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WARNING!(Continued)
seriously or fatally injured. Children should be
warned not to touch the parking brake, brake pedal
or the transmission gear selector.
• Do not leave the key fob in or near the vehicle (or
in a location accessible to children), and do not
leave the ignition. A child could operate power
windows, other controls, or move the vehicle.
CAUTION!
• Before moving the shift lever out of PARK, you
must start the engine and also press the brake
pedal. Otherwise, damage to the shift lever could
result.
• DO NOT race the engine when shifting from
PARK or NEUTRAL into another gear range, as this
can damage the drivetrain. The following indicators should be used to ensure that
you have engaged the transmission into the PARK posi-
tion:
•
When shifting into PARK, push the lock button on the
gear selector and firmly move the lever all the way
forward until it stops and is fully seated.
• Look at the transmission gear position display and
verify that it indicates the PARK position (P).
• With brake pedal released, verify that the gear selector
will not move out of PARK.
REVERSE (R)
This range is for moving the vehicle backward. Shift into
REVERSE only after the vehicle has come to a complete
stop.
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NEUTRAL (N)
Use this range when the vehicle is standing for prolonged
periods with the engine running. Apply the parking
brake and shift the transmission into PARK if you must
leave the vehicle.
WARNING!
Do not coast in NEUTRAL and never turn off the
ignition to coast down a hill. These are unsafe
practices that limit your response to changing traffic
or road conditions. You might lose control of the
vehicle and have a collision.
CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for any other
reason with the transmission in NEUTRAL can cause
(Continued)
CAUTION!(Continued)
severe transmission damage. Refer to “Recreational
Towing” in “Starting And Operating” and “Towing A
Disabled Vehicle” in “What To Do In Emergencies”
for further information.
DRIVE (D)
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts, and the best fuel economy. The transmission
automatically upshifts through all forward gears. The
DRIVE position provides optimum driving characteris-
tics under all normal operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as
when operating the vehicle under heavy loading condi-
tions, in hilly terrain or traveling into strong head winds),
use the AutoStick shift control (refer to “AutoStick” in
this section for further information) to select a lower gear.
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NOTE:Pushing the SRT button on the center stack or
pressing the “Apps” button on the touchscreen are two
other options to access launch control features. Please
refer to “Uconnect Settings” in “Understanding Your
Instrument Panel” for further information.
2. Push the “Launch RPM Set-Up” button on the touch- screen. This screen will allow you to adjust your
launch RPM’s for optimum launch/traction.
3. Push the “Activate Launch Mode” button on the touchscreen.
4. Make sure the vehicle is not moving.
5. Make sure the steering wheel is pointing straight.
6. Hold the brake and make sure the vehicle is in “Drive” or “AutoStick” position. 7. While holding the brake, rapidly apply the accelerator
pedal to wide open throttle. The engine speed will
hold at the RPM that was set in the “Launch RPM
Set-up” screen.
NOTE: Messages will appear in the Driver Information
Display (DID) to inform the driver if one or more of the
above conditions have not been met.
8. When conditions 4 through 7 have been met, the Driver Information Display (DID) will read “Launch
Ready Release Brake”.
9. Keep the vehicle pointed straight.
Launch control will be active until the vehicle reaches
62 mph (100 km/h), at which point the ESC system will
return to its current ESC mode.
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Launch control will abort before launch completion,
display “Launch Aborted” in the cluster under any the
following conditions:
•The accelerator pedal is released during launch. ESC
system continues in ESC Full ON.
• The ESC system detects that the vehicle is no longer
moving in a straight line.
• The “ESC OFF” button is pushed to change the system
to another mode.
NOTE: After launch control has been aborted, ESC will
return to its current ESC mode.
CAUTION!
Do not attempt to shift when the drive wheels are
spinning and do not have traction. Damage to the
transmission may occur.
Guidelines For Track Use
NOTE: Because of the extreme conditions encountered
during track use, any damage or wear associated with
track use is not covered by warranty.
• If your SRT vehicle is equipped with Drive Modes,
they will alter the vehicle’s performance in various
driving situations. It is recommended that your vehicle
operates in SPORT or TRACK modes during the track
event.
• Prior to each track event/day, verify all fluids are at
the correct levels. Refer to “Fluid Capacities” in “Main-
taining Your Vehicle” for further information.
• Prior to each track event, verify the front and rear
brake pads have more than ½ pad thickness remain-
ing. If the brake pads require changing, please burnish
prior to track outing at full pace.
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•At the conclusion of each track event, it is recom-
mended that a brake bleed procedure is performed to
maintain the pedal feel and stopping capability of your
Brembo High Performance brake system.
• It is recommended that each track outing should end
with a minimum of 1 cool down lap using minimal
braking.
• If equipped with a removable lower front fascia grille,
it is recommended to remove it for track use during
warm/hot weather to improve cooling airflow to
critical powertrain and cooling system components.
• All SRT vehicles are track tested for 24 hours of
endurance. However, it is recommended that suspen-
sion system, brake system, prop shaft, and ½ shaft
boots should be checked for wear or damage after
every track event. •
Track usage results in increased operating tempera-
tures of the engine, transmission, clutch – if equipped,
driveline and brake system. This may affect noise
(NVH) countermeasures designed into your vehicle.
New components may need to be installed to return
the system to the original NVH performance.
• Tire pressure:
• 40psi (276kpa) hot, recommend 32psi (221kpa) front,
30psi (207 kpa) rear cold
NOTE: It is recommended that you target 40psi (276kpa)
Hot Tire Pressure at the conclusion of each track session.
Starting at 32psi (221kpa) Front & 30psi (207 kpa) Rear
Cold and adjusting based on ambient & track conditions
is recommended. Tire pressure can be monitored via the
Driver Information Display (DID) and can assist with
adjustments.
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Track burnishing your brakes:
To avoid “green lining fade” during track use, the brake
pads and rotors must have a thermal burnish for factory
installed components or when new brake friction com-
ponents are installed:
1. Use one track session to burnish brakes by driving at75% speed. Brake at approximately 0.60-0.80g max
without ABS intervention.
2. Lap the track in this manner until you start smelling the brakes. Continue for another ½ lap at speed, then
do a two lap cool down with minimal brake applies.
Make sure the brakes are not smoking. If they are, do
another cool down lap.
3. Do not continue for more than 1 full burnishing lap after you start smelling the brakes. Do not get them
smoking heavily. This will get them too hot and affect
their life negatively in future track use. 4. Allow vehicle to sit and cool in the paddock for at least
30 min. If an infrared thermal gun is available, allow
rotors to cool to 200°F (93.3°C) before going back out.
5. There should be a thin, ash layer when inspecting the pads installed in the caliper. Having the ash layer go
more than half the thickness of the pad material
indicates too aggressive of a burnish.
6. Sometimes, a second burnish session is required. If the pads start smelling in the next track session, reduce
speed and braking decel to burnish targets and follow
step 2-4.
7. New pads installed on old rotors still need to be burnished. New rotors installed with old pads should
be burnished at the track or street driven for 300 city
miles to develop an adequate lining transfer layer on
the rotor surface prior to track use.
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WARNING!
•Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h) when driving through standing water.
• Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s braking capabilities, which increases stopping
distances. Therefore, after driving through stand-
ing water, drive slowly and lightly press on the
brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.
• Failure to follow these warnings may result in
injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your pas-
sengers, and others around you.
CAUTION!
• Always check the depth of the standing water
before driving through it. Never drive through
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
standing water that is deeper than the bottom of
the tire rims mounted on the vehicle.
• Determine the condition of the road or the path
that is under water and if there are any obstacles in
the way before driving through the standing water.
• Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving
through standing water. This will minimize wave
effects.
• Driving through standing water may cause damage
to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always
inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, trans-
mission, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination (i.e.,
fluid that is milky or foamy in appearance) after
driving through standing water. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle if any fluid appears contami-
nated, as this may result in further damage. Such
(Continued)
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WARNING!
Continued operation with reduced power steering
assist could pose a safety risk to yourself and others.
Service should be obtained as soon as possible.
CAUTION!
Prolonged operation of the steering system at the end
of the steering wheel travel will increase the steering
fluid temperature and it should be avoided when
possible. Damage to the power steering pump may
occur.
FUEL SAVER TECHNOLOGY — IF EQUIPPED
This feature offers improved fuel economy by shutting
off four of the engine’s eight cylinders during light load
and cruise conditions. The system is automatic with no
driver inputs or additional driving skills required.NOTE:
This system may take some time to return to full
functionality after a battery disconnect.
PARKING BRAKE
Before leaving the vehicle, make sure that the parking
brake is fully applied and place the gear selector in the
PARK position.
The foot operated parking brake is located below the
lower left corner of the instrument panel. To apply the
park brake, firmly press the park brake pedal fully. To
release the parking brake, press the park brake pedal a
second time and let your foot up as you feel the brake
disengage.
432 STARTING AND OPERATING