Speed

[Charger1970]

Who's the Charger speed king around here? What is the fastest you've driven your Charger?

I have had mine only a little over 105 MPH.

[Telvis]

Mine made it up to about 50mph without and engine,,,,,,,it was being pulled by my pickup truck.

[Dodge-Charger]

I have a flat guage with 120 on it and the neddle is stuck under the brake light.    So I dont know how fast I had it.

[Johnny SixPack]

Made it to 115 one night in my "70 6-pack Charger.

It was more than willing to keep going, but I wasn't.


Johnny

[Wakko]

What gear ratio?  115 seems like the RPMs would be screamin with anything over a 3.23.

[Johnny SixPack]

What gear ratio?   115 seems like the RPMs would be screamin with anything over a 3.23.

Wakko, it's a 3:23 car.


Johnny

[BigBlockSam]

i did about 100mph. she felt very stable but i ran out of road.  Rene

[tomonty]

I got 3.55's and I had mine doing 110 -115....didn't feel like going any faster than that; Had more to go though if I had more road. Mind you this was on a vacant blacktop country road where there was a straight stretch for a while. I don't advocate driiving that fast....

[Charger_Fan]

Years ago I had mine at an indicated 115-ish. My little 318 didn't have much left.

[JimShine]

I have had my 318 up to 90 on the highway. Still had plenty of pedal left and the car didn't seem to be taxed very hard.

[Charger4404spd]

Back in '85, I had my first Charger to 135! Scared the hell outa me and my friend shit on himself. Theres too much traffic today to do that.

[ChargerRob]

I hit 95 then my speedo went crazy and started jumping around. That was enough for me.

[dart3404]

105 in my Dart. 

[Charger1970]

Back in '85, I had my first Charger to 135! Scared the hell outa me and my friend shit on himself.

[andy74]

i had 130 showing on the speedo,long stretch of smooth road,72 charger,440 /727/2.94s-i ran out of balls before she did!

[69_se_ron]

What is the fastest you've driven your Charger?

Two Tennessee state troopers asked me the same question back in the 80's.   I was coming out of a market and they were standing by my Charger, I was thinking "Oh crap, what now?".   I asked them if something was wrong and they said no, they just wanted to check out my car.   When they asked me how fast I had ever driven it, I just told 'em sarcastically "55 miles per hour, officer".    
They laughed like hell.

[my73charger]

Yep,

I had mine up to 135mph on a long quite straight stretch of road.  That was before I put the 410 gears in though.  I had 276 with that run.

[Charger_Fan]

Back in '85, I had my first Charger to 135! Scared the hell outa me and my friend shit on himself. Theres too much traffic today to do that.

I had one of my friends screaming that we were gonna die one night.
We were in my truck on a new stretch of freeway one night that wasn't really open for use yet. We were going WELL over 100, when up ahead...barricades!! The pavement ended & dropped off about 3 feet down into dirt. It was dark & the headlights didn't light up anything beyond the dropoff, so we couldn't see what kind of fate awaited us.
I was standing on the brake pedal (4-wheel drums) & downshifting like mad...there was an opening in the barricades just large enough to slip through, where we dropped off into sand & gravel, then slid to a stop next to a mound of gravel.

My friend opened the door & fell on the ground tanking God that we were alive.
I was scared, but not THAT scared...he thought we were dead...I kinda felt bad.

[Ghoste]

The current one has been to 115.  One of my former Chargers I figure was up to around 130ish.  It would bury the needle but there is absolutely no question that it was speedo error.  Gearing, rpm, and tire size wouldn't have allowed even if the car had been stable enough to go that fast.  I can think of three times that it indicated 150 and it was frightening to the people in the car with me even if I knew it was a false reading.  130 was plenty scary enough, thanks.

[8WHEELER]

Hit 150mph 3x with my 440 in my 68 Charger with 2.94's and bias ply tires    yes my valves
were floating. Then in 1981 I got nailed for 140+ in a 35mph zone = last speeding ticket I ever got. 

Dan

[Ghoste]

140 IN A 35!!!!   
I can't believe they didn't ground you for a year.

[8WHEELER]

They arrested my but at gun point, the lawyer cost a grand and so did the ticket, never lost my license.

Dan

[Ghoste]

Wow.  You have more liberal laws than here.  In Ontario I'm sure you'd have even gotten a little time.

[Charger_Fan]

Wow, that's pretty lucky.
I never did get busted for massive speed, instead I got it for lots of other stupid things. The guy at the court building knew me by name.

[my73charger]

Wow pretty sure I would still be sitting that one out...

[Silver R/T]

did about 80mph in mine, didnt feel safe to go more since
trans needs rebuilt
suspension work/rebuilt
carb tuned
steering box adjusted

[FastbackJon]

I've done 115mph in the slant 6 '74 Dart Swinger. I've done over 100 in the Chargers various times, but when I'm going that fast I'd rather be watching the road than the speedometer needle!

[mustanghater]

i had 130 showing on the speedo,long stretch of smooth road,72 charger,440 /727/2.94s-i ran out of balls before she did!

I didn't know girls had balls

[Mefirst]

My aim is to reach 120mph after a 1/4 mile.. I don't think Ill reach it this season, but there is always the incoming Well if I hit 110mph during whats left of this summer Ill be happy...

I tried a landspeed record once before in my Charger.. I got her up to about 110mph but I chickend out cause it didnt feel safe.. It felt more or less like the Charger was al over the 3 lane highway.. and my pulse reached about 200mph aswell when I tried to get her to slow down.. The disc brake conversion hapend soon after this event

/Tom

[RD]

me, in my 73, and a friend, in her 68, were racing into town.  top speed 148mph.  Yeah, and it was a 2bbl 400 single exhaust with 2.76 gears.  dont tell me the smog years were sheot, i know differently.  and yes, the front end was ready to take off on me, floating is an understatement.

[SuBLimE 69]

Hit 150mph 3x with my 440 in my 68 Charger with 2.94's and bias ply tires     yes my valves
were floating. Then in 1981 I got nailed for 140+ in a 35mph zone = last speeding ticket I ever got.  

Dan

I'm not sure why the hell you pulled over...LoL  I'd have hung that baby in the wind and got my moneys worth outa that ticket. 
Oh wait...I forgot where I work..... I didnt say that 

[NHCharger]

I was doing 90 MPH on the Mass Turnpike on the way home from Carlisle the other week, and that was just trying to keep up with traffic.

[8WHEELER]

Hit 150mph 3x with my 440 in my 68 Charger with 2.94's and bias ply tires     yes my valves
were floating. Then in 1981 I got nailed for 140+ in a 35mph zone = last speeding ticket I ever got.  

Dan

I'm not sure why the hell you pulled over...LoL   I'd have hung that baby in the wind and got my moneys worth outa that ticket.  
Oh wait...I forgot where I work..... I didnt say that  

To tell you the truth I had just raced a 327 Toyota Celica ''yeah I know I could not believe it at first'' anyway at 90mph he was in my rear view mirror and he was the smart one and lifted but I just left it hammered. Went through two more lights just to get old red slowed down, never saw the cop or where he was it was 2am and nobody on the streets but one or two other cars, went to the 3rd light stopped 100ft back from the light and watched the mirror and if I had seen lights refecting off the big walls down the side of the road behind me I would have run the light before he saw me and get the heck out of there, but know this Diplomat came around the corner with his high beems on doing about 60 or 70mph I knew just then if I took off I knew the charges if I ran would have been well I did not want to find out   

Dan

[Headrope]

I think the fastest I took it was up to 135. Had a brand new Chevy Silverado pull up alongside me on the Interstate in ... I think 2000. Roads were dry and traffic was light so I figured what the heck.

After 90 MPH a 383 four barrel in a '66 is like an afterburner; it keeps accelerating. The car seemed to get really light at about 113-115 MPH, and I had power steering. Even the slightest move of the steering wheel probably would have resulted in at least one lane change at those speeds.

What I did was dumb, but fun - especially since I knew something about the Silverado's engine the other driver apparently didn't: it had a governor. He was torquey as hell - even at 95 MPH. But he'd get shut down once the needle hit approximately 97 MPH. How did I know? My wife and I had just bought a Silverado a month or two earlier.

[miller]

Wow, i gotta say, you people are screwed up. I would trust my little neon before i trusted the charger at those speeds.   Something about drum brakes, skinny tires, and the fact the car is 36 years old kinda says, "dont try it" to me.   70 for me, and yeah it feels alright, but the fact the car is twice my age, (me being 16) and if i needed to stop, i know i wouldnt be able too.   Speaking of that, havnt you people seen the pic of the charger going into the wall at 75?   That itself should scare the crap out of you enough, to keep the speed down to high double digets at least.

[Ghoste]

Because speed is addictive.   

[8WHEELER]

Wow, i gotta say, you people are screwed up. I would trust my little neon befor i trusted the charger at those speeds.   Something about drum brakes, skinny tires, and the fact the car is 36 years old kinda says, "dont try it" to me.   70 for me, and yeah it feels alright, but the fact the car is twice my age, (me being 16) and if i needed to stop, i know i wouldnt be able too.   Speaking of that, havnt you people seen the pic of the charger going into the wall at 75?   That itself should scare the crap out of you enough, to keep the speed down to high double digets at least.

Keep in mind my friend I did this when the car was 10, 11 & 12yrs old, and I was 18,19 & 20yrs old, now that all my suspention has been upgraded and I have much better wheels and tires its easy to hit triple digits and it feels much much better, but I don't hit the speeds I used to and its not just because of the tickets.

Dan

[Dodge-Charger]

Wow, i gotta say, you people are screwed up. I would trust my little neon befor i trusted the charger at those speeds.   Something about drum brakes, skinny tires, and the fact the car is 36 years old kinda says, "dont try it" to me.   70 for me, and yeah it feels alright, but the fact the car is twice my age, (me being 16) and if i needed to stop, i know i wouldnt be able too.   Speaking of that, havnt you people seen the pic of the charger going into the wall at 75?   That itself should scare the crap out of you enough, to keep the speed down to high double digets at least.

Dude you got to understand, when you work on your car you can sit behind the wheel and just feel if it is gonna do good or not. When you put hours of work into your car and dont trust your own work you really need to let someone else work on it. As far as the Neon goes, I wouldnt trust that thing not one bit. Atleast if I roll the Charger I have something other than beer cans around me.  Im not bashing you , just makein a statement. But if your ino Neons, I got some pix somewhere of one jacked up and 4X4.

[Ghoste]

I agree.  I'd feel much safer at speed in my Charger than most Neons.  I appreciate that some have been fixed up for that purpose, but most are really just around town commuter cars.
Speaking of suspension and tire upgrades, some of you other "older than 25" types may also remember the "fun" we had on bias plies.  Anyone who survived that era and did a lot of stupid things in their car certainly learned how to drive.

[miller]

no no no no, you guys got that wrong, i dont trust my neon, thats what i was getting at.   I trust my little pos more then i trust the 4000 pounds of steel.   The neon is my daily driver (no money gets put into it besides gas and oil changes), the chargers the fun car.   I love the charger, but im just saying, IMO i wouldnt trust a out dated car to go that fast. I know the motor can get it there, but i dont feel , in my car at least, that the rest of the car could hold up.

Also, when i said you guys were screwed up, i ment that in a impressed way, i probably should have said "you guys got balls", but you, know it came out wrong, my fault.

[Ghoste]

Even if you meant it the other way, we probably would have taken it a sick badge of pride.

[Chargerguy74]

I've gone 135 and without looking at the speedo I would have guessed something like 100 (friends car). I wasn't impressed. My goal is 186mph in mine....which is very possible....just have to leave my common sense at the start line. The 73 Charger, 440 4speed OD should be able to do it.

[Charger_Fan]

I don't know about the 186 thing...at that speed, a Charger would turn into a kite. 

[Chargerguy74]

a 73 should handle it, especially with a poly front end kit, sway bars, etc. I think Neil said he got his 73 383 auto up to 175 back in the day

[miller]

a 73 should handle it, especially with a poly front end kit, sway bars, etc. I think Neil said he got his 73 383 auto up to 175 back in the day

is that a stock motor!!!, what rear gears would be in that thing? Cuz that would be flying.

[Dodge-Charger]

The neon is my daily driver (no money gets put into it besides gas and oil changes), the chargers the fun car.  I love the charger, but im just saying, IMO i wouldnt trust a out dated car to go that fast.

Thats my point, if you work on your car you know what parts are new. Hell no I wouldnt do it in a factory 74 that has not got new bushings, bearings, brakes and so on.

[twilt]

had my 1st charger (a worn out  72 318 2bbl) up to 105 . at 95 it felt like it was starting to come apart, at 105 the mf was shaking like the space shutlle on re-entry.  while slowing down, i found out my rotors were not very true, pulsating like a sob.
   

[Ghoste]

I've heard before that the re-entry is the dangerous part.

[KMPX2]

I pegged my 150 speedo on a 5 mile oval highbanked track ( I was the only one on the track )

[Ghoste]

Where was that at?

[KMPX2]

The mopar test track here in Mich

[Ghoste]

I thought it might be.  That's why I asked. I was on it once back in the early 80's but they wouldn't let us make a full pass.

[KMPX2]

For the Chrysler Car club Convention?

[Chargerguy74]

a 73 should handle it, especially with a poly front end kit, sway bars, etc. I think Neil said he got his 73 383 auto up to 175 back in the day

is that a stock motor!!!, what rear gears would be in that thing? Cuz that would be flying.

Not sure if it was stock or not, you'd have to ask him, come to think of it I think he said it was his buddies car. Don't remember the gearing.

Also, when I said a 73 should handle it, I meant all 3rd gens in particular, very good aerodynamics.

[Jon Smith]

Got up to 135 in my 69, it was pulling like a train but a valve cover gasket blew out and I had to back off there was smoke pouring out of the wheelarches and coming into the car, it was everywhere

[Ghoste]

For the Chrysler Car club Convention?

Yes.

[471_Magnum]

I've run 130 since installing the 5 speed, and there was plenty left. That was in fifth (0.64 OD) with 3.55s at a rather relaxed 3600 rpm.

That gets pretty floaty as you might imagine, but it's definitely got legs. Lord only knows were the drag and horsepower curves would cross, but I'm sure it's upwards of 150.

[andy74]

first thing i do on any car i have built is put in new suspension components,tie rods,ball joints,bushings etc,and always good brakes,and good tires-my kids ride in the car with me sometimes,and the last thing i want is a few hundred dollars causing me or them harm-worth every penny as far as im concerned!now i remember in the 80s driving on bald bias ply tires with shitty brakes,rusty floor pans and spending every dime on go fast stuff,lucky i made it past 30!

[KMPX2]

For the Chrysler Car club Convention?

Yes.

I was one of the leaders of the club that started/hosted that show. I was able to set up a full speed run on the track with so of the Chrysler people

[Ghoste]

Well I know what happened to Jim Bielenda but whatever happened to Gary Rollins.
Remember the Texans in the Hemi Superbird making a full pass without permission and the old time Chrysler staff in attendance just stood there watching like they were transported back in time?  I have pictures of that car as it was coming off the track.  Nobody said a thing to them.