Our Instructors push the Dodge SRT Challenger and Charger to their limits

TSVDI has been and is still working with the Richard Petty Experience (RPE) conducting Ride and Drive programs for the Police Packaged Dodge Charger throughout the US. Through our association with RPE our instructors, Janine, Larry and Dean had the opportunity to push the Dodge SRT Challenger and Charger to its limits on our road course at our home training facility in New Jersey. (Brief bio’s at the end of the article)

The three instructors spend a lot of time behind the wheel of various types of vehicles, but seldom get to push a 392 HP car to its limits. Because of their in depth knowledge of Vehicle Dynamics and better yet their ability to communicate how a car responds to a drivers input (it’s what they do for a living), I thought it would be a good exercises to ask them to act as “automotive writers” (minus the attitude) and express their thoughts on the vehicles performance.

Here’s what they had to say

Janine – I had a great opportunity recently to drive the new Dodge Challenger SRT. My expectations were exceeded! I had never driven a car with that size engine or that much horse power before. I spent the first few laps listening and feeling the vehicles feedback. After that I was off. The car responded to my inputs without hesitation. When I hit the gas pedal that car took off. I was able to get the car up to some pretty high speeds in one of the straight a ways and practiced late braking into the corner, no problem; again the car took what I dished out. It was a blast to drive. I love the whole look of the car as well. Thanks again to the SRT gang for the opportunity. Hope I get to do it again sometime.

Dean – While instructing our 3 day course at Englishtown Raceway I had the opportunity and privilege to slip away with the Dodge SRT Team for a little side action… and action it was.  I got to take out the new Dodge SRT Charger and SRT Challenger for a ride on the road course.  It was pure American Horsepower personified.  The  Charger was modernly sleek with a smooth responsive feel and when your foot decided it was time to get up and go, it had more than enough power to dish out.  Cornering with the Charger was aggressive, but smooth, with outstanding responsiveness from the steering.  The Challenger was pure raw old school rage tempered with the modern technology they could only dream about in the 1970’s.  Acceleration and a sturdy feel engulf you as you get on the accelerator you’re instantly  forced back in your seat and you would swear you were on a crotch rocket if not for the chassis around you.  With the advanced traction control system on, an 18 year old could drive it.  With the traction control off, you’re riding a raging bull that may surprise you how quickly it gives you what you ask for in regards to putting the pedal to the metal.  The brakes on both vehicles were absolutely unbelievable; stopping on a dime is an understatement.  My only wish is that when I “borrowed” my brother’s 1970’s Challenger in 1990, it would have run and handled this well…      

Larry – Had a lot of fun driving the SRT charger and challenger, also drove the police pursuit package charger with hemi and the 6 cylinder. I’ll start with the pursuit package hemi, the power is impressive for a heavy stock vehicle, braking was great with the larger brakes, and the handling is also very responsive and with the stability control on I could not get the car to oversteer. The 6 cylinder is much faster than I would have thought it to be for a heavy vehicle. The SRT charger is also very quick, handles very well and the braking is also very impressive. The new 392 challenger is a beautiful looking car that is very fast handles wonderful and brakes great, not to mention that if the stability control is off you can get the car to over steer in a corner just by thinking about it. Just to mention again if the stability control is on the high setting you can’t get the car to oversteer in a corner, it is a great system for the lesser trained driver. I believe that the stability control on the pursuit package can’t be turn off, but I’m not sure.

Keep in mind the background of these instructors

Janine – Janine was a driver training instructor at the Secret Service Training Facility in Beltsville MD. Like Dean she has had to get into an unfamiliar vehicle and find its limits, a good example is her familiarity with armored cars, which can be ill handling beasts that can surprise the driver at a time when the drivers surprise basket is filled. Same thing – she has to find the limit and communicate it to the student.

Dean – Dean has travelled the globe conducting training programs in vehicles that he has never seen and has a hard time pronouncing. Before he pushes students to the limit in these vehicles, Dean has to drive them and figure out what the limit is. If he does not do that – bad things happen.

Larry – For eight years Larry was the lead test driver for the Army Evaluation Center (AEC) at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. If it has wheels at some point in time Larry has tested it, and has tried his best to destroy it.