Hey everyone. I recently purchased a 2010 Dodge Challenger r/t. It is bone stock. What performance parts can I purchase, to make this thing a beast? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
The internet is your friend. A quick search found this site.
I notice you didn’t post which engine or anything else the car has nor what you’d consider the “beast” to be. Hard to suggest what to add when we don’t know what you want. A fast 1/4 mile drag car? A car that turns and stops very well? A great looking car? Plan what you want, and search this and other catalogs for what you’d need to reach “beast” and set aside lots of money.
These cars are really heavy so any additional horsepower will require better brakes. Superchargers are wonderful until you need to haul that 4200 lbs down from 140 mph. And NEVER, EVER on public streets! Take it to the track!
Consider this though, most any performance mod you’d like to make may make the car more difficult to live with, shorten its life, make it harder to trade or sell, and consume more gas. As long as you understand this, go for it. The only limit is your budget.
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The R/T model has the 5.7L Hemi, That was the only engine option for that trim level. Parts for the Challenger seem to be noticeably more expensive than comparable parts are for Mustangs
What’s your budget? Will it be inspected?
Yes, it is a 5.7ltr v-8. I don’t know why I left that out. Lol. Anyhow, im probably looking at 5000 budget and it will probably be done at a dodge dealer. I recently got the recall notice for the airbags. So when I take it in, I am going to talk with someone at the service desk about upgrades. I was thinking exhaust work, cold air intake, and maybe new heads? Little more horse, with more snort?
So?
Do you have a place where you can legally drive this vehicle after the upgrades?
Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money and creating a ticket magnet.
Tester
Sounds like the Scat Pack stage 1, CAI, cat back exhaust, and ECU mods (without the heads). Major mods (heads, cam) are typically not road-legal, so I doubt a dealer would put them in a road car.
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aka service writers. They have minimal technical experience. They typically cannot change the oil on a car. So asking them about performance upgrades… better off asking someone on the street.
That is pretty much a waste of time.
Most of the things you might want are going to be farmed out by the dealer and you will spend extra money.
Find a local speed shop for engine modification and a performance muffler shop.
And when you are done if you are not doing track days or weekend 1/4 mile runs you will never get the benefit of the money you spent.
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I installed headers and complete exhaust system on R/T cars when I worked at a Dodge dealer, we didn’t send this work out to the competition.
I also installed exhaust brakes on diesel trucks, goose neck hitches, DVD systems, cab lights and many more accessories. Most of the accessory work was done in-house, technicians get paid for labor, no reason to share this work with other shops.
For that kind of money at the dealer, you could probably get a really good set of tires and a racing stripe.
Your budget pretty much eliminates the heads. They are $1300 a pair and really not useful for a mild build as they require a lot more parts to complement the extra airflow. The Cold air intake is cheap, $300 or so for the parts, but adds little to the power even with a revised engine “tune”. A cat back exhaust will not add much power but it will sound “better”. Better being relative to your ears. Headers will help 10 to 15% but only if a revised engine “tune” or calibration is installed. So a CAI, headers, cat-back exhaust and a tune will pretty much use up your $5000 for maybe 40-50 hp difference. If you can afford a cam and valve spring change, that can add another 50-75 hp. To you it will “feel” faster because it makes more intake and exhaust noise but these changes can get you 75 hp or so.
The rub is; Will it pass (or must it pass) local emission testing? Buying parts that are EPA tested as a package could solve this problem. Ford has such packages as has GM. Not sure about Chrysler for this engine.
If you want serious bang for your buck, change the rear axle ratio. About $2000 give or take. A 4:10 gear and a good set of tires will make this big girl launch like a drag car. The engine remains stock but the car will accelerate faster in every gear. The calibration for the ratio just needs to be changed so the speedo reads correctly. You will lose some mpg’s but Oh, well… compromises!