DDSRT - Random Questions

[24SRT84]

Hey everybody,

I've had a bunch of random things pop up in my mind and maybe this would be better broken out into multiple threads.

1) Engine Break-in: I've always been told that engine break-in isn't a thing anymore. I was reading the manual and it does have an engine break-in period. I can guarantee that I haven't followed it. Can I cause permanent damage? I'm only at 490 miles on the odo.

2) Oil Life Monitor: At 490 miles, I have 92% oil life remaining. So that would mean I would be at 6,125 miles when I need the first oil change. Is that accurate, should I have it changed more often?

3) Paddle Shifters: Is there a quick way to go back to "Auto" when using the paddle shifters? I was using them the other day and the only way I could think to accomplish this was to move the stick shift into manual and then back to Drive.

4) Drive Modes: Who has find the perfect daily set up? You can create a custom drive mode, but I would rather it be the default. If I'm not mistaken you can also customize Auto mode?
I spent 2 hours driving to and from the airport last night. I live outside of Dallas, and everything set to street, I kind of felt like I was bouncing around a lot, and not feeling in control. I really like feeling connected to the road, like if I were to take a 20mph corner at 50, I could do it without breaking a sweat .

My thought is:
Steering: Sport
Suspension: Sport
Transmission: Street
Other Settings: ???

What is the best way to feel like you have the most traction? I also realize that there are ways to customize how the transmission shifts between each gear, but that is way too advanced for me unless someone can tell me the exact set-up.

Thanks

Jared

 

[SilverBillet]

I’m sure you’re ok on the breakin. It’s recommended don’t drive in cruise control at a steady speed until after the first 500 but at this point you can drive it like you stole it!
6,000 is probably ok but I would change the oil at 2,000 and then every 5,000 miles. Don’t go by the oil life monitor. I never look at it.
Just hold the right paddle shifter + down for a few seconds and it will go back into regular drive. Pressing the left - shifter puts it into manual mode. Just clicking the right shifter will upshift it one at a time but holding it down will go back to regular drive mode

 

[24SRT84]

Just hold the right paddle shifter + down for a few seconds and it will go back into regular drive. Pressing the left - shifter puts it into manual mode. Just clicking the right shifter will upshift it one at a time but holding it down will go back to regular drive mode

Perfect! I was hoping it was something simple like that.

 

[1971demon]

Perfect! I was hoping it was something simple like that.

Perfect! I was hoping it was something simple like that.

Agree with SilverBillet on the oil change issue

 

[Jimmy N.]

These days the engine probably doesn't need much cuddling, but there are parts behind it that could use some.

You only get one chance at breaking in the gears correctly and judging by the somewhat common complaints about noisy diffs, few people do that correctly (not even taking into account how often the diffs are low on fluid). Same with bedding in the brakes.

Then the transmission and transfer case could benefit from being broken in somewhat gently.

Me? I trailer the vehicle home, put it on the lift to check fluid levels, install magnetic level plugs, and check fasteners, then the gear break-in can start, followed by the regular break-in after about 100 miles..

At 500 miles or so I change the engine oil and diff fluid(s) and can start driving the vehicle to its potential. Basically I treat them as if I'd keep them forever, even if that seldom happens.

 

[Hamsquatch]

Chiming in quick cause of limited time I have this am, and I hope to get back with some thoughts on the Performance Pages settings since I mess with em a lot in our SRT392.

But IMPORTANTLY wanted to comment, OP, per the owner's manual for these and to stay in warranty, oil is supposed to be changed the earlier of every six months or 6K miles. Personally I make a point to have the dealer do it each time, so it goes in the ole MOPAR maintenance history.

 

[24SRT84]

I’m sure you’re ok on the breakin. It’s recommended don’t drive in cruise control at a steady speed until after the first 500 but at this point you can drive it like you stole it!
6,000 is probably ok but I would change the oil at 2,000 and then every 5,000 miles. Don’t go by the oil life monitor. I never look at it.
Just hold the right paddle shifter + down for a few seconds and it will go back into regular drive. Pressing the left - shifter puts it into manual mode. Just clicking the right shifter will upshift it one at a time but holding it down will go back to regular drive mode

Thanks SilverBillet! I realized you also added a comment about the oil and break-in. I don't know how long it was sitting on the showroom either, I think it does make sense to do it sooner rather than later.

 

[24SRT84]

These days the engine probably doesn't need much cuddling, but there are parts behind it that could use some.

You only get one chance at breaking in the gears correctly and judging by the somewhat common complaints about noisy diffs, few people do that correctly (not even taking into account how often the diffs are low on fluid). Same with bedding in the brakes.

Then the transmission and transfer case could benefit from being broken in somewhat gently.

Me? I trailer the vehicle home, put it on the lift to check fluid levels, install magnetic level plugs, and check fasteners, then the gear break-in can start, followed by the regular break-in after about 100 miles..

At 500 miles or so I change the engine oil and diff fluid(s) and can start driving the vehicle to its potential. Basically I treat them as if I'd keep them forever, even if that seldom happens.

Thanks Jimmy! Is the oil change at 500 because you don't assume the dealer did it correctly? Or because it could have sat for awhile? I am realizing that given the price tag of the vehicle and that it is a performance "car", I want to have maintenance done either before schedule or more often.

I haven't driven it super hard, but I guess to put in perspective. I had both a 2022 Audi SQ7 (which was a lemon) and a 2022 Audi RS5, my brother had a 2016 Audi S5 and when I let him drive the RS5, he was doing things that I didn't think any car could do , and after that 15 minutes, it was never driven that way again.

 

[24SRT84]

Chiming in quick cause of limited time I have this am, and I hope to get back with some thoughts on the Performance Pages settings since I mess with em a lot in our SRT392.

But IMPORTANTLY wanted to comment, OP, per the owner's manual for these and to stay in warranty, oil is supposed to be changed the earlier of every six months or 6K miles. Personally I make a point to have the dealer do it each time, so it goes in the ole MOPAR maintenance history.

That is a great point! I have never lived close enough to a dealer to want to make that trek, but the CDRJ dealer I bought this from is 7 miles from my house. I'm going to let them do all the maintenance while the car is under warranty. I would love to do my own oil changes, but I would end up making a mess and then have to worry about disposing the fluids.

 

[Hamsquatch]

OP, I've sure played with our Performance Pages settings, and beyond periodically trying/running in the default settings for Sport, Track, etc., I've settled on our "Custom" setting, which I use most often, in which I have everything set to "Sport", except for the Traction and Steering.

Regarding traction, I'm just a super cautious dude, and I've been blessed to have already owned some Scat Packs, so I got the "burning rubber" thing outta my system with those LOL, and IMO Dodge has some of the very best traction control systems/software out there, so I always keep it in "Street" for the most safety possible. In our Scats, I got some of my very best 0-60 run times with traction in "Street", but of course YMMV. In my personal, biased opinion, keeping traction in "Street" has never ever made me feel like I'm cheating myself out of any true performance, and I find it amazing and a blessing how it can keep the beast so nicely controlled no matter when and where or at what speed I might floor it.

Regarding steering, I sure went back and forth with this a whole lot in our Scat Packs, and then in the DD. For me personally, unless we're driving twistys in the mountains, I personally find sport requires a little too much constant correction or maybe the better word is attention, and "Street" seems about perfect for the amount of input I like to need to constantly feed it (I confirm she's aligned well and in spec by the dealer). But I think I'm in the minority on this one too - it seems lots of folks prefer "Sport" or even "Track" for everyday driving, and that's fine too - Lord knows we're all different in what makes us tick.

What's super cool with the DD is we also have the AWD setting in the Performance Pages. I did a thread about that, but there was not much response. I keep it in the default position (whatever that is - maybe "auto"?), but I've experimented, and once when doing some dedicated 0-60 runs I was shocked at how almost-violent the acceleration was when I had it in 50/50. Although I can't find any clear info regarding potential downsides to running 50/50 all the time or often, I guess my gut tells me it might possibly - maybe - be stressing the transfer case a bit more, so I keep it in the default. But if I were ever to safely/legally race someone from a stop, I'd probably put the AWD back in 50/50, at least for a run to two outta curiosity.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Thanks Jimmy! Is the oil change at 500 because you don't assume the dealer did it correctly? Or because it could have sat for awhile?

My reason for the early (generally at 500-1,000 miles) fluid changes is to get the break-in crap out of there. Most all vehicles have somewhat dismal oil analysis results on their first oil, and the magnetic plugs can pick up quite a bit of ferrous particles in the beginning.

Dealers don't change the oil, and apparently don't even check the levels (maybe the engine oil?) on new vehicles, or I wouldn't find so many diffs with low levels.

Generally I order vehicles so they haven't been sitting for more than a day or two after arriving at the dealer. One that has been in dealer inventory for a while, maybe moved repeatedly and/or test driven, is a different story.

Oil doesn't go bad from the vehicle sitting, but not getting it fully warmed up after a start does hurt it. Ironically, that 6-month clock didn't start ticking until you signed the papers for the car, so a dealer doesn't have to change the oil even if it's a year or two old and has lots of cold starts on it.

I have never adhered to the 6-month rule. Instead I have changed fluids based on miles and usage, and it seems to work well. Case in point, our 6.2 Challengers generally get an annual oil change, right before going into hibernation. Well, I forgot all about them one year and it was within a day of two years on the oil in them. Low miles though, and always driven far enough to get the oil warm when started.

When the analysis results came back I had an expert look them over. That old oil would've good for another 3,000 miles or so he said. In our case, that'd been at least another year or two since we don't drive those cars much.

Warranty? Never worried about it, just keep the receipts and use log books. But taking my vehicle to a dealer would worry me. For example, when doing the simple oil change myself I know what oil goes into the engine, and that it's the correct amount.

 

[Hamsquatch]

Personally I agree with Jimmy N. that today's quality synthetics are not gonna go bad by sitting for a bit of time, and in general the earlier of 6mo/6K interval can be overkill in some or maybe many situations, and especially for folks that drive em infrequently and/or that are going to the trouble to get an oil analysis done for study.

However, IMHO we should also consider that with Scats and SRTs and HCs, they literally come with instruction/owner's manual supplements that have comments and detailed instructions regarding track use. They were thankfully built for some hard use, and I think their engineers and underwriters probably reasoned that potentially one might drive them infrequently but still have a random "track day", in which case that oil change is absolutely crucial even though the total miles driven since the last may be minimal.

Also personally - and this is just my opinion, and we all know the joke about opinions being like buttholes LOL - I strictly adhere to the manufacturer (or better) schedule to avoid any potential issues with the warranty. We were blessed to have been in a position to also get an extended MOPAR warranty on top of the new vehicle coverage, and I wanna make sure it's always painfully evident in the record that our beast has been properly maintained if, heaven forbid, we ever have an issue where the warranties will need to be used.

Also, and this is admittedly just silliness LOL based on "seat of the pants" feels and emotion - when we had our two Scat Packs, it was the same as with our DD - they were mostly garage queens and only driven on nice weather weekends. But every time I'd get that "still almost fresh" oil changed by the dealer at the 6mo interval, I swear they ran and accelerated stronger and with more smoothness after each change.

 

[READY GO]

Hey everybody,

I've had a bunch of random things pop up in my mind and maybe this would be better broken out into multiple threads.

1) Engine Break-in: I've always been told that engine break-in isn't a thing anymore. I was reading the manual and it does have an engine break-in period. I can guarantee that I haven't followed it. Can I cause permanent damage? I'm only at 490 miles on the odo.

2) Oil Life Monitor: At 490 miles, I have 92% oil life remaining. So that would mean I would be at 6,125 miles when I need the first oil change. Is that accurate, should I have it changed more often?

3) Paddle Shifters: Is there a quick way to go back to "Auto" when using the paddle shifters? I was using them the other day and the only way I could think to accomplish this was to move the stick shift into manual and then back to Drive.

4) Drive Modes: Who has find the perfect daily set up? You can create a custom drive mode, but I would rather it be the default. If I'm not mistaken you can also customize Auto mode?
I spent 2 hours driving to and from the airport last night. I live outside of Dallas, and everything set to street, I kind of felt like I was bouncing around a lot, and not feeling in control. I really like feeling connected to the road, like if I were to take a 20mph corner at 50, I could do it without breaking a sweat .

My thought is:
Steering: Sport
Suspension: Sport
Transmission: Street
Other Settings: ???

What is the best way to feel like you have the most traction? I also realize that there are ways to customize how the transmission shifts between each gear, but that is way too advanced for me unless someone can tell me the exact set-up.

Thanks

Jared

The only way to change the DEFAULT Drive Mode from "AUTO" at start up to "CUSTOM" (or any other Drive Mode) is with a Z-Automotive Tazer & Security Bypass..you can program "SrtDr" (Start Drive Mode) as part of the programming.
OR..just double tap the "SRT" Button on the switch stack and you'll go directly to Custom Drive Mode on the SRT Performance Page and that mode will be immediately loaded also.

 

[24SRT84]

I'm not sure if there is a way to tag multiple people in a reply.

I really appreciate the detailed advice everyone provided! I've never actively taken part in a forum before, so it's awesome to see how helpful everyone is. I'm odd in the sense that this is my daily driver, so it won't be sitting for long. I also wasn't planning on tracking it, but after reading about so many cool track experiences, I want to now .

I have had a back record of trading in cars too soon, so my plan is to keep this DD for at least 7 years, or longer since these won't exist in 7 years. I want to make sure that it is meticulously maintained and babied at the same time. It sounds like I should start getting comfortable checking different fluids to make sure whoever (me, dealer, mechanic) does the maintenance, does it correctly.

I'm a lower mileage driver in the sense that in the last 4 years, I've driven between 6k-8k miles. But certainly not 1,000 to 3,000 miles a year.

I've never changed diff fluid before, so I will get that checked ASAP.

Thanks again, SilverBillet, 1971demon, Jimmy N., Hamsquatch, and READY GO!! If I forgot anyone I apologize! Y'all are a great group

 

[Jimmy N.]

They were thankfully built for some hard use, and I think their engineers and underwriters probably reasoned that potentially one might drive them infrequently but still have a random "track day", in which case that oil change is absolutely crucial even though the total miles driven since the last may be minimal..

I'm pretty sure that the 6-month rule is aimed primarily at people that don't take their car to the track. Those owners are most likely aware of that the oil can take a beating from hard use.

In contrast, the owners who drive a few miles to a car show once a week, maybe cold start the car at home for friends to admire the sounds, or even (gulp) fire it up several times during the winter "to charge the battery" or "keep things lubed" are likely the ones that Dodge had in mind when recommending a 6-month oil change.

Above I posted that I change oil based on miles and usage, not time. The one 6.2 that does get driven enough to approach 6,000 miles within a year or so is my girlfriend's TRX. That one is not driven hard, so I'm fine with going 5,000 to 6,000 on that one.

More importantly, it's rare that any of our vehicles gets driven less than 150 or so miles once fired up, so the oil tends to get warmed up properly. With the exception of my 'Cat. Its oil cooler is simply too effective for this climate and I often end a drive with gaining nearly 3,000 feet on a nearby twisty road. That does the job.

One time I ended up in stop and go traffic and noticed that it also does the job. The job I really should do is make a cover for the oil cooler. Time on oil? Meh. But I do my best to get it warm, which should keep the engine happy.

 

[Jimmy N.]

I'm a lower mileage driver in the sense that in the last 4 years, I've driven between 6k-8k miles. But certainly not 1,000 to 3,000 miles a year.

I've never changed diff fluid before, so I will get that checked ASAP.

Order up some magnetic level plugs (I have been using Votex from Amazon) so you can put them in when checking the levels and/or changing the fluid. Oh, and on the positive side, my '23 Durango 6.2 was the only vehicle out of quite a few over the years that actually had correct fluid levels as delivered.

I also don't drive much. On the other hand I can put 1,000 to 3,000 miles on my Ram 3500 in one trip. It's always towing something, so the oil does get warm. And then it can sit for some six months before getting used again.

Lastly, I hope your drive to work is long, and uphill both ways.