Last week I installed a BB valve body in my heads/cam '07 SRT8 Charger. Install was pretty straight forward but almost immediately I noticed the 2-3 shift felt like someone was applying the brakes or downshifting the trans. The upshift threw me forward for a second and then off the car went. I suspected I didn't have enough fluid and/or the computer was still learning the new configuration. I was about a quart low on trans fluid but after I topped it off it still felt weird. Last Sunday I went to Sacramento Raceway and ran five 11.49-11.50s in a row (-600 DA). Nice except my car should be running 11.20s-11.30s. My 60' times, 1/8th MPH and 1/4 MPH were identical to what I had seen before but I was 2-3/10ths slower in ET. Only thing I changed was the valve body. I called BB and he told me to swap back the stocker and see what it did. Since the VB was already out I decided to put in some blue-top Mercedes VB solenoids. $300 from parts.com Today I head back to the track. Very foggy out so my expectations weren't high. My first two runs were 11.50s with crappy 60'. I continued running and the car felt better and better. I got a couple 11.40s, about ten 11.30s and ... I almost run out of gas so I run to the mini-mart down the street and throw in a gallon and a half of 91 octane (I run 100 octane at track). I drive back (10 minute round trip) and drive right up to the line. The track was actually holding good so I gave it the beans. Here is my new PB: 60' ... 1.489 330' ... 4.550 1/8 ... 7.130 1/8 MPH ... damn speed sensors broken 660' ... 9.334 E.T. ... 11.202 mPH ... 120.704 Yes that's right 1.489 60' time!!! Full exhaust, serpentine belt on, -1061 DA, lots of weight reduction I ran two more runs after that and got 1.51 60' times with 11.30s Funny thing I realized that the same thing happened to me before. I had run out of gas, gone to get some gas and ran 1/10th quicker when I returned. Was it the 91 octane gasoline? or was it the drive itself? I took another drive and ran 11.23 with 1.51 60' time. I was still running the same gas so it had to be something about the drive. I drove about a mile roundtrip at about 40-55 MPH. Maybe the air running through the engine bay combined with heating up the tires/oil had something to do with it. Well anyways this is my new "grab a bag of chips at the corner store" track mod. I also learned how to do a better burnout too. I had received some advice from some folks at another forum suggesting I let the car shift up to 3rd gear in the burnout. I feathered the throttle more and could see the shifts and was able to extend my burnout and get the wheel speed up. Car launched hard (obviously) on a cold, damp and foggy day). Back to the valve body. I can't say what was wrong with the BB valve body but there was something wrong. Lots of folks have had good luck with this mod so I'm not bagging it altogether. BB has been very responsive and helpful and told me he would refund my money BTW the harshness of the shifts were about the same with the BB valve body and blue tops. The downshifts were almost identical. I want to thank Cam for offering to help me pick up and install a new tranny if that became necessary. Luckily it looks like my trans is indeed healthy I'm now motivated to push her even harder!
Very interesting read Jeff? Now I'm confused. I was thinking about the BB Valve body, and I can't afford a tranny now? Maybe the blue tops would be a good compromise for now.
I don't represent any company and can only tell you my experience. I'd go with the blue tops just from my experience and from some other things I've heard.
Good post and nice runs. I like it when folks dump some weight and then actually talk about it. Shows some internet integrity. Stout runs.
Yeah, I'm upfront about everything. If someone has a question just ask. This isn't for money, just fun. Thanks Eddie for your help on the phone! Looks like it may be a little longer until I need one of your bulletproof units.
Sorry to hear the new valve body didn't work for you... I installed the same BB stage II valve body in early December, and I'm loving it. Ken
Yeah, it gets great reviews from everyone else Thanks for making me a dipstick. Wish I had installed that damn drain plug like you suggested.
Still too lazy. BTW I put in almost 5 quarts of Walmart El Cheapo brand ATF+4 ($3.77 a quart). Maybe I can thank Walmart for my new PB
