[Renaikan]

Six months after its rollout to an eager automotive press, Dodge's SRT Hellcat Challenger is the gift that keeps on giving. In Internet years, which are kind of like dog years, news about the Hellcat is ancient history, yet every performance vehicle that has been revealed to the world since Hellcat has, to put it bluntly, had its balls served up on a platter by the blue-collar knuckle-dragger from Auburn Hills. Ford and Chevy guys are in outright denial, and the results of the dyno test you'll read about here nearly caused a water cooler fistfight with one of our Chevy magazine staffers. To wit, the prodigious output of the Hellcat's 6.2L, supercharged, intercooled Hemi is so great that it has completely rebooted our expectations regarding engine efficiency. Exhibit A: My wife and I were watching TV this week when we saw the first ad for Lexus' new $63,000, 467hp, 5.0L RC-F coupe. My wife turns to me and says in a mocking voice, "Oh, how precious! It's got a cute little engine."
With 707 hp on tap, the Hellcat Hemi puts out so much power that it's almost comical. With a bright color palette, wild styling, flamboyant scoops, and flares everywhere, the SRT Hellcat is quite nearly a caricature of itself. Like conspiracy theorists who like to deny men landing on the moon, the Hellcat's nonbelievers nitpick about road manners, build quality, curb weight, and obtuse dyno rating schemes, quoting the wine-sipping Porcheophiles from Motor Trendfor moral support—anything that gives them a shred of credibility. We wanted to put all that trash talk to rest once and for all.


Read more: http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured...2792&adbpl=fb&adbpr=29920917791#ixzz3RZbUagXM

 

[stretch0069]

Crap. I didn't need to read the bit about getting a Scat Pack and then throwing a S/C on it. I really wanted a Shaker hood.

 

[HemiMetal]

707 HP is the advertised HP before adding the the strangulation of emissions gear and ethanol laced unleaded gas, but I would be interested in what the Hellcat actually puts out at the flywheel and the wheels minus the HP robbing accouterments. It will still going to be monster numbers, no doubt.

Which brings up another question. On any variant of the Challenger, when you replace the exhaust system, or install a custom tune, or install a true CAI (among other mods), are you really adding HP, or are you really recovering HP that was already there? :4-dontknow:

 

[BlueHemi]

Actually, since 1972, all cars have been rated in SAE net flywheel horsepower, which is with all emissions equipment and accessories installed. The older SAE gross horsepower was what the engine made at the flywheel without all the power sapping stuff. That's a big part of why all cars power ratings dropped significantly in '72. The continuing drops over the rest of the 70s & 80s were due to the emissions strangulation. I think that there has been a recent change in how SAE net horsepower is calculated as well, but I'm not sure what all was changed. The dyno numbers in that article seem to indicate that it's probably producing right around what it's rated at.

 

[BIG DAWG]

Here's a little primer on Horsepower calculations. Long-ish read, but clears some things up. Hope this will help a little bit...some of it is Greek to me, but I was a frequent short bus passenger.

http://www.hardtail.com/techtips/hpexplained.html

 

[ChristinaRTClassic]

Here's a little primer on Horsepower calculations. Long-ish read, but clears some things up. Hope this will help a little bit...some of it is Greek to me, but I was a frequent short bus passenger.

http://www.hardtail.com/techtips/hpexplained.html

Very good read, I have read portions elsewhere. Thank you. :smileup:

 

[ChristinaRTClassic]

707 HP is the advertised HP before adding the the strangulation of emissions gear and ethanol laced unleaded gas, but I would be interested in what the Hellcat actually puts out at the flywheel and the wheels minus the HP robbing accouterments. It will still going to be monster numbers, no doubt.

Which brings up another question. On any variant of the Challenger, when you replace the exhaust system, or install a custom tune, or install a true CAI (among other mods), are you really adding HP, or are you really recovering HP that was already there? :4-dontknow:

I would see this as adding HP, unless you make changes to anything that affects parasitic loss. For example, I changed the clutch and flywheel on my supercharged Mini Cooper. The new assembly weighed 50% (11lbs) less than the OEM clutch and flywheel. While HP did increase (somewhere around 5HP or so), I reduced the parasitic drag of the drivetrain, ergo I recovered HP that was lost.

If the parasitic drag and all equipment stay the same, then you are adding HP. If you change the parasitic drag or anything that lowers total HP, you are recovering HP that is lost. op:

all in all - it probably doesn't matter, as long as it helps in the 1/4 mile times.

 

[SteveHarley]

"Next time someone tries to bench race with horsepower numbers, ask for a timeslip. If he can't deliver, then cut the conversation short and move on. He's not really in the game anyway" Love this paragraph. Great read. Thanks.

 

[paladin1001]

That is one BAAAD ride! I would so do the Scat Pak if I was in the market today, but then again I am not and I love having no payment more than I would love going to jail for excessive speed so I am just better off with the one that brung me!

 

[bigsnake]

Here's a little primer on Horsepower calculations. Long-ish read, but clears some things up. Hope this will help a little bit...some of it is Greek to me, but I was a frequent short bus passenger.

http://www.hardtail.com/techtips/hpexplained.html

Interesting reading.