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Chrysler 300M

26385 messages,  Last post on Nov 19, 2012 at 5:58 PM

You are in the Chrysler 300M Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler 300M, Sedan

Messages Page 1466 of 2639

#14648 of 26385 my support & sj57 & wider tire by 300kam

Mar 02, 2002 (3:51 am)

I would like to put my 2 cents. I believe people should give American cars a chance, I'm sure American cars nowaday are a lot better then 5 years ago. IMHO, rice burner makers have advantage not spending much efforts in inventions and designs except imitation and improvement. Like any car makes, there are lemons or bad guys. I had a BMW before, the car had more problems than my 300M in 1st year. Chrysler does really do a good job.
 
bigmike5,
I couldn't agree you more, yes, if you want the 300M to response, please floor the pedal, don't hesitate. You'll see the different.
 
sj57
I may be able to help you regarding to your vibration questions. I live in San Jose also. We can meet somewhere. Mine doesn't has sunroof though. I browse here once a week only.
 
By the way,
I would like to hear owners replaced their tire/wheel with wider one. After seeing the Special, the wider tires does make the 300M have a sport sedan look. The stock tires are just kind of like chicken legs. The wheels looks good though.
I would like to know the size and make, any problems after installation. With the GoodYear problems, seem to me 300M is very picky with tire, may be a design fault?
 
A happy owner of a 2001(bought end of 2000) with PHP, no problem so far.

#14649 of 26385 300kam.................... by lflowers

Mar 02, 2002 (7:54 am)

I bought new, wider wheels and tires for my 2000 M last year. I replaced my 7" x 17" Razorstars with 8" x 17" Konig Tantrum wheels and replaced the stock Goodyears with 245/45ZR-17 Goodrich Gforce TA KDW tires. There are definitely pros and cons to doing this!
I love the way the new Tantrums and the wider, lower profile tires look on the car and the cornering power has to be experienced to be believed! The drawback is that, with tires that have a cross section of less than 50%, you get a contact patch wider than it is long. This causes some directional instability, such as darting left or right on bumpy roads or under braking. This is not a 300M problem, it is common to any car using tires with a section under 50%.
For myself, I'm willing to put up with the drawbacks in return for the improved cornering power.
Also, with the Goodrich KDW's, the wet weather roadholding is phenomenal. Just keep the above in mind when considering going to wider tires and be sure you can live with the effects.
 
Also, My 2000 M just turned over 46K miles with no service complaints. I like my dealer's service and attitude and I LOVE the car. I'm 62 years old and have owned many cars, including several I raced in the SCCA, and I am continually impressed with the responsiveness, handling, performance, and comfort of my 300M. If the 300N looks as good (the prototypes I've seen pictures of DO NOT), I'll probably buy another Chrysler product in 4 or 5 years.
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas

#14650 of 26385 300michael - first year by kosh_2258

Mar 02, 2002 (8:17 am)

I've noticed that pattern with Chrysler. It looks like the first year cars are intended to hit the cost target. Then they monitor the feedback to see if people will accept them that way. If not, then they resort to better quality materials and such to bring the car up to where people WILL accept them.
It's like they're fishing to find out what the lowest vehicle cost is they can get away with.
 
So I've pretty much learned to stay away from the first year of anything Chrysler. It looks like buying them mid-cycle is the best approach. By then they've worked the cheapness out of them and all the worthwhile improvements have been made.
 
If the time comes to buy an N it WILL have the manual. Both the wife and I prefer a stick and have missed them in our recent vehicles. So for me selling the wife on a N won't be a challenge.

#14651 of 26385 300kam by 300michael

Mar 02, 2002 (9:41 am)

You have a couple of options. One is to go with the stock tire size (as I did) but purchase a better tire. I have Bridgestone S0-3 Pole postitions. They do every thing I wanted. They are excellent on wet traction, they grip the road like they were "glued to it", and quiet. I checked out tire racks web site they they were the best Performance all around tire at the time.
Another option is to chang to profile say 245/50 17's.

#14652 of 26385 Disconnecting power by 300michael

Mar 02, 2002 (9:44 am)

The only other thing I do not like about disconnecting power is that the surge of electricty that the computer componets get when you hook it back up. Most electronics do not like this.

#14653 of 26385 gears and paint by ottowrkr

Mar 02, 2002 (9:49 am)

jona57 - it already is. The ratio used is the gear set on the trans that goes in the 2.7 engine. When we build a special we install the trans made for the 2.7 engine .
 
bigmike5- I would love to see a white special myself.

#14654 of 26385 300 Problems & Cleaning by beach15

Mar 02, 2002 (9:58 am)

I've said enough on this topic, and won't say another word about it unless something stops working or the car stops running. Some people get a good car, others don't, end of story. So we'll now get back onto the "normal" 300M discussion (or at least I will!).
 
Just did the 18k oil change on the M this morning. We haven't changed the air filter yet, but do clean it off periodically with an air compressor. It's not too dirty, but maybe we should get a new one soon. I know most of you use K & N's, but that be the day anyone would convince my father to pay more than a few bucks for an air filter, top quality or not!
 
I need to wash the car too, but it's supposed to rain today so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I had been wanting to order some Zaino but it's still a little pricy (though the shine would probably be worth it), so I've just been sticking with some Meguire's Cleaner Wax. Not too bad, but cheap and the shine doesn't impress me. I also use tire foam for the tires, but have had a problem. For you guys who use sprays and have the chromes, how do you keep it from overrunning onto the freshly cleaned wheels? My dad made a 14" shield to use for his Chevelle and it seems to work okay, but I'm still trying to find a better way. Any suggestions?
 
-beach

#14655 of 26385 Car prob's by jona57

Mar 02, 2002 (11:28 am)

300kam-
 
I could not agree more. Most all reasonably objective sources (e.g. JD Power surveys) indicate all makes are generally decreasing their defect rates, and the "Big 3" are improving faster. There are good and bad cars put out by all makers, but certain publications slant their stories. Witness the Toyota slude-related engine failure issue (found elsewhere here on Edmunds) which I have yet to see mentioned by Consumer Distorts (which seems to think all Toyotas walk on water!). Bottom line is that you buy a CAR, not a "reliability record". The majority of cars produced are fine with nothing more than minor issues at worst. There are also real LEMONS, and if you happen to get one it's a pain. I try never to buy a new design in its 1st year because cars are too expensive for me to be a beta-tester!
 
Jon
'01 300M- great fun car, zero prob's.

#14656 of 26385 jona57- by fastdriver

Mar 02, 2002 (12:09 pm)

jona57-
 
Generally speaking, I would disagree with your buy a car, not a reliability record theory.
 
You are CERTAINLY better off buying a car with a good reliabilty record than one that doesn't have one.
 
As for the Toyota SLUDGE problem, it seems to be caused by people ignoring oil change intervals. Changing oil frequently seems to eliminate any sludge problems. In the real world, Toyota does walk on water compared to some other brands.
 
fastdriver

#14657 of 26385 "darting left or right on bumpy roads or under braking" by scotian

Mar 02, 2002 (12:57 pm)

I have stock Michelins, and I have found that braking to a stop on a not completely flat road surface has always made my front end go nuts! Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Also, lately a short high-pitched tone has come out of my engine while warming the car up here in MN. It can happen while stopped or moving, but only occurs during the first few minutes after being turned on.

Messages Page 1466 of 2639

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