General Challenger

  • How Rev Limiters Work

    Simply put, rev limiters restrict the maximum speed an engine can achieve. They are there to prevent an engine from damaging itself by extending beyond its limits. Any engine is only designed to be able to function up to a certain speed, which is measured in revolutions of the crankshaft per minute. Out of the factory, the rev limiter is set at the point the engine’s maker is happy for it to rev to on a regular basis. It’s not to be confused with the redline, although it can sometimes be...
  • Mopar Automatic Transmissions

    Modern automatic transmissions can trace their origins to a gearbox that was developed in 1904 by the Sturtevant brothers. This unit had two forward speeds, the ratio change being brought about by flyweights that were driven by the engine. At higher engine speeds, high gear was engaged. As the vehicle slowed down and engine rpm decreased, the gearbox would shift back to low. One of the key developments in arriving at an automatic transmission was the use of planetary transmission in the...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • Drag Racing Primer- Tips with Street Tires

    Here are some drag racing tips to make your trip to the drag strip safe and successful. Before you arrive at track Remove the floor mats, child seats (if applicable) and other non-essential cargo. Every bit of weight you remove can help. Try to plan so you have about ¼ tank of fuel when you arrive. Extra fuel adds weight and you won’t need more than ¼ tank. Don’t show up with your tank on empty. The fuel is usually expensive at the track and you don’t want to be “running on fumes.”...
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    Limited Edition Challengers

    Over the past 13 years, Dodge has employed a marketing strategy of releasing an array of limited edition models. Here is the staggering lineup. 2008 SRT8 The inaugural edition of the Challenger was numbered, X of 6,462, and came equipped with the 425 hp. 6.1 Hemi engine with 425 lb.-ft. of torque. It also featured an Auto Stick Automatic, 20-inch Alcoa forged aluminum wheels, 245/45-20 Goodyear tires, Brembo brakes, etc. Color choices were Hemi Orange, Brilliant Black Crystal and Bright...
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    Chrysler Corporation in World War II

    Many are unaware of the vital role played by Chrysler Corporation in World War II. As Mopar enthusiasts, we should all be proud of its outstanding war record. In 1939, the U.S. military was laughable. The Army's own chief of staff, Gen. George C. Marshall, ranked it 19th in the world- one spot behind Portugal- in a report to the president. Roosevelt was about to change that- and America- forever. Decades of isolation and a global depression had created a nation unresponsive to the world...
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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....
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    Intake Manifolds

    An intake manifold is the part of an engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders. Its primary function is to evenly distribute the combustion mixture (or just air in a direct injection engine) to each intake port in the cylinder head(s). Even distribution is important to optimize the efficiency and performance of the engine. It may also serve as a mount for the carburetor, throttle body, fuel injectors and other components. The design and orientation of the intake manifold is...
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    Car Salesman Tactics

    When buying a new or used car from a dealership, there are many pitfalls you must avoid. It must be remembered, you and the dealership have different objectives. You are trying to buy your vehicle as cheap as possible and it is trying to maximize its profits. Here are some of the common sales tactics that unscrupulous dealers may use: 1. The Hard Sell Buying a car is a big decision, so never make a purchase simply because you feel pressure from an overaggressive salesman. 2. Selling on...
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    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...
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    Seat Belt Technology

    A seat belt is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduces the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts with interior strike hazards, by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum effectiveness of the airbag (if equipped) and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle in a...
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    Line Lock

    A line lock is a device that allows the front brakes to lock independently of the rear brakes, via a switch. The device is an electric solenoid that controls a valve which allows the brakes to be controlled individually. This allows the front brakes to be locked and the rear brakes to be open, and allows the driver to spin the rear wheels without wasting the rear brakes. This method is referred to as line lock and is popular among drag racers. Cars with manual transmissions allow drivers to...
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    Rear Window Louvers

    The rear window louvers that were original equipment on some 60s and 70s muscle cars were first and foremost, styling statements. They were part of an appearance package that was created to set these cars apart from lower performance plain Jane versions and were usually combined with features like stripes, spoilers and vinyl roofs. In addition, while they did not improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle, they created a dead air zone that helped traction by reducing rear lift. Some pony...
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    Windage Tray

    Most of us know about windage trays, but what is their function and what exactly is “windage?” Simply put, windage is a force created on an object by friction when there is relative movement between air and the object. Windage loss is the reduction in efficiency due to windage forces. As it pertains to internal combustion engines, windage is the power loss caused by the friction of the oil in the engine coming into non-lubrication contact with its internal moving parts. For the most part,...
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    Engine Control Unit (ECU)

    An engine control unit (ECU), also commonly called an engine control module (ECM), is the brain of your car. It is the main reason that we are now in the second era of muscle cars, despite restricting emission regulations. The ECU controls a series of actuators on an internal combustion engine to ensure optimal engine performance. It does this by reading values from a multitude of sensors within the engine bay, interpreting the data using multidimensional performance maps (called look-up...
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    Leasing vs. Buying

    How does the cost of leasing a Challenger compare to buying it, in terms of out-of-pocket costs? Or if you decide to buy a used Challenger, how much more will you save? And finally, what do those costs look like in the long run? These are important questions for buyers who want to carefully manage their automotive expenses over the years. It's hard to give one answer that covers all people and all situations. But the question can be divided into two parts: 1. An analysis of the hard costs...
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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,...
  14. 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...
  15. 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...
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