Skinner Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 More Hemi for not many more pennies. Via: caranddriver.com BY AARON ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL DELANEY February 2005 If your mind grinds gears like ours, you've been counting the minutes since the Chrysler 300C Hemi went on sale last spring, wondering what the hot-rod SRT-8 version would be like when it finally went on sale. How much horsepower would it have? What (gulp!) would it cost? Brace for a trio of startling numbers: 6.1, 425, and $39,995. That, in order, is the liter displacement of the SRT-8's enlarged Hemi V-8, the horsepower it cranks at 6200 rpm, and the base price (without the as-yet-undetermined gas-guzzler tax). Nice numbers, don't you think? That last one will undercut the 400-hp Cadillac CTS-V by $8000 or $9000, depending on the slurp tax. Brace for one potentially bad figure: 10,000. That's the number of SRT-8s Chrysler plans to build per year. So expect long lines. Recent history shows that when Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology group rises to speak, it's worth paying attention. Detroit's foremost speed SWAT team coalesced in 2002 from a group of handpicked motorheads to develop SRT derivatives of new Chrysler and Dodge models. The Neon-based 230-hp SRT-4, the 500-hp Ram SRT-10, and the 330-hp Crossfire SRT-6 joined the catalog in quick succession. Later this year Jeep will get an SRT Grand Cherokee with the bigger Hemi. Except for AMG in Germany, no other factory high-performance group is serving up more muscle or as broad a lineup of vehicles. The confidence and esprit de corps of the SRT engineers are palpable. Current director Dan Knott maintains regular radio contact with Chrysler CEO and president Dieter Zetsche, who has DaimlerChrysler chairman Jürgen Schrempp on his speed dial. The decisions happen fast so SRT can have its performance derivatives on the street within 18 months of the base-model launch. When it was the 300's turn, these people made some laudable decisions. As with a teenager's rat rod, most of the SRT-8's money is in the motor. It's a new version of the Hemi V-8, punched out to 6.1 liters from 5.7 and nostalgically sprayed Hemi orange. There's more to this engine than just another 3.5 millimeters of bore. The iron block is a unique casting with revised water jackets and better breathing between the cylinder bays to cut pumping losses. The 5.7's cast crank becomes forged in the 6.1 for more strength. Lighter pistons and reinforced rods add high-rpm durability. A continuous spritz from a bank of oil jets keeps the pistons cooler (synthetic oil only, thank you). Machining of the bores at DaimlerChrysler's plant in Saltillo, Mexico, is done slowly, NASCAR-style, with bolt-on head plates that sharpen the final tolerances. Up top sit two new cast-aluminum heads. The intake valves grow by two millimeters and get hollow stems to cut mass and thus reduce inertia closer to the 6400-rpm spark cutoff. Sodium fills the oversize exhaust valves to dispel heat. Cylinder deactivation, standard on the 5.7, was left off the 6.1 because it didn't work with the lumpy cam profiles. Hence, the impending gas-guzzler tax. Slim budgets didn't allow tooling up a new composite dual-stage intake manifold that would have fattened the low- and midrange torque, so engineers went for a max-horsepower setup. A tubular aluminum intake, cast with fine-grain sand to give an almost polished interior surface without an actual polish, sends air plunging down pole-straight rams at the intake valves. Tubular headers sheathed in a stamped-steel heat barrier flow the gas out. The SRT-8 feels and sounds like a four-door Corvette as it lays rubber through reinforced driveshafts. Peak torque happens at 4800 rpm, so the engine definitely needs to be spun for the full slingshot effect. The Mercedes-designed five-speed automatic, the only transmission offered, stayed mostly in third charging up the hills north of Los Angeles. Knott says the 0-to-60 task should happen in the low fives. Very low, we think. Glinting from within the 9.0-by-20-inch forged aluminum wheels are four-piston Brembo calipers clamping 14.2-inch front and 13.8-inch rear discs riding on special forged knuckles. Bilstein shocks go in front, Sachs Nivomat shocks in back. Firmer springs and anti-roll bars fill out the handling package but, thankfully, don't chatter teeth on the highway. Tire choices are two: Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar summer or all-season Goodyear Eagle RS-As. Rolling on summer rubber, the SRT-8 drifted with surprising nimbleness from corner to kink to straightaway at the Mojave's Willow Springs International Raceway. The stability-control thresholds have been nicely elevated, the computer programmed to spend more time turned off. Roll is tightly restrained. Understeer? Only if you fear the gas pedal. Exterior tinsel was kept to a minimum. Besides the wheels, the chin receives an air splitter and the tail a small spoiler. Inside: Ritzy chrome bezels accent the doors and leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the gauges get an SRT script as do the embroidered front seats. "We went for the James Bond approach to performance," said Knott. "You pull up next to somebody at the light, and you know you have the confidence to blow his doors off, even if he doesn't recognize you." Need more bling? Talk to the aftermarket. At the SEMA show last November, there were at least 90 Chrysler 300s on display, a dog's breakfast of styling baubles. Need more power? Perhaps you should see a therapist. CHRYSLER 300C SRT-8 Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan Estimated base price: $41,000 Engine type: pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection Displacement: 370 cu in, 6059cc Power (SAE net): 425 bhp @ 6200 rpm Torque (SAE net): 420 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm Transmission: 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting Wheelbase: 120.0 in Length/width/height: 196.8/74.1/57.9 in Curb weight: 4200 lb C/D-estimated performance: Zero to 60 mph: 5.0 sec Zero to 100 mph: 12.8 sec Standing 1/4-mile: 13.4 sec @ 105 mph Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph Projected fuel economy (mfr's est): EPA city driving: 14 mpg EPA highway driving: 19 mpg http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/12292004105918.jpg http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/1229200411032.jpg http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/1229200411214.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 thats cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrblunt Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 It was at the autoshow. I'd rock the cts-v before i'd drive a chrysler. They can make as much power as they want but they don't look that great and their interior is kinda cheap. My boss has a 300C, it wasn't that impressive imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old dirty bastard Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I personally love the new 300 I would def. rock it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96MustangCobra Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I think I would still much rather have a CTS-V, but I still like the 300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOS50 Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I owned a Mopar once.Once.That was enough for me.Waaay too many quality problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonneVille Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I'm a GM guy but it's a toss-up between that and the CTS-V, performance wise. Throw in the price difference and I'll rock the SRT, hands down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Curb weight of 4200lbs? <insert sound of foghorn here> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelloman4571647545499 Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 you know my answer....srt8>CTS-V. to bad there is no tranny options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I love the srt-8 for many things (primarily a 1.1g force under braking R&T managed to squeeze out of it), but it does have brake assist. And to put those 425 to the ground, they had the lame idea of making it auto and only auto. Just like the Xfire SRT-6. I can understand that it IS a Diamler auto and therefore taken from the E-class, but still. If I have 400+ hp in a RWD car, i expect to have at least the option to have a stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Quote: "The Mercedes-designed five-speed automatic, the only transmission offered..." graemlins/nonono.gif THAT is the reason that many, including myself, will not look at the SRT-8 seriously as a CTS-V alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBMW Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Originally posted by Jelloman457: you know i love the cockFixed. tongue.gif -Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodRed Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Production of the SRT-8 Charger starts in September of this year. It is rumored to come with a stick or auto. Plus I have heard from many guys who worked on the 6.1 and they said the best is yet to come. Dodge pushed the guys to get the engine out the door as quickly as possible. They said the power potential out of the 6.1 is very high. Simply changing the computer will add 15 more horses. After a little more work and a Supercharger it should be able to produce more than 500 hp! That is why I am waiting a few years to get my Charger R/T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowgli1647545497 Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 ... Peak torque happens at 4800 rpm, so the engine definitely needs to be spun for the full slingshot effect. The Mercedes-designed five-speed automatic, the only transmission offered... Knott says the 0-to-60 task should happen in the low fives...Limp. Bring it. I got you covered, hemi-boy. graemlins/finger.gif (Putting this Call-Out on layaway for when someone actually buys one) EDIT: Wait, MT already did a 3 way shootout between em. "V is t e h w i n." tongue.gif [ 22. February 2005, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: Mowgli ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 yeah MT had the V beating the SRT-8 pretty solidly, and the 2005 GTO came limping in the rear after being solidly assraped by both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.