Oil-Best Engine Oil for Dodge Challenger 3rd Gen 5.7L HEMI (375 hp)
The Dodge Challenger 3rd generation (LA body, 2015–2023) is one of the last surviving examples of the classic American muscle car in production — a rear-wheel-drive, large-displacement V8 platform sold in an era when most competitors had moved to turbocharged fours and sixes. The 5.7L HEMI V8 (EZH engine code) provides the Challenger’s entry-level V8 experience: 375 hp, 410 lb-ft, a signature HEMI exhaust note, and the same Multi-Displacement System cylinder deactivation found in the RAM 1500 Classic. The shared EZH architecture means shared oil requirements — and shared vulnerabilities. The Challenger’s performance-use context, however, creates additional demands that the RAM truck’s usage pattern typically does not.
Quick Answer: Recommended Oil
- Specification: Chrysler/Stellantis MS-6395, 5W-20 (full synthetic)
- Alternative: 0W-20 full synthetic MS-6395 (2022–2023 models)
- Oil capacity with filter: 6.6 litres (7.0 US quarts)
- Oil capacity without filter: approx. 6.2 litres (6.5 US quarts)
The EZH HEMI in the Challenger
The EZH engine code identifies the 5.7L HEMI with MDS and VVT — a mechanically identical unit across the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, and RAM 1500 Classic. Displacement is 5,654 cc, bore × stroke 99.5 mm × 90.9 mm. The hemispherical combustion chamber with two spark plugs per cylinder is shared across all variants.
What differs is application context. The RAM 1500 Classic operates primarily as a work or family vehicle — highway cruising, occasional towing, commuting. The Challenger is purchased overwhelmingly for spirited driving: power-on acceleration, launch control use, back-road driving, and track days. This changes the thermal profile the EZH experiences in practice:
Higher sustained RPM: A Challenger driver who exercises the car on a mountain road or track keeps the engine at 4,000–6,000 RPM for minutes at a time. The RAM rarely sees sustained RPM above 3,000 on highway use. Higher RPM generates more oil temperature.
More aggressive acceleration events: Launch control and full-throttle acceleration from low speed puts the engine at high load during the exact operating condition where oil film strength under piston rings and rod bearings is most critical.
MDS activation patterns: The MDS activates during light throttle and cruise — which occurs on the highway between enthusiast driving episodes. Challengers that cover road miles between events still cycle MDS constantly during that cruise phase, accumulating the same roller lifter wear as a daily-driver RAM.
MDS Lifter Failure in Performance Context
The MDS roller lifter failure mechanism is identical in the Challenger and RAM Classic: roller axle bearing wear under reduced splash lubrication during cylinder deactivation, progressing to roller seizure and rapid cam lobe destruction. The failure timeline differs:
In a RAM Classic used for daily commuting, MDS engages heavily during highway cruise — a relatively benign thermal environment. In a Challenger used for enthusiast driving, MDS engages during the between-event cruise phases when oil is already at elevated temperature from recent hard use. Hot, partially degraded oil provides less roller bearing splash lubrication than fresh, cool oil — meaning each MDS cycle in a performance-driven Challenger carries more wear risk than the equivalent cycle in a RAM Classic.
The MDS disable decision: MDS disable tunes are proportionally more popular in the Challenger community than in the RAM community. A $300–500 ECU tune that permanently disables MDS eliminates the mechanism entirely, locks the engine in 8-cylinder mode at all times, and adds a modest fuel economy penalty. Given the Challenger’s performance use profile, the MDS disable is a broadly justified reliability measure. For Challengers that see any track time or frequent spirited road driving, it is essentially mandatory.
Understanding MS-6395 for Performance Use
Chrysler/Stellantis MS-6395 mandates full synthetic 5W-20. In the Challenger context:
5W-20 at performance temperatures: At oil temperatures of 110–120°C — typical of spirited road driving and modest track use — a 5W-20 full synthetic carrying MS-6395 approval maintains adequate film strength under normal loads. For sustained track use (extended circuit sessions, drag strip with multiple hard passes), oil temperatures can reach 130–140°C, at which point 5W-20 HTHS viscosity becomes marginal. Many Challenger track day users run 5W-30 full synthetic for dedicated track events, reverting to 5W-20 MS-6395 for road use. Stellantis’s published specification remains 5W-20 for road use.
2022–2023 specification change: Late-production LA Challengers (2022–2023) updated to 0W-20 as the primary specification, following Stellantis’s API SP adoption. 0W-20 MS-6395 is the correct oil for these model years; 5W-20 is acceptable as an alternative.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 5,654 cc |
| Layout | V8, OHV pushrod |
| Engine code | EZH |
| Power / Torque | 375 hp / 410 lb-ft |
| Bore × stroke | 99.5 mm × 90.9 mm |
| Combustion chamber | Hemispherical, dual spark plugs |
| Cylinder deactivation | MDS (cylinders 1, 4, 6, 7) |
| VVT | Cam phaser |
| Oil capacity (with filter) | 6.6 L (7.0 qt) |
| Oil capacity (without filter) | approx. 6.2 L (6.5 qt) |
| Recommended viscosity | 5W-20 (2015-2021) / 0W-20 (2022-2023) |
| Stellantis OEM norm | MS-6395 |
Oil Change Intervals
Stellantis’s Oil Change Indicator can suggest up to 8,000 miles under ideal conditions. For a Challenger in mixed road use with occasional spirited driving: 5,000 miles or 6 months, with the shorter applied. For any Challenger that sees regular track use, drag strip passes, or sustained hard driving: 3,000–4,000 miles or 4 months, and change oil after every dedicated track event regardless of mileage.
Track use degrades oil more aggressively than 3,000 road miles in thermal load terms. A full day at a driving event can generate the equivalent thermal exposure of 5,000 road miles. Starting each track event with fresh MS-6395 and changing after provides maximum roller lifter and cam bearing protection during the sessions when oil temperatures are highest.
Common EZH Challenger Problems Related to Oil
MDS lifter tick: As described — onset with persistent passenger-side tick at warm idle, escalating to misfires. More likely to be caught early in a Challenger than a truck because owners are more attentive to engine sound changes. Early detection means intervention before cam lobe destruction; a symptomatic Challenger should be immediately inspected for lifter roller condition.
Rough MDS reactivation: Cold-morning rough idle when MDS attempts to reactivate cylinders with oil that is still cold and viscous is reported on the Challenger and Charger. The MDS solenoid pressure with cold oil can cause incomplete or sluggish lifter extension. Allowing the engine to idle briefly before aggressive driving in cold weather reduces this stress.
Spark plug fouling on MDS cylinders: Oil passing collapsed MDS lifters at higher mileage reaches the deactivated cylinder combustion chambers and fouls plugs 1, 4, 6, and 7. Replace all spark plugs at 30,000-mile intervals — extended plug intervals on a HEMI with MDS risk misfires on both active and deactivated cylinders.
Oil consumption at performance mileage: Challengers used regularly for spirited driving can develop oil consumption above 1 qt per 2,000 miles at higher mileages. Check dipstick before every track event and at least monthly for road use.
Conclusion
The Dodge Challenger 5.7L HEMI EZH is an American muscle car engine that rewards correct oil maintenance and punishes neglect with high-visibility failures. MS-6395 5W-20 full synthetic, changed at 5,000 miles maximum for road use and after every track event, is the foundation. For any Challenger seeing enthusiast driving, MDS disable is a sensible investment that eliminates the primary failure mode — allowing the EZH to deliver its considerable character without the latent risk of cam lobe destruction.