[tsk1979]

Thats some serious mileage. When I rented the mustang(with a huge anaemic 210bhp engine) she gate low 20s, and the Jeep liberty gave me 16mpg.
The regulars gave 30-35mpg.
At 26mpg highway, I guess this V8 is indeed a sipper!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

At 26mpg highway, I guess this V8 is indeed a sipper!

Well, this reading was from the EVIC display, which I am told is not 100% accurate. But I did have cruise control on most of the way and the car was in ECO mode for 95% of the time.

On an unrelated note, I found the traffic in Canada a bit more chaotic than in US. That could be because i was closer to Toronto and all metropolitan areas have similar traffic patterns.

One thing i did find a bit discomforting was that there were hardly any signal with dedicated green lights for left turns!! You had to yield to oncoming traffic on green and then only make a left turn. Such intersections are present in US too but in Canada they are almost everywhere!

[VLOCT]

Great to hear that you're enjoying the car. Excellent mileage for such a behemoth.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by amitoj

On an unrelated note, I found the traffic in Canada a bit more chaotic than in US. That could be because i was closer to Toronto and all metropolitan areas have similar traffic patterns.

One thing i did find a bit discomforting was that there were hardly any signal with dedicated green lights for left turns!! You had to yield to oncoming traffic on green and then only make a left turn. Such intersections are present in US too but in Canada they are almost everywhere!

Heh! What else do you expect when you have drivers from all over the world? Everyone has their own interpretation of what goes and what doesn't. There's a reason Brampton and Mississauga have more than their fair share of bad drivers.

There are three kinds of lights over here:
1. Proper left turn arrow
2. A flashing advance green - kindda like the arrow but done without a dedicated light.
3. Simple green - the case you mentioned.

Most of the smaller intersections have the simple green.

[amitoj]

Got to test the Charger's All Wheel Drive today when i drove 100 miles in rain and snow. The car stuck to its path as if it was on rails!!
Mileage took a hit though and i got only 20 mpg. No complaints though. I'd rather lose a few mpg's than risk a few limbs!

[Porschefire]

Hi amitoj!!! The first time i met you was during a TBhp meet back in 2011.You were with your smoking hot OHC then!!!We'd also exchanged pleasantries a couple of times on Bannerghatta Road during our normal office runs.
Today,i open this thread and i am shocked to see u in the US with the even smokier and hotter Dodge Charger!!!I was like what the......(i've no idea how i've missed this thread)!!!!

It looks fantastic!!!Kudos and hoping that you'll post more pics for people like us to ogle at!!!

A couple of questions though. Did you or did you not include the Mustang and the Camaro in your wish list???If yes,then what made you choose this over the other two?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

A couple of questions though. Did you or did you not include the Mustang and the Camaro in your wish list???If yes,then what made you choose this over the other two?

Hi Abhi! Thanks for dropping by in this thread!

Well, the reason I did not consider Stang or Camaro was that i needed a full sized sedan since i needed to put two child seats at the back! Charger ticked all the right boxes, and it came with AWD option to boot.

[Janjua]

Super-ride Amitoj. Congratulations. Great choice. I feel Dodge Charger is the smartest car on American roads. Enjoy!

[amitoj]

I guess I should have updated this thread with the two minor mods that I have done to the car.
1. I've replaced the stock air intake with a short ram air intake, called Frankentake IV from LegMaker Intakes. The manufacturer of this intake calls it a cold air intake because it has a carbon fiber construction. Well, I dont know whether that qualifies it for a CAI or not, so I still call it a short ram intake. The intake growl is certainly deeper though and addictive. The whole installation took less than 30 minutes. I was a bit worried about getting the IAT sensor out of the stock tube but it turned out to be a piece of cake in the end. This was my first DIY mod ever and that's what I was more happy about!


2. I got myself a tuner called Trinity, from Diablosport. It takes a back up of the original factory tune and lets you install one of its canned tunes. I have right now put in a tune called 93Octane tune, which as per the manufacturer, is supposed to give you a gain of 15bhp. I dont know about that but the low end response of the car has immensely improved. I have changed a couple of other parameters too, for example increased shift firmness and very slightly increased fuel percentage at WOT. The full potential of this tool will only be realized if i go for some serious modifications that require a custom tune to be installed, after proper logging etc. Maybe that day will come some day!!


Anyway, end result is that every time i approach a traffic light, I pray with all my might that it turns red by the time i get there

[F150]

Fantastic looking car. The tail lights are awesome.

I think the same car is also seen as trooper car.

It is kinda funny when people talk or inquire about FE of this monster, come on its a 5.7L V8. Just have fun !!

Congratulations and Drive Safe !!

[amitoj]

Thanks F150.

And yes, it is a trooper car too in many counties. As a result, the Charger forums have quite a few LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers) on them and they are quite active. In fact, one guy even has a thread where you can ask him any question related to traffic laws, violations, getting pulled over etc and he answers quite honestly. That was an eye opener thread for me.

[amitoj]

I attended a track day organized by a club called Hooked On Driving at the New Jersey Motor Park on 12th April. Since i had signed up as a beginner, i had a coach assigned to me for all the sessions. There were supposed to be 5 30 minute sessions on the track but had to stop after 3 because there was too much standing water on the track. But the first three sessions were enough to give me a better understanding of my car's handling and the track as well.

Here is a layout of the track:


The club was quite strict about not having a spin out. Even if you put two wheels on the grass, you will get black flagged! Throughout the event i did not see a single spin out, although there were a couple of casualties.

Anyway, here are a few pics of the cars down the straight. Couldnt really go anywhere else for the shots because it was pouring all the time:










There were quite a few other cars too at the track including Porsches, Corvettes, an Evo, a Honda Odyssey minivan (!!), Mustangs, Nissan 350Z, BMW M3.

Few shots of some other cars resting:







The M3 above was imported from Germany.

And a couple of cars that were pushed over the limit:




Both the cars were purpose built for the track. They had roll cages, racing seats etc etc. And in both the cases, the ambulance was on the scene in no time. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries to the drivers.

As for my car, it did ok for its size, crappy OEM tires that had 14K miles on them and stock suspension. The traction control light came on a couple of times when i tried to put the power down a bit too fast. But by third session i had a better understanding of my car and the track. The instructor was mostly quiet in the third session because i was doing better than i had in the first two sessions.

And now i am on the lookout for events closer home than NJMP! I might start going to local Autocross events (but maybe my wife's Ford Focus would be a better car to take there). The New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts Autocross too.

That's it for now though.

[VLOCT]

Great going, Amitoj. These things are real eye openers into the skill of driving and the pleasure.

Not for cars like Camry's, Accords and such Desi favourites though, without some mods if, the owner wants their cars to last. 5 30-minutes sessions on such cars can put some serious wear and tear on them.

[amitoj]

Thanks VLOCT.

I am seriously considering participating in autocross. But i am thinking of entering it with the Ford Focus instead of Charger, for two reasons:
1. Focus is lighter and seems more nimble.
2. Charger's horsepower is useless for Autocross.
3. Its cheaper to find tires for Focus than for Charger. Charger has 235/55 R19 tires. First of all there is not much choice in those tires. And secondly, a set of 4 of those will set me back by nearly a grand!!

As a beginner, it probably wont matter what car i drive because my skill level will be way below the car's ability anyway.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by amitoj

As a beginner, it probably wont matter what car i drive because my skill level will be way below the car's ability anyway.

don't you worry! remember driving on 'em Bangalore roads and you'll be just fine