General Challenger

General Challenger

Rocker Arm Ratios

Many have heard the term rocker arm ratio mentioned when talking about an engine. But, do you know what rocker-arm ratios are, and how different ratios can affect an engine’s performance? To start with, an engine is just a sophisticated air pump. The amount of power this “pump” delivers is directly affected by the amount of air ingested and expelled by the engine. Increase the amount of air flowing through the pump, and you can increase power output. While an engine is running, air is pulled...
General Challenger

Pulling Fuse #2 and Adaptives

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PULL #2 FUSE (older Challengers) Pulling Fuse F2 resets: All PCM DTCs erased. All OBD2 monitor results erased. All "long term fuel trim adaptive" values reset to Zero. Long term Fuel Adaptive trim will now start over the next 100 engine start cycles. Cycle the headlights as described above will create a Short Term Fuel Adaptive trim table over the next 50 start cycles. Driver Adaptive? Driver Adaptive and related fuel table trim is probably the least...
General Challenger

Window Tint

Window film (a/k/a, tint) is a thin laminate film that can be installed to the interior or exterior of glass surfaces in automobiles. It is usually made from polyethylene terephthalate due to its clarity, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and ability to accept a variety of surface-applied or embedded treatments. Window films are generically categorized by their construction components (dyed, pigmented, metallized, ceramic or nano), by their intended use (automotive, marine or...
General Challenger

Understanding Wheel Offset

The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the center line of the wheel. The whole point of an offset is for the end user of the wheel to know how much in inches (4+3), or in the case of millimeter offset, how many mm the wheel will stick out or tuck in from the mounting surface of the hub. Remember, even a couple of millimeters can affect performance, ride quality, the look/stance of your vehicle and safety. It takes precise measurement to make sure aftermarket...
General Challenger

Burnout Primer

All drag racers spin their wheels in a burnout before every race. The burnouts may seem to be pure show-boating, but there are real reasons behind all the smoke and noise. Burnouts before a drag race serve to heat the tires of the car, softening the rubber, providing more traction for the start of the race. The burnout also removes any debris from the tires. Spinning the wheels leaves a layer of rubber on the road surface, providing better traction in the future. The burnout is crucial for...

General Challenger

"Grandfather" of the 2018 Dodge Demon

Did you know that the controversial Dodge Demon name goes back 50 years? In 1970, the restyled Plymouth Valiant, named the Duster, was a massive success. Dodge immediately insisted on getting its own version. That car became the 1971 Dodge Demon. 1970 Plymouth Duster 340 Both the A-body Plymouth Duster and Dodge Demon were fantastic cars for the money (starting just over $2,100). The two cars were virtually identical, underneath. The attractive-looking Demon came with four optional...
General Challenger

0% financing

Wondering if anyone has any insight or thoughts into the current offer of 0% a.p.r. for 72 mos. I wonder, will this be a one-time deal? I've literally wanted one of these cars since 07, when they came out. For one reason and another over the years, I've never yet pulled the trigger. Got on this forum several years ago, to follow the latest news and info. I've lurked, enjoyed your guys' posts and kept on dreaming of the day. I've said for years, "why can't they offer 0% on the damn...
General Challenger

100 Anniversary Edition Challenger.

Hello, I have a 2014 Anniversary Edition Challenger. purchased it new in 2014. Since then, I have NOT seen any other anniversary models on the road, except I did see a 2014 anniversary Charger. Everywhere I go, a lot of Mopar guys ask me, What model is your car. In the winter time, its kept in the garage, covered and I drive my Ram. Which is also awesome. Several people at car shows ask if I want to sell it. The answer is, always, NO. I love this car. I have under 30,000 miles. Now, I've...
General Challenger

Featured
100th Article! Dodge Brothers

Few people are aware of the important role that John and Horace Dodge played in shaping Detroit’s early auto industry, and of the story of a dynamic partnership formed between two enterprising brothers who remained inseparable throughout their lives. John (right) and Horace Dodge HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Born into an industrious but poor family, Dodge brothers, John (born in 1864) and Horace (born in 1868), received their mechanical training from working in their father’s machine shop, in Niles,...
General Challenger

226 mm / 8.89 in. LSD CV Axle Shafts only currently available through Mopar in North America.

These axle shafts required for the 2008 - 2014 LSD rear wheel differentials are not currently available through Cordone (remanufactured) and despite catalogue indications to the contrary not even produced by Trakmotive / SurTrack / GSP North America. East Coast Mopars and others providing the Getrag swap pkgs. are using axles provided by Mopar, at similar pricing to the dealerships. I can't even find used axles through auto wreckers in western Canada. Sharing this so others don't waste their...
General Challenger

3.6L Pentastar Engine

A popular cost-conscious alternative for Challenger owners to the 5.7L and 6.4L Hemi engines is the 3.6L Pentastar engine. It replaced the 3.5L engine, in 2012, and is rated at an impressive 305 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque, with 90% of its torque available from 1,800 to 6,350 rpm. Performance from this modern 6-cylinder engine actually exceeds some small blocks from the first muscle car era. Before the first aluminum block was cast, the new Pentastar V-6 benefited from more than...
General Challenger

A Guide to Locking Lug Nuts

Do you want to protect your wheels and tires from being stolen? The best security is locking lug nuts. These special wheel locks will help keep your wheels and tires safe even in dangerous neighborhoods or unlit parking lots. You’ll sleep better at night knowing that they will still be on your car when you wake up in the morning. Without a unique key, most thieves will be stopped in their tracks if they attempt to steal your rims and may move on to easier scores. Thieves are not only after...
General Challenger

A Look Back- The Rebirth of the Challenger

The Challenger concept car, shown at the 2006 Detroit International Auto Show, was a big tease for Mopar fans. It was the answer to a hot rodders’ dream- the reincarnation of a 1970s Dodge muscle car! But, would it make it to production? See the 15:11 minute mark of the following video: Based on the success of the retro-inspired 2005 Mustang GT, Dodge looked at its parts bins and figured out how to use this stuff to create a modern-day Challenger. To accomplish this feat, Chrysler drew...
General Challenger

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Active Exhaust

It’s a fact of life- cars make noise. Inexplicably, there are those in this world who build houses next to major freeways and then complain about the speed of the vehicles going past. There are those who build houses next to airports and complain about the excessive noise. Just as there are those people, there were those who decided that cars were too loud and needed to shut up! This presented car companies with a problem. Their engineers were telling them that for maximum efficiency,...
General Challenger

All-Wheel Drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 ("four by four"), or AWD ("all-wheel drive") is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously. While many people associate the term with off-road vehicles and sport utility vehicles, powering all four wheels provides better control in normal road cars on many surfaces, and is an important part in the sport of rallying. The first application of four-wheel drive, occurred in 1893. In 1937, the...
General Challenger

Anti-Sway Bars

An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, or stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce body roll during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) wheels together through short lever arms linked by a torsion spring. A sway bar increases the suspension's roll stiffness- its resistance to roll in turns, independent of its spring rate in the vertical direction. The first stabilizer bar patent was awarded to Canadian...
General Challenger

Featured
Are Most Radar Detectors Useless?

A radar detector is an electronic device that has been used by motorists, for decades, to detect if their speed is being monitored by police using a radar gun. It gave a driver sufficient warning to reduce his speed to avoid being ticketed for speeding. In a general sense, only emitting technologies, like Doppler radar, or LIDAR (pulsed laser light) can be detected. Visual speed estimating techniques, like ANPR or VASCAR cannot be detected in daytime. There are also no reports that piezo...
General Challenger

Auto-Stop/Start Technology

Since the Obama Administration finalized standards in 2012, to encourage the automotive industry to reach a 54.5 miles per gallon corporate fuel economy average by 2025, manufacturers have been employing every means possible to squeeze another mile out of a gallon of gasoline. A combination of aerodynamics, weight savings, electrification, hybrid technologies and advanced engine management software has gone a long way, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that you save a lot...
General Challenger

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Axle Ratios

An axle ratio is the number of revolutions the output shaft or driveshaft needs to make in order to spin the axle one complete turn. The number is expressed in a ratio, which represents the number of teeth on the ring gear divided by the number of teeth on the pinion. For example, a vehicle with a 3.73:1 gear ratio means that the driveshaft will turn 3.73 times for each complete wheel spin. Many people simply refer to the axle ratio as 3.73, rather than express it as the ratio 3.73:1....
General Challenger

Blind Spot Monitoring

What is Blind-Spot Monitoring? Blind-spot monitoring one of those features we didn’t know we needed or wanted until carmakers began offering it. Volvo was the first, incidentally. It offered its Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) for the S80 in 2005. BSM is just what its name implies. It keeps an eye on the space just off the rear quarter areas of your vehicle. These blind spots can hide a vehicle approaching in an adjacent lane because many drivers improperly set their car’s outboard...