Thanks for asking 😀. It runs well. Don’t know if I mentioned that I took it to another tuner for a second opinion, and now it runs much better. He also installed a Ding transmission valve body, which makes the shifts firmer and supposedly helps the trans handle the torque. Honestly, though, I don’t drive it hard much, but there’s something very satisfying about driving it and knowing what it is capable of. I haven’t had anyone wanting to have a go, yet, but I’m sure the day will come.
There is a local drag strip that has ‘street night’ whereby you can run your daily driver, at a reduced cost, to see what it will do. I’m thinking of seeing what kind of times/trap speeds it will run.
It seems crazy fast, and I’m still getting the feel of it. The roads around here are mostly two-lane and curvy, so I only go to WOT on the straights. I’d hate to put it in the ditch.
I don’t have any plans for additional mods, unless something breaks. It’s pretty much set up the way I want. I like that the long tube headers, tied into the stock exhaust, have a nice sound that isn’t obnoxious. It has a nice idle. I do wish that I could add CarPlay, but the way the UConnect system is set up, that is not possible.
Had some new tires installed this morning, plus an alignment. I was running Michelin Pilot Sports, but the price went way up (50%) since my last set, so I went with Continental Extreme Contacts, which are also an ultra high performance all season tire, and apparently well-regarded. They were about ⅔ of the price of the Michs.
My next task is to wash it, as living here in the country makes for dusty cars.
I remember you mentioning the second tuner that kind of had to rectify the mistakes made from the first one. Let me tell you, once you find a good tuner, stick with em’. I think what makes your build so unique when you look at your Charger, is that you’ve already known the car from when it was stock, and now you had to re-learn the car when it was modified, so you know exactly how it performs at any given time. (Versus buying into a car that was already modified and not knowing even where to start if it wasn’t running properly.)
So here is my question for you, do you think you would ever sell your Charger? Or is this something that you plan on keeping and eventually handing it down? Like, say somebody offers you a really tempting number, would you do it?
I learned something from the best tuner up here in the Midwest, (His name is Lydio Lacobelli with Alternative Auto Performance), he told me “That tuning is never a perfect situation when you’re adjusting fuel ratios, shift points, idle, ect, but a good tuner won’t quit and will always continue to troubleshoot until everything is running optimally as it can be.”
He tuned/dyno-ed my Cobra. And it’s nice to know that I’m re-invited if I ever have any concerns or questions there is some thing I need in the future. That’s got to be a really challenging industry, and probably only the most experienced tuners survive at a successful level.
Apple CarPlay is nice to have, but I’ve always been happy with UConnect, even with Apple CarPlay being included in my Scat, I think UConnect is the best infotainment available.
I think Michelin are the best tires on the market, but Continental is literally right next to them. Either way, you didn’t go wrong with that choice. The tire brand that I can’t stand is Perelli. I switch those tires out, in terms of performance, the treadwear is terrible and I don’t care for the grip at all.
But speaking of dust, is we just had upgrades sewer lines installed in our street this summer (So sections of the road were under construction), and it hasn’t rained much at all, and the dust is absolutely frustrating. Even with the garage shut, it still makes its way into there somehow and coats everything. And it’s like the worst type of dust possible, is that gritty/sandy light dust, so I had to be really careful when detailing not to scratch the clearcoat.
But I love detailing, but not to that extreme like it was these last three months. But I don’t think you see snow where you’re from, so at least you get more enjoyment year round.
