SRT Q&A Session: 12/13/06

[5.slow]

I will start off by saying I have a Jeep SRT8. I have been having problems with the brakes. They are scoring, grooving, and squealing since I got the Jeep. I was wondering if the TSB for the brakes on the LX models will be carried over to the Jeep anytime soon. I really don't want to have to spend money on new rotors and pads especially since its a known problem on the other SRT8s.

Thanks
Greg

[SRTengineers]

Originally Posted by Maxwedgie

On a SRT8 charger the F/R tires are a different size, why? If tires were replaced with the same size (all 4) would the speedometer be accurate?

Thanks

Tires are different for styling and performance....more importantly performance - maximizing tire patch with 255 in rear. The RSA option TR9 sales code are spec'd 245s all 'round. RPM between F1s and RSA is negligible and won't affect Speed.

[Rambit]

Spoof of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" - Posted (FOR FUN) on behalf of HealeyRick, who "couldn't" be here:


Every SRT-8
Down in SRT-8-ville
Liked the 1-2 TSB a lot...

But the Grinch,
Who lived just North of SRT-8-ville,
Did NOT!

The Grinch hated the TSB!
The whole TSB season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his Mustang got left at the lights.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that the motor in his 'stang was 2 liters too small.

But,
Whatever the reason,
His puny little engine or no-go on the straights,
He stood there on TSB Eve, hating the Eights,
Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown
At the warm lighted windows below in their town.
For he knew every SRT-8 down in SRT-8-ville he could see
Was busy now, awaiting the 1-2 shift TSB.

"And they're mounting their DRs!" he snarled with a sneer.
"Tomorrow is Flash Day! It's practically here!"
Then he growled, with his grinch fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find a way to keep the TSB from coming!"
For, tomorrow, he knew...

...All the SRT-8 girls and boys
Would wake up bright and early. They'd rush for their toys!
And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

They'd open their console covers from 22Elite.
And install a new NOS bottle to shove them back in their seat.
They'd ooh and aah over the CAI from Rev. Hammer.
And dream of top-end runs that didn't end in the slammer!

And THEN
They'd do something that just made him squeal!
Every SRT-8 down in SRT-8-ville, the BS, IR, BB and Silver Steel,
Would drive to the dealer sporting the Five-star,
And line up to have the 1-2 TSB flashed in their car!

They'd punch off the line, with nary a stutter,
Hit the 1-2 shift like a hot knife through butter.
And the more the Grinch thought of the TSB bling
The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!
"I'll never win a drag if I don't stop it now!
I MUST stop the TSB from coming!
...But HOW?"

Then he got an idea!
An awful idea!
THE GRINCH
GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch Laughed in his throat.
And he made a quick Chrysler tech hat and a coat.
And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!
"With this coat and this hat, I'll look just like Dubster, now that's siiiiiccckk"

"All I need is an SRT-8..."
The Grinch looked around.
But since Ochos are scarce, there was none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch...?
No! The Grinch simply said,
"If I can't find an Eight, I'll make one instead!"
So he found a 300C and slapped on some Twenties
And added the rest of the SRT Design Group stuff,
Thinking no one would notice his Eight was a bluff.

THEN
He loaded some bags
With some phony TSB flash
And laughed at the Eights
When their throttle would mash.

Then the Grinch said, "Let's roll!"
And the Faux-8 started down
Toward the homes where the SRTs
Lay a-snooze in their town.

All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air.
All the Eights were all dreaming sweet dreams without care
When he came to the first garage in the square.
"This is stop number one," The old Grinch hissed
Flashed the 8 in the garage so the 1-2 shift would stay missed.

His work done the Grinch started to flee
When he heard a small sound like a dove in a tree
He turned around fast, and who should he see
Little Ella-C, who was not more than 23.

The Grinch had been caught by this little Eight dear
Who'd got out of bed for one last cold beer.
She stared at the Grinch and said, ", why, Dubster
"Why are you working tonight? WHY?"

But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!
"Why, my sweet little dear," the fake Chrysler tech lied,
"There's no LS Diff on this car and power goes only to one side.
"So I've installed one so your SRT will be on fire"
"Burning smoke from both the left and right tire."

And his fib fooled sweet Ella. Then he patted her head
And he got her a cold one and he sent he to bed.
And when Ella C went to bed with her brew,
HE hightailed it outta there before his cover he blew.

Then
He did the same thing
To the other Eights sleeping.

He knew in the morn when no 1-2 fix was in
The only sound in SRT-8 ville would be owners weeping.


It was quarter past dawn...
All the Eights, still a-bed
All the SRT, still a-snooze
When he packed up his Fake-8 and hit the gas with his shoes,

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Moose,
Hoping he could find his secret stash of go-juice.!
"Pooh-pooh to the Eights!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no TSB is coming!
"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"The all the SRTs down in SRT-8-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply must hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at SRT-8-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every SRT-8 down in SRT-8-ville, the IR, BS, SS and Brilliant Black,
Were banging that 1-2 shift, chirping tires at the back
He HADN'T stopped the TSB from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without a flash! It came without a dealer!
"It came without Resume Speed, that TSB healer!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe TSBs," he thought, "don't come from a store.
"Maybe TSBs...perhaps...mean a little bit more!"

And what happened then...?
Well...in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his Mustang through the bright morning light
Bowed down to the Ochos as was surely their right!

And as the Grinch sat there humbled, the Eights never let on,
about the SRT engineers who came in late at night and left before dawn.

-----------------

Rambit

[SRTengineers]

Originally Posted by HEMEEE

Posted for ResumeSpeed:


A.) The 1-2 shift hesitation TSB has still not been released, can you give us the latest time frame on when we might see it?

B.) Will the TSB apply to both the LX and WK models?

C.) Is it true that dealers are now able to download the Flash file to perform the finalized update, ahead of the TSB release?

We know we owe you detailed information on the LX SRT8 1-2 shift hesitation TSB.

The target date to have the TSB out is 12/22. We were not able to get the TSB number for you for this chat session, as it hasn’t been assigned one, yet.

The issue (in drive as well as autostick) is that the engine accelerates faster than the transmission controller can anticipate when the shift can occur. The solution was to rewrite the software. Because we changed the calibration, we had to ensure that we did not adversely affect any other portion of the transmission calibration, which means electronic validation of the Transmission Control Module needed to be performed by our German supplier.

The shift speed for the SRT8 is and has always been 40% quicker (300 vs 500ms) than the Hemi equipped LX. The TSB will not affect the shift speed. The TSB calibration will eliminate the "comfort step" in the shift sequencing by pre-filling the 2nd gear clutch. This allows the shift to commence slightly sooner. This change may be perceived by the customer as a slightly bumpier WOT shift or an increased "Kick-in-the-ass” factor. Although it has been a long and painful wait, the end result is the issue is fixed.

Please note that a reflashed vehicle can not return to the previous calibration.

The auto-upshift feature has been incorporated in this change because it is more consistent than the driver. Everyone frequently hits fuel shutoff trying to time the 1-2 shift in autostick. The tach has some lag. It takes time to execute a shift. Nothing happens instantaneously. The TCM calculates when to start the shift process in order to execute the shift at the proper RPM. It was a hard decision to change this feature, but we think we made the right one for our customers.

[Y2K5SRT]

Along those same lines regarding the 1-2 shift programming, is there a way to recalibrate the throttle/gas pedal? I have seen where it can be done on the 5.7 with the ignition on and car off, but haven't had any luck on the 6.1. Many SRT8's (300) report a lag when first hitting the gas pedal - then it takes off. Makes for some exciting times backing out of a parking spot!

Tell Herb that Chris from KC says "hi" and to enjoy his vacation...

[SRTengineers]

Originally Posted by EricG

Rambit,
Thanks for posting that for me - I was able to stop by

Will 255/45r20 rub on the front of LX SRT8s? Thanks,

Eric

Officially the 255/45R20 will not fit on the front of the SRT8's. During extreme dynamics maunevers the tire will rub.

[dodgeboy16]

I own a 06 300csrt8 and a 05 SRT10 RC. My Son just purchased an 05 SRT10 QC (new). The truck now has 1K miles. Between 65 and 80 MPH there is a distinct vibration felt in the steering wheel and in the cab by the passengers. The Tech. that spent 6Hrs. and 8 different wheels and tires, trying to balance all 8, said that the tires had flat spots and he could do no more to fix the problem. Of the 8 wheels and tires ( 4 from another SRT10 QC ) only 1 fell into specs. The Dealer is reluctant to replace the tires. Looking at different SRT Forums I see this is a problem with many SRT10s. What has Chrysler done to address the problem? Who should we start complaining to?

[TraderJohn]

I would like to change Ring & Pinion Ratios to a 3.55 for my 2006 300C-SRT8 .

The dealer said the mopar part does not work in the SRT8 .

Should I get a old E class 3.55 ring and pinion set ? Or any help ??

Thanks, TraderJohn

[SRTengineers]

Originally Posted by Rambit

Posted for EricG:

First of all, I sure love my 300C SRT8. You guys did a great job with the car. I'm having what could be a problematic symptom with my coolant. It seems cloudy or milky like there is some kind of sediment floating around. Here's some photos and a little more info if you have time to read it:
Cloudy coolant - any thoughts/answers?

First of all, are you guys aware they overfill the coolant at the factory? Just seems so boneheaded - I know it's not you doing it.

What may be causing this coolant condition? It tested to -40 yesterday, my dealer is going to replace the reservoir next week and then we are going to flush it and see if it clouds up again. Have you seen this on your SRT track experience cars? Have you ever seen a 6.1L headgasket blowout or cause problems?

My car currently runs fine - very strong and my dealer mechanic says I shouldn't be too worried about this. I have read where one of your engineers described the 6.1 cooling system as "robust as we make". There are several other people with a similar condition to mine. Thanks for the help, keep rockin' it and I'll see you at a track experience in 2007!

Eric
-----------------------
Rambit

If you're experiencing the ammonia / foamy / sludgy coolant in your vehicle, the best thing to do is to take vehicle to dealer and have dealer contact district service manager for a review of your vehicle.

[ResumeSpeed]

1. TSB 09-000-06 was recently issued which covered the oil squirter whine on LX SRT8 vehicles. Is there any particular reason that the Jeep was left off of this bulletin, being that it has the exact same annoyance?


2. How was the "whine" issue "solved" on later production engines?


3. Is this the correct way to decode the 6.1 engine build date?

TNXE6 0266 20001 = 26th day of 2006 (January 26, 2006)