Ok, in the spirit of being honest, we’re a few hundred off of the magical 100,000 mile mark with our 2006 Chrysler 300C, but it is a good testament to both the care that the car received from its first owners and the durability engineered in for our tenure of ownership that the only things that needed to be addressed at this point in time were the brakes and for the third time, the torsion struts.

The brakes on the 300C were the factory rotors and pads, without a doubt. The easiest way to tell? The rotors still had the factory hold clips on the lug studs and the pads were at the barest minimum of life. The rotors themselves looked decent enough, but rotating them showed warping on every disc, with the front rotors weaving badly. We’re not saying that running the NCM Motorsports Park back in January killed the brakes, but…well, ok, that’s exactly where we killed them. A full set of EBC Brakes 3GD rotors replaced the factory pieces. I’ve used these on a few cars now and I like the performance and heat dissipation characteristics of the rotors. They also hold their shape really well over time. The front rotors received EBC GreenStuff brake pads, while the rear rotors received a set of Wagner ceramic pads (apparently EBC does not make rear pads for the LX Mopars.)

Then there is the issue of the torsion struts. Pre-2009 LX Mopars eat these things like candy, especially the 5.7L models. The torque applied to the forward bushing is strong enough to tear the bushing material apart, and when that occurs the entire strut has to be replaced. Our 300C has killed at least two sets, and frankly, we’re sick of replacing these things, so we purchased a set of SRT-8 torsion struts from our local Dodge dealership. The bushing design holds up better, but how much better will be determined over the next year or two, which seems to be the lifespan of the 5.7 struts.

So why all of these upgrades? Two reasons: One, I’m not exactly gentle on cars and driving around BangShift Mid-West isn’t a piece of cake. I like having upgraded brakes because I’ve found that around here, I use them a lot…mostly avoiding people who pull out into traffic without looking. The second reason is because we have more in store for Grandpa in the upcoming months. For now, he’s going to spend the rest of the month taking it easy while we bed in the brakes and sort out some final details, but expect Grandpa to start working once the summer months really kick in. For now, check out the photos below. Special thanks to Nick for supplying the garage and lift to help us out!

It’s pretty hard to believe that these rotors held up to nearly 100,000 miles without going under the minimum measurements. They were close, though…too close to cut.

That outer edge lip is deeper than it looks. They served their purpose well, but it is time for these rotors to go.

Much better. The black coating wears off, along with the “break in” coating on the EBC pads. Just from the drive from the shop to the office, the difference is tremendous.

See the sunlight? You aren’t supposed to. 2005-2008 Mopar LX cars shred these struts. Not convinced?

…this is the same strut. These things are toast…and are only about 30,000 miles old. They were replaced when I bought the Chrysler in early 2013.

Best part of the brake upgrade is that it fits in the stock 18″ wheel. Upgrading to the SRT-8 Brembo package requires a carefully measured 17″ wheel at minimum to clear, but the factory 18s won’t work. Typically, the safest bet would be to run SRT wheels, and that just isn’t in the budget yet.