2002 Mitsubishi (Dodge)
Stratus R/T Coupe
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Welcome to my Stratus page.
As always, I will attempt to offer useful information for those current and future owners of the Dodge Stratus Coupe. (See my past pages for my Mitsubishi Starion, GMC Beau James, and Yamaha Seca Turbo.)
Please read this only as an aid in helping search for more accurate information than I can present. I am not an expert on this car, and the information presented here is often an opinion based on personal experiences, or experiences of others I feel are knowledgeable. I take no responsibility for any possible damage you may cause by following my tips and info. When in doubt, hire an expert, as there are many that posses far deeper knowledge than I will offer here.
Thanks! -Vince
INDEX
Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring/Mitsubishi America/Mexico Something-or-other
So just what is the Stratus? Is it Dodge? Mitsubishi? Both?
When looking at the 2002 Stratus 2-door an 4-doors, you are actually looking at two completely different cars!
The 2-door coupe rolled off the Mitsubishi assembly line in Normal Il. alongside the Galant, and Eclipse. A quick comparison shows that the Stratus was roughly built on the Galant chassis, and decorated with an Eclipse interior. Parts seekers would do well to keep this in mind, as quite often you can save money buying the Mitsubishi part rather than the Dodge (marked up) version. Mitsubishi dealerships are also quite capable of performing maintenance on the Stratus.
What about the 4-door?
Well, I'm going to go as far as to say I don't know a lot about it. What I do know is that unlike the 2-door coupe, the 4-door is a true "Chrysler" built car, not Mitsubishi. Even the powerplant and drive train are pure Chrysler. This makes parts interchangeability between the 2-door and 4-door almost impossible. I think this makes the Stratus line unique (I cant' think of any other 2-door/4-door car that is actually two different manufacturers), and adds difficulty to parts ordering at your favorite parts house.
How about the Sebring lineup?
Again, I am limited on my knowledge of this line of cars.
Chryslers Sebrings 2-door and 4-door line is a twin to the Straus division, except sprung slightly softer for a more "luxury" ride. HOWEVER! The 2-door Sebring "ragtop" is a completely different car based on Chryslers 4-door sedan and built in Mexico!
Feeling confused yet?
My page is dedicate to the 2002 Mitsubishi Stratus Coupe with the 3.0L
My views on driving the Stratus Coupe.
The Stratus is now my 14th car, and 4th Mitsubishi (3rd rebadged under the Dodge name), following my '78 Challenger (Sapporo), '88 Conquest (Starion), and '91 Galant VR-4.
Like the Mitsubishis of my past, I find the Stratus a heavy car for its size, and unlike my cars of the past, she is my first true FWD.
After a few trips to the autocross track, I was happy to find the Stratus does much better than I would have expected..
In both increasing and decreasing salaams, the car remained stable and predictable. Body roll was typical for a car of this size and weight, but the stock shock/spring combination settled quickly, leaving you ready for the next turn. Response to steering input brought immediate and smooth reaction from the front end, while the rear remained firmly attached to the asphalt.
Front grip
(thanks to the engine directly over the axils) absolutely stunned me when it was time to
plant the front end and yank it around a set of cones in a braking turn!
Again, thanks to the shocks, the nose settles
quickly and provides a ton of tire grip. I must admit, it was far more
aggressive than my RWD Starion in this type of turn. I can only imagine what it
would be like with a set of sticky tires! YeeHaa! After
a few tries, I was able to get the car to drift
through a few hairpin curves with great satisfaction, although I found it far
less controllable than with a RWD car like my Starion. I don't think this a a
flaw with the cars design, but instead points out that I
need to work on what FWD drivers call "Left foot braking" (a term I never
understood until now). Mastering that should revel a few more capabilities
to the Stratus.
On the down side- Acceleration and shift points with my automatic are a
weak spots, as the ECU is not up to the task of shifting quickly, or dropping
down a gear when floored. Obviously a Manual wont have that problem, but I found
myself instantly wishing for a Auto-Stick to override the poor computer response.
As for general feedback through the steering wheel, there are some problems. Under braking, or neutral power, all is well, However, my Strat lacks Traction Control (an optional package) and this leaves me with what truly amounts to a "One-Wheel-Drive" car. From a stop, when you hit the throttle, the car pulls sharply to one side. As the car pulls hard off the line, this annoying pull adds to a twitchy feeling up front as you compensate. The pull quickly vanishes as you move into the next gear, and things once again stabilize. Although you actually get use to it over time, it shows that Mitsubishi cut costs by not incorporating a Limited Slip Differential as they did with many of the Eclipse line of cars. On the bright side, aftermarket units from Quaife and Kaaz (not cheap at $900-$1300 plus install) do exist. I have been giving this some serious consideration.
The braking system functioned well, although should I wish to fine tune the car for optimal stopping power, I feel it could use an adjustable proportioning valve to bias a little more power to the rear discs, as they remained under utilized. I do not have ABS, so I can offer no evaluation of that system, however I have not heard of Mitsubishi making a good ABS system for performance driving on any of their cars yet. If I were to own one, I would quickly find a way to shut it down with a flip of a switch. (ABS is great for grannies, and newbie drivers, but it takes away serious stopping power from those that know how to drive.)
Overall, I went to the track, expecting worse from a FWD, and instead left with a smile and a good feeling. A championship car? Not much of a chance. Problem areas? A few. Fun to drive? Yup!
As with most vehicles, certain problems are common to any car, and the Stratus (Strat for short) is no exception. Below are some of the more common ones, and what we know about them so far.
The dash cracks. (Poor design/materials/fit)
Owners on both the Stratus forums, and Eclipse forums have loudly complained about dashboard cracking in multiple places (as many as 5, that I have heard). Sunlight seems to be the common element, as those living further south seem to see it more often that those of us in the north. I have heard of no resolution to this problem except to replace the dash. If your dash is intact, I highly recommend you utilize sunscreens to keep it out of direct sunlight when parked.
Brakes warp prematurely (Low quality rotors/Undersized Rotors)
Brakes seem to be a real sour point with this car. Although 10.8" rotors should be adequate for every day driving, the OEM material warps quickly when used under anything other than the lightest of driving. Within 6 months of taking ownership of my car, I had to pull and grind my rotors. 6 months later, and it is time again. Or rather, time to get away from the weak OEM materials. Fortunately, several options exist as we can use the performance products designed for the 02 Eclipse GT. Brembo, PowerSlot, Baer and StopTech all make improved replacement rotors to alleviate this problem. Powerslot offers a simple "Big Brake Kit"* that increases the diameter of the rotor, yet still uses your stock caliper via a machined stand-off. Baer also offer Big Brake kits including new dual piston calipers which are the reasonably priced. Brembo tops the list with a pure professional brake upgrade exceeding a couple grand! The options are out there, thanks to our compatibility with the third generation Eclipse, so shop around
(* BBK's require 17" rims minimum for inside clearance.)
Motor mounts fail prematurely (Poor design/materials)
Another well documented failure. The rubber material deteriorates prematurely and fails. I have read that it has happened to several owners prior to 40,000 miles! The most noticeable sign seems to be a loud squeaking or groaning from the front, or possibly thumping from that same area. I do not know if OEM replacements are made from the same material, but an aftermarket replacement in polypropylene exist from Ripp Mods and others.
Trunk Reflector cracks (Poor fitment)
I found the mounting posts from the reflector do not line up with the holes drilled in the trunk lid, placing undo stress on the reflector. Widening the offending holes with a Dremel lets the reflector set comfortably on its perch.
Auto-dimming mirror fails. (faulty connector, poor materials)
On Status's equipped with the auto-dimming mirror, the dimming function and overhead dome light (also in the mirror) stop working. A temporary fix of wedging something under the electrical connector is quite common. I disassembled and cleaned the connector coming from the overhead windshield area, and received no noticeable difference, as the connection remained intermittent. I now suspect not the connector, but the pins mounted to the circuit card inside the mirror. Possibly a bad or broken solder connection? The mirror itself is sealed, and the interior components are not accessible without damaging the case. Maybe someday a owner will be brave enough to open the unit and document the findings.
Also noted is the mirror surface itself. As a year has past, I see flaws appear, similar to lines of corrosion. only inside the reflective glass. Very annoying. With the problems I have seen with this mirror so far, I may go back to a good old manual replacement some day as the electronics cost far too much for the problems encountered.
Rancid smell from windows (poor door drainage)
Owners have noticed that the door and window assembly retain water, which then becomes rancid. You do not notice this until you lower your window into the door, then raise it back up. The rancid smell comes up with the now wet glass. One owner fought Dodge, and got the wiper material inside the door replaced under warrantee, but I know of no other fix at this time. I will be looking into this this coming summer, so stay tuned.
Can't find parts, or parts don't fit. (Poorly trained counter personnel)
Often owner will express frustration for never getting the correct part from a parts house or dealership. If you read my "What is a Stratus" paragraph above, you will understand why this happens. The different model and manufacturers of this car confuse even the owners, yet alone someone relying on a parts book that simply says "Stratus". Keep in mind the 2-door coupe is a Mitsubishi. To avoid receiving Sedan parts (which won't fit the Coupe), ask the counter person if the same part works on an Eclipse GT or Galant, if so, it will most likely work on the Stratus coupe.
(Keep in mind that there are still some differences between an Eclipse GT and the Strat body, so things like brake lines, or exhaust parts will still differ.)
SPOILER: As seen in my gallery, My Strtat has an Eclipse spoiler on the trunk. This was on the car when I purchased it, so I cannot tell you much about it. I can say that although I like its looks, as it compliments the flow and lines of the Strat better than most I see out there, it does block a significant amount of your rearward vision. This tends to be a constant annoyance in heavy traffic, where I prefer a clear field of vision. I mention this because although you get somewhat use to it, the annoyance never really goes away.
Here is a shot looking rearward
Other Tid-Bits
Thumping the nose:Recently, a person backed into my Strat, Thumping the license plate moderately hard. Although the nose sustained little damage from the bumper-to-bumper contact, it was the license plate holder that punched a 2" hole through the nose itself (view HERE). If repairs are coming out of your pocket, this was almost $800 worth of damage. I have now remounted the plate very low to get it out of the impact zone.
Computers
The car is fully computerized, and can have up to 10 onboard ECU's! Unlike cars of the past, the Stratus does not utilized a wiring harness for every task. Instead, it has digital communications between modules for many of them. Although this has benefits in reduced weight, and perhaps computerized diagnostics, the down side is that we loose the ability to perform simple tasks, like bypassing a relay to turn on fog lights! Instead, you now have a low current dash switch, talking to a ECU mounted on the steering column, which digitally talks to the relay box under the hood, which then activates the fog light relay! Almost "Fly by wire!". -Yeash
If your car has the factory Anti-Theft system, the VIN and "secret code" are stored in the critical ECUs'. If you attempt to replace an ECU with a junkyard purchase, the system will shut down due to the miss-matched codes. New ECUs from the dealership come preprogrammed with your VIN, or are blank and accept a VIN and code only once.
I'm learning more on this topic as time goes by, so take the above info as being a very rough description of what goes on.
Involving programming; I have created a single page that covers these topics.
How can I add more transponder keys?
How can I program more keyless remotes?
How do I enable/disable the horn "answerback" when using my remote?
Links
of interest
2GStratus.Org
03/03/2007