At what point is it necessary to brace diff Redeye and Demon

[Speedy!]

Seems silly to me for what a brace costs vs damage and repairs but to each their own.

 

[kgrencer]

I appreciate all the responses. As I anticipated, there are many good points for both sides of the diff brace argument. As with all seemingly "obvious" aftermarket mods, it begs to reason why the factory wouldn't have fit a brace to the car if it was necessary under stock power... and with stock size DR's. I'm sure they would view a $50 dollar (cost) item as a non-negotiable factory fit if failure potential was inevitable without it.

 

[Speedy!]

Two words, bean counters. Same reason they don't have some kind of catch can deal from the factory.

 

[Confuzed1]

If you are referring to my comment. I may not have conveyed my intention properly.
I did not mean they would warranty the diff for instance. I figured there is enough info to show they probably won't.
I just thought it interesting that someone high on FCA food chain would make this comment on air. Fwiw this was also after we heard of many declined warranty repairs.

Sorry for the confusion.
I agree with you and I wasn't suggesting someone try the I saw it on YouTube thing.

Also just above that comment I wrote that if you broke it you would likely be on the hook for a big bill.
I thought it was clear. 🤷‍♂️

Unless you edited your post, it seemed clear to me. I saw the same Leno episode on the tube, where the FCA executive said that SRT's were covered....even while drag racing. I didn't believe him as soon as I heard it because I know better. Too bad the vid isn't legally binding.....or else I'd be "that guy" if mine broke at the strip!

One of my coworkers had a HC, and broke a rear axle at the strip. He had it towed to his dealer which promptly notified him that due to the burnt rubber on his quarter panels, and knowing it was towed from the drag strip the warranty wouldn't cover the repairs.

-And his car was not modified at all....stock with DR's. Of course, I think they should cover it. Just look at a few FCA commercials of HC's drifting, smoking tires etc etc...

 

[Markp]

Seems silly to me for what a brace costs vs damage and repairs but to each their own.

One you guys are assuming that your dealer will find rubber and will void warranty on finding the rubber. I will bet you there is not a Redeye or Demon without bits of rubber in the back of the car. Also I am willing to bet I will clean all rubber and they will never find any.

@moparjim it was Steve Beahm was the one who said you can race them. 16.25 of the video.

 

[coolblue]

Unless you edited your post, it seemed clear to me. I saw the same Leno episode on the tube, where the FCA executive said that SRT's were covered....even while drag racing. I didn't believe him as soon as I heard it because I know better. Too bad the vid isn't legally binding.....or else I'd be "that guy" if mine broke at the strip!

One of my coworkers had a HC, and broke a rear axle at the strip. He had it towed to his dealer which promptly notified him that due to the burnt rubber on his quarter panels, and knowing it was towed from the drag strip the warranty wouldn't cover the repairs.

-And his car was not modified at all....stock with DR's. Of course, I think they should cover it. Just look at a few FCA commercials of HC's drifting, smoking tires etc etc...

Hence the reason I'm not to worried about the warranty. There are more reasons they won't cover it than they will. Unless it's a safety recall or a blatant manufacturer defect, they will always try to not cover it , even if you have the extended. They're not in business to pay for things twice and lose money.

 

[Speedy!]

If I break my car drag racing it at the track I don't expect to clean off all the rubber and take it to the dealer for a repair. I ate my own dog food on this when my original engine blew up. I have a GREAT relationship with my dealer and could have probably snuck that through but it's not the right thing to do.

 

[Marc W]

Dealers are not all the same. Some will do anything they can to not do repairs under warranty because they don’t like the rates they get paid. Others will do what they can for you as a customer because they take the long picture view of having a happy return customer buying new vehicles for years to come. Best advice is.... if you think you might find yourself needing performance related work done.... talk to the service manager and ask what you might expect under a couple different scenarios. You will probably come away with a clear picture of what you can expect. As far as the diff brace vs warranty goes...... the new DIRS version is well designed to support the case and give it some protection agains the shock it can experience during a hard launch or wheel hop situation. It gives a degree of protection. Not absolute bullet proof protection. It can still break. The biggest single thing is.... if it does break, it will keep the case in its place and keep it from ripping loose and destroying everything connected to and around it. If that happens.... a $1500 diff replacement turns into a $10,000 repair bill. It could even impact the fuel tank or lines and burn your car to the ground. I don’t need to go on. If you want to save $500 and take that risk.... I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

The brace isn't THE solution, it is a band aid. A well engineered and appreciated band aid, no doubt. To imply otherwise would be spitting in the face of the many people who have broken their diffs with the brace installed. And the people who still have wheel hop... but maybe to a lesser degree. To imply that damage was reduced because of the brace would mean that you KNOW that the damage would have been worse without it. There is simply no way to prove that.

Look at any black and white documentation from any brace manufacturer... you'll see that they don't guarantee anything other than their own craftsmanship - the effectiveness of the product is not guaranteed. Effectiveness of the product? What if they don't claim that it does anything? Reinforces the diff and improves IRS operation and traction... OK, to what extent? Like 3% or 30% or 300%?

They talk about the features of their product, like manufacturing process, powder coating, and access to the drain plug. It comes with bolts and stuff. Might fit with your aftermarket exhaust.
They talk about how it voids your warranty.

They don't say - protects your differential.
They don't say - that it does anything specific.

They say if you don't like it, send it back. That's easy because they didn't tell you anything about what it is supposed to do. They made no quantifiable claims whatsoever.

Other than catch cans and bumper protectors, do we put anything else on our cars that may or may not work?

 

[DRAGRCR]

If you are referring to my comment. I may not have conveyed my intention properly.
I did not mean they would warranty the diff for instance. I figured there is enough info to show they probably won't.
I just thought it interesting that someone high on FCA food chain would make this comment on air. Fwiw this was also after we heard of many declined warranty repairs.

Sorry for the confusion.
I agree with you and I wasn't suggesting someone try the I saw it on YouTube thing.

Also just above that comment I wrote that if you broke it you would likely be on the hook for a big bill.
I thought it was clear. 🤷‍♂️

I just got a 2020 challenger brocure. Guess what, they show the car drag racing in there.

 

[Linda's Hell Cat]

In my opinion, if someone puts good tires on the rear of our cars (Demon, Redeye or Hellcat), upgrade the driveshaft and rear diff brace are a must.

Complete these two mods before adding any tires or power to the car.

Reasoning: why snap a driveshaft or a diff and cause $2.5k to +$7k damage to our cars because of wheel hop or lose of traction. Doesn't make sense. Little preventive maintenance if always the safer and less costly route.

4" Drive Shaft = $1.8k for part and labor
Rear Diff Brace = $400 for part and labor

Equals = $2.2k preventive maintenance versus above $2.5k to +$7K

TOTALLY My opinion !!

P4 Diff Brace = Peace of Mind and I know from years of experience!

Linda

 

[moparjim]

I just got a 2020 challenger brocure. Guess what, they show the car drag racing in there. View attachment 17142 View attachment 17143

Hmm, imagine that. LOL

 

[Bboyd]

It will help with wheel hop!

 

[coolblue]

The brace isn't THE solution, it is a band aid. A well engineered and appreciated band aid, no doubt. To imply otherwise would be spitting in the face of the many people who have broken their diffs with the brace installed. And the people who still have wheel hop... but maybe to a lesser degree. To imply that damage was reduced because of the brace would mean that you KNOW that the damage would have been worse without it. There is simply no way to prove that.

Look at any black and white documentation from any brace manufacturer... you'll see that they don't guarantee anything other than their own craftsmanship - the effectiveness of the product is not guaranteed. Effectiveness of the product? What if they don't claim that it does anything? Reinforces the diff and improves IRS operation and traction... OK, to what extent? Like 3% or 30% or 300%?

They talk about the features of their product, like manufacturing process, powder coating, and access to the drain plug. It comes with bolts and stuff. Might fit with your aftermarket exhaust.
They talk about how it voids your warranty.

They don't say - protects your differential.
They don't say - that it does anything specific.

They say if you don't like it, send it back. That's easy because they didn't tell you anything about what it is supposed to do. They made no quantifiable claims whatsoever.

Other than catch cans and bumper protectors, do we put anything else on our cars that may or may not work?

LOOK, don't make me come up there and hit you in the head with a ratchet tough guy.(a la the 'jerky boy's. LOL.). I don't NEED someone to tell me it's a good idea or guarantee it, yatta,yatta, yatta. IT'S A GOOD IDEA. Can't hurt. It's a reinforcement period. Does anybody guarantee roll bars, forged bottom ends, or helmets??? You can get killed if you push the limit. You can blow up ANYTHING if you push the limit. Does that mean your better off/safer without it. Absolutely not. As stated earlier it's a bean counter thing. They used to make girdles for supercharged motors that helped hold the mains in place. Does that mean you couldn't blow up an engine if you used one. Absolutely not. Did that mean you could push a 1000h.p instead of 750...ahh yes.
BTW, didn't you just trade in your Hellcat? And didn't you used to drive around with a hitch on that thing? Oh yea that's it,..your that guy...now I remember....your just a NUT. . Just kidding Jack.

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

@coolblue - the hitch was my diff brace.
(and my bumper protector, lol)

 

[Confuzed1]

Hence the reason I'm not to worried about the warranty. There are more reasons they won't cover it than they will. Unless it's a safety recall or a blatant manufacturer defect, they will always try to not cover it , even if you have the extended. They're not in business to pay for things twice and lose money.

In all fairness, it was the OP that brought up the warranty situation while using a diff brace. Kind of a redundant post because its been proven already some of the dealers have voided warranties because of people using them.

If you have a good relationship with your dealer as Speedy says....they might overlook it. I'd venture to say most of us don't have any kind of relationship with their dealers, but what he says about breaking things racing a car seems spot on to me. You take the risk on your own when you choose to race it, and shouldn't expect FCA to eat the cost if you break it while racing.

-Of course, FCA seems to flaunt commercials and brochures (see above) of these cars being raced in order to try and increase sales. Seems to me its about as dishonest as guys looking to get warranty work done on their car after racing it.

Don't know what you mean about FCA not being in the business of paying for things TWICE...but I paid FCA for the rear end I have in my car...so they were fairly compensated for the first one.

EDIT: Now, if someone builds a diff brace with a built in trailer hitch on it.....now there's an idea!

 

[Speedy!]

Yeah the ad marketing does raise my brows.

 

[Marc W]

Yeah. They should have one of those disclaimers on those commercials that says..... btw, if you do this... we will void your warranty

 

[Jack_Toepfer]

*Professional driver on closed course
**Voided his warranty performing these maneuvers