A History Of The LA Dodge Challenger Platform

"Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire" (arch-duke-maxyenko) 01/03/2020 at 16:09 • Filed to: None

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It begins with the Renault 25 introduced in 1983

Which was then used by AMC/Renault for the Eagle Premier

Which then begat the Chrysler LH Platform

The Daimler -Chrysler merger then allowed the LH to be converted to the RWD Chrysler LX platform using the W201's 5-link rear suspension.

This is then cut down to a shorter wheelbase called the LC which is used as the 2008 Dodge Challenger

Then the platform is adapted for the 2016 MY to fit the ZF 8-Speed Auto which brings us to the LA Platform

Thisismydisplayname > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 16:25

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Once they scrap the old platform, doesn’t it then not just go away?  Especially when they swap a FWD platform for a RWD platform?  The cab forward LHS platform couldn’t be any more different from the LX platform.  I mean they both have four wheels and all, but that’s about it.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 16:40

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So that’ s  how old the Challenger is. Good article!

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Thisismydisplayname 01/03/2020 at 16:44

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The platforms are all related

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/03/2020 at 16:45

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Older than the G-Wagen

To be or not 22B > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 17:09

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They Chryslers wer e longitudinal because the company planned to changed over to RWD (or at least offer AWD) but then the merger happened and they got to work from Daimler’ s deep parts bin. Th e RWD platform components were derived from the E-Class:  https://www.allpar.com/cars/lx/index.html

ranwhenparked > Thisismydisplayname 01/03/2020 at 17:37

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The Premier was designed to be convertible to AWD/4WD, and Chrysler retained that ability for the LH cars - consideration was given to making either the Dodge Intrepid or a cancelled Plymouth derivative RWD, as Chrysler considered that important if they wanted to retake a decent share of the police and taxi markets. By the time of the Daimler acquisition in 1998, they had already decided that their next large cars for 2005 would switch to RWD. Originally, it would have been an even closer reworking of the LH architecture, but the new management insisted on the incorporation of Mercedes components to demonstrate the synergy between the two halves of the company.

For Sweden > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 18:23

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When Renault buys FCA, the cycle will complete

coqui70 > For Sweden 01/03/2020 at 18:53

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But remember the merger with PCA is coming first so I can’t wait for the new Dodge Magnum wagon based on the old Peugeot 505 STi platform! Turbo-diesel even.

slipperysallylikespenguins > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 19:06

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Sources? B ecause I’m calling complete bullshit. The LH cars only carried over the front suspension and engine mounting from the Renault platform. Then the LX was entirely new with Mercedes’ help.

slipperysallylikespenguins > ranwhenparked 01/03/2020 at 19:09

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If you’re going to copy/paste you can at least give credit to the source.

ranwhenparked > slipperysallylikespenguins 01/03/2020 at 19:45

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?

slipperysallylikespenguins > ranwhenparked 01/03/2020 at 20:00

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Sorry, my mistake. I was looki ng a ta bunch of LH/LX sites and could of swore I saw what you wrote on another page almost word for word.

ranwhenparked > slipperysallylikespenguins 01/03/2020 at 20:15

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The gist of it is pretty much  all over the place

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 21:36

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Thank you!

I’ve been puzzling about the relationships, especially between the LH, W201, and LX. This is really helpful.

So...how did you figure all this out?

MoparOrNoCar (Okay, maybe a Mazda?) > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 21:47

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As someone who owned an LH car before owning 2 LXs, there’s minimal carr yover. The front suspension isn't the same, and is evident by the presence of upper control arms on the LX/LC/LD/LA and no upper control arms on the LH.

The platform is almost as old anyway, because the explanation I’ve heard is that the LX/LC/LD/LA platform is basically an E-Class rear suspension (W 201) and S class front suspension (I think W140?).

ranwhenparked > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 21:50

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Not really, but pretty close. T he G-Wagen is still about 4 years older

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 01/03/2020 at 22:00

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Wikipedia 

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/03/2020 at 23:26

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The Daimler-Chrysler merger also resulted in Chrysler using the strong/reliable but inefficient Mercedes  5-speed automatic.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > slipperysallylikespenguins 01/04/2020 at 00:04

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Premier

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Vision

No bullshit 

slipperysallylikespenguins > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/04/2020 at 01:58

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Wikipedia is hardly a reputable source. I followed every link and source on that page and not one mentioned an early 90's LX platform. Even Wikipedia’s own LH platform page makes no mention of it, nor does any other website. So while the architecture was able to support awd/rwd, there is no evidence that it was ever called LX. They also never actually produced any rwd LH cars other than a few prototypes that were ultimately used in movie.

The LH platform and the LX platform that replaced it share no dimensions, no geometry, or any modules besides the v6 engines which most of Chrysler’s products used. Every reputable source on the internet points to the LX being a new platform.

As an AMC and Mopar nerd I would love if my 2008 Charger could be linked back to AMC, but there is no link beyond one Wiki page.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_LH_platform

E70H55A > MoparOrNoCar (Okay, maybe a Mazda?) 01/04/2020 at 12:14

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... This comment about e-class is about the closest anyone has gotten lately to the truth.

Reality is that the Renault 25 was the platform successor to Renault’s previous large luxury car. After that, yes, eagle premier/ dodge Monaco. After that, intrepid/lhs e.t.c, FWD for two generations. Also e verything about the FWD platforms being setup for eventual RWD is essentially true, leading LH to * heavily*   evolve into LX, while using rear suspension geometry from E-Class that started on the W201 C- class and is still being evolved for current Mercedes RWD platforms.  They also used mb steering columns directly for both generators of LX along with Mercedes based axles and W220 generation S- class front suspension... and the rest is all basically already known. 

ALL THAT BEING SAID, a platform is actu ally only BASIC set of measurements around which a car is built. In most cases, the primary shared element ofa platform is the front floorpan — around which the front suspension and engine are mounted. From there, you setup your factory to connect parts and hardware as the car goes down the assembly line.

This is the primary relationship from the Renault to the eagle then LH, e.t.c, but the reality is that the vast majority of the body panels, electronics, suspension e.t.c changed very heavily every time, thus making each vehicle effectively very modern in its day and this continues to be true up until the current charger and challenger which are mostly mild refreshes (2015) of their actual 2011 full charger redesign 2012 challenger heavy platform update. Aside from being rwd

Thisismydisplayname > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/04/2020 at 14:06

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I stand corrected.  I thought the lhs underpinnings were transverse layout, but I mis remembered.  So they didn’t wholesale scrap the lhs to go to the LX, good to know. 

Thisismydisplayname > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/04/2020 at 14:08

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Wow, look how much engine is hanging out in front of the strut towers in the older platforms.  Very Audi-ish.  

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ranwhenparked 01/04/2020 at 20:05

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The G just got an all new platform though.

bob and john > slipperysallylikespenguins 01/04/2020 at 21:38

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i mean...wiki is worked on constantly to be factually correct.

its not 100% all the time...but for like 95%+, its pretty good. 

ranwhenparked > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/04/2020 at 22:10

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Debatable - the rear of the chassis and nearly the whole body shell were carried over largely unchanged. If you’re arguing the Challenger dates to the 1980s based on an increasingly tenuous connection to the Renault 25, the G-Class is definitely a 1970s design based on the same criteria. 

404 - User No Longer Available > slipperysallylikespenguins 01/05/2020 at 12:02

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I wouldn’t even call it “help” for the LX ... it was more like platform reuse considering they were the same company back then.

Big Jay's Cars > To be or not 22B 01/05/2020 at 15:55

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Yes, this article seems to be littered with bogas info. The LX platfor m shares very little to nothing with  the LH platform. It comes from a 1999 E-class platform.