This is a good week to drive our long-term 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. It has rained for six days straight so the roads are damp as they can be. And after almost 19,000 miles, the Challenger's all-season Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires are finally showing some wear. It doesn't take much to break them loose.
Recently, I watched The Beast, the documentary about actor Eric Bana's Falcon GT. It's about a long-term relationship with a '74 Ford Falcon GT. It began when Bana saved up to buy the car in high school after watching Falcons tear around Australia's Bathurst circuit, and it culminates a couple decades later when Bana, the successful actor, overhauls the car to race in the Targa Tasmania Rally.
It's a moving story in the way that stories about long-term relationships with cars usually are. I've been wondering if I should start a long-term relationship with a Challenger R/T. The more I drive this car, the more I like it. And with a few key upgrades, perhaps I could transform it into a car I'd want to go around corners in...
But first I'd have to deal with the clutch. I've put a lot of miles on our Challenger, and I still cannot stand the clutch takeup. Now I know I've just incriminated myself as the "brother-in-law" who lunched the car's original clutch. I swear that wasn't me. But I do swear about this clutch, all the time, because the vague engagement point, combined with the slightly delayed throttle response, drives me up the wall. I do not abide.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor
bc1960 says:
11:55 AM, 01/22/10
It doesn't take much to break Michelin Pilot HX MXM4s loose when they're new. I cannot figure out why so many fairly expensive cars use them as OEM tires; they have mediocre wet and snow traction, wear quickly, and are more expensive to replace in the aftermarket than many superior tires, including some of the better-performing all-seasons in Michelin's line.
throwback says:
12:25 PM, 01/22/10
Sounds like an aftermarket clutch is in order. Or is the linkage just wacky?
ddoouugg says:
01:19 PM, 01/22/10
I watched that movie recently also. It was surprisingly good.
threem says:
01:30 PM, 01/22/10
I know that the Challenger has flaws, it is the slowest of the pony cars, it is too big, it is too heavy, and the entry level model has an anemic engine......but GOOD LORD it is just a sexy car. I think I would even buy an SE V6 just so I could see that shape in my driveway in the morning, who cares how it is to drive?.....For every criticism, you can simply respond: "But just look at it"
rick8365 says:
02:13 PM, 01/22/10
I just realized that I don't think my DVR recorded that movie when it was on. Does anyone know where it's available.
tomm250 says:
09:11 PM, 01/24/10
I agree threem, this car looks great. It's definitely the best looking of the new retro-looking muscle cars. I haven't driven any of them, but for sheer looks, this car is awesome.
rick8365 says:
03:39 AM, 01/25/10
Really like the car's exterior over all.....except the side mirrors. My eyes get stuck on them from almost any front/rear angle - they are way out there in the breeze, no? They look like some kind of antennae - would really like to see them much tighter to the side of the car.
heartland says:
05:22 AM, 01/25/10
The clutch feel you're experiencing is something we've all have had to go through. The "fly-by-wire" nature of cars today are not as noticable with automatic transmissions, but trying to synchronize the clutch and gas pedal on an manual car can be frustrating. It's inconsistant, which makes you feel as if you don't know what you're doing.
The good news is that it's fixable. A larger throttle body or a tuner will put you back in control and make every shift consistant.
Let the mods begin!
rick8365 says:
04:03 PM, 01/25/10
Ageed, heartland - I went through that when I got my '06 Frontier V6 6spd w/ DBW throttle. It took some time to get smooth again.