Dodge Charger SRT8 or Shelby GT500 - which one

[lenandsons]

Guys

I am moving to Canada next year and already trying to source a replacement for my M3. As it needs to have at least 4 seats and will be used primarily in the summer, can anyone give their impressions of the above cars, pro's, cons etc.

Many Thanks

[Twin Turbo]

The Charger is probably the more spacious inside....and it has a great 6.1 litre V8. Or you might consider one of these as it's due next year

[Joe Rotax]

Maybe post a message in the Meet and Greet Section of the following site: www.forums.tfbm.org

It's an f-body club in Toronto and many of the members have recently been comparing the various sedans on offer; a few have bought Dodge Magnums and seem quite pleased so far.

Edited by Joe Rotax on Wednesday 6th June 21:37

[V1PER]

That new Challenger is Stunning............

[[OcUK]Gibbo]

Hi there


If your gonna get a Mustang don't bother with the Shelby unless handling is not important to you. The Shelby is overpriced and overweight. The Roush and Saleen are much better alternatives for the same money.

[lenandsons]

Thanks for the answers all. On the handling front what after market bits are there for the Shelby ? I am a fiddler when it comes to cars so mt M3 was not standard for long brakes were uprated to AP's suspension was with Eiback anti sway bars and KW3 coilovers, engine neded up with re-map, CIA, Cams etc. I have seen a few palces offering remaps on the Charger and uprated exhausts for the Shelby. I have to admit, did not know about the Challenger, it does look like a good piece of kit though, more decisions to be made.

[[OcUK]Gibbo]

lenandsons said:

Thanks for the answers all. On the handling front what after market bits are there for the Shelby ? I am a fiddler when it comes to cars so mt M3 was not standard for long brakes were uprated to AP's suspension was with Eiback anti sway bars and KW3 coilovers, engine neded up with re-map, CIA, Cams etc. I have seen a few palces offering remaps on the Charger and uprated exhausts for the Shelby. I have to admit, did not know about the Challenger, it does look like a good piece of kit though, more decisions to be made.

Hi there

The problem is the Shelby has a huge issue that you cannot remdedy easily and thats the fact is far too heavy. It weighs 1800kg. A standard Mustang GT V8 weighs 1550kg.

If you want a car thats already modified with huge power, sublime handling then take a look at my Saleen Mustang.
Thats got 530BHP, weighs just over 1500kg and has a whole host of Steeda handling goodies. Put it this way I've driven M3 and the Saleen with its mods corners better and handles very neutral and balanced.

My recommendation is if you like modding then get a Mustang GT, fit supercharger, change out the suspension and upgrade the brakes and the result will be a rather amazing bit of kit.

Only good thing about the Shelby is the engine is extremely tunable to the region of 800BHP on stock internals due it been an iron block just unfortunately it also adds a lot of weight making the car heavy on the front-end.

My Saleen for sale:-
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/177491.htm

Edited by [OcUK]Gibbo on Thursday 7th June 15:00

[lenandsons]

Man there is a lot I need to get to grips with as far as American muscle goes. I suppose part of me wants to own a Shelby based on history (427 Cobra, Daytona Coupe etc ) Is there anyway of adding lightness to the Shelby eg carbon bonnet/wings etc ? I will definately look at the Saleen website and see what is on offer, however if I am buying an fatermarket tuned car and then still have to mod it, I will not be overly happy.

[[OcUK]Gibbo]

lenandsons said:

Man there is a lot I need to get to grips with as far as American muscle goes. I suppose part of me wants to own a Shelby based on history (427 Cobra, Daytona Coupe etc ) Is there anyway of adding lightness to the Shelby eg carbon bonnet/wings etc ? I will definately look at the Saleen website and see what is on offer, however if I am buying an fatermarket tuned car and then still have to mod it, I will not be overly happy.

Hi there

Depends what you want, problem is with the Shelby is that cast iron engine, which weighs 200lbs more than the 4.6 ALU unit.

A standard Saleen or Roush both handle far far better than the Shelby GT500, mainly because they weigh less and have better suspension setup. On a race track a Saleen or Roush in stock form will handle/corner just as well as a modern M3. On the road the live axle on the Mustang is easier to upset with uneven surfaces wheras an M3 would just absorb such things more, but still a Roush or Saleen in stock trim with around 330BHP will keep with an M3 on back roads any day.

I've only modded mine further because I am crazy, my car is the equivalent to the Saleen Extreme edition now, accept mine still has better handling from the Steeda components I have. The Mustang is a platform that was built cheaply but designed heavily with modding in mind and hence why they are so tunable in all areas.

[Twin Turbo]

lenandsons said:

Man there is a lot I need to get to grips with as far as American muscle goes. I suppose part of me wants to own a Shelby based on history (427 Cobra, Daytona Coupe etc ) Is there anyway of adding lightness to the Shelby eg carbon bonnet/wings etc ? I will definately look at the Saleen website and see what is on offer, however if I am buying an fatermarket tuned car and then still have to mod it, I will not be overly happy.

If you really still want a Shelby badge, but not the heavy old GT500 engine, you could always got for a Shelby GT. This is a mildly tuned standard GT with a cold air intake, lowered suspension and performance exhaust. There would be LOADS of ways to modify this and possibly still cost less than the GT500 even after all your mods.

[LuS1fer]

History my ass. The Shelby is an SVT developed car with a Shelby badge on it. It is a cynical, cynical marketing exercise and nothing more than a demeaning of the badge just like Ford did with Ghia. As has been said, the Shelby looks great but is a bit of a pudding. Having said that, it's no heavier than the porky old Charger but that's just an old Mercedes underneath.

We're coming up to a key change year in 2008/9 with the almost certain restyling of the Mustang with the possibility of a new 5.0 engine to meet the challenge of the Challenger (likely to still be overweight) and the new Camaro which should finally take the fight to the Mustang with retro styling, 5.3, 5.7, 6.0 and even the 7.0 LS7 engines available to be inserted into a car which will have IRS and should have great handling.

At worst, this will drive down the prices of the old models and inflate the premiums that US dealers like to charge for new models until they come on stream.

I think I know which one I'm waiting for:

[lenandsons]

OK so much for the Shelby. Thanks for all the feedback guys. Does anyone have any pro's or cons regarding the Charger SRT8 ? To me it makes sense as it has 4 doors and with a jnr on the way it will make life a little easier, that said when my first ankle snapper came along, I was driving an E30 Alpina coupe and didn't have to many issues apart from boot space.

[Twin Turbo]

I've not yet seen a (new) Charger in the UK, but I like what I see in the pictures. As it shares most of it's bits with the Chrysler 300c, I guess it's going to drive very much the same. Oh, and it'll be auto only.....no manuals yet. That's probably one of the reasons the Dodge Challenger isn't on the steets yet, as they need to develop a manual 'box for it.

At the end of the day, if it floats your boat, go for it.



I'm a sucker for bling rims too

Edited by Twin Turbo on Thursday 21st June 15:48

[lenandsons]

Well looks like the decision has been made for me, it is the Charger SRT8. The wife has put her 2 cents in and made the point that with a baby on the way, the 4 doors makes a whole lot of sense. Going to try to set up a test drive next time I am in Canada.

Thanks for all the info and assistance guys

[qube_TA]

Only seen one Charger SRT8 on the road so far, looked totally badass, the pictures don't do it justice.

Get one.

[Twin Turbo]

lenandsons said:

Well looks like the decision has been made for me, it is the Charger SRT8. The wife has put her 2 cents in and made the point that with a baby on the way, the 4 doors makes a whole lot of sense. Going to try to set up a test drive next time I am in Canada.

Thanks for all the info and assistance guys

Don't forget to show us some pictures when you finally get one

[RR Cerbera]

For me it would be the Charger SRT8 every time. Whenever I'm in the USA on business I make a point of visiting a Dodge dealer just to drool. Static or on the move they look stunning from any angle.

Unfortunately, according to my local dealer, there are no plans to bring the Charger to the UK and I can't contemplate driving a left-hooker as my every day car. Is there anybody in the UK who does RHD conversions?

[qube_TA]

RR Cerbera said:

For me it would be the Charger SRT8 every time. Whenever I'm in the USA on business I make a point of visiting a Dodge dealer just to drool. Static or on the move they look stunning from any angle.

Unfortunately, according to my local dealer, there are no plans to bring the Charger to the UK and I can't contemplate driving a left-hooker as my every day car. Is there anybody in the UK who does RHD conversions?

RHD conversions are always nasty.

[LuS1fer]

How about a computer that looks like a Charger?
http://pcrides.com/Dodge-Charger.aspx

[Twin Turbo]

LuS1fer said:

How about a computer that looks like a Charger?
http://pcrides.com/Dodge-Charger.aspx

I bet it's got a lot of RAM.