Dodge rocked the high-performance car world in 2014 with the 707-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Challenger SRT Hellcat, building supercar performance at affordable prices. They were the most powerful muscle cars ever – until now. Powered by a 840-horsepower, supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® Demon V-8, the limited-production Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the world’s most powerful factory-production V-8 – bar none. NHRA-certified 9.65 seconds @ 140 mph makes the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon the fastest ¼-mile car in the world. The Challenger SRT Demon also is the world’s first production car to lift the front wheels at launch and set the world record for longest wheelie from a standing start by a production car at 2.92 feet, certified by Guinness World Records. And hold onto your seat. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon also registers the highest g-force (1.8 g) ever recorded at launch in a production car.
Dodge has named Hagerty as its official insurance provider of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – Hagerty is a company for people who love cars and they already protect many of the rarest high performance cars in the world. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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 Dodge 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 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 sticky drag tires are mounted on lightweight 11×18-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. 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. A unique rear knuckle reduces negative camber by 0.5 degrees, “standing up” the tire and increasing the size of the tire contact patch. The main mission of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is to cover the quarter mile as quickly as possible. To do this, it combines the best of both mechanical and electronic tuning to deliver maximum launch grip while still maintaining precision directional control.
