The weather was decent today (halfway warm, sunny but very windy) so I decided to take the '03 SRT-4 to work. For those that don't know, mine has a whopping 9800 miles on it and is bone stock with the exception of the Mopar BOV Kit (Big whoop) and it still wearing the original Michelins!
On the way home tonight at 12:30am, I'm rolling down the 4 lane divided highway through town. I get stopped at the largest intersection next to my Product Engineer in her Cirrus who is heading home too. She and I roll down the windows so we can chat for a second at the rather long light. I'm in the left line and she is in the right. As we pull away from the light at a very normal pace, I notice that I'm being tailgated pretty hard. Could it be my "I8AV8" Indiana license plate attacting attention again? I try and make out the vehicle in the mirror. As I pull far enough ahead of my co-worker he whips out to the right and I confirm my guess: early Dodge Stealth. I wasn't for sure that it was the high zoot model until he kind of edges by. I notice the unique wheels and ground effects and even spot the "Twin Turbo" badging in red on the door of the cherry-colored techno-wonder. I continued in 4th gear rolling at the posted speed limit of 45mph with him pacing just a car length in front seeming to be waiting for me to make a run at him. As luck would have it the approching light turns yellow with us both rolling up to be first in each lane. I can tell he wants to play. I don't give any clue, not even a sample of the BOV venting into the cool night air. As the perpendicular lanes' lights switch to yellow, I very slightly raise my idle to 1500rpm, not enough to really draw attention. Our light goes green! I let the clutch out and the front tires start "eeking" out loud for some traction. Not one of my best launches and a bit of wheel hop on the cold tires and the left-over winter road grime. The Stealth driver is here for fun! He to takes off but obviously either doesn't know how to drive a turbo AWD car for maximum performance or doesn't want to drop the viscous coupling as he doesn't rev and dump it off the line. Despite the wheelspin, I still pull a rather quick car length on him. I don't recall who shifted first but I do know that when he did, I jumped another half car length. (Dude, learn how to quickshift without lifting!)
By this time, I can see the rather fair amount of rich mixture evident in his exhaust in my mirror. (I wonder if he had the common Apex fuel or boost controller on it?) By this time, the AWD is nothing but a hinderance as we hit 60mph in short order and I'm pulling away. We are quickly approching the next light and that's my left turn to continue home. I let out an easy 3 car lengths plus ahead just as that light turns yellow. The Stealth driver continues through under the yellow, and I zip through, admittedly slower since I was turning and cross the opposite lanes as the yellow turns red. I would have like to talk to the guy but I guess it wasn't meant to be.
Does this mean I have to change my license plate to read "I8A6G72" or "I8ATTV6"?
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Good kill
Re: SRT-4 vs Stealth R/T Twin Turbo
