2012 challenger srt8 weighs 4160, charger is 4360, 200lbs although a noticeable amount, is about a .2 difference in the 1/4 or a 20hp difference. published weight on the 2012 rt is 4082 challenger, 4253 for the charger. 170lbs difference.

people say, 100 lbs = 10hp = .1 in the 1/4 mile. not enough to say one is slow and one is fast. they are both still slower than a new 5.0.

 

neither of them impress me. the charger is a big fat sedan. the chally is a little closer, but neither will compete with a 5.0 mustang, stock or mod for mod. the are both just more victims

 

I recently purchased the Steeda CAI with Bama Performance tuner from American Muscle due to the piston 8 warranty. The setup was awesome and throttle response was definitely a big plus. Until I had the exact same symptoms...cylinder #8 misfire.

I started searching forums and couldn't find a single person who had #8 failure from a Bama Tuner. I immediately called Bama/AM and kept them informed of every symptom as things changed over the course of about a week.

I took the Mustang in and chose not to tell them about the tune/mod, as I had read that returning to stock and driving around 50 miles would reset the ECU. I can confirm that it does not reset the ECU and Ford knew that the ECU had been flashed and denied my claim. I immediately contacted Bama/AM and informed them of Ford's decision. They told me I would need to fill out a warranty claim and submit it with a copy of the diagnosis and warranty denial paperwork. I gathered the required documents and submitted it to Bama/AM via email. A week passed and I heard nothing, so I emailed them again and was told it would be a few more days for a decision. Another week passed when I received an email stating my claim was approved and I just needed to sign a document stating I was to accept the $8000 (maximum under warranty) and that I would not pursue any legal action against Bama/AM. I signed/notarized the document and overnighted it to Bama/AM. Two days later I had an $8,000 check in the mail. I now have a brand new engine in my Mustang and I am running the stock intake and tune.

Bama/AM was absolutely awesome with the warranty claim process. The only complaint I had was that I was pretty much in the dark during the two week span for them to approve the claim...made me VERY nervous. But Bama/AM pulled through with no questions, accusations, hesitation, etc. They were great.

I've talked to a local mechanic who believes the problem comes from a combination of a few things. The tune/CAI obviously increases air flow into the engine. He stated that when people engine brake (or down shift regularly) the engine will also pull more air. I'm sure most people have heard that oil gets pulled into the intake due to the PCV (PCV is designed to relieve gases from the crankcase). But, with so much air being pulled from the two conditions, more oil is pulled though the PCV and ultimately creating the piston to fail. He is an avid tuner in the community and states he hasn't had this issue since installing a different PCV...part # EV279. I'm hoping extremely experienced mechanics could chime in on their thoughts.

I ultimately purchased a PCV oil catch can. I don't think I will put the Steeda/tune back on the car...makes me nervous as hell. I'm new to the forums out there...but wanted to let everybody know my experience with Bama/AM and see what people thought of this mechanic's 'words of wisdom.'

Take care,
Tony

 

I believe you are referring to the conn rods being powdered (sintered) metal. It is a process where sintered metal is hammered into a forming die then the parts are heated up to just short of the melting point, this basically "welds" the sintered pieces together.
I have seen the powdered metal parts being specified for years, but the process is not bullet-proof. There are still failures.

Powdered metal parts are supposed to be stronger than cast, but no where near as strong as forged. Nothing beats forged components for strength.

Powder-coating is a paint process.

 

Then you didn't search hard enough...............

 

Tony203040, Awesome feedbacks, thanks for sharing your experience. That is great that AM stands behind their product and honors their warranty.

I would recommend them highly to anyone looking for a tune, If I could get the warranty I'd switch to their tune.

 

yea they replaced the motor and honored the warranty, thats freakin awesome! (i love AM/BAMA BTW I used there tune on my 06 gt I had) however can you have them make you another tune and if the issue happens again will they replace the motor the 2nd time? If not then whats the point? your going to waste 600.00 for a intake tune package just to have a faster car until d-day comes then you get a new motor and are unable to reuse the intake and you cannot retune your car. so its basically a waste of $600.00 am I right?

 

Unfortunately, you are correct. I cannot claim a second warranty and am sitting on an almost brand new tuner/CAI. I plan to call into AM/Bama and find out if I decide to buy another tuner/CAI package...would I then rate another warranty. They open in a couple hours and I will report back with what I find out.

On a side note...the $8000 check did not cover the $9000 repair. But, I got to keep the damaged engine and ended up selling it on eBay for $1500. So, I ultimately came out on top with $500 and a new engine.

 

No problem. Yea, it sucks that if you've ever been tuned with a non-Bama tune, you can't get a Bama warranty. I would recommend AM/Bama any day of the week.

 

You're probably right...thanks. On another note, AM/Bama said that I was their third customer to claim a warranty against piston 8.