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SRT8 Performance and / or lack of performance
2C3LA73W86434081
SRT Addicted to Performance.
I was firm believer in the statement ‘SRT Addicted to Performance’ until Chrysler could not determine how to fix minor problems without creating a major nosedive in SRT8 performance.
As you, the person reading this statement can tell from reading this declaration you can get a view of my dissatisfaction with Chrysler performance at this point and time. I waited 15 months for my SRT8 to be delivered and savored the moment when the delivering dealer, called and stated the SRT8 was being delivered and on site. My son, Mark, and I arrived on a rainy Friday morning to take delivery of the Chrysler 300C SRT8.
We had the opportunity to drive the SRT8 2000 miles. During this time Mark and I enjoyed the styling, comfort, handling, speed and agility of the SRT8. It was wonderful.
Here it is 23 months and 25000 miles later and I am very disappointed in what Chrysler has done to the performance of this vehicle. The problem resides in the ECU / PCM. Chrysler Corporations engineers went through 4 iterations or more of software changes to the ECU / PCM and still do not have it correct. My complaint about the performance of the SRT8 was the full throttle shift from 1st to 2nd gear. The engine stumbled and had no response for approximately 1 second. After the engine dropped off of fuel cutoff at 6200RPM the vehicle took off again and performed very well through the rest of the gears. You felt the engine / vehicle pull strong all the way through 150MPH. Each shift from 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th felt strong. Doing 80MPH and flooring the gas pedal gave immediate response, a 5th to 3rd downshift that put you back in the seat and unleashed its power to the asphalt. Enough background!
Today that feeling is gone.
During the ECU / PCM transition from flash 1.1 to 1.2 the software / technical engineers destroyed the heartbeat of the SRT8. This lasted for a period of time, 6000 miles for me, between shop / dealership visits. Throttle response was poor, acceleration was not what it was when I purchased the vehicle. In general SRT8 became 3 letters and a number, it meant nothing. At this last oil change the technician re-flashed the ECU / PCM with I believe the 1.3 software load. I was not able to talk to the technician when I picked the vehicle up. I was only able to read what was on the repair order. Throttle response good.
The vehicle response is better but nowhere near when I picked up the vehicle. What is Chrysler doing to fix the abnormality that afflicts the software in the Chrysler 300C SRT8?
ECU / PCM
I have an issue with the performance of the vehicle. I purchased the SRT8 because of the history / legacy of the SRT performance. I waited 15 months to receive my vehicle. The original ECU / PCM flash, 1.0, worked well except for the 1 – 2 hard throttle shifts. I was able to experience the smoothness as well as the speed of the vehicle in the first 2000 miles. I traveled from MN to Seattle, WA. The trip was astounding and I was truly enamored with the vehicle, the handling, the speed, the agility, the styling. When the vehicle was brought into the dealership for the first oil change, 6000 miles, I asked the service representative about the shifting problem and the service representative stated it was a known problem with no fix at the moment.
At the next oil change, 12000 miles, I again asked about the shifting problem. The service representative said that Chrysler had a fix. The ECU / PCM was flashed with a 1.1 load. Whatever the Chrysler software engineers did did not fix the problem. What did flash 1.1 do? Nothing. I did not see any performance differences.
At 18000 miles the vehicle was brought in for service. Again I presented the issue of the 1 – 2 shift. The service writer gave the information to the technicians. The ECU / PCM was re-flashed with load 1.2. Yes the engineering staff figured out what was wrong on the 1 – 2 shift. Fuel cutoff and shift were each programmed for 6200 RPM therefore canceling each other out. With all the reprogramming that was done the SRT8 was no longer an SRT8. It turned into an 8 cylinder ‘dog’. All of the performance was taken out of the machine.
With the most recent maintenance at 25000 miles I again brought up the issue of performance. The technician re-flashed the ECU / PCM with 1.3. Some of the performance was brought back. At this time there are still issues. I cannot really test the vehicle to see if the performance is there. I do know the 70 – 80 mph 5 – 3 downshift does not meet the performance standards of flash 1.0 or 1.1.
I would like to have the 1.0 or 1.1 flash placed on the vehicles computer. I can work with that.
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