Took my SRT to the Redding drag strip over the weekend - Dodge Challenger Forum: Challenger & SRT8 Forums

MoparJTH · #1 (**permalink**) 03-30-2009, 09:45 PM

Well, I think I was the first new Challenger to run at the Redding drag strip. I took the car out this weekend on a whim and got some runs in. The first few runs were horrible... I finally experienced the wheel hop that everyones been talking about, every time I tried to launch, the car would just start bouncing around like crazy!!! After experimenting with different launch techniques and such, I was able to pull a 14.2 at 100MPH... This was doing a slight burnout and dropping the clutch at around 3000 RPM's (Doing a burnout pretty much made the wheel hop nonexistant if any of you are wondering). This was my last run of the night (they were shutting the place down) and I had somebody in the car with me. I'm sure if they would have let me make one more pass, I could have gotten it into the mid 13's... Especially if I would have let the car cool down for a little while and launched around 4000 RPM's. Has anybody else gotten a chance to take their stock Challenger six speed out recently? Our track is pretty crappy anyway so I don't know how accurate the times really are.

eliminator219 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by MoparJTH

Well, I think I was the first new Challenger to run at the Redding drag strip. I took the car out this weekend on a whim and got some runs in. The first few runs were horrible... I finally experienced the wheel hop that everyones been talking about, every time I tried to launch, the car would just start bouncing around like crazy!!! After experimenting with different launch techniques and such, I was able to pull a 14.2 at 100MPH... This was doing a slight burnout and dropping the clutch at around 3000 RPM's (Doing a burnout pretty much made the wheel hop nonexistant if any of you are wondering). This was my last run of the night (they were shutting the place down) and I had somebody in the car with me. I'm sure if they would have let me make one more pass, I could have gotten it into the mid 13's... Especially if I would have let the car cool down for a little while and launched around 4000 RPM's. Has anybody else gotten a chance to take their stock Challenger six speed out recently? Our track is pretty crappy anyway so I don't know how accurate the times really are.

I beleive that Reading Drag Strip is a NHRA Strip, Righr? If so, when you went thru Tech what clas did they put you in or was you just running "Time Only"? What I'm really trying to find out is what class are they putting the Challengers in. RTs with 5.7 what class and SRTs with 6.1s Wha class?
Hope you are able to answer as I hae talked to acouple of Division Directors and they act like they dont really know>. I will find out for sure next week when they get back from Vegas. Just thought you might have already been put in a class and would know if we can even can conpete..
Thanks

jmck1522 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 07:53 AM

you should keep practicing adn you'll definately be in the 13's. i haven't been able to run a 1/4 yet but i ran an 1/8 at 8.34 consistantly when mine was all stock. i've been told that translates to about a 12.9 in a 1/4 but we will see. i don't drop it above 3000 rpm cause all your askin for is to do a hell of a burnout. i'm usually between 2500 and 3000rpm. best of luck to ya

Top_Fuel · #4 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 08:03 AM

Got any 60 ft. times?

jmck1522 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 08:10 AM

i wish. it was a midnight madness. pretty much a run for fun all night. they stopped printing slips for it cause most people didn't go and collect them. so you have your friend call you and tell you your time and speed while you get back in line for another run.

str5010 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 08:58 AM

My dad plans to race his stock 6-speed this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading Pennsylvania which is a stop on the NHRA national tour.

MoparJTH · #7 (**permalink**) 04-01-2009, 09:30 PM

Yes, the Redding Drag Strip is an NHRA sanctioned strip, it's actually the oldest continually running strip in the country. I wasn't bracket racing, just test and tune, so they didn't put me in any particular class... I was pretty dissapointed with the times but it was wierd getting used to drag racing a stick, I'm positive with a little bit of practice it would definitely be in the mid 13's at least... The biggest killer of my times was the dreaded wheel hop, it was very bad, so bad that the whole car would just start bouncing around like a kangaroo, this caused the 60ft times to suffer horribly... I think I got close to a 2 sec 60ft near the end of the night but It still had a little bit of wheel hop even if I would feather the trottle and then punch it.

redbluffian · #8 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 05:17 AM

Hey JTH,

I live in Red Bluff, any other Challengers up here? or are we it?

Redbluffian
Torred 27J

**Cuda340** · #9 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 05:24 AM

Is anyone getting the wheel hop with the SRT autos? This wasn't mentioned in the magazine road tests.

MoparJTH · #10 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by redbluffian

Hey JTH,

I live in Red Bluff, any other Challengers up here? or are we it?

Redbluffian
Torred 27J

There's a couple other challengers running around town, Crown Motors has sold two or three since they came out. The first was a Hemi Orange 08 and recently they sold a Black 09 SRT just like mine. Don't buy from them though!!! They mark up the price dramatically, I ordered it from Ryan Denham over at SJ Denhams for MSRP. They're really good guys over there. You still rarely see one, especially up where we live.