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Question on 2.62 VS 3.09 rear end gears in 2023 hellcat redeye widebody jailbreak:

26K views 44 replies 20 participants last post by  Charlie713  
#1 ·
Question on 2.62 VS 3.09 rear end gears in 2023 hellcat redeye widebody jailbreak?

Is it worth it to get the 3.09 gears?

Does it have a different rear differential versus the 2.62?

is it harder to hook up the rear tires with a 3.09 gears?
 
#3 ·
I ordered my 22 HC Redeye that I just received with 262’s. Haven’t got on it yet but after everything I read I thought the stock rear end was better for the street. I had a 97 camaro years back and put 410’s in it was fun but first and second gear were all wheel spin. So when considering how much more torque my Redeye has I didn’t think 309’s were a good idea.
 
#8 ·
My car will remain stock and is just used for cruise nights. Particularly the ones where people line the streets, throw buckets of water on the road, and the cops let burnouts commence.

3.09's = easier smoke shows = must have for me
To quote a burnout expert, "If you can't do a burnout with a RWD Dodge, you have bigger problems than that!" 😁 I I'd say you can easily fry the stock size tires through 3 gears, if not 4.

Dodge Hellcats, Viper Play Tug-of-War on New Roadkill (motortrend.com)
 
#5 · (Edited)
I went with 2.62. They are more suited for my driving. On the top end they pull in the gears longer before shifting. Someone made a graph with all the ratios and the 2.62 have advantage on top end due to it staying and pulling the lower gears longer, making the final drive a better ratio on the top end pulls.

If you are a track guy and using slicks, get the 3.09.

if you want top end pulls and going for land speed records get the 2.62.

for street driving people say they love the 3.09 becuase it feels people punchier but my 2.62 cat feels torquey enough!

Can’t go wrong either way.

3.09 for 1/4 mile and possibly street if you like it real torquey

2.62 for top speed, high speed pulls, and gas mileage lol

Oh also if you plan to modify and make 1000hp stay with 2.62, the high power guys switch to 2.62 after a certain point due to the torque being unusable with the 3.09 down low.
 
#10 ·
Does it have a different rear differential versus the 2.62?
Yes, the 3.09 case is beefier and hardened to hold up better with the lower gears which themselves put greater stress on the case. The 2.62 is still strong enough and with the higher ratio the case loads even out so overall the two diffs probably end up being similar in strength.




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#11 ·
Yes, the 3.09 case is beefier and hardened to hold up better with the lower gears which themselves put greater stress on the case. The 2.62 is still strong enough and with the higher ratio the case loads even out so overall the two diffs probably end up being similar in strength.




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thougjt this was inaccurate and that was proven wrong? Both diffs Are the same hardened carriers.

seems like in the beginning people assumed the 3.09 was the “demon” diff but as people were able to look into it it was found that the 2.62 uses the same diff housing and axles?
 
#18 ·
#27 ·
It would be nice if someone could do the math and say what rpm both gears are running when doing 75mph down the highway.
It's about 300 more rpm at normal highway speeds with the 3.09's. In your specific question assuming 28" factory size loaded tire diameter at 75 mph the math says 1580 rpm with the 2.62 and 1863 rpm with the 3.09.

And just for reference, the Hellcat is the only V8 Challenger that uses the 2.62, all Scat Packs and R/T's use either the 3.09 or 3.07 so it is by no means any super low ratio that will cause any highway driveability issues.




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#28 ·
My 2015 Hellcat Charger had the 1st 309 gear mod. A gift from my husband and my favorite mod. 😎
I think it's awesome that a choice can be made right from the factory and that is what I would choose.


I have no regrets and Love All the Fassst Fun!

Linda :)
 
#31 ·
@Reaperhwk Is this the post you are looking for?
 
#32 · (Edited)

scroll down on that page you’ll see the ratios plotted 2.62 vs 3.09

Basically it shows that the 2.62 has longer legs in each gear so for highway pulls and mile runs it stays in lower gears longer and will pull better. The 3.09 has more torque in every gear but when the 2.62 is still pulling in 3rd and the 3.09 is in 4th the 2.62 car has more torque (final drive) being in 3rd gear. The 3.09 has higher torque in each gear so if you hook it will get out of tje hole quicker. Depends what you want.

however it seems that the 3.09 cars have to shift one more time than a 2.62 car in tje 1/4, so that shift does eat up some of the gains.

I’m not a drag racer if I race it’s rolls and such. I went 2.62.
 
#34 · (Edited)
look at the graphs above in the posts. That will answer your questions.

Image

but in summary if you hook with 3.09 from a dig hard you will jump out of the hole and be ahead of a 2.62 car. If all things work perfect a 3.09 car should win in the 1/4. However the extra shift and the 2.62 car being in lower gears longer will slowly eat up thay advantage. The longer you go(example 1 mile races) the 2.62 car can hold and pull the lower gears longer. Which will eventually put it ahead.
But straight 1/4 mile the 3.09 with slicks probably the way to go. Demon has 3.09 and with the crate pulls the front wheels. For drag the 60’ is everything. Demon and SS are drag cars not roll racing, standing mile, or road course cars. At high speeds (120+) a 2.62 car is pulling 5th gear while the 3.09 is pulling 6th. At those speeds tje 2.62 car will walk the 3.09.
2.62 has advantages other areas.
A 2.62 jailbreak would beat a demon in a standing mile(demon using pump gas). On race fuel demon probably takes the win due to the extra HP.

So chose a gear for what you want to do. No wrong answer.
 
#38 · (Edited)
look at how much torque yoir going to get with the 3.09 in 1st and 2nd. If you hook all that torque yoir going to have a crazy 60’. That is why.
A tenth off the 60’ is worth a few tenths in tje 1/4 if I remember. The 3.09 is all about the launch. Yoir not pulling the front wheels off tje ground with a 2.62.
also gear to gear the 3.09 always has more torque so it will feel way more torquey then a 2.62. Comparing same gears. But the 2.62 final drive just has longer legs in each gear so it has the top end. It’s not the old days when an auto had 4 speeds. The 8 speed makes each gear really short and with a 3.09 they just get shorter. But the 3.09 has monster torque in 1st and 2nd if all that goes to the ground you are out of the hole like a rocket.
If my primary goal is 1/4 mile i’d run 3.09 and a drag pack. You cut an amazing 60’ that 2.62 car isn’t going to chase you down.
 
#40 ·
I would think for street driving which is what I do the 309’s would equal more wheel spin at lower speeds and I already get plenty of wheel spin as it is. My 97 camaro was fun with the 410 gears I put in so I agree the bigger gears are fun , but my camaro really spun a ton at low speeds..
 
#45 ·
If you are going to run 3.09 I would highly recommend running drag radials. I have a standard Hellcat putting out a bit more on the street than a stock Redeye and street tires are about useless with the 3.09. Trying to pass someone even lightly aggressive on the throttle and it wants to spin. That said I love the 3.09 better at the drag strip. If our diffs were some type of quick change I would prefer running the 2.62 on the street and the 3.09 at the drag strip.