should be having it too so supply vs. cost should not be an issue.

I don't know any US performance car of modern times that doesn't include this at least as an option if not standard across the board, as I speak of last decade's LT1 Buick Roadmaster and new Ford Crown Victoria police cars that make it optional only. Everybody has it, only Chrysler has not since the LX cars have come out (the Viper is a different platform and has it). The problem is Mercedes had a heavy aversion to these things (which is what these cars are based on, a Mercedes E-platform which is cool because it sort of makes these Challengers E-bodies again even though I am sure that Mercedes has another internal name for the E-series cars) and only offered them on very high end AMG models exceeding 700lbs ft of torque. Recently, Mercedes has been making them available on lesser AMG E-series cars but they are still rather rare at the German camp.

Quafe offers Limited Slips for the Charger/Magnum/300 for a number of years as they also offer it for many Mercedes cars and BMWs. It's amazing how quicker and agile a regular 3 series test was when a Quafe was installed. It performed like an M3.

Perhaps Chrysler wants to widen the performance gaps for the 6spd cars, especially the SRT ones, to qualify them as real deal cars to justify the premium price tag, the requirement for premium fuel and the SRTs insane appetite for fuel vs the MDS 5.7s. The SRT 6spd is 1 whole second quicker to 60 mph vs the auto 5.7. A 4100lbs car with 375hp and 398lbs ft of torque with a low first gear Mercedes 5spd auto as installed in the Challengers should have no problem getting real close to the SRT auto or even the 6spd cars if it had limited slip. The open axle otherwise slows you down upon launch as the ESP and Traction Control regulates and limits wheel spin by pulsating the brakes and retarding the engine timing in order to grab the road. Wonderful, so less power being transfered to the ground and brakes a pulsing slowing you down even further. My 4200lbs Impala SS with 260hp and 330lbs ft of torque, stock, can go 0-60mph in 6.5s (I did it in 6.0 flat once on a day before it snowed; barometric pressure was ideal) and I have a 8.5" 3.08:1 limited slip Posi Traction rear live axle.

In other words, shave 100lbs and add 115hp and 68lbs ft of torque to my car and what do you think it will do zero-60?! Plus the Challenger has Independent Rear Suspension so it won't have suspension limitations as my chasis would have to break the 5s bearier. The 1987 Buick GNX which was a lighter car mind you (~3500lbs) did 0-60 in 4.9s but only had 276hp and 360lbs ft of torque. Those had 8.5" Posi rears too, albeit with a panhard rod torque arm planting the live axle down. I don't care if it was 600lbs lighter, a 4100lb car with 425hp and 420lbsFt. of torque should exceed 4.9s to 60mph, not just meet it. The SRT with the 6spd and limited slip should have the rocks to be in the mid 4s.

The 5.7 with an auto and limited slip should be in current SRT territory at 4.9s.

Just under 6s for a Challenger R/T with 375hp and 398lbs ft of torque makes no sense. My girlfriend's 1995 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 with a 5.7L 275hp/325lbs ft of torque does it in 5.8s bone stock and weighs about 3500lbs. It wouldn't take much more power to knock the F-body Camaro to 4.9s assuming suspension limitations are not a problem and if it were, the independant rear suspension of the Challenger would excel.

The lack of a limited slip rear is a serious limitation. The 2006 Pontiac GTO was 3700lbs and had 400hp and 400tq and the auto version could get near the 5s mark stock and it had an independant rear with limites slip. Hmmmmm

I wonder if also there are software bugs put in to make newer cars quicker by making the launch more efficient in future models. One word of advice to Chrysler. Unlike the regular world market, news travels fast in the car world and people who are looking at the Challenger will catch on to any quirks, and the word of mouth will travel across the hemispheres in no time. Make the car pure.

Not only should a Getrag be optional across the board, so should the Quafe. Make two optional.

I want to be able to look under the rear ass of the LC body and be proud of the rear end. Chrysler should put something extra thick and wild under there to make people happy to stare at, say, a chrome stop-sign shaped Dana 44 hooked to independent shafts.

The 2009 Dodge RAM has true dual exhaust (the first time any factory pickup has had that as available) and a Dana 44 rear to stare at. Bring over the engineers from the RAM camp and have them take a look at the axle of the Challenger. Can the Mercedes Benz rear on the LC even take the ramming of full throttle passes the Challenger was born to do. Perhaps the software prevents instant g force neck snapping motions to protect the Mercedes components. There should also be transmission and oil external oil radiator coolers on these cars as an option. The first thing I would do is install a deep sump finned transmission oil pan at the very least from the beat kicking of the gears of the automatic. I also see that Mopar Performance is offering full quadrant up and down automatic T-handle shifters for the Challenger. Well the light is coming I guess, this type auto trans part needs to be complimented by a rear end capable of the handler up front

This reminds me of the early 70's when companies such as Ford made it optional even on perfomance 1971 Ford Mustangs. Mind you this may have been because those non-locking Mustangs came with Bias Ply tires and limited slip and Bias Ply tires are not the best combination.

As Automobile Magazine said this month, there is something fundamentally wrong with a high performance car that relies solely on Traction Control and ESP. This was in reference to the 2008 Dodge Challenger that doesn not come with limited slip. Subsequently they tested a prototype 2009 Challenger with the Getrag Torque-Sensing limited slip and what a delight it was.

[3H4ME]

Originally Posted by MoparG

Truly, there needs to be a limited-slip anti-spin option for the automatic V8 cars, not just for the manual V8 cars.
As Automobile Magazine said this month, there is something fundamentally wrong with a high performance car that relies solely on Traction Control and ESP. This was in reference to the 2008 Dodge Challenger that doesn not come with limited slip.

MoparG: Are you sure//No limited slip even on the 08's?
I thought it did, but I've been looking around for this info. and can't find it. Can you tell me where it is? On internet anywhere ?

[TBONE24]

According to the code guide for the 08 Challenger, limited slip is standard
equipment. DSA in the code for limited slip, so maybe the diff in the track pak
option on 09's is a different kind of limited slip.

[3H4ME]

Originally Posted by TBONE24

According to the code guide for the 08 Challenger, limited slip is standard
equipment. DSA in the code for limited slip, so maybe the diff in the track pak
option on 09's is a different kind of limited slip.

Whew !! I was pretty sure it was. Thought I'd seen it somewhere, but couldn't remember where. So THANKS TBONE24 !!

[MoparG]

3H4ME:

Well, TBONE24 is entitled to his opinion but if you look at Dodge's ordering guide which comes from Dodge.com you can see how an anti-spin differential IS NOT AVAILABLE on any automatic V8 car for 2009 and is only as part of the TRAK PAK for the 6spd cars which is OPTIONAL.

http://www.dodge.com/en/pdf/buyersgu...enger_2009.pdf

If there is, indeed, another type of limited slip differential that is below the anti spin differential (which mean the same thing) then there is no mentioning of this anywhere. I'd like to know more about this DSA code that TBONE24 talks about and I'd like to see proof of where it is listed and what it does. According to all the literature from Chrysler, no anti spin for V8 autos and definitely not for 2008.

As I mentioned, Automobile Magazine this month (and I urge all to pick it up that doubt me) tested a 2008 car with the open non-locking axle and then tested a 2009 prototype with a Getrag torque-sensing limited slip rear differential. They said what an amazing world of difference this Getrag units makes on the road. They were testing on a cold wet surface and how well the car responded to performance maneuvers. No hesitation from the ESP was noted even when on. They said that the Getrag was 100% compatible with the ESP software. It was also noted that the limited slip prototype would hook up on turns where the open axle car would struggle with. Automobile Magazine said that (in reference to the fact that 2008 SRT Challengers not to mention all other SRT Chargers, Magnums and 300Cs) there is something fundamentaly wrong with a performance rear wheel drive car (with 425hp in this case) that solely relies on ESP and traction control.

I've been following this nightmare of a situation where Chrysler doesn't offer limited slip since 2003 when the first LX cars were introduced for the 2005 model year. Look up my name on ChargerForums.com and you can see the 20 page conversations regarding this matter. Quafe has been offering a limited slip component for these cars for sometime.

The way Chrysler otherwise has deemed these cars as traction worthy is their reliance on Mercedes Benz propreitory ESP and traction controls which pulses the brakes and retards the engine timing so good luck feeling full horsepower on launch, straight or sideways.

As far as I am concerned, no limited slip, no fun factor.