Dodge Charger & Challenger AWD Systems - How Do They Work + How to Turn AWD On/Off

[@wjye]

My 16’ pursuit 5.7 AWD is unlike anything I’ve ever driven. The hemi torque and the AWD pulls like a freight train. There’s a substantial difference in performance between the RWD hemi and AWD hemi. I’m seriously impressed, the car is a blast to drive.

[@tonganhorsepower]

Do you know of a way to shut off the AWD? I have a 17 Pursuit.

[@TrevorNet]

I’ve taken my ‘11 Charger r/t AWD on several road trips between Colorado & Idaho in all seasons. Winters can be especially brutal with all of the ice & snow. There is no other car I’d rather be in.

[@chuck6923]

Is the 11 pretty reliable for awd?

[@jeffreyzabawski4862]

I have a 2020 GT Durango and the transfer from RWD to AWD is Flawless. You can also really feel the four corners of the vehicle Suctioning to the road. I've always drove 4 Wheel Drive for the snow but I like this AWD better in a slick Wintery Mix and thats what MI always gets.

[@mattlaw8020]

My 2014 Charger has the awd package and it works great in snowy conditions. I live in New York state so we know a thing or two about snow lol

[@robertt5596]

I just got a 19 Charger 5.7 HEMI AWD and will be using it this coming NE OHIO winter.

[@v.i.c.e.e6211]

My 2014 Charger rt plus awd is the best car I’ve ever owned

[@sir.confident]

Oh yeah! I forgot the 300 and Magnum had AWD.

[@300guy]

And it kicks some serious tail, while people were getting stuck trying to turn on and off side streets, or in the parking lot at my wife's work this winter, I was getting around without problems and driving the wife's coworkers home. (about a foot of snow on street tires)

[@sir.confident]

@@300guy Cool

[@samslaughter6828]

I'm a big fan of AWD. I think they should make the 392 and the hell cat's with AWD at least an option. You talk about launch ! AWD red eye ! Almost no wheel spin and 707 hp. WOW ! I drive a Hummer H-2 AWD+ 4WD and the traction you get on the street is amazing especially in the rain,. I can pull off from just about anything at a red light in the rain and the Hummer H-2 weight is 3.7 tons. GMC. Screwed the pooch by dropping the H-2.

[@AxelFuentesMusic]

How do they work? Pretty darn well if I say so myself 😂👍🏻 I love my '19 SXT AWD+ Charger 😊

[@railerswim]

Same here man!

[@juliemerkau6037]

Do you have any issues with the AWD light coming on? I have the same car as you and the light comes on randomly for a few miles then will go off. I’ve taken it to the dealership three times since I got the car and they can’t figure it out because they can’t get the light to come on when they test drive it or it wasn’t on long enough to throw a code.

[@AxelFuentesMusic]

@@juliemerkau6037 I've not had that happen, but my friend withe AWD V8 Charger had a similar problem when his Traction Control Module was unplugged, which locked his car in AWD, which might be the same problem in your car 🤔🤔🤔

[@juliemerkau6037]

Thanks Axel for the suggestion. I’ll check it out.

[@snek9353]

​@@juliemerkau6037 It's important to note that the AWD "light" is only displaying the position of the front axle disconnect. It does not indicate that power is being applied to the front only that it is ready for it to be. These have many defaults to the front being connected as it must to that ahead of time to prepare for AWD application.

[@300guy]

That is why I am happy to have the Magna-Steyr system, no fiddly things to go wrong with changing modes, the fuel mileage penalty is negligible and being developed originally for the Mercedes 4Matic system I have a lot more confidence in it. And yes the snow thing is very true. We had about a foot of snow in February and on regular street tires I had no problems getting anywhere, I wouldn't have even tried in my RWD, where 2 years prior I got stuck on a slight incline for about an hour till I finally turned ESP off.

[@ronaldkiger8569]

My2014 RT Max AWD is incredible,many times here in Colorado the system has worked flawless! And then , it's a RT....

[@thundermite1241]

Id still be cool if they still did a awd v8

[@4406bbldb]

We had a AWD 73 challenger with 340ci. Auto. Prototype. It was going to be a Police car. Cause Jeeps and other off road vehicles were driving away from patrol cars off road. The project was canceled eventhough it worked great.I campaigned for the system to be used in a slant 6 turbo, duster. It got some intrest but no.

[@Davidxll]

Just got a 2018 GT charger AWD and I'm actually excited for it to snow for once to test it out lol

[@oweckayx]

I had 2005 chrysler 300C 5.7 hemi with constant AWD and in 230.000Km it had reworked middle transfer case. Since than no issue with it another 100 thousand KMs :-) I really loved AWD with snow and wet performance with this much torque - great car :-)

[@frankhartford5194]

Love my awd 300c hemi, fun in the snow and plenty of room for my kids. I have a 93 octane tune, exhaust, cai, 180 tstat, oil catch can. Ill never get rid of it now. I like it being full time awd too

[@aca4984]

I've been watching your videos for a long time now and I really enjoy them. I'm a huge fan of Dodge, Ram & Mopar in general. I currently have a 2014 Ram 1500. Before that I had a 2007 Dodge Durango all wheel drive and prior to that my first pickup truck ever was a 95 Dodge Ram 1500. I've been extremely pleased with each of them. And I've never had an issue with any of the mechanics of the vehicles.

[@JavierCostasFranco]

Excellent explanation, pal. You've saved me few hours of research about this topic!

[@frankhartford5194]

I have a 06 Chrysler 300c 5.7 awd and I live in Maine, so when I was looking to buy a 300c it had to be awd. It's a fun family car with plenty of get up. I have exhaust, cai and a 93 octane tune. Also mds is turned off. It can be a pain to work on but I love driving it. I do have rwd wheels on mine and they look way better then the awd wheels on it

[@cris_261]

For the time I had a 2013 SXT Charger, I really liked the AWD feature. Even though the transition to AWD mode was supposed to be seamless, you could feel a slight difference as power was being transferred to the front. And it did seem odd for the car to go into AWD when the temp was in the 30s, but the roads were dry, but oh well. I learned to deal with it. The only thing that sucked was replacing all four tires if one tire went bad.

[@snek9353]

It was simply preparing.

[@faaaaq]

@@snek9353 It was a simple way to provision something into the system so it is in AWD just in case there are icy or snowy conditions since there is no other way for the car (at the time) to tell if the read was icy till the tires started spinning and it could be too late by then.

[@snek9353]

@@faaaaq Yes I know exactly how those systems work I own one.

[@rushtk2112]

I call my awd RT maggie my big subie. I love it!!

[@haroldb2663]

It was interesting coming out of the garage in the winter time. when the car's temperature reader had not gotten down to 37 degrees and the roads were a lilttle slippery. You had to take it slow until the car realized the proper temp. Not a problem just a. nuance.

[@snek9353]

There's many ways to force it to AWD before leaving the garage.

[@lawrencegray384]

Hi we own a 2005 Magnum R/T AWD. Love it! Has 10200 miles or there about. We have rebuilt mtr snd transmission megan over coil suspension tune bbk short headers as well as bbk throttle body k &N filter high flow cats newer mufflers. Have it turming over 500 hp. Still getting between 18 and easy 20 on hwy. We live in the north west where there is snow and will not sell it. Ed Gray from Spokane

[@tOSdude]

I have some notes: Deactivating in the 2011+ can't be done by disabling traction control or using the paddle shifter, those both activate the system. Putting any of the 2009+ cars in neutral will disable the system, and can be used to override the temporary activation (ex: you just turned the wipers off and don't want to wait)

[@hemidreamz1620]

I have a 14 rt and iv been dealing with a service awd light for months to finally get it fixed when no one could simply tell me the transmission sensor in the transmission they replaced didn’t work so now it’s getting replaced and in 2 weeks or less will have it supercharged. I love the car no issues got it with 75k have it with 90k now only problem I had so far had it about 2 years in December

[@warmongerairsoft]

The LX bodies all time AWD is fucking supreme. I’ve passed trucks in god awful snowy conditions in my magnum

[@tryingtobebest]

Which transfer cases are stronger and last longer? Pre 2009 or 2009+?

[@Ryzenberg78]

2018 Challenger GT AWD .... love it. Goes through FEET of snow like a hot butter knife through butter. Placed in sport mode with the sport AWD mode on and it's a blast to toss around. Grips great, holds the road and just goes. Mine is modded with intake, exhaust, tune and is fun as hell. It's not going to compete in a race with its V8 Brothers but will play nicely with V6 Camaros, WRX/STI and other tuner level cars. It's faster than most average daily driver cars. My only complaint is it's stance. I know it's higher and equipped with appropriate wheel/tires for all season conditions, but the tire width does throw the look off some. Mine is F8 Green with blacktop package, debadged, smoked markers/reflectors and has louvers. The only thing tipping off that this is a V6/AWD is the stance. All in all though it looks amazing and is still an amazing car.

[@Davidxll]

just got the same one 18 GT AWD, can I ask what exhaust you got for it?

[@LamontBoucherville]

@@Davidxll get a borla atak exhaust for it

[@pateric8874]

I have been wondering if stability control and traction control "nannies" get in the way of snow drifting fun. You seem to imply that the car can be thrown into a nice drift, is that correct? Scandinavian flicks too?

[@Ryzenberg78]

@@pateric8874 Yes. Activating sport mode eith proper track pack settings disables traction control. It will definitely go sideways under the right conditions.

[@craiggerlach5548]

Winter came, my 2010 would finally hit AWD mode, what I experience, other than ability to control car or drive through snow, is that the front end feels heavy, like steering pressure was reduced, something I do not feel in my 4wd trucks at all. Other than that, been avoiding using it too much in snow as they use some nasty salt here in WI and brand new cars will rot a frame in 1 season and this 2010 is still rust free.. Did the 4.0 mod and added 19s was only upgrades to my ride... and yes they were AWD rims off a 2013 I believe...

[@MoparFan987]

Great video,could you do a video on the jeep comanche rumors of it returning

[@soapyfish2238]

I’m so early :) love your vids!

[@hoodlambo]

Sorry to nitpick, but the italicized "4" badge was introduced for the 2018 model year. 2015-2017s had the "AWD" badge.

[@Rrottweiler]

Im so late to this, but RT Magnum had AWD 2005, so was EU 300C wagon with Hemi. Fun fact. 2005-2008 used 3.07 rear diff. 2009-2014 used 3.06 rear diff. +2015 with ZF rear diff used 3.08 rear diff. All AWDs use 3.07 front diff. If you want to do burnouts with 2005-2008 AWD you need linelock or like Tranzformer NAG1 control box. If front brakes are lock, then MS140 transfercase feeds all power to rear wheels.

[@zacht9447]

The flow chart for AWD Pursuit requirements are a bit different and it's won't disconnect FWD As often. AWD will enable when you disable tcs, activate Auto stick, it takes a lot for it activate the disconnect.

[@briantoner5247]

Patriot, Compass, Compass MP, Renegade, Cherokee KL, 500X also have their respective non biased drive axles disconnect.

[@alexeysafronov6447]

I have a 2017 AWD GT Challenger, and it was my choice because I'm daily driving this car. AWD seems to be usefull while getting though some snow during winter times, yet it has it's flaws for sure. First of all, car has to be fast enough in terms of acceleration to benefit from AWD. But 3.6 pentastar is barely doing 6.5 seconds 0-60 mph, which is slow, and amount of horsepower to the wheels I believe is something around 230-240, which is around 120 HP/Ton. It's an amount of power you can see in a typical economy class sedan. Second, but not least is a traction control system which kills this power in a lot of different situations. GT AWD challenger is not supposed to be a track based version, so it's suspension is soft, steering wheel and throttle response is slow, and paddle shifters don't shift sometimes(at high and low RPM), making you to get stuck into too high/too low gear for a situation. Additionally to that, car decides by it's own when to give you an opportunity to spin the wheels and do slides/burnouts and when not to. This is especially noticable when you go to the track. Instead of having more benefit from AWD there, you have to listen to abs kicks blocking inner wheels and having understeer when you want oversteering. WIth all that in mind, car also feels like is capable of doing much more in that field. I believe that challenger in terms of performance and comfort is a good GT car, that stands in a class of audi 7, bmw gt, wv arteon and other entry level GT cars. But it lacks a few things, that I'm considering to do something about, as soon as I have an avaliable amount of cash to do that. First of all, best tires possible. This car lacks traction, having a pretty narrow rims for an AWD version. 235/55 r19 or 245/45 r20(on newer awd gt) is just too slim of tire to have a good grip. So, going for uuhp tires is a must. I switched from factory defaulted Michelin MXM4 to ContiSportContact 5 for this summer season, which resulted in a 5 second difference on a minute time lap. If I would be able to affort even better tires for this car, this would definetly be my first go-to tuning. Second is brakes. Brakes are not reliable in a stock configuration, they sometimes provide enough power and sometimes, well, you just pray that it will be enough. It's not that they are lacking stopping power, but they do it inconsistently. So, to be safety first, this is a second thing to go with. I also have a list of what-to-do next, yet, just keeping in mind and waiting for some free-to-spend cash to do that. I would go next with such things are: sway bars, suspenstion, stabilization bars. Then, it will be ready to put some more power to the engine, which means that it's time to go with supercharger kit and chip tuning. This is an extremely expensive option, and it requieres a lot of engine inspection and replacement for pistons, shaft, coils, injectors, pump, oil catcher, intake and basically the supercharger itself with air filter, throttle body and then extensive tuning on a dyno. Basically resulting into overall about $15k upgrades which starts to pull up a question why. But I believe that after doing so, car should be capable of doing what this chassis is really capable of, which can be a lot of, yet, beeing a totally comfortable and daily drivable car for a long distances with an adequate gas mileage.

[@zachmchugh]

I have a 16 rwd charger I wish I had awd, makes more sense when you boost it

[@tomasmalasauskas7160]

Thanks, would it be possible to overview Durango and Journey AWD systems in the same way?

[@motooppGTA]

The 2016 dodge charge pursuit r/t is awd

[@BigJimCrimeboss]

I remember a friend of mine had one. Ran good until he got his vehicle towed for not having a parking sticker at his GFs apartment. Tow driver didn't put the car on skates and destroyed his AWD system. He stopped paying on the car soon after and let the repo man get it. And yes, the repo man put skates on it before he towed it away if you must know but I think it was too late for that.

[@EE-fz6pd]

Mopar or no car

[@mtnman424]

My 2013 300C AWD Lux. Ed. is a 4500lb., Hemi powered snowmobile. And with 4 new Michelin CrossClimate 2's it's even better.

[@snek9353]

Same, I have a '14 JVLE 5.7 AWD. I'm considering the Cross Climate, are they as good as all the hype?

[@mtnman424]

@@snek9353 Better...my car walked out of 12"(not 22, typo) of snow in my driveway so we could get the plow in.

[@mtnman424]

@@snek9353 They're quiet and handle wet roads like they're dry. Best set of sneakers I've ever owned.

[@snek9353]

@@mtnman424 Sounds like I need to do more burnouts so I don't feel bad tossing almost new tires, lol.

[@DjSanchezE355AMG]

Need to bring back the AWD RT.

[@bosshog8138]

Good video. You touched the turning off the AWD. But, on the systems that you can do this to can you turn it on full time like the first make of this system as complaints about the delay. Thanks.

[@HollowitzTV]

Hey man! I've followed your work and it's been extremely helpful in my journey to make a personalized Mopar. I have a FWD Dodge Avenger and I have an extreme desire to make a rally or performance AWD Avenger. Would you be able to provide any information on how the AWD system in the Avenger works and if it's possible to run either an SRT4 motor in it or upgrade the 3.5 sohc cam engine to get a better power of weight ratio so as not to be run into the dirt by a 3.6 twin turbo v6 mustang 😆 I don't know if the engine bay is big enough to handle a twin turbo or if the engine can be modified for that but my goal is essentially a mini charger with less weight. Thanks in advance for any info! Love the vids man, keep em' up ^_^

[@snek9353]

Some small errors.... 1) In the 2009+ system front torque is not limited to 38%, it's fully variable with up to 100% going to the front. 2) Not all AWD have a badge, my '14 300 JVLE never had an AWD badge. 3) 6:09 Autostick will force AWD, not force RWD. 4) OMG NO!!! Do NOT pull fuses, this will destroy the transfer case clutches if there's a spin. The default resting position of the transfer case clutches is partially engaged. 5) 6:54 most clunking is the front disconnect connecting. If the car is in RWD mode and AWD is suddenly called for the front must connect quickly, this can sometimes clunk. 4:30 cool chart, actual information details I did not yet know, thanks. I'm VERY happy with my '14 300 JVLE Hemi AWD. The AWD system in combination with the ESP systems, the partial off mode, and a Tazer make this car handle traction issues amazingly. I can flip it around into a 4 wheel power out almost like the Hoonicorn just awesome.

[@briantoner5247]

6:11 lol pull fuses 🤣

[@OGDomTheAtariDJ]

Love my awd 07 Rt

[@briantoner5247]

1:17 jinx my son just told me that too. 🤣

[@craiggerlach5548]

Mopar discontinued our AWD LX parts, the 5143239AB flange package wear out because it is only greased at install and the grease slings out leaving it dry to wear out and cause damage to our transfer cases, pulling one at a junkyard should not be our only option when this sub $50 part fails..

[@Mroswaldo16]

I want to see under the car! Or 3d view of the vehicle! Want to see if i get a 2022-2014 5.7l AWD as a donor fory 78 hilux.

[@philliplurton7972]

I have a Chrysler 300 and I Hate the wheel offset that comes with the all wheel drive system. The wheel offset on the two wheel drive system looks so much better. If I were to buy another 300 it would not be one with all wheel drive. Thanks

[@dannysdailys]

Luckily, you can buy your car on looks alone. Obviously you don't live in snow country.

[@snek9353]

How silly.

[@philliplurton7972]

@@snek9353 you the only silly one. Understand the facts before the stupid

[@snek9353]

@@philliplurton7972 Facts like aftermarket wheels exist and AWD is awesome.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid!!!!!! 👍👍👍

[@craigweber647]

I love my 2018 dodge charger gt awd

[@jimwhall6609]

I have a ‘16 that I love. With Nokias WR G4’s the thing is great in snow and rain. I live in northern Michigan in a sub that rarely gets plowed so a RWD sedan is a non starter. I wish it sent more power to the front but I honestly never noticed an issue in terms of traction. I started out with a Jeep XJ and loved it. But now have a Commander with Quadra-Trac II, thr AWD 300, and an ‘18 Explorer. The Jeep is the kids car now. I’m anal about tires and feel good about the wife and kids in any one of them even in winter storms.

[@LIRRM1]

Thanks for this!!

[@Mroswaldo16]

Arent cop cars awd but still A5 for 2015 model & newer?

[@PowerFabAutomotive]

Great Video.

[@Thirtybird]

My 2014 RT AWD regularly gets a Service AWD light, sometimes locking in AWD, sometimes RWD until the car is cycled. No codes are present when scanning for them either, so it's been a bit of a downer. I wanted an AWD, but it's frustrating.

[@hemidreamz1620]

Have them check out your transmission sensor activity it might not work or have a issue like mines

[@hemidreamz1620]

If they tell you it doesn’t exist go to a different shop with more experience

[@snek9353]

No codes? That's near impossible, it may just be that a good enough reader isn't being used. You need a reader that can access the drivetrain control module not just the body control module and ECU.

[@Thirtybird]

@@snek9353 absolutely possible - suggestions on one that won't break the bank? Autel is not exactly cheap

[@snek9353]

@@Thirtybird Absolutely, Alfa ODB, it's what I use. It's a $50 app for an android phone or PC, you'll need an interface between the phone/PC and car. On a '14 it'll give you complete dealer level access to everything, a truly fantastic app. $150 and you'll be as set up as the dealer to not only read codes, but read all sensors, change settings, program keys, turn on SRT modes, etc. all via a bluetooth connection and your phone.

[@xtremerv3574]

Can you keep the AWD mode engaged 100% of the time?

[@viktorzuki5611]

With my 2019 AWD I can

[@briantoner5247]

3:15 interesting circumstances.

[@4406bbldb]

I wonder if the 200 is this flexible.

[@TaterSalad123]

My 2016 "R/T" pursuit always goes into AWD below 35 miles per hour. (It'll engage between 27-34mph). Of course this is only when it's above 41°F. Am I crazy or was this not included in the schematic? Also my car's ECU was updated as of 2020 by a dodge dealership.

[@snek9353]

Interesting, makes sense, kinda cool actually.

[@Rubio_Eric]

I have a 2021 challenger RT and I'm still not sure if it has awd available. How can I find out for sure?

[@hoodlambo]

There are no V8 Challengers with AWD

[@dhoncho467]

I am honestly disappointed cause I have a 08 Dodge Charger awd and it sucks that I can’t disable the awd and put it to rwd when I want to 😒

[@louiecovarrubias9499]

Wtf why wont the hemi 345 or 392 pass codes for smog i drove it to vegas and back and still wont pass wtf !

[@leonpalnau6839]

You have some false info in here. Turning off traction control does not disengage AWD on the latest models. It does exactly the opposite which is totally counter intuitive. Turning off traction control forcibly engages AWD Man I wish you could just hit traction control to turn it off, but from everything I've seen, there is no way to turn it off without using a tazer, or pulling the fuse. There must be some magic wire there somewhere and I keep hoping eventually the video will show up about how to install the magic switch. I'm not willing to part with ABS and stability control to disable AWD so it just stays on. As the owner of a lightly tuned 2014 rt, my tires are thankful for this.

[@snek9353]

You're right about his error, but it sounds like you're misunderstanding the tazer. First don't pull a fuse, you'll do damage. The tazer has a force RWD mode that maintains all other systems, the car simply acts like it's RWD and everything else works. If that function is important to you the tazer is VERY worth it. There's many more features as well, one however I'm a big fan of that relates is button mapping. In my '14 300 hemi AWD with the tazer I have it set so that when my cruise control is off the cruise distance button turns my AWD on/off. This makes it rather easy for me to turn it on/off while driving.

[@leonpalnau6839]

@@snek9353 are you sure it's not just disabling the idiot lights that tell you ABS and ESC are not working? Everything I have read says the tazer disables all of this.

[@snek9353]

@@leonpalnau6839 I'm absolutely sure about what my tazer does in my hemi awd 300. I drive mine like it's the f'n Hoonicorn, I know quite well what it does in what modes. The tazer CAN disable everything, but it doesn't ONLY do that. One of the things it can do is only turn off AWD, all other systems will remain unaffected. The tazer opens up a lot of options, it truly is a must have for a '14 RT AWD. Also what are you using to tune? Some tuners can turn off AWD as well. I use HP Tuners and know it can.

[@leonpalnau6839]

@@snek9353 I have the diablo w/ hemi fever tune. Maybe I'm getting the two confused and it was the Diablo that disabled all so I assumed that the tazer worked the same way.

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool 😀

[@dannysdailys]

I have a 2018 supercharged Dodge Charger GT Plus AWD and I wouldn't have anything else. facebook.com/photo?fbid=5888606831157296&set=a.5888635211154458I also have a Tazer that will turn it off/ on/ or auto. Dyno mode no longer keeps the AWD off. To engage Dyno mode in an 18, you turn the traction control off with the button and hold it. A new icon will pop up in the dash panel, and it will tell you traction control is fully off. It also disconnects the cruise control. But, the AWD system overrides it, at least in my car it does. The Tazer is the only way to turn it off. And yes, when it's in auto and it's warm out, it takes it time to engage. You can especially see this illustrated on a 4x4 dyno when it's normally off. In the Winter, this is not an issue because as soon as it gets cold, the AWD is on anyway. Ditto rain. I've pushed the snow out of a plowed in driveway with this car without even spinning a tire. It was either a Charger or an Audi because AWD is paramount where I live. Mopar, or no car. I supercharged it to make up for the V-6 and it handles it just fine and I did more to it than just that. I would have had to turbocharge the Audi as well. It too, is a V-6.

[@maxlenn4071]

All You Need Is A Hemi Challenger AWD.

[@snek9353]

Wish they made that.

[@Ryzenberg78]

They say no room for the V8 AWD in the Challenger. Also, the ZF 8SPD in these cars is not the same as the V8 models. It's similar, but made by Chrysler on licensing from ZF. Only rated at 330lbft.

[@giothestupidass4136]

Ayy

[@hemidreamz1620]

I have a 14 rt and iv been dealing with a service awd light for months to finally get it fixed when no one could simply tell me the transmission sensor in the transmission they replaced didn’t work so now it’s getting replaced and in 2 weeks or less will have it supercharged. I love the car no issues got it with 75k have it with 90k now only problem I had so far