Two questions regarding my Charger SRT8:

1.) To maintain the warranty, am I required to have it serviced (i.e. oil changes) at the Dodge dealership? I'd prefer to change the oil myself and just keep a maintenance log.

2.) My 6.1 seems to run hot, about 220+ deg. at times. Is this normal? If so, can I install a cooler thermostat without changing the computer?


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1) Is no

Thanks! When I bought the car the dealership said I did.

Re:
1) As long as your SRT8 is maintained per the recommendations in your owners manual & service log, your warantee status should be fine. It would be a real good idea to use your service log to keep a record of your service & keep applicable receipts in case DaimlerChrysler is looking for a way out of honoring the warrantee at some time in the future.

2) Both the oil temp & the coolant temp seem to stay right around 220 deg when my SRT8 is fully warmed up. Unless you have a specific reason that you want temps in someother range, I recommend sticking with the way the designers intended.

Denny

I found a simple way to make the engine run cooler. Install an Airaid cold air intake kit. My engine temps dropped by about 15 degress just with that. And you get the add horsepower just becuase the car breaths better.

Great, thanks!

I agree with Denny. I read a post where someone asked one of the SRT8 engineers why the 6.1 runs so hot, and they replied that the engine is designed to run at 215 deg, so I wouldn't mess with that. Mine also runs between 205-220, and I live in the NV desert. Also, I put a K&N CAI on it. It definitely made a difference in throttle response and sound, but the car doesn't run any cooler.

Any CAI kit will allow the car to run cooler, I just happen to use the Air-Raid kit. Instead of running that cool air over the engine itgoes into the engine. Now I'm talking a CSRT8, not a magnum. More cold air in the cooler the engine runs, just a fact of physics. And if it happens to be raining, wow I get water cooling too.

Jet performance recommends a 180 degree thermostate if you install a stage 2 module.

Not really. That's why there's a thermostat. If you make a change (like running without a hood in the rain) thatprovides more engine cooling, the thermostat will just close a little to keep the coolant temp at the same place.