Dispelling the Demon myth - it handles

Not only does it hand other cars their butts, but it can handle the curves. And makes for a nice daily driver. Despite all the online comments, the Demon actually goes around turns. Better than a non-widebody Hellcat as well.

What is a Demon? It’s an otherworldly Dodge Challenger Hellcat, possibly the world's quickest front engine, rear drive car, with a host of power increasing and drag strip use upgrades. Components are beefed up, power is increased with a larger supercharger, transmission has more aggressive ratios, it has wide body flares housing 315 width tires front and rear and a massive hood scoop. But the diabolism runs deeper than that including some production car firsts for drag strip use. A line lock is added to allow spinning the rear tires while the front brakes are activated to warm up the rears. A transbrake which holds first and second gear allows for engine power to be applied before the actual launch (think of a brake torque but in the transmission), in drag mode, the air conditioning is re-routed via an “after cooler” to reduce intake air temperature by up to 50 degrees. Cooler denser air enables more fuel for more horsepower. 

The Necromancy doesn’t end there. Besides some factory weight saving measures, including smaller brakes (don’t worry, you only need one emergency stop, not track duty), the interior only comes with a driver’s seat. But for $1 you can add a leather or in this case, cloth interior seats. There’s more wizardry for another $1 buys a Demon Crate that contains a replacement engine control module that has a tune to optimize race gas for more horsepower and torque, skinny front wheels without tires for lighter weight and less rolling resistance, as well tools to complete the summoning of the dark power.  Interestingly it has 57 to 85 more horsepower than the brand new Corvette ZR1 with a similar engine size and roots type supercharger. 

Having the good fortune of experiencing standard Hellcats and non-supercharged Challenger V8s at the Bondurant Racing School, the Demon’s wide body and non-drag mode suspension setting is not only a very comfortable street car, but pulls some appreciable lateral g’s in the turns, surpassing many sedans. On the street, the body roll isn’t bad and the speed around turns is more than sufficient to raise hackles. It reminded me of the standard suspension Mustang GT I recently evaluated. So why is the Demon and Hellcat judged on its handling when Bentleys, S-class coupes and other four (adult) passenger, two door coupes are not? The ride is perfectly comfortable as well. 

The other perception is it would be too loud. Nope, this frequently daily driven coupe is quiet at cruising and perfectly suitable for a cross country trip. It’s when the appropriately named loud pedal is brushed does it sound like a cruising muscle car with aftermarket mufflers and when all hell breaks loose, the supercharger whine also howls demonically. It’s as if the devil lost his minions. See the video for a launch example. This particular spawn from the darkest depths is no less practical than any other coupe and more than most since it fits four adults.  Thanks to the drag radials with hardly any negative area, rain or snow basically forbidden. Surprisingly this one has been used for commuting to work, achieving 17mpg, which is impressive for suburban stop and go in an 808 horsepower, two-ton coupe. And much better than currently experiencing in the 707 horsepower Trackhawk. 

Acceleration is hellacious, I can’t help myself, and a linear, hard pull. A couple of non-drag mode launches from a standstill displayed brutal power and classic domestic soundtrack. It was a warm, dry day and only minor traction loss occurred with a slight wiggle while screaming on the highway to hell. The owner has extensive experience in high horsepower cars and has monitored Demon quarter mile results. He states it is as quick as his McLaren 675LT. The race tune, which requires unleaded 100 octane gas, adds 32 horsepower and 53lbs ft. of torque, adds a 3-4mph again in trap speed. The owner stated the difference isn’t perceptible. Interestingly, it is still emissions compliant. 

Having had a superb long term experience with a first generation SRT-8, the Bondurant Racing School loving their SRTs and Hellcats, this from Bob and his wife, the reliability should be a non-issue. This is also one of the most practical ten second quarter mile cars and at well under $100k, the least expensive and best sounding.  A quick search on Autotrader shows several advertised at under MSRP. Shocking since the total production of 3,300 units ended recently.  While further defending this hell child, straight line racing is the worlds most participated motorsport. Manufacturers spend tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, trying to get the best possible lap time, why are they excused when Dodge went out to get the best possible timeslip for the Demon and published it, achieving 9.65 seconds at 140mph in optimal conditions with the full prep package - slicks in the rear, skinnys up front, race gas tune and just the driver’s seat.  

We all have our demons, but this one is practical, has no compromises and is hella fun to be in and drive. 
Photo album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1436882073083166.1073741940.378354382269279&type=1&l=b897810e1f

The Dodge Demon is not banned and other facts

It’s time to straighten out the misconceptions, ignorance and fake news about the Dodge Demon. Dodge conducted an extensive marketing campaign to introduce the Dodge Challenger based Demon. There was much speculation but the bottom line is it is the quickest production car ever made, only potentially beaten by the all-wheel drive Bugatti Chiron. Further furor struck when Dodge announced the NHRA letter this Demon was banned from their tracks because it was too quick and too fast without a roll cage. Notice the letter stated “this vehicle”.  There is no blanket ban on the Dodge Demon at NHRA member tracks.

There are no letters about the Veyron, La Ferrari, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1? That’s because despite their potential to exceed the NHRA 2008 model year production car limit of a 135mph trap speed or 10.0 second ET, those numbers have to be exceeded and witnessed at an NHRA member track first before the singular, observed vehicle is banned. And not a blanket ban. Not every driver of those cars will exceed those limits and who’s to say they can’t back off in order to stay eligible? Happens all the time with other built cars.

Let’s look at the demonic numbers. The pump gas, emissions legal horsepower rating is 808hp and 717 lbs ft torque. With the optional 100 octane race gas tune Engine Control Unit (ECU), those levels go up to 838hp and 770 lbs ft torque. The race gas tune does not void the powertrain warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles either. This optional ECU equipped Demon ran a 9.65 ET at 140mph quarter mile with a 2.3 second 0-60mph time, all NHRA certified. It also has a production car record wheelie distance of 2.92 feet per Guinness World Records. However Motor Trend reported the new Porsche 911 Turbo S also lifts its front wheels.

The stock tires are Nitto drag radials (DRs), 315/40/18s, front and rear. Of course they are not recommended for temperatures below 15 degrees but that is the case with virtually every summer tire designed for maximum fair weather grip as opposed rain, snow, etc. While many scoff at the choice of DRs, there are plenty of users on the internet that report using them during track days on road circuits with the appropriately raised air pressure. Surprise! Dodge reports a 60-0 braking distance of a world class 97 feet as well.

This is not just a supercharger pulley swapped Hellcat. It has a larger supercharger, upgraded connecting rods, pistons, and valvetrain as part of 25 upgraded engine components. It also has a higher stall torque converter, more aggressive final drive ratio and twin dual-stage fuel pumps. The only transmission, an 8 speed automatic, has been strengthened along with an upgraded drive shaft, rear axle and larger half shafts. There is also equipment specific to drag racing such as a Line Lock which allows the rear tires to spin with the front brakes engaged in order to warm them up for more traction off the line. The Mustang GT was the first production car with this feature.

There are some production car firsts. One is a transbrake that engages first gear and second gear simultaneously to allow the engine to build supercharger boost for more power during the launch. Aftermarket transbrakes engage first and reverse, but in case of a failure of first gear, the Demon won't suddenly go backwards. A clever step in avoiding potential liability. An "After cooler" uses air conditioning coolant in a chiller system to drop the intake air temperature up to 45 degrees to make sure the engine produces optimum power, more consistently, and offset the power robbing effect of hot weather. It also helps cool the engine after a run as well. There is a torque reserve system that builds supercharger boost in preparation for a hard launch with the transbrake.

The front shocks are designed to allow for front end lift under acceleration for better weight transfer to the rear while the rear shocks have firm compression and damping for optimized rear traction. The traction control is also optimized for acceleration and stability control kicks in if the vehicle is no longer traveling straight, further shutting down the jokes about being wrecked immediately leaving Cars and Coffee events.

There are equipment packages available with the Demon which has an MSRP of $84,995 by itself. You can add air conditioning and a radio. Otherwise two speakers are standard, required for seatbelt and key in the ignition chimes. However the two most discussed options cost $1 each. The first one is passenger and rear seats. The second one is a tool crate that includes the aforementioned ECU, skinny front wheels but not the tires, a floor jack and electric impact wrench for removing and installing the wheels. It also includes a tire pressure gauge, fender cover and a tool bag, most of which supplied by Snap-On.

The Challenger platform, while large and heavy, is still relevant today. Can you think of another coupe with room for four that has, say, six hundred horsepower or more than weighs less? What about under $100k? What Dodge has done is for the history books. There has never been a car like the Demon, and in the age of hybrids, environmental concerns, electrification, and more; there will probably never be anything like it again that is street legal. Well done Dodge, you’ve created a modern legend.

For an even more in-depth summary of the equipment levels and features, check out this link:

http://www.newson6.com/story/35127512/2018-dodge-challenger-srt-demon-pulls-the-wheels

Photos courtesy of FCA US media: