Absolutely EVERYTHING We Know So Far On The Dodge Demon!

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Absolutely EVERYTHING We Know So Far On The Dodge Demon!

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Absolutely EVERYTHING We Know So Far On The Dodge Demon!
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/absolute ... dge-demon/
From all we know, the 2018 SRT Dodge Demon is going to be the most powerful production car ever made—and that’s just one of many “firsts” in the quiver of this powerful machine’s arsenal. Such an unusual car calls for an unusual PR campaign, one that does away with clandestine spy shots, furtive (and typically inaccurate) ramblings by the press, and messy internal leaks that leave careers permanently in the dust. Instead, Dodge has cleverly functioned as its own media outlet, bypassing capricious media outlets and going direct to the people.

Starting this past January, Dodge has released tempting tidbits on a weekly schedule through its website www.IfYouKnowYouKnow.com. A new animated video is released each week, with a clock counting down the time to the next video. In these videos, the Demon’s features are either hinted at, or spelled out plainly. There will be 15 videos in all (12 of them have been released so far). By the Demon’s official reveal on April 14, 2017 at the New York International Auto Show, most of the important facts will have come out with the exception of the car’s un-obscured shape, its true horsepower, and MSRP. We will of course have all the details for you right here on April 14, but until then, here’s word for word what Dodge has officially revealed about the Demon in its first 12 press releases…

January 12, 2017—Demon Announcement

Dodge shocked the performance world when it launched the most powerful and fastest muscle cars in the world—the Challenger SRT Hellcat and Charger SRT Hellcat. Now, two years later, Dodge is raising the bar again with the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.

“Most cars attempt to be everything to everybody. Then there are the rare few that revel in a single objective, rendering them totally irresistible to a subculture,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America. “The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is conceived, designed, and engineered for a subculture of enthusiasts who know that a tenth is a car, and a half second is your reputation.”

January 19, 2017–Lightweight

When the Demon makes its New York City debut in April, it will be more than 200 pounds lighter than its current Hellcat brother.

Based on the clues given in the video, “adjustments” have been made to the wheels, steering, suspension, brakes, interior construction, and components.

February 2, 2017—Drag Radials & “Crate”

Performance cars share common goals—it’s true, and some more than others, but it’s also true every one of them favors one performance target over another. When you shift the focus from all performance cars to muscle cars, design and engineering choices still must be made regarding whether to favor street manners, drag strip capability, road course handling or a balance of each.

Twenty-two days into the pre-launch campaign, the general consensus seems to be that the Challenger SRT Demon is a single-seat, gutted-out, purpose-built drag car. But this week’s teaser video starts to bring the Challenger SRT Demon’s true mission more clearly into focus.

The Challenger SRT Demon provides a platform from which each customer can design their own ultimate “Street/Strip” muscle car. It’s not intended for a road course; rather, each customer can decide at the time of order, or once they own the car, or even on a moment’s notice that they want their car to favor street performance, drag strip performance, or something in between.

The key is building in the capability and flexibility and then giving the customer access to the right gear for the job. This new teaser video, titled “Crate,” unlocked February 2, contains clues to the dual purpose of the Challenger SRT Demon.

What’s in the custom-painted Demon Crate?

Eighteen components that maximize the Challenger SRT Demon’s flexibility, exclusivity and future collectability:

• Direct Connection Demon Performance Parts
• Demon-branded track tools
• Matching Demon spare wheels
• Demon Track Pack System

February 9, 2017—Air Grabber Hood

“Gimme fuel! Gimme fire! Gimme that which I desire!” is poetry by Metallica that speaks to every gearhead.

But any engine builder will be quick to point out that the “power of that poetry” is actually limited—limited by the chemistry of combustion, limited by thin air.

Because the key to increasing the power output of the Challenger SRT Demon’s supercharged Hemi, or any engine for that matter, is a function of how much cool air you can get in the engine.

To maximize the Demon’s full potential, SRT has added:

• The largest functional “Air Grabber” cold air intake hood ever installed on a production vehicle, measuring more than 45 square inches
• A significantly larger air box that is sealed and ducted to the hood scoop
• Two illuminated functional “Air Catcher” headlamps

The combination gives the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon significantly increased airflow, while also dropping the inlet air temperature by more than 30 degrees compared with the Hellcat.

February 16, 2017—Torque Converter

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon claws the road. In video No. 3, Dodge revealed that the Challenger SRT Demon will be factory equipped with 18×11-inch lightweight wheels and 315/40R 18 Nitto NT05R street-legal drag radials. These new drag radials measure 12.6 inches wide and were designed and developed specifically for the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon using a new compound and unique tire construction.

The added traction and higher profile of these new tires allow the Challenger SRT Demon to handle higher launch torque loads. So, since it can now handle more, Dodge decided to give it more … more torque multiplication.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has been upgraded with a higher stall speed torque converter and 3.09 rear axle gears.

Result compared with a Challenger Hellcat:

• Approximately 15 percent larger tire contact patch
• More than twice as much grip
• Approximately 18 percent increase in converter torque multiplication
• Approximately 18 percent increase in rear axle torque multiplication

These upgrades alone enable the Challenger SRT Demon to generate more than 35 percent higher launch force than a Challenger Hellcat, and there are seven weeks to go.

February 23, 2017—Drag Specific Suspension Tuning

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat’s supercharged Hemi produces all the power required to run quicker and faster quarter-mile ETs than its balanced suspension and tuning enable. This is because, as extreme as the Challenger SRT Hellcat is, it was always intended to strike that perfect balance between drag strip brute force, road course competence, and street car civility. Anyone who has driven a Hellcat will attest that it has an incredible “personality bandwidth,” depending on how a driver configures the power level, suspension, transmission, traction, and stability controls. It truly is the ultimate “do everything” muscle car.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, however, has a different mission. Designed to be highly competent in all drive modes and configurations, the SRT Demon is made to absolutely dominate in Drag Mode. In the coming weeks, Dodge will share more of the Drag Mode attributes. But this week, the focus is on how Drag Mode, in combination with the SRT Demon’s all-new suspension, maximizes weight transfer, traction, and control … because burnouts are fun, but they don’t win races.

The “old school” solution was pretty simple—get the quickest reacting springs up front, the softest rebound front shocks that wouldn’t restrict the springs’ reaction, remove any restrictions (swaybar) and increase the compression of the rear shocks. This combination resulted in extremely efficient weight transfer, but provided minimal lateral stability in the event that directional corrections were required.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon combines the best of both mechanical and electronic tuning to deliver maximum launch force while still maintaining precision directional control. The SRT Demon is the first-ever factory production car with mechanical/electronic drag-race-specific suspension tuning.

The “Third Law” teaser video, released February 23, helps illustrate the benefit of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s new Drag Mode mechanical/electronic suspension tuning.

Hardware:

• 35 percent lower rate front springs/28 percent lower rate rear springs
• 75 percent lower rate hollow front sway bar/44 percent lower rate rear swaybar
• Drag-tuned Bilstein Adaptive Damping Shocks

Software:

• Rear = F/F and Front = F/S
• F/F – F/S maintained @ wide open throttle (WOT)
• F/F – F/F < WOT
• Traction control disabled/ESC maintained

Result:

• 13.5=575@500

March 2, 2017—Beefed-Up Driveline

Building up to the April 11 introduction of the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon in New York, Dodge has launched a series of teaser videos to explain how the Demon is designed to maximize performance on the drag strip with increased traction, increased weight transfer, and increased torque multiplication. All are great for improving performance, but they also put added stress on the Challenger SRT Demon’s driveline.

This week, the newest Challenger SRT Demon teaser, “Race-hardened Parts,” unveiled March 2 explains how the Demon’s driveline is upgraded to handle these increased loads.

Compared with the Challenger Hellcat, critical driveline updates include:

• Upgraded prop shaft increases torque capacity by 15 percent: Accomplished through the use of high-strength steel, a 20-percent increase in tube thickness and heat treated stub-shafts.
• Upgraded differential housing, with 30 percent increased torque capacity: Accomplished through the use of heat-treated A383 aluminum alloy and a higher strength gear set material that has been shot-peened to increase durability and reduce residual stresses.
• Upgraded 41-spline half-shafts that deliver 20 percent increased torque capacity: Accomplished through the use of increased diameter high-strength low alloy steel and 8-ball joints that improve torque capacity while reducing operating temperatures by more than 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then the SRT engineers went digital to isolate and resolve one of the biggest challenges to clean launches and driveline integrity: wheel hop.

In simple terms, wheel hop happens when tires quickly slip and regain traction at launch, rapidly storing up and releasing energy in the driveline. These high torque spikes can quickly and severely damage driveline components, and up until now, the only solution was to back out of the throttle.

Not with the Challenger SRT Demon. In a first for a factory production car, the SRT Demon’s Launch Assist uses the wheel speed sensors to watch for signs that the tires are slipping/sticking. If slip is detected, the SRT Demon’s control module momentarily reduces engine torque to maximize traction almost instantly, without the driver having to lift. Launch Assist reduces loads in the driveline from wheel hop by more than 15-20 percent, dramatically reducing component damage.

And finally … for the driver, there is a new four-point harness bar, available through Speedlogix, for use while at the track. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s rear seat is deleted and mounting points are made accessible, making it easy for customers to install the bar without cutting or drilling anything in the car.

March 9, 2017—Driving Modes & Pages

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon arms the driver with real-time information, as demonstrated in the newest teaser video, “Performance Pages,” unlocked on March 9.

The SRT Performance Pages are a key part of the driver-oriented Uconnect system and its 8.4-inch touchscreen in the center of the instrument panel.

Unique capabilities of the Performance Pages for the Challenger SRT Demon include:

• Real-time graphic display of engine horsepower and torque with gear changes plotted
• The power levels can be data recorded to track performance gains from changes, such as use of the Direct Connection Performance Parts
• Real-time display of the supercharger intercooler coolant temperature
• The Challenger SRT Demon sports the first-ever factory production car After-Run Chiller, which keeps the cooling fan and intercooler pump running after engine shutdown until a targeted temperature is reached
• Driver-selectable line-lock, rpm-adjustable launch control, and by-individual-gear-adjustable shift light in the instrument cluster
• Timers for reaction time: 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, eighth-mile and quarter-mile elapsed time and vehicle speed
• Display of instantaneous and peak lateral and longitudinal g-forces
• Gauge read-outs for engine oil pressure and temperature, coolant temperature, transmission fluid temperature, intake air temperature, air-fuel ratio, intercooler coolant temperature, boost pressure, and battery voltage
• Gauge read-outs can be displayed as real time graphs with data record functionality

With the new data recorder feature, Challenger SRT Demon drivers can build an archive of data to help optimize the car for track and weather conditions, as well as improving driving techniques.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s Performance Pages also allow drivers to select between three different Drive Modes: Auto (Street), Drag, and Custom.

Auto (Street) Mode options:

• Multiple levels of engine performance
• Three levels of suspension “feel and response”
• Three levels of steering “feel and response”

Drag Mode options:

• Multiple levels of engine performance
• One level of transmission shifting “speed and firmness”
• One level of traction control
• One level of suspension “feel and response”
• One level of steering “feel and response”

Custom Mode options:

• Nearly every combination of options available in Auto (Street) or Drag can be configured in the Custom Drive Mode
• As an example, a Challenger SRT Demon driver could select the elements of Drag Mode related to engine and transmission performance, but could select Sport Mode for the suspension and steering, providing the on-road driving dynamics of a Challenger SRT Hellcat

March 16, 2017—Torque Reserve

The new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s distinctive “staged” exhaust note is the focus of the newest teaser video, “No Pills.”

This week’s release couldn’t be more fitting of Dodge’s “If you know, you know” tagline, because “if you know” you will hear extreme performance, but those who don’t will think something is wrong with the engine.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s unique exhaust note is the result of an advanced torque reserve launch system—the first ever designed for a drag race application on a production car.

What is torque reserve? In plain English, it lets more air flow through the engine before launch, allowing for increased supercharger rpm without torque overwhelming the brakes and spinning the rear tires.
In the Challenger SRT Demon, torque reserve kicks in when Launch Mode is active and engine rpm is greater than 1,000.

Torque reserve does two things:

• It closes the bypass valve on the supercharger, “prefilling” the supercharger
• It manages fuel flow to cylinders and changes spark timing. To balance engine rpm and torque, the Challenger SRT Demon’s powertrain controller will briefly cut fuel flow to selected cylinders. This creates the noticeable change in the exhaust tone. The controller also advances or retards the ignition timing to fine-tune the engine rpm/torque balance

With torque reserve managing the engine output, the supercharged Hemi engine can build boost pressure before leaving the starting line and reach maximum boost pressure quicker, taking full advantage of the SRT Demon’s increased weight transfer and increased contact patch drag radials to reduce 60-foot times.

March 23, 2017—Trans Brake

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon leverages a performance feature that is sure to make it one for the history books. Unlocked on March 23, the newest teaser, “Lock and Load,” shares a feature that not only delivers the highest level of dedicated drag car technology offered in a production car but also, until now, could only be found in the aftermarket for “track use only” vehicles. [Editors note: while a “trans brake” and a “line lock” may seem to serve the same purpose, they are in fact two different things. The image depicts the “line lock” feature, which the Demon also has!]

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the first-ever factory production car with a trans brake. This exclusive performance feature enables the SRT Demon to produce launch forces previously unattainable by street-legal production vehicles. Quicker power delivery and higher engine launch torque potential are achieved by locking the output shaft of the automatic transmission to keep the vehicle stationary until launch.

Conventional vehicle launches consist of the driver using one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator pedal to increase engine speed while holding the vehicle stationary, known as foot-brake launch or two-footing. The SRT Demon’s trans-brake feature provides improved reaction times and more consistent launches by using the steering wheel paddle shifters as a launch trigger. Using the driver’s finger exclusively to trigger launch of the SRT Demon results in a 30-percent reaction time advantage over foot-brake launches.

By locking the output shaft of the transmission, the Challenger SRT Demon’s trans brake works in conjunction with torque reserve to achieve:

• Brake-free launches up to 2,350 rpm
• 105 percent increase in launch boost pressures
• 120 percent increase engine launch torque

To make sure the SRT Demon can take full advantage of maximum torque at launch, the trans brake feature also includes a driveline preload process. Preloading ensures engine torque is applied through the entire driveline all the way to the rear wheels. The result is full engine torque delivery where the tires touch the ground 150 milliseconds after the paddle shifter is released. Preloading the driveline also provides reduced component spike loads and thus less potential of component damage. The overall result is faster acceleration at launch, better 60-foot times, and improved quarter-mile times.

The trans brake feature also complements the SRT Demon’s new lightweight brake package, designed to enable the use of narrow front-runner wheels at the drag strip. With trans brake holding the SRT Demon steady, more torque is available via higher engine rpm without fear of overwhelming the reduced grip of braked front runners. This gives the SRT Demon up to 40 percent more available launch torque compared to vehicles with front runners using a foot-brake launch.

March 30, 2017—Air Chiller

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has distinct cooling advantages—enough to make the engine perform like it is running in the cold Alaskan air, even after a day of runs down the strip on a hot summer day.

The newest teaser video, “No Ice,” unlocked March 30, reveals the Challenger SRT Demon’s super cooled air induction system.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the first-ever, factory production car with a liquid-to-air charge air cooler chiller system. This exclusive performance feature enables the Challenger SRT Demon to achieve charge air induction temperatures previously unattainable by pressure-charged street-legal production vehicles.

Conventional cooling methods consist of simply using air or coolant to reduce the air induction temperature as it is passed through the charge air cooler. When in Drag Mode, the Challenger SRT Demon interior air conditioning system is diverted to chill the engine’s charge air cooling system.
I want to see the official details!!!
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