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08 srt8 do the cars have posi? Via Video posted

8K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  3H4ME 
#1 ·
I had just seen a video with what I had thought was a srt8 but it had only one tire smoking.
I know the 09 will have limitied slip rear ends via the trak pak .
Is the 08 limited slip if so that car on the video smoking it tires was an 08 and was only spining one tire.

Are all 08 not equipped with so called posi.

Im confused,lol what else is new.
Does any one know the skinny here.
 
#2 ·
There seems to be alot of confusion on this. I thought they did, but after seeing that I'm not so sure anymore. I thought I read somewhere that some of the pre production mules didn't have the limited slip.

Just going off of marketing speak both the 08s and 09 SRT have a "sure grip" differential whatever that means. Someone who knows give us a straight answer please! Does the 2008 Challenger SRT8 have a limited slip?:icon_confused:
 
#3 ·
There seems to be alot of confusion on this. I thought they did, but after seeing that I'm not so sure anymore. I thought I read somewhere that some of the pre production mules didn't have the limited slip.

Just going off of marketing speak both the 08s and 09 SRT have a "sure grip" differential whatever that means. Someone who knows give us a straight answer please! Does the 2008 Challenger SRT8 have a limited slip?:icon_confused:
According to the spec sheet on this car, It has limited slip. The code for it is DSA.The second video on another post shows both rear wheels spinning. That should be proof enough.
 
#5 · (Edited)
ALL 08s have limited slip period except for those pre-production oddities and any car that has had it's limited slip clutch packs fried.

That Second Video is all you need to see.

Go to dodge.ca and see for yourself, I believe if you choose the Ride and Handling menu icon button you'll see all the juicy details appearing on the left side of the screen.

DSA rules
Limited Slip rules
Anti Spin rules
Sure Grip rules
---------------
sum total is all in the very same. You will be able to slide your car silly if you man handle the throttle. For the ones that are worried about breaking the backend out and wrapping it around a pole, don't worry. BE CAREFUL WITH THE THROTTLE INPUTS AROUND TURNS AND AROUND CORNERS AND BE EXTRA CAREFUL AS SUCH IN THE RAIN AND SNOW. OTHERWISE, IN THE RAIN AND SNOW (ASSUMING YOU HAVE GOOD TREAD ON THE TIRES) LIMITED SLIP WILL BE YOUR FRIEND AND IS A FORM OF TRACTION CONTROL IF USED PROPERLY; BE GINGERLY ON THE THROTTLE (PET IT LIKE A SWEET KITTY) BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE THE MAN, MAT (AS IN TAP OR BLIP MEANING NOT TOO MUCH) THE THROTTLE AFTER A QUICK LEFT TURN INPUT AND WATCH THE BACKEND COME OUT PAST THE FRONT END. IT'S UP TO YOU HOW MUCH IT SWINGS OUT OR IF YOU LOSE IT AND DO A 180 DEGREE SWEEP (AND HIT CARS AND INNOCENT PEOPLE) BY MODERATING THE THROTTLE PEDAL. REALLY, IT'S LIKE PLAYING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. IT'S A CAR MEANT TO BE PLAYED. IT'S NOT LIKE RIDING PUBLIC TRANSIT WHICH MOST CARS ARE LIKE NOW A DAYS. IT'S AN INSTRUMENT AND SOME COORDINATION IS REQUIRED.

Personally, I think that anyone can enjoy this feature to it's maximum potential. If you don't like the politics of being in a car capable of doing this then the V6 Challenger or the R/T Challenger automatic is for you even though I think that the auto R/T should have this as an option at least.

There is also the rumour (almost fact I'd say) that the SRT Chargers and 300s will get the DSA limited slip component in 2009.
 
#7 ·
[quote

Personally, I think that anyone can enjoy this feature to it's maximum potential. If you don't like the politics of being in a car capable of doing this then the V6 Challenger or the R/T Challenger automatic is for you even though I think that the auto R/T should have this as an option at least.

[/quote]
MoparG //This is something that would have kept me from buying this car ( If it didn't have it). :(I appreciate the earlier info. you shared with us . :eek:rangehat:Like many other older guys out there who grew up with the muscle cars, and the ( I still call it posi track) limited slip, we know how to control these vehicles, and it's just fun for us.:woot: I worry though for the younger guys, who aren't used to this. Quite natural for us, but the younger guys may get hurt without some experience; so you gave some good advice in your post.
A prime example was when I watched " Hogan Knows Best" the other night. (I never watch this, but as I was channel surfing, it was about Hogan's kid wanting to be a drift car racer.) He was like I picture most younger people. They get their hands on a powerful car with slip diff. etc. and they think they know how to drive. He was given a Viper by Dodge to try out with; smashed it up, got parts from another one off the show room floor of a dealer, ( Of course because of his dad ) installed those, and smashed it up again. :(
Point is; that just because the car can do these wonderful things we all enjoy, does not mean that anyone can jump in these cars and do that. So, I hope the younger people get some experience and play gentle at first, and get to know know how to handle these gorgeous cars, and not get hurt.
Long winded , I know , but I worry for those without the experience.
Even Ragamuffin who seems well educated and experienced , I think said that he's only done this in a vehicle in snow. Very easy, compared with hard surface for the novice.
I just hope a lot of young people get this car, but are smart enough to get to know it before trying too much.:bigthumb:
 
#8 ·
Well since I'm probably the youngest person here getting an SRT8 I'll chime in. I think the kids who'll smash these cars up are kids with no respect for the value of the car. Like Hogan's son. When someone buys this car on their own, I'd hope they'll respect it a little more.

When I got the Shelby I did exactly as you and MoparG stated, played really slow and gentle. Easy on the throttle and gentle through the turns. I've raced motocross since I was 12 so I learned the importance of throttle control a long time ago. (a few broken bones and you learn real quick!) For every car I get I usually wait to play around like that until my Dad can go out with me to give me a few pointers. I've learned a lot from driving the stang, thankfully that is a really good car to start on, not to much power, handles well enough, and it gives good feedback on how the cars going to react.

I can't wait for my car because then I'll get to do the SRT experience. Hopefully I'll learn much more because I'll pound those cars a ton more than I will mine!
 
#9 · (Edited)
That's a great concept, starting out with a less powerful true muscle car and easing into the more powerful true muscle car not that the Shelby GT is not powerful at 325hp and 330lbs ft of torque in a 3500lbs car.

For those who jump right into an SRT8 with limited slip (or the R/T with limited slip), take it easy and be patient.

Some advice is to do what I did when I learned slowly how to master the slides on the street. Believe me, it's one thing on the track or parking lot but in the real world, the best advice is to try seeing what the car does in the rain to realize the limits of the car and then slowly attempt dry slides even though both are not totally the same with different strengths. One thing to point out is that when you slide in the rain, the unpredictability concept is of a different character. The concept is to be "in control" when you are seemingly "not in control" when the car is in a slide. At that point you have to be one with the car. You become the car. The only physical thing in between your brain and the wheels is the steering wheel and gas pedal (and sometimes the brake pedal where in some instances if your rear end is to fly out to the point of no return you can sometimes hit the brake pedal and stop the otherwise forever turning slide). You might be amazed at that point that your brain is operating faster than the ABS where you can lock the rear wheels to your advantage to break a slide or in somecases cause one if you are slotting yourself in between two other cars (please let those cars be your friends' cars). My Bosch 5 ABS in my 94 Impala SS can be defeated that way although I am not familiar with the ABS in the Dodge.

I took advantage, when I was still mastering fishtailing, of the city works streetflushers which would flush down the corners of my local main streets in the summer time. I don't remember why they do that but it's perfect for tapping the gas pedal and "woohoo", out the rear goes. The wet corners were like training wheels when learning to ride a bicycle. If you oversteered too much and where otherwise the car may go into a 180 degree spin (and end up facing traffic coming in front of you which is very embarassing , you'd know you screwed up but the dry road ahead of the corner would make your wet hydroplaning wheels grab; cool. That is another thing, the word hydroplane is an interesting one in that when you slide in the rain, theoretically there is no contact between the ground and the rear wheels meaning half the car is now floating on a thin sheet of aqua (water) and it is up to you to bring the car back to the ground. In short, this is better for your tires than tearing up that poor Z rated compount which has a regular life expectancy 25,000 miles only. Remember that a worn out Z rated tire isn't very Z rated anymore and will not hold up at 130mph (dry only rating!).

Another thing I enjoy personally is going into a slide on a corner and leaving my Impala's auto shifter in 2nd gear. As I usually downshift into second as I turn into the corner, the car is now in a more optimal RPM range where you can take advantage of the torque peak curve. In my car, especially, it's especially nice to leave it in 2nd during the fishtail (usually one nice swing out one way and another the other way and back to straight city) as my car stays in 2nd and doesn't hunt for 1st or 3rd via the automatic's torque converter. This ensures a steady stream of torque to play with. REMEMBER, IT'S THE TORQUE CURVE THAT GIVES YOU THE OVERSTEER AND/OR FISHTAIL ACTIVITY NOT THE HORSEPOWER.

Another nice thing about the GM cars anyway is that the steering wheel always likes to seek for the center. When you are in a fishtail mid-drift, the car tries to find the center but overshoots (depending on how fast you are going and, ofcourse, at what speed you engaged the corner/fishtail from the onset). I've often (in recirculating ball steering systems anyway) let the car slide on it's own while not even holding the steering wheel and applying on and off the gas pedal. The recirculating-ball type steering system on the GM Impalas and my old Malibu (and as someone pointed out here, the Dodges use rack and pinion which compared to the GM Camaro/Firebird) was trying to seek for centre while the back end was out one way, the steering overshot center as the backend slid the other way. Eventually, the steering overshoots minimized as did the multi-directional slides (fishtails) and when the car found center, the car was no longer fishtailing and was on a straightaway course once again. I don't recomend this ever but for the purpose of our conversation, it helps gain a physics comprehension of how the oversteer situation works. Another thing is that this example works better for the high ratio old school GM recirculating ball systems as opposed to the performance oriented low ratio high effort power steering boxes. In particular the car I was using during this was a 1978 Chevrolet Malibu with the high ratio (more turns on the steering wheel than less) low effort Saginaw 604 power steering box. This was not considered a performance item such as the much better Saginaw 800 of the time period which could be had in Caprice police cars, Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS cars and Buick Grand Nationals. The high effort low ratio performance boxes are better as there is less spins on the wheel (geesh this reminds me of that 1989 song called Spin That Wheel by Technotronic/Hi Tek 3 YouTube - Hi Tek 3 - Spin That Wheel (original 1989 video) ). Just download this song as you learn how to control the Challenger, there's motivation in the right direction.

Another thing for all you open axle non-limited slip folk out there. If you have a healthy shift kit in your car's transmission ensuring positive shifts (as in 1-2 chirp and sometimes 2-3 chirp IN THE DRY; in the wet these will become rear end slides if you are chirping into a gear while driving on an angle WITH limited slip and that's where alot of cars get WRAPED around poles a.k.a. lamp standards) you can fool the rear end into a locking situation (as opposed to non locking open axle) if you strategically down shift into 2nd and tap the throttle in the dry. The rear will slide out like a limited slip would on train tracks! At least this is the experience I've had on a live axle (not independant rear suspension) 1978 Chevrolet Malibu with a 2.29:1 open 7.5" axle. In my case I had to downshift into 1st as I had ridiculously tall gears which most of you hopefully will never have to experience (essentially I could do 60mph in reverse or in 1st). This trick was told to me by a very good friend who was and still is a rallye driver. I'll never forget the day I tried it on a hot summer day on West 16th and Blanca Street in Vancouver Canada. Somethings you never forget.

if you ever lose it and do a 180 degree spin on a city corner, keep the steering wheel turned toward the direction where the car is oversteering as it will hopefuly ensure you slide into a 270 degree turn whereby your car will face oncoming traffic as opposed to doing a faceplant into a lamp standard or innocent bystandards or at the very least smacking up the curb and requiring at the very least a wheel alignment (that's another thing, always get wheel alignments at least once a year or when you change your front tires) or screwing up upper and/or lower control arms.

Be safe,

Control the car or it will control you.



Good luck guys and gals.
 
#10 ·
Posi-track is a GM term. MOPARS have suregrip. The truth is the limited slip unit in the rear diff. was the SAME unit made by aurburn inc for chrysler and gm rear ends, dana 60 rears used spicer units,that was "back in the day". Who makes the rear end and guts for the 08-up challenger? As you might have guesed I'm more into early muscle. By the way if you folks want to learn how to drift a rwd car spend a winter in vermont ,my daliy driver for years was a 2wd short box 1/2 ton p/u powered by a 440 magnum until the rust took it away.
 
#11 ·
I know that the transmission and rear end are Mercedes-Benz designs (although the transmission is actually built in the USA using their math data) and are essentially Mercedes-Benz E-class hardware. I'm not sure where the rear end is made, whether here or in Europe somewhere. I am not familiar with the duty rating either as all Mercedes E-class cars likely have significant torque management software upon launch which may otherwise help keep the Mercedes cars from failing; we'll see how long they last with us driving them.

As for the limited slip stuff going on inside, I am unsure which type it is. It could be a Quafe (which has made limited slip hardware anyone can purchase for their Dodge Magnum, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 for years now for USD$1500), it could be a Torsen or it could be a Getrag. It could even be a Mercedes design which has been recently available to the 6.2L AMG E-class Mercedes buyers as an option (finally).

Whatever it is, the 2009 design will be different than the 2008 so it will be nice to know the differences between the two. I have a feeling the 2009 will be a Getrag as Automobile Magazine tested a prototype 2009 car with it and they loved it. They said it made a world of difference versus the 2008 car; it was unclear what the 2008 prototype car had that they drove whether it was the 2008 spec limited slip or a pre-production non-limited-slip car.
 
#12 ·
Interesting discussion going on here. I've never tried to learn on wet pavement. I usually try and stay away from the wet until I have a good feel for how much throttle it takes to slide it out on dry pavement.

I think the automobile mag had one w/o the limited slip. I read it briefly and I thought they kept saying how important it was to have a limited slip.
 
#13 ·
come to the land of the north my friends. almost every person here knows about spins and slides and drifting.... whether they want to or not!! Snow sucks, most of the time but it can be a blast to drive in with the right car.
 
#14 ·
come to the land of the north my friends. almost every person here knows about spins and slides and drifting.... whether they want to or not!! Snow sucks, most of the time but it can be a blast to drive in with the right car.
Yeah that's true, but also why I caution the younger folks that learning this in snow is way different than doing the same thing on the hard surfaces.Lots more power is needed.
It's really satisfying to me to know that people like Kelesey73 actually listen to older dogs like some of us . Sounds like he gets lots of good advice from Dad.
BTW, it's mostly guys who love going out to play in the snow with their cars, while "most" women avoid it , and even dread it. I have to be careful , because I'm fully aware that we have female Challengertalkers here who I'm sure are very capable !!:) Just a generality ladies; here in the land of snow.
Also BTW, it's gone here now in Nova Scotia, and my wife & I have been enjoying our bikes.:bigthumb:
 
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