What is a Challenger Hellcat Redeye? According to Steve Beahm, head of Passenger Car Brands-Dodge, SRT, Chrysler, and Fiat for FCA North America, “It's a Hellcat that's been possessed by a Demon." The new Challenger Hellcat Redeye boasts a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi that generates 797 hp. and 707 lb.-ft. of torque. This makes it the most powerful and expensive ($69,650) production V-8 now that Dodge has stopped production of the Demon. This is the most expensive Challenger variant (not...
One of the best things that you can do for your Hemi engine is to change your oil at the factory recommended intervals, or sooner, and to use a high quality oil filter. Clean motor oil is important because if the oil were left unfiltered for a period of time, it could become saturated with tiny, hard particles that can wear surfaces in your engine. This dirty oil can wear the oil pump’s machined components and damage the bearing surfaces in the engine. Here is how an oil filter works. The...
Each cylinder on a Hemi engine has an ignition coil pack over one spark plug, and a regular plug wire connected to the other spark plug. Further, the coil pack also has a plug wire attached to it that extends to the opposite cylinder bank. Each cylinder shares a coil pack with another cylinder. Each of the two plugs on a given cylinder is fired by a separate coil. One plug has a coil directly attached, and the other is fired via an ignition wire connected to a coil located on another...
There has been much discussion if an oil catch can is necessary on a high performance engine. It is my opinion that the relatively modest price (usually about $100) is cheap insurance for your engine. First, let's go over what is currently happening in your engine without a catch can installed. All internal combustion engines that run off gasoline are 4-stroke engines. This means that the piston has to go up and down a total of 4 times to complete a cycle. The piston first goes down with...
Many do not know it, but Challengers, under Zombie Dodge/MBM Motorsports, have been competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series of stock car races for the past six years. They have done this without factory support from Fiat Chrysler. Teams like MBM Motorsports sought out deals on old cars that bigger teams like Penske weren’t using anymore. This competition, sadly, ended in November 2018. When NASCAR starts back up, in February 2019, the Challengers will no longer be legal. NASCAR is moving...
When designing an engine to pull in more than atmospheric pressure, engineers often turn to forced induction. It’s one of the fastest ways to add significant power to almost any engine, and there are two prevalent ways it can be done: supercharging and turbocharging. But, which is better? Both are different in terms of how they work, performance and cost. Both operate on the principle that the more air you can get into your engine, the more power your car will make. Supercharging is old...
Performance vehicles are a Chrysler tradition. In the 1950s, an elite team of Chrysler engineers set out to extract extreme horsepower from existing engines. The team created new manifolds featuring long-tube intake runners. The innovative design helped engines ingest more air, translating into improved performance. The new induction system was called “Ramcharger,” and the team behind the technology adopted that name. The Ramchargers’ new engine produced enormous amounts of power,...
The iconic 426 Hemi engine has been reborn. Only this time, on steroids! On October 30, 2018, Dodge/MOPAR unveiled a monster 426 Hemi crate engine showcased in a gorgeous 1968 “Super Charger” concept at the Las Vegas, Nevada SEMA event. Here is the official press release: “The MOPAR brand is stampeding into the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show with a brand-new The “Hellephant” 426 Supercharged MOPAR Crate HEMI HEMI®-engine-powered beast: the “Hellephant” 426...
Leah Pritchett, the driver of the Don Schumacher Mopar/SRT NHRA Top Fuel Dragster, has successfully raced the first supercharged Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in a full slate of 2018 SAM Tech NHRA Factory Stock Showdown events. This new stand-alone class (similar to the old Super Stock), is a showcase for factory-built race cars from Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet. Pritchett's 354-cubic-inch HEMI engine-powered Drag Pak was prepped and maintained by the Don Schumacher Racing Team, led by crew...
With a spectacular burnout, Leah Pritchett and her 1320-themed Mopar Top Fuel Dragster, helped debut the new Challenger 1320 at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals, on July 20-22, 2018, at Bandimere Speedway. (The 1320’s name comes from the length of a quarter-mile drag strip- 1,320 feet). This drag-oriented, street-legal muscle car, for the grassroots drag racer, can now be ordered from Dodge for the bargain price of $46,000 (i.e., standard 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack of $38,995,...
