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The cure for Challenger wheel hop
I am speaking specifically to the 6-speed transmission car owners. This has been a topic of conversation here and elsewhere for years. We can start by acknowledging that there is a problem (unlike Dodge) Why does it exist? The Challenger torque was more than the suspension designers expected (or were told), but the design was done. The result was a rear suspension that could not handle the torque it was receiving, resulting in the rear wheels/tires "hopping". Hopping is a gentile word usually referred to what a bunny rabbit does...NOT... on our cars. It it a violent reaction to torque that the suspension just can't handle. It is not up and down (as the word "hop" would indicate) but an oscillating motion. Ok, what is an oscillating motion? Stand up with your arms at your side. Raise/bend your arms at the elbows out in front of you. Rotate your arms back and forth and up and down, like a steam locomotive's wheel drive links. That's what is happening with your wheels. I have test pictures showing; burn (3 feet), NO burn (in the air-hop 3 feet), burn 3 feet, NO burn (in the air-hop 3 feet) and so on throughout first gear, with the same results in second gear. The tires are literally grabbing at the roadway, releasing, and launching the rear wheels, off their suspension, jumping them in the air. "Torque Lunge" ( I think I'll call that description mine). What to do? First, this is a unibody car (no true separate chassis, but an integral body/chassis/body combo car). It twists. Thats right, your entire car twists under full torque. You want to stop that as much as possible. You want to keep your car as "flat" as possible under acceleration (balance). My first additions were the Mopar front tower brace, and the Razors Edge/Speedlogix four point, angled rear tower brace. The second (actually out of order for reasons to be explained later) was Whteline cradle bushings (advised by the Richard Petty Organization). The cradle is responsible for "holding" your actual rear (ham section) and thus the initial connection of your half shafts (axles at the at the ham) are also in motion (other than spinning). This should not move around, but it does. The bushings were designed for "ride", not extreme torque. When I say "move around" I mean up and down AND left to right. Not only do the bushings contribute to movement, but the entire cradle moves. It is only suspended by four bolts thru the bushings. So there's this whole shuffling thing going on The next step, components from "Hop Not". First is the "Hop Not" engine TORQUE rod. Remember torque and and keeping the "chassis" flat under engine torque (power). What this engine torque rod does, is limit the natural movement (torque) of your engine to the right within its stock engine mounts. What is gained...balance, restrain twist of the "chassis". Minor as it may seem, it was one of the most instantly recognizable mods I had done. It is very old school. Many 1/4 mile track car owners used a variety of methods to achieve this, some as basic as to link a chain to the left side of the engine block and the left "A frame".
Same results...keep torque balance.
The next step is a little more involved. It is the "Hop Not" 1&2 component, on top of Whiteline cradle bushings. "Hop Not" is basically a second set of shocks, designed and mounted at an an angle to counter oscillation,...remember?
It also pins and controls movement of the cradle bushings with heavy convex caps that are placed in areas of removed cradle bushing rubber that you remove (now concave). The reason I say a little more involved, is that the "Hop Not" was initially installed prior to the cradle bushings. The results were impressive, as long as you came out blazing, but not if you nailed it on a first gear on a roll out. Obviously a major improvement.
with the Whiteline cradle bushings installed, the "Hop Not" cradle bushing caps did not fit right. They had their convex
(bulge) to fit in to the previously removed ( now concave) stock cradle bushing rubber. Simple solution. Now that the Whiteline cradle bushings are installed, It merely required that the "Hop Not " bushing caps to be machined flat from their previously convex configuration. There is a second necessity. With the Whiteline cradle bushings in place and the "Hop Not" cradle bushings caps (machined flat) to go on top of this, the stock front cradle bushing bolts are now too short. You need to get two stock Mopar rear cradle mount bolts (they are longer than the fronts), and then you will have to shorten them???
Thats right, they are too long...for the front, even with the "Hop Not" caps. You will have to call it for yourself. Stick a thin screwdriver thru the cap and the bushing and the cradle mounting nut (which you can't see). when you have determined the correct length, cut the bolts and grind the ends to a semi point for "blind" connection to nuts that you can't see in the cradle. Now that that's done, add Whiteline front and rear sway bars, rear being positioned to the most vertical (of two positions), while on the ground. Add Speedlogix/Razors Edge rear billet tension arms, and kiss Challenger "wheel hop" By! By! And pay absolutely no attention to those who say; "it's those sh***y Goodyear RSA tires, or I lowered my car and "Hop" was gone, or I stuck my finger in my ear and "hop" was gone and anything else is crap, plane and simple CRAP. FIX IT, OR LIVE WITH IT. These modifications were done on my '09 6-speed 480 RWH ProCharged R/T at 20,000 miles. 56,000 miles later, tracking with Nitto 555's on SRT wheels...any time I want.
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This is what I did, I have a 2009 SRT six speed. I used from Energy suspension rear differential mount bushings 5.1115. There is a vendor here that has solid aluminum ones. I wouldn't use them in the street. All my other bushings were from Whiteline. Change out the rear cradle bushing, whiteline w93343, track arm (trailing arm), bushings w63344, w63346, w63345 toe link inner and outer bushings and the rear differential mount bushings. from energy suspension 5.1115 g . I also upgraded my sway bars and SP 3rd member X-brace, from Stack Performance. Added an engine torque strap from Hopnot.net. This worked out well for me. I still have the Goodyear F1's on. Guys I know the are running IRS Camaros are doing a very similar fix.
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I am still awed by the fact that wheel hop exists on stock manual cars so bad. How did this mistake make it to production? Took a lot of enjoyment out of my first new car. I was going to go the Razors Edge tension arms and cradle and Whiteline bushings route...but I will trade in soon.
Maybe on a new Challenger, alas it will be automatic if I do. So done with factory crap wheel hop on a new car.
Maybe on a new Challenger, alas it will be automatic if I do. So done with factory crap wheel hop on a new car.
I keep reading these posts asking, no one in particular, what the heck are you guys talking about? I have a 2010 RT 6M and I have never had wheel hop and that's on burnouts with the OEM wheels and tires and with my RS3As and Cragar SS wheels. Never, not even a hint of hop. Is it a car by car thing? I get just smooth, long, smokey burnouts that last as long as I bury my foot. I do have to say that it would unnerve the sheet out of me if I did have hopping.
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Hey mschipa....thats interesting because i run the same cooper RS3A tires and i can say that I have felt wheel hop but for the most part not as bad as some people say. Now I say for the most part necause there have neen a couple occaisions that it was terrible and i just said to myself 'dont do that again' as far as how I launched
Not the first time I've heard this...sure enough a bizarre circumstance. Consider yourself very lucky.
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224 Posts
I have come to the conclusion that everyone with the 6speed has the issue,, but if you run a less sticky or a tire with no sipping the issue is masked.... What would be interesting is the fellas that are claiming no problems could meet up with someone that has a set of F1s and swap them out for an actual test. This would rule that out or confirm it. Still, if it did confirm it, the fault is not the tire, but the mushy suspension parts.... Should be able to put any tire on and not have a problem.... Now I'm faced with spending possibly thousands of dollars trying to chase this down, because I refuse to put tires on with less traction....
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They both contribute to the problem, and with the Hellcat the Automatic is the one that has the most problems with it, which results in many broken driveshafts, and axles.
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Great for drag race, but some don't drag race, but rather would like to set up for road race..
But out of curiosity, are there conversion kits for solid axle out there?
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Hey guys I gave to chime in on this also. 2016 SRT Challenger.
I thought I was the only one with this problem.
I called SRT Premium care and *****ed about wheel hop when I first experienced it.
Jane was her name. She said she never heard of it and that nobody else has ever complained about it.
Bull.
And I cant fix it without voiding my warranty.
I did find a poly bushing kit for the entire rear assembly for around $1000.00.
Paying 50 grand for a car one shouldn't have to invest a thousand dollars to fix an engineering issue that the manufacturer should have already done. And that's if you do the job yourself which I have heard is a nightmare.
The hops that were originally posted may have been extreme. I can see about 18 inches of rubber and about the same space before another and another for about 20 feet in second gear. I did it right in front of my house so I could go out and look at them. I live on a corner so taking off and hitting second was right at my driveway.
I also heard of an instance where a guy twisted the spring right out of the car on the drivers side.
Thank goodness it doesn't happen in third. I can bark out a three foot mark in third at about 70 mph.
I still enjoy driving the car Ive just learned to be easy,(sometimes), when hitting second. Also using lower RPM in first before actually nailing it helps. If you do it right it wont hop but does slip or maybe even spin a bit. It leaves marks but no noise. I think its the Pirrelli P Zero tires for that. I practiced that at stop signs.
Well I'm off. Have fun.
I thought I was the only one with this problem.
I called SRT Premium care and *****ed about wheel hop when I first experienced it.
Jane was her name. She said she never heard of it and that nobody else has ever complained about it.
Bull.
And I cant fix it without voiding my warranty.
I did find a poly bushing kit for the entire rear assembly for around $1000.00.
Paying 50 grand for a car one shouldn't have to invest a thousand dollars to fix an engineering issue that the manufacturer should have already done. And that's if you do the job yourself which I have heard is a nightmare.
The hops that were originally posted may have been extreme. I can see about 18 inches of rubber and about the same space before another and another for about 20 feet in second gear. I did it right in front of my house so I could go out and look at them. I live on a corner so taking off and hitting second was right at my driveway.
I also heard of an instance where a guy twisted the spring right out of the car on the drivers side.
Thank goodness it doesn't happen in third. I can bark out a three foot mark in third at about 70 mph.
I still enjoy driving the car Ive just learned to be easy,(sometimes), when hitting second. Also using lower RPM in first before actually nailing it helps. If you do it right it wont hop but does slip or maybe even spin a bit. It leaves marks but no noise. I think its the Pirrelli P Zero tires for that. I practiced that at stop signs.
Well I'm off. Have fun.
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Wow. First I heard of this being such a major issue. Time for more research.
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Good to know.... Mine just arrived, I can't wait to install it and find what a difference it will make on mine. I'm expecting that I'll have to do more... We'll see....
Did you install it yourself?
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