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| · Mopar Performance · | 07.28.2006 |
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SRT - Ultimate Power in Performance
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CHRYSLER GROUP’S STREET AND RACING TECHNOLOGY GROUP IS CHARGING AHEAD WITH SOME OF THE WILDEST BUTT-KICKING PRODUCTS THE INDUSTRY HAS EVER SEEN.
And the hits just keep on coming. That’s one way to describe what’s been coming out of Chrysler Group’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group since it was formed about three years ago. |
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Take, for example, the Dodge Viper SRT-10 — the third generation of the ultimate American sports car— boasting 500 horsepower and 525 lb.-ft. of torque from its 505 cubic inch V-10 engine. Or the Dodge SRT-4, which debuted in 2003 as the head-turning performer among the sport compact “tuner crowd,” only to be “upgraded” for 2004 with 15 more horsepower and the addition of a limited-slip differential as standard equipment. And then there’s the Viper-powered Dodge Ram SRT-10.
Why a Viper-powered truck? “Because we could do it,” said Dan Knott, director of SRT. OK, that’s a good reason. “And only we can do it. In the case of the Ram SRT-10, we were able to take the toughest truck on the planet and infuse it with the racing and specialty vehicle engineering expertise that is so prevalent at SRT. The result: another leader in the performance industry from SRT.”
 Officially unveiled at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the SRT group was originally called Performance Vehicle Operations, or PVO. The purpose was to leverage all of the performance resources within the Chrysler Group — motorsports engineering, the Viper development team and Mopar Performance engineering — to create a line of extreme performance vehicles and parts that would blow past everyone else.
“PVO brought together the best performance development processes, durable high-performance parts, and some of our most talented and experienced motorsports and specialty vehicle engineers to produce success on the racetrack, and leading performance vehicles and parts for the street,” Knott said.
Soon, however, the powers-that-be realized the combination of acronyms (PVO for the people, SRT for the vehicles) was not working. Knott said, “As we began to bring out our other SRT products, it became clear that there was some level of confusion out there regarding what PVO was.”
He continued, “There was also some disconnect with the vehicle that is labeled SRT and the organization that is called PVO. Since we made the decision that all of our products will be labeled SRT, the most logical step was to change the name of the organization. Now the name is firmly aligned with the vehicles and we can move forward with a new message. And what is that, you ask? Create cars and trucks that kick butt!”
In truth, SRT was created for much more than boosting the image of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles and Mopar parts and accessories. In fact, each and every SRT project will have a similar development path.
“We have a four-step vision,” Knott said. “First, we will deliver outrageous vehicles to the enthusiast. Next, everything we do will be done to the highest standards of excellence. And third, SRT will always focus on continuous improvement. The final point, though, is the key from a business perspective: We will make money.”
Knott then described the elements that came together to produce the SRT department.
He said, “We’ve combined our street and racing engineering talents into one organization. In doing so, we have an organization of enthusiasts developing vehicles, parts and race track success for enthusiasts.”
With obvious pride, Knott said the heart of SRT is its people.
 “We’ve filled our organization with enthusiasts and experts. They work hard, but they play hard too. While we’re part of a worldwide corporation, we’re not too buttoned-down. So, we let the team run, but with reasonable levels of discipline.” Evidence of this work/play attitude can be seen by a quick visit to the SRT garage in Auburn Hills, Mich., near the Chrysler Technology Center. Here you’ll find a little of everything, from current production vehicles to 2005 test cars and prototypes. There are also bound to be several race cars. This day, there is the Mopar Dodge Viper that just competed in the One Lap of America, and two SRT-4s that run the Pro Solo circuit, both sporting the Mopar barbed-wire paint scheme. It’s a gearhead’s dream come true.
“It’s like I said,” Knott continued, “We are enthusiasts, not just engineers. What’s the point of building all these high-performance vehicles if we can’t have a little fun with them too?”
Of course, there’s much work to be done before the folks at SRT can get to the “fun” part. The garage is just a small part of the facility. Throughout the rest of the expansive building, dozens of designers and engineers toil on their computers, using the latest CATIA (Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application) software to find more efficient and better ways to produce go power.
The SRT building also houses numerous classrooms and training facilities where instructors can share the latest industry developments with SRT personnel.
“It’s important that we do everything we can to continuously update our level of expertise,” Knott said. “Look, John Coletti [from Ford Motor Company’s SVT department] isn’t going to rest on his laurels and neither is Mr. Reuss over at GM’s High Performance division. So everyone at SRT has to be pushing in the same direction.”
There are several other keys to running a competitive SRT operation. One of these is knowing when to lead — and when to get out of the way. Knott said, “To be successful, a high-performance team must have a significant amount of autonomy. Team members must be able to make their own decisions and be held accountable for the results. The team needs to avoid bureaucracy and move at light speed.”
But it’s not a complete democracy. Someone is always in place to make the call when one is needed.
 “Consensus management doesn’t work in creating highperformance products. Leadership and character is what delivers successful products that perform at the limits,” said Knott.
One of the first tests for the Knott-led SRT team was to turn a rugged Dodge Ram pickup into the snarling, tire-smoking V-10-powered SRT-10. The challenge was how to make a truck perform like a muscle car.
For Knott, having a Ram to start with was a big advantage.
‘We began with a great truck,” he said. “But in the case of the SRT-10 Ram, we said ‘OK, we’ve got 500 horsepower and 525 foot-pounds of torque that we’ve got to get to the road. How do we do that?’”
The designers and engineers went to work to come up with a myriad of solutions. Knott said, “The first goal was to lower the truck’s center of gravity. Then we had to go after something like a power-hop damper. We ended up with a damper mounted on the top of the differential that, as the axle starts to wind up, the damper forces it down.”
He continued, “We also went with a snubber under the rear leaf springs, so as it starts to compress, you get loads on the wheels. It’s so effective that we can put slicks on it and open the throttle all the way and it stays stuck to the pavement.”
One of the big advantages SRT has in its development process is the ability (and willingness) to put their technology to the test. For example, several SRT employees successfully campaign specially prepared SRT-4s on the Pro Solo circuit. SRT also worked closely with Mopar Performance to run both a Viper SRT-10 and a Dodge Ram SRT-10 in the One Lap of America race.
Then, for good measure, they took a stock SRT-10 Ram out to the DaimlerChrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Mich., and with scores of media looking on, they stormed their way into the “Guinness Book of World Records” by posting a top speed of 154.587 mph — the fastest speed ever for a production pickup truck.
There are more exotic design pursuits in which SRT plays a big role. At last year’s SEMA show, SRT introduced a concept Viper that combined the heritage of the Viper GTS-R race car with some other enhancements from Mopar Performance. The goal was to produce a street legal sports car that could also outperform most race cars at the track. By all accounts — mission accomplished.
Despite these impressive feats, SRT continues to look for other ways to improve the ownership experience — even working on components that have nothing to do with horsepower or torque. For example, in 2004 SRT introduced an all new Kicker/SRT Livin’ Loud audio system for the SRT-4.
You want to talk about performance? SRT engineers developed an audio system that included two 1-inch, high-performance Neodymium tweeters mounted in the instrument panel; two 6.5-inch, full-range 75-watt speakers mounted in the front doors; two rear 90-watt 6 x 9 coaxials; a six-disc under-dash CD changer; and a 10-inch SVC 100-watt amplified subwoofer mounted in the trunk. Talk about literally blowing the doors off the competition.
“We like to take care of all of our owners’ needs,” Knott said. “After all, we realize that many tuners decide to install their own audio systems. But we wanted to offer our own outrageous kicked-up system that’s also covered under the car’s full warranty. Besides, we had a blast here at SRT coming up with it.”
That enthusiastic attitude comes through in everything SRT does.
“Dodge, for example, is the full-of-life brand,” Knott said. “Dodge SRT vehicles will feature outrageous, bold exterior characteristics; a race-inspired interior with aggressive seating; ultimate performance handling; world-class braking, and enviable benchmarksetting powertrain performance.”
 As 2004 wraps up, Knott is particularly excited about the new products being produced at SRT. “It’s a very exciting time to be here. The SRT name — and attitude —is spreading through all the marques within the Chrysler Group,” Knott said. “The new Crossfire SRT-6, and the 300C SRT-8, and the Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab are just the beginning. And we have some more coming out in a few months that I can’t talk about yet, but they’re going to blow people away.”
As for Knott, it’s the product that justifies all the effort from the SRT side. Knott instills a mindset throughout SRT to deliver results.
“In theory, it’s simple,” he said. “We’re not about to give away our secrets, but the basics are obvious. By leveraging our resources, utilizing existing technologies, not reinventing the wheel, and knowing our customers and the market we’re playing in, we can clearly and concisely deliver results. So that’s the basic formula.
“But one ingredient is missing from that scenario,” Knott added. “And that is the overriding SRT mindset. At SRT, we will never, ever rest on our laurels. We will always ‘walk the talk.’ And we will always continue to raise the bar.” |
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