Chrysler 300M

avalanche165

damn fellas, my back end looks jacked up from the 20's. the whole car looks like i have it perched up on an air ride (i wish...). it looks like a 4wd or something. cant wait to drop it again. but anyhow...going medium speed around turns...the back end sways out SO SO bad. its ridiculous. the damn wheels are so sticky they stay on the ground but the body of the car is moving along plane X if you follow...its off center...per say. afraid of flexing something so i didn't drive it. but you would think the car could fit 22's in that wheel well....so so big. just a word of advice on you guys who are gonna go bigger rims....i guess 18's did not cause this prob...

guesswho1

no mustang! this was the real deal a 65 no poser. you guys really have no sense of humor, do ya? there was a big air show down here this weekend, all the delta pilots live here and they bring out their toys on the weekends. lighten up! DAM!

phases78

for the love of god and everything holy, post pictures!!!!! or at least a link to some!

scotian

should I also get a new TB gasket?

rogor2k

Shouldn't be necessary. The gasket is thick rubber and isn't glued in place.

If you're also going to be doing the Lister air tube, he offers a package deal on boring out the TB (FREE if you purchase the tube kit). He may also have some exchange TBs by now so you may not have to purchase one up front.

homer2000ssei

Just thought I'd pop in and say Hi. I've just spent the last hour or so going through a chunk of your postings . . . man, you guys are chatty !

I was influenced to drop by and see whAat y'all were saying since "one of yours" ruski ? dropped by the Bonneville side and asked about the commercial showing the SSEi and 300M. I hadn't seen it myself, so can't comment.

I do wanna say, if the new SSEi hadnt come out right when it did, I would be drivin a black 300 right now instead. I was ready to drop the old Bonne I had for a stylish , sporty looking sedan - and yours was it.

Thats it for now - just saying hi and passing my regards along !

Dennis / Homer

sdmike2

Nice of you to stop by.

sdmike2

This week I'm driving a dark blue '01 V6 Mustang, courtesy of Hertz. My initial impressions are that it's a hell of a lot better than the Chevy I drove last week, but it still has a long way to go. I like the interior although it's way too small (I can't fit my left knee between the door and the steering wheel...my driving position) and overall the fit and finish seems pretty nice. The car suffers, however, in driveability. The V6 is anemic and has a lot more bark than bite. At one point I tromped on the gas and a full 2 seconds later the car responded with a loud growl and virtually no acceleration at all. At the same time it thunked into passing gear, then hunted around for some special tantric transmission zone that it never DID find. Thunking, revving, growling...all the noise in the world...but it didn't go anywhere. Shame. It was also very, very, very jumpy on the road. A of a steering adjustment sent the car darting all over. It didn't feel safe. Oh, an interesting quirk of this particular Mustang. While driving the BRAKE light on the dash flashes on and off intermittently and annoyingly. I thought maybe the emergency brake was on a little but it wasn't. In fact, when I engaged the emergency brake the light went totally off. Maybe instead of a brake ON indicator it decided to be a brake NOW indicator.

So far the best mid-sized rental car I've had was a Mazda 626. Pretty decent little car.

-M

herrmdogg

There is PLENTY of room in there for 22's but the true problem lies in the fact that very few (if any) wheel manufactures make a front wheel drive rim bigger than a 20 because there are so few vehicles that could utilize it. That's my 2 pennies.

http://members.cardomain.com/herrmdogg

HerrmDogg

rstilp

I have never been able to get more than 13.5 gallons in my 17.? gallon tank. Running on fumes, light blinking and showing 20 miles to empty: 13,5 gallon fillup. Do I need to unhook battery and recompute? I saw the new Bonneville ad; wonder which 4 performance tests they beat us in? They don't say. Misleading?Maybe ,turning circle radius, 0-60 in reverse or hi-beam footage.lol Sorry,Bonne fans, its a great car, I just hate false advertising. Any ideas on the gas tank?geezer300m

phases78

homer: thanks for droppin in and sayin hi!

sdmike2: i hate mustangs with a passion, if for no other reason than there are more mustangs on the roads than there are people

herrmdogg: id love to see an M on 22's!!!!! (myne even)

rstilp: ive wondered the same dam thing since i bought the car, and i think a couple others have asked that same question

homer2000ssei

This may look like bad timing - but I happen to have the link saved

http://www.pontiac.com/bonneville/outperformed.html

rstilp

GULP!!!!!!Another thing I hate is a guy who backs up a statement with facts and data. LOL I still think you should have gotten a 300M, we need guys like you in the club.Rick/Geezer300M

forresth

I thought the 0-60 for a stock 300M was around 7.8 secs. Still slower than the Bonne. but not quite as bad. I don't have any actual facts to base it on but I know it was less than 8.48. That driver must have been a Lard [non-permissible content removed] or had the whole reviewing team in the car with him at the time. There is a lot of space in there.

mboomgarden

I'm pretty suspicious of these numbers, particularly since Pontiac doesn't cite an independent testing source. In fact, all of the times listed for the Bonneville's competitors--the 300M, the LS and the GS300--are substantially slower than what I've seen in the major auto mags, while the SSEI's numbers are on the . . . er, optimistic . . . side. Pontiac has clearly skewed the results to come out the "winner." This is a real shame, since the SSEI is a nice car in its own right. It just makes them look bad to do this sort of thing.

fuzzywuzzy

DC's customer service number. The one fastdriver had. Or one like it. A friend needs it to work out warranty issues with his 300M. Get this, he is at 37K miles. It's a 99. He has the weather stripping problem, & the strut cap problem. He brought it into his dealer up in NY at 35,900 miles. They said they couldn't duplacate. He decided to live with it. Now at 37K miles he's trying to get at least the strut caps fixed, because there's a TSB about it. The dealer refuses to fix under warranty. My friend never told me what was happing, so I could not be much help untill now.

phases78

0-60 7.8 or something like that. ive read that in mags, internet sites, and on paperwork at my 5*'s managers desk

fuzzywuzzy

I'll but in on the SSEI:

Nice car, but lacks the up scale feel, & looks of the 300M. I did test drive one before I bought the 300M. I hated those oval air vents, & red gauges!

ruski

First of all let me say that I like SSEi a lot. Always have. I also used to have the Grand Prix GTP with the same engine and it was awesome (6.6.seconds). Also had a Buick Riviera with the same engine that did 0-60 in 7.1 seconds.

However after looking at the test results posted on the Pontiac website, it seems that they did a few runs and then posted the worst numbers for the other cars and the best numbers for the SSEi.

Also they did not mention anything about skidpad, slalom, and top speed, as well as acceleration from 90mph.

ruski

however current nation-wide lease numbers on SSEi look really good - 1500 down and 389 per month.

toms99

I have been trying to follow the flurry of intake mods posts and I thought I'd throw out some questions to consider:

1) Might it be remotely possible that DC engineers had some actual reason to design the intake (restrictions and all) the way they did? I mean, heck, wouldn't it have been cheaper to build something without all those plastic doo-dads inside? It would seem to me it would be cheaper for DC to just put in a pipe and filter between the TB and the fender hole (which is basically what everyone is trying to do.) Remember, this is the company that saved $$ by NOT putting in an underhood light and did NOT illuminate the cruise control switches. Why would they spend extra $$ on convoluted air passageways if they did not have some reason??

2) Who knows? maybe the plastic restrictions slow down the air flow. Some physics would say that faster moving air molecules actually heat up, so slower moving air would therefore be cooler...??

3)Even if you open up the intake passageway and TB you won't see any HP or MPG gains except at full throttle, because with anything less than full throttle the throttle plate itself is the ultimate restrictor (I think...!)

4) Ultimately there is just so much air (CFM's) you can get in each cylinder during the intake stroke. The exact amount and mixture would appear to be controlled electronically through computers and sensors. I'm not sure how much mechanical intake tinkering can overcome much of this electronic controls...???

I'm obviously not an engineer, so I don't know if any of these questions have any validity. Just some thoughts I had before I take a pliers to my intake!!! (Which I'll probably do anyway!!)

99_300m_ric_va

Order Part Number 4602229-AC for $95.06 or less and plug right into your fuse box. Lights high beams at a lower intensity as long as car is on and lights are off and parking brake is off.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/rpowelljr300n/lst?.dir=/My+Photos/DaytimeRunLights

99_300m_ric_va

Hey I'm converting my 99 taillamps to the 2001 style. Unfortunately only one lamp came in and the other is on backorder.

Anyways, I took some pics to show how they compare to the original from 1999 and 2000.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/rpowelljr300n/lst?.dir=/My+Photos/ClearTailLamps

99_300m_ric_va

Tom,

Someone I know at a local speed shop who owns a 300 told me that all the restrictions are there for two reasons. 1) to make it nice and quiet, 2) to reduce overall horsepower, since the testers found that they would brake the half shafts without them.

I agree with the first one. Not sure about the second. Half shafts are the drive shafts and CV joint that tie the wheels to the tranny. Anyway that's what I was told and after all the mods, mine is louder when you stomp it..and FASTER!

phases78

hell yeah! thats one of the first things id do if i had a 99 (tailights) awesomme man

sdmike2

Thanks for the great pictures! It always helps dummies like me understand exactly what is going on. Believe it or not, I didn't know that the grill-side lights were the high beams. Heck, I'm always IN the car.

travmn

I'm trying to remember if this was the company everyone was talking about before with all these "claims" for performance improvement, or if this was someone else. anyways, someone mentioned this company on the 300mclub.org board ( http://www.asechips.com/ ) and I was looking at it and it showed 2 nice improvements in the 300's performance. They claim their chip will take a stock M to 276Hp and 281Ft/Lbs of torque. Has anyone dealt with this company or tried their chip? I know the Jet chip had problems, but does this? thx

phases78

awwwww crap.. i think u've just sent me to yet another thing i get to explain to my wife, and why im spending the cash on it, LOL

valhs

As the owner of a 2000 LHS, I'm basically in the same boat as toms99. Our page has died and now we have simply moved to the 300M page where we have found true car enthusiasts who enjoy their cars and enjoy improving them. After reading the post regarding the SSEi I had to chime in. Car and Driver, an unbiased party test both the 300M and the LHS. Their numbers differ considerably from the ones posted by Pontiac (no surprise there). The glaring issue is the amount of the variance. We're not just talking tenths here, these guys are knocking full seconds off to make their case. Here's the real deal. 300M / LHS 0-60 7.5 sec. (.1 second quicker with autostick)vs. SSEi's 7.64... Advantage 300M/LHS. 30-50mph 3.8 sec. vs. SSEi's 2.85......Advantage SSEi. 50-80mph 7.1 sec. vs. SSEi's 7.38......Advantage 300M/LHS. 1/4 Mile 15.70@89mph vs. 16.60@89.2mph.....Advantage 300m/LHS. And think about this, .9 seconds in the quarter mile means the 300M/LHS is 130.53 feet ahead of the SSEi through the traps or roughly 9 car lengths.

dubbed

i used to have an older bonneville before i got my m. the thing was fast but, it was supercharged, keep in mind that our "m"'s are naturally aspirated. all motor. as far as the new ones go, they're phat but they cost too much for a pontiac, and the 300m looks and feels better on the inside and out. it also looks beter with 20" wheels!!! sorry i had to put that in there.

later guys,
Tom (DUBS)

valhs

If you love the 300M and hate the LHS don't read the C&D article. The LHS by virtue of it's front end (read more aerodynamic) and lighter weight (by 30 lbs.), outperformed the 300M in the quarter mile (1mph faster), the skid pad (.80 vs. .79) and the 0-120mph test (32.7 vs. 35.7). This was all performed on 1999 models and is pre-PHG I'm sure. Not that any of this is relevant due to the fact that most of you guys are running Z-rated tires, dual exhaust, ported TB's, Bosch plugs and custom intakes.

300michael

#1 the one of the reasones is emmitions. The system is ment to give the engine a LEV status thus helping out their (I forgot the exact term) fuel average ratings. It does make the engine quieter (although they should have concentrated on the suspension noise instead)
#2 If they wanted to slow down air flow simply put in a larger pipe, besides the air would have to travel pretty fast for this to be a concern.
#3 Very true, but at full throttle you will get more air into the system. and should hit 6500 rpms faster.
#4 The sensors adjust timing fuel and other mixtures according to what is avalable. With more air avalable the sensors can allow more gas. Along with the the less restricive inflow of air more of it will be pumped into the cylinders producing more power per stroke. True it is not much but it works on the same principal as a turbo or supercharger.
And what is this about taking Pliers to your intake?

300michael

Is .15 faster then a stock Non PHP 300M 0-60, I doubt you would even see it's tail lights. Maybe it's front wheels. The SEEi would see my tail lights and like those of you that are getting them or already have them they are very pretty tail lights indeed. For the extra 2.5K for the SEEi you could mod out your 300M pretty good.

denverm

I doubt many 300M lovers hate the LHS. I prefer the 300M's looks & size and wouldn't trade away the PHG, but the LHS does have a couple of features we don't, and the two cars are more alike than different. Y'all are welcome here. BTW, was that a 0-120 test, or a 0-118 test? ;-)

homer2000ssei

let me say this - I am NOT a troll. ruski came over to the ssei side and posted about the test on the commercial, so i felt invited based on fair play. I'll even say this again - the 300 and LHS are very nice looking cars. And, all truth be told, I know very little about them - that I didnt read here today. So I wont begin to start a debate I cant speak intelligently to. I did love the speedvision show that chronicled the 300 though. That puppy was a monster when it raced for a couple of years there, was that the 60's ?

Now, as for believing the "facts" of the test - I wouldnt either. Its advertising - it cant be accurate or fair. There are many ways to report "facts" so they suit your purpose. In fact, I have a serious problem with the SSEi numbers they reported. I've taken mine to the track 2 times before modifying it, to get base line times - and the times they report are wayyy the hell off from mine. I have three time slips in front of me from a trip in July to St.Thomas near London Ontario. They are 14.82, 14.83 and 14.79 at 94.11mph. Ill agree they are a bit faster than most report them - but there were plenty of stunned witnesses from the Grand Prix club I belong to that were there both days.

What times are you guys running - stock, on average. I have to think GM didnt report the best for your cars, since from what I can tell - dont you have more stock HP ?

Dennis

scotian

That thing is huge! And it lights up the high beams -- the worst way to implement DRLs. Yech!

ottowrkr

How could any true blue Canadian pass up the great Canadian built 300M for the SSEi??

ceikost

I have them too. But it's happening more often now. This morning at 6am I got up to let dog out and there she was with the interior lights on. I went to get the remote and when I got back they were out. To-night I looked out and they were on again. This time I got the remote, unlocked and relocked her and the lights went out.

It goes in for a drivers door window regulator on the 12th, so the 5* will have something else to work on.

99_300m_ric_va

Scott,

It does light the high beams, but at a lower intensity. What's wrong with that? Some car light up low beams, some light up aux lights on front that come on with headlights. I think GM does this.

Anyway, it's a safety mod and some light is better than none I guess.

ceikost

Where did you get your spoilers from?

You have the type that I want (but with LEDs) and I have lost the web address.

Thanks.

ruski

I came in to see what was going on with SSEi recently. Then I saw someone posting about the recent commercial on TV where SSEi sits and lets a few cars fly by, then accelerates, catches up and then blows them all away. I just felt like pointing out that the commercial was BS.

Well, maybe SSEi can beat Lincoln LS and Lexus GS300, but watch out when you go against a 300M.

Now a Grand Prix GTP vs 300M... 300M would get killed.

ruski

are you sure that yours is a Bonneville?

Maybe someone sold you a GTP with Bonneville SSEi badges on it?

drpixel

For those of you who DON'T know yet, the World Trade Center was struck by a 737 which deliberately flew into one of the Towers. Early this morning, while having a cup of coffee with some friends outside, I heard the first explosion. About 15 minutes later, the pane, or a second plane hit the other tower.....
bodies falling, flames, smoke....what a world we live in....
The air was filled with acrid smoke, paper, insualltion toy name it....it was falling from the sky....
I am 3 blocks from this, I can see the towers burning.....
So sad....
the extemely upset drpixel....

travmn

it also looks like a plane crashed into / near the pentagon. looks like a coordinated terrorist attack ( as news claims ). FAA has grounded all flights today as well. what a world we live in today.

ottowrkr

My thoughts and prays go out to all the American people

fuzzywuzzy

IT SUCKS!!!!!

My Aunt works in tower 1.

avalanche165

i just topped the cake for the worst 300m MAJOR and minor and eveyrthing in between problem ever....

i took it to the dealer today at 7am, to get a new output sensor...then i went to class..get a call at 11 to come down.. the tech is asking if i did anything to the transmission...and i'm like nope. i haven't done anything yet with the tranny so....but he found 5 codes in there...FIVE!! and there horrible. i have no 3rd gear. the clutch is burned out completely, car is shaking like a bad motha. the ecu went to hell and back with a vengeance. something is up...its gonna take a week to fix. pull the whole transmission out, replace everything. new ecu, new speed sensors, new transmission, new clutch, new gears, and some other stuff i cant remember what he said. this is bad....and i just got my 20s on too dammit. its all good tho, cars can be fixed, i hope

avalanche165

i feel like an [non-permissible content removed] for talking about my car at a time like this. my sister is in up near there, i just got off the phone with her. she's crying more than i've ever heard her cry before. she is in new jersey now there not letting ppl in new york. i'm leaving now to go get her.

phases78

well im sure all of you konw whats going on in the world right now, well im in DRF1 so if anyone goes anywhere we'll be the first to go. my sgt just send us home to grab all our gear, i have a weird feelin here, wish me luck guys, just in case they dont let me come home tonight

phase

drive_a_300m

Prayers out to you and your Aunt - I hope all work sout for you and your family in this..

Avalnche - be careful, and you will be in my family's thoughts and prayers as well..