I bought my 07charger R/T with R/T option about a month ago with 2 miles on it. The car seemed a little sluggish, I remember reading here somewhere that the performance of the car really kicks in after 3k miles. so I figured it would get better after the 3k mark.......My car has 4,000 miles on it now and it still feels sluggish. I brought it to dodge a couple of times for other things. The tech ran a scan on the computer and said everything was good.
I notice the loss in performance after driving for 30 min or so. When I just start the car and get it going, it runs like a champ. After about 30 min's of driving, The shifting gets slower and sometimes winds out hard before engaging if I try to floor it. Also when I'm on the highway I set the cruise control. When I need to pass someone or feel like going a little faster, I try to accelerate and get a3-4 second delay before it kicks in and speeds up.
I can't figure out what the problem is. The only thing that I notice that sems out of the norm is the oil temp. When I check it it reads anywhere from 213 to 269 degrees. Excuse me for being a partial retard when it comes to cars but is the oil temp supposed to be that high?

Thanks for any help or advice,
Chris

 

That sounds like heat soak, any engine will run better when it's not heat soaked. Heat causes many things to change (i.e. tolarances will change as metal heats up alsofule can also be affected by heat, the list goes on...)

Some have opted to run a cooler thermostat (t-stat) that will help reduce heat soaking.

My stock t-stat was 203 degree. I changed it out for a 195 t-stat and then changed to a 180 degree t-stat. I haven't had issues related to the colder t-stat. Some run a 170 degree t-stat.

 

not sure why your running so hot but i recommend you buy the gsm motorsports oil cooler cost about 395 and propably cost about 100-200 for install will easily cut 40 degrees of engine temp.

 

I can see the 213 with a stock 203 t-stat. The 269 is a concern, I wonder if that was after stopping and starting up after it sat for a little while.

Either way, it'sheat soak…

 

I live in NYC. Every morning I get up, it has been around 11 degrees give or take. I usually start the car and let it warm up. WhenI get in the car after warming up I notice the temp around 195. as I start driving it goes into the 210+ range. I go 5 blocks and get onto the highway.I drive 56 miles to work every day one way. By the end of my trip the temp is around 230ish. A few times It has gotten to 269.
I set cruise control at 65-70 for 80% of the trip ( sometimesI have to pass the cars thatwant to drive side by side and have a slow race).

Being that it's heat soak, Is that the reason I'm getting the sluggish responce when hitting the gas?
If so, does my warranty cover this problem? I'm not sure whyI have to spend $395.00 +$100.00 - $200.00to not have this problem on a brand new car.

Thanks for the replies,
Chris

 

That is probably why it's sluggish. You'll find heat soak an issue in almost any car, new & old.

Not sure where all those figures came from, a t-stat is less than $10 and takes 5-10 minutes to install.

<edit> remember the exhause manifolds on ourcars reach very hightempatures. By the time you slow down to pull into parking and finally park there is heat build up.

I'll have to monitor mine onmy normal drive to workand will report back what my temps run, start to finish.

 

Thanks MangoInTX,

I understand the fact that cars get hot. I monitor the oil temp while driving. I dont just check when I slow down or come to stops. If all I need to fix the problem is a new T-stat then I'm not to worried about it being sluggish. I though it was something major and the dealer was just trying to pass it off as nothing. They seem to be good people and take care of me whenever I bring in my car.
Thanks for the help, It puts my mind at ease knowing it's nothing critical.

The figures were in response to TopBanna3767. I assumed he meant $395.00 / $100.00 - $200.00 and not $3.95 $1.00 - $2.00 .

 

Oh, I see where they came from, my bad for not reading the entire thread prior to responding. If you going to beef up beyond normal stuff (like CAI, headers, heads, cam)it's probably a good idea to look into a oil andalso atransmission cooler.Heat isn't our friend

 

I checked the water temperature towards the end of my commute home. It’s all of 25 miles but varies from 45 to 90 minutes depending on stop-n-go traffic.

The water temperature ran a steady 212 spiking at 215, that’s w/a 180 degree t-stat. I didn’t look for oil temp, but will get that reading next time.

 

if its 11 degrees out and your car is overheating like that, sounds like you have a bad t-stat. Get a new on try that then go from there.