Car feels....lazy

3982 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by krautmaster, Mar 15, 2015

neuroticdave

Discussion Starter · Mar 12, 2015

Car: 2008 Charger R/T w/ 78,000 miles.

I recently did spark plugs, oil, oil filter, air filter and ran some fuel injector cleaner through a 3/4 full tank of gas. I also disconnected the battery to reset the cars PCM/TCM parameters and cleaned out my TB's butterfly flap.

While the above has net me a solid bump in MPG from when I purchased it, the car feels....bland. The MDS kicks in a lot more than I'd like it to, but that's a story for another time.

In any case, the gas pedal doesn't feel soft like in my old 06 and 07 R/Ts. It feels a bit heavy to be honest, and not as lively. On my older cars, the slightest tap of the gas would have them going sideways. On this car, it takes a lot of effort to get the gas pedal moving.

Also, on the highway, it feels lazy in terms of picking up speed. If I'm doing 65 and want to speed up a bit to pass someone, I have to REALLY give it a push on the gas pedal to get her to speed up adequately enough. Again, the pedal feels rather hard to push down and requires a heavy amount of input to get a good response from the throttle.

I'm pretty much all out of ideas. The MPG is there, but I can't seem to figure out why the car still feels so lazy and sluggish. Any thoughts or ideas? Things I may be overlooking?

I tried to do the throttle reset, but having come across a few different processes, I am not sure if any of them work. Buddy of mine suggested maybe changing the differential fluid or the fuel filter, but I don't want to just throw parts at it blindly....

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Ddaddy

· #2 · Mar 13, 2015

The only point to check is whether you used copper spark plugs or not. If you used something other than the OEM type copper plugs (like platinum)then you could be robbing significant power since they are well known to not work well in the 5.7L engine.

Otherwise, since you have reset the adaptives to baseline, I'm not surprised that you feel a big difference from where it was.

Drive it like you stole it for a few days and use the Auto Stick frequently. Then see how it is behaving.

Nothing you have done should remove power and it's probably making more now than it was.

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Ddaddy

· #6 · Mar 13, 2015

Here you go...

Throttle Calibration

Throttle calibration can substantially improve throttle responsiveness over "factory standard." Many people notice what appears to be sluggish throttle response or a "dead area" at initial accelerator depression. Throttle calibration can take care of these.

1) Insert ignition key and turn to "ON" (not start).
2) Wait for all idiot lights to go out. Check Engine Light may remain on.
3) Slowly depress the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor.
4) Slowly release the accelerator pedal until it's all the way back up.
5) Turn the ignition key to "OFF".
6) Start the engine.

Most drivers notice an immediate change in throttle response, but depending on your driving style, you may need to repeat this procedure periodically due to the computer's adaptive programming. You likely need to repeat this procedure any time the battery is disconnected.

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Ddaddy

· #8 · Mar 14, 2015

Cool, be sure to let us know how it goes.

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Ddaddy

· #10 · Mar 14, 2015

Sami said:
Will this work for the 13' chargers? If I follow the same procedure, just via push button?

I honestly don't know. Give it a try and let us know if it does. It can't hurt anything, it will either work or it won't.

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