The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the world’s first production car to lift the front wheels at launch. It set the world record for longest wheelie from a standing start by a production car at 2.92 feet, certified by Guinness World Records.
Dodge Rocked The Automotive World With 840 HP Demon Challenger
This week, live on YouTube, Dodge Rocked The Automotive World With 840 HP Demon Challenger that lifts the wheels and runs 9-second quarter-mile times at 140 mph. While the Demon was no secret, Dodge finally revealed the details of what is now the highest horsepower and quickest-accelerating, street-legal American production car is history. The official launch took place during the New York International Auto Show, where the car will be on display all week.
Demon will hit the streets as a 2018 model with 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque from supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® Demon V-8 engine. Dodge is also claimin it’s the first-ever front-wheel lift in production car (2.92 feet) as certified by Guinness World Records, but we’ve seen wheelies from the 2012 Mustang GT with drag radials.
“With Demon, our goal was to build a car that would tattoo the Dodge logo into the subconscious of the general market, beyond even our loyal enthusiasts, said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America. “To do so, we had to set records that have never been set before, do more than has ever been done before, go beyond even the legendary Hellcat. The result: an 840-horsepower, 9-second muscle car unlike anything that has ever come before it.”
What you can’t deny is the Dodge being the world’s quickest quarter-mile street-legal production car with an elapsed time of 9.65 seconds and 140 mph as certified by National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
With 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque from its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® Demon V-8 engine, the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the most-powerful muscle car ever and the highest horsepower V-8 production car engine ever produced. Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars --- Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America, unveiled the car at a star-studded event in New York on Tuesday, April 11. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the first-ever production car to do a front-wheel lift as certified by Guinness World Records.
Here are some other Demon fact supplied by Dodge:
• World’s fastest 0-60 production car: 2.3 seconds
• 0-30 miles per hour: 1.0 second
• Highest g-force acceleration of any production car: 1.8 g
• Air-Grabber™ induction system includes the largest functional hood scoop (45.2 square inches) of any production car
• Larger 2.7-liter per rev supercharger; increased boost pressure to 14.5 psi
• rpm limit of 6,500
• First-ever factory-production car with innovative SRT Power Chiller™ liquid-to-air intercooler chiller system
• First factory-production car with After-Run Chiller that keeps cooling the supercharger/charge air cooler after the engine is shut off
• First-ever, factory-production car designed to run on 100+ high-octane unleaded fuel or 91 octane on demand
• First-ever, factory-production car with TransBrake for more powerful and quicker launches
• First-ever, factory-production drag car with Torque Reserve, to deliver increased levels of power and torque at launch
• First-ever, factory-production car with front passenger seat delete
• Exclusive, serialized Demon Crate offers components that fully unleash the car’s potential at the drag strip
• Challenger SRT Demon is covered by FCA US LLC factory warranty, including three-year/36,000-mile limited vehicle warranty and five-year/60,000-mile limited powertrain coverage
• All customers who buy the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon receive one full-day session at Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving
• Dodge has named Hagerty as its official insurance provider of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
Performance numbers:
0-30 mph: 1.0 second
0-60 mph: 2.3 seconds
Quarter-mile: 9.65 seconds at 140 mph
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI® Demon V-8 engine.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Drag Kit features a Demon Track Pack System that fits into the SRT Demon trunk and securely holds the front runner wheels and track tools.
The custom-painted Demon Crate contains components that maximize the Challenger SRT Demon’s flexibility, exclusivity and future collectability.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
The Challenger SRT Demon’s record-setting performance is the result of collaboration among the Dodge//SRT, Design, Engineering, Powertrain and Manufacturing teams inside FCA US LLC, many of whom are experienced and active drag racers. While the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon remains a potent street car, every component was scrutinized and optimized for weight, capability and durability on the strip.
The performance records flow from an impressive list of street-legal production car industry firsts. That list includes:
Factory-installed wider, Nitto street-legal drag radials for improved grip, 40 percent more launch force compared with SRT Hellcat tires
Available Direct Connection engine controller calibrated for 100+ unleaded high-octane fuel
SRT Power Chiller™ redirects air conditioning refrigerant to chill the charger air cooler
After-Run Chiller runs the cooling fan and the low-temperature circuit coolant pump after engine shutdown
TransBrake locks the output shaft of the TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission to hold the car before launch, allowing the driver to increase engine rpm for higher torque and quicker response
Torque Reserve boosts engine air flow and supercharger rpm before launch, delivering wickedly fast acceleration
Drag Mode suspension tuning maximizes weight transfer to the rear wheels for better traction
Drag Mode Launch Assist uses wheel speed sensors to watch for driveline-damaging wheel hop at launch and in milliseconds modifies the engine torque to regain full grip and then continues accelerating the car down the track
Available narrow “front runner” wheels for use at drag strips cuts front-end weight
Wide-body exterior styling, with concealed wheel well attachments house Challenger SRT Demon’s massively wide 315/40R18 tires
Front passenger seat and rear seat deleted to reduce weight (can be optioned back for $1 each)
Production of the limited-edition single model year Challenger SRT Demon begins later this summer, with 3,000 vehicles for the United States and 300 vehicles for Canada. Deliveries to Dodge//SRT dealers will begin this fall.
Demon Heart
The heart of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI Demon V-8, rated at 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque. The red-painted Demon engine has been certified to the SAE J1349 industry standard for its horsepower and torque ratings. The engine also meets all applicable legal emissions regulations.
While the Demon V-8 shares its architecture with the 707-hp 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI Hellcat V-8, it is not simply a Hellcat engine with more boost. The Demon V-8 engine has 25 major component upgrades from the Hellcat engine, including supercharger, pistons, rods, valve train and fuel injection system.
Among the changes, compared with the Hellcat V-8, the Demon’s supercharged V-8 features:
Larger supercharger: 2.7 liters versus 2.4 liters
Increased boost pressure: 14.5 psi versus 11.6 psi
Higher rpm limit: 6,500 rpm versus 6,200 rpm
Fuel: Two dual-stage fuel pumps versus one
Larger induction air box with three sources of intake air: Air-Grabber™ hood, driver-side Air-Catcher™ headlamp and an inlet near the wheel liner
In addition, the HEMI Demon V-8 includes a high-speed valvetrain, strengthened connecting rods and pistons, and improved lubrication system. The upgrades enable the engine to sustain higher output and pressures while meeting FCA US LLC’s stringent durability requirements. One key to the Challenger SRT Demon’s best-ever power output is air – the supercharged Demon V-8 takes in plenty of it. The SRT Demon’s Air-Grabber™ hood includes the largest functional hood scoop (45.2 square inches) of any production car.
The Air-Grabber™ hood is sealed to the air box, which is also fed from the driver-side Air-Catcher™ headlamp and an inlet near the wheel liner. Combined, those sources give the Demon V-8 an air-flow rate of 1,150 cubic feet per minute, 18 percent greater than the Hellcat V-8 and the largest air induction volume of any production car. The additional air inlets help reduce the temperature of the intake air by more than 30 degrees Fahrenheit compared with the Hellcat V-8, which improves overall throttle response.
The innovative SRT Power Chiller™ is a production car first. It diverts the air-conditioning refrigerant from the SRT Demon’s interior to a chiller unit mounted by the low-temperature circuit coolant pump. Charge air coolant, after being cooled by ambient air passing through a low-temperature radiator at the front of the vehicle, flows through the chiller unit, where it is further cooled. The chilled coolant then flows to the heat exchangers in the supercharger.
Every run down the drag strip generates plenty of heat. The After-Run Chiller, a factory-production car first, helps the SRT Demon get ready for the next run as quickly as possible. When the engine is shut down, the After-Run Chiller keeps the engine cooling fan and low-temperature circuit coolant pump running to lower the supercharger/charge air cooler temperature, helping the Challenger SRT Demon minimize heat soak effects. The driver can track the supercharger coolant temperature on the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen in the instrument panel, and know in real time when the supercharger is at the optimum temperature for another run. The impact of the SRT Power Chiller™ and After-Run Chiller, combined, lowers intake air temperature by up to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Challenger SRT Demon is engineered to be able to run on a mix of 100+ octane and premium unleaded fuels without hurting the engine, but the high-octane function won’t activate if the combined fuel octane is too low. A message in the gauge display tells the driver the car will use the premium fuel calibration until the engine is shut off and restarted. How does the car know? The controller monitors the engine’s knock sensors.
Similar to the Challenger SRT Hellcat, the SRT Demon comes with two key fobs. The black fob limits engine output to 500 horsepower. The red key fob unlocks the engine’s full output of 808 horsepower and 717 pounds-feet torque. With either key fob, the driver can activate Eco and Valet Modes. Eco Mode revises the transmission shift schedule to include second-gear starts. Valet Mode limits the engine to 4,000 rpm and reduces torque output. The high-octane unleaded fuel capability with the optional Direct Connection powertrain controller boosts engine output to 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque.
TransBrake For Quicker ET
Every Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is equipped with the standard TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission. Already a proven and robust gearbox used with the HEMI Hellcat V-8, the transmission gets some significant changes for duty in the Challenger SRT Demon.
Internal changes include an upgraded torque converter that delivers an 18 percent increase in torque multiplication. Also, the stall speed is increased 11 percent and the lockup speed is increased.
The Challenger SRT Demon is the first-ever, factory-production car with TransBrake, which locks the transmission output shaft to hold the car in place before a standing start. This lets the driver increase engine speed up to 2,350 rpm without overpowering the brakes, resulting in quicker power delivery and up to 15 percent more torque at launch. Driver-oriented step-by-step instructions are displayed on the instrument cluster to guide the driver through the staging process and help them keep their focus on the Christmas Tree.
The TransBrake helps to improve driver reaction time and launch consistency by using the steering wheel paddle shifters as a launch trigger – a paddle launch improves reaction time by 30 percent compared with a foot-brake launch. In addition, the system enables delivery of initial torque to the flywheel as soon as 20 milliseconds after launch. TransBrake works in conjunction with another SRT Demon first-ever factory-production car feature, Torque Reserve, to deliver increased levels of power and torque at launch.
Torque Reserve becomes active once engine speed passes 950 rpm. It does two things:
Closes the bypass valve, “prefilling” the supercharger with boost
Manages fuel flow to cylinders and manages spark advance or retard to balance engine rpm and torque. With TransBrake and Torque Reserve active, the SRT Demon has more than 8 psi of boost at launch and up to 120 percent more engine torque than without Torque Reserve. TransBrake also preloads the driveline with torque, leading to full engine torque delivery at the rear wheels 150 milliseconds after the shift paddle is released. That results in faster acceleration at launch, faster 60-foot times and an improvement of more than a tenth of a second in quarter-mile times, which can be an entire car length. Driveline components have been upgraded to get all that power and torque to the rear wheels, on every run.
Changes include:
Upgraded prop shaft with a 15 percent increase in torque capacity. The prop shaft uses high-strength steel. Shaft tube thickness increases by 20 percent and the stub shafts are heat treated for enhanced durability
The rear differential housing has 30 percent more torque capacity. The housing is made from heat-treated A383 aluminum alloy. New material for the gear set has higher fatigue strength, with a deeper case hardening depth and two-step shot-peening manufacturing process to increase compressive residual stress
The rear half shafts are larger in diameter; use a high-strength, low-alloy steel; and have 41 splines (up from 38), delivering a 20 percent increase in torque capacity. Eight-ball joints handle more torque, while reducing operating temperatures by more than 86 degrees Fahrenheit
Production car first: Street-legal drag tires
The Challenger SRT Demon is equipped with a set of four standard Nitto NT05R street-legal, drag-race tires, a first for a factory-production car. The 315/40R18 tires were specifically designed and developed exclusively for the SRT Demon, with a new compound and specific tire sidewall construction. The drag radials give the SRT Demon a 15-percent larger tire contact patch and more than twice the grip of the Challenger SRT Hellcat.
The sticky drag tires are mounted on lightweight 11x18-inch wheels, with each tire measuring 12.6 inches wide. Putting full-size tires at all four corners gives drag racers an extra set of rear tires when the front tires are replaced with narrow front-runners at the track. A unique rear knuckle reduces negative camber by 0.5 degrees, “standing up” the tire and increasing the size of the tire contact patch. Also during Drag Mode, the traction control system is disabled to enable the rear wheels to spin for a burnout, but the electronic stability control system remains engaged to help the driver with straight-line performance.
Functional and Intimidating Design
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the widest Challenger ever and first-ever, factory-production muscle car with wide-body fender flares. The wide body flares are designed to amplify the Challenger SRT Demon’s menacing stance, while making room for wider tires with concealed attachments. The fender flares, which cover the lightweight 18x11-inch wheels with exclusive, specifically designed Demon-branded 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R drag radial tires front and rear; add 3.5 inches to the Challenger SRT Demon’s overall width. The front side marker lights are styled to flow with the shape of the fender flares.
The entire chassis is e-coated for durability before final assembly. Additional defining exterior features include the wide Air-Grabber™ hood scoop – the largest functional hood scoop (45.2 square inches) of any production car – and new Demon logos flanking each fender. The driver is the focus in the interior of the Challenger SRT Demon, as it is for every model in the Challenger lineup. Both the front passenger seat and rear seat, along with their corresponding seat belts, are deleted in the standard configuration of the Challenger SRT Demon. Customers have the option of adding seats into the car, as well as adding leather coverings, when it is ordered. The front seat(s) have the Demon head logo stitched or embossed into the seat back.
Facing the driver is a flat-bottom SRT Performance steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara with paddle shifters. The SRT white-face gauges include a 200-mph speedometer and flank the 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) cluster display screen. A custom carbon fiber instrument panel badge with “Demon” script is located on the outboard vent and signifies the build sequence number.
A new four-point harness bar, available through Speedlogix, is available for use at the track. Mounting points for the bar are accessible, making it easy for customers to install without cutting or drilling anything. Standard cloth seats include Ballistic II inserts with silver embroidered Demon head logo in the seat backs. An optional Laguna Leather Package includes leather covered seats and trim with embossed Demon head logo.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will be available 14 exterior colors: B5 Blue, Billet Silver, Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Go Mango, Granite Crystal, Indigo Blue, Maximum Steel, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Plum Crazy, TorRed, White Knuckle and Yellow Jacket.
All exterior colors are available with Satin Black hood, roof and decklid.
Demon Crate Carrying Exclusive Components
The Demon Crate, available to buyers of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, contains components that fully unleash the car’s potential at the drag strip and is fully customized with the buyer’s name, VIN and serial number.
The Demon Crate contains:
Direct Connection Performance Parts:
Performance powertrain control module with high-octane engine calibration
Replacement switch module containing high-octane button
Conical performance air filter
Passenger mirror block-off plate
Narrow, front-runner drag wheels
Demon-branded track tools:
Hydraulic floor jack with carrying bag
Cordless impact wrench with charger
Torque wrench with extension and socket
Tire pressure gauge
Fender cover
Tool bag
Foam case that fits into the SRT Demon trunk and securely holds the front runner wheels and track tools The Demon Crate is further customized with the buyer’s name, VIN and serial number. Production of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon begins later this year at the Brampton (Ont.) Assembly plant.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
Standard drag-race inspired interior configuration of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has driver seat only; first-ever factory-production Challenger with a front passenger seat delete.
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