Last week, Dodge teased all the things it did to reduce weight in the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, hinting that the new variant weighs at least 200 pounds less than a Challenger Hellcat. We also got a glimpse at the wheels, and noticed that they appear wider than those on a current Hellcat. The latest video posted to http://ift.tt/2jGscKz confirms that the Demon will ride on wider wheels and will have widened fenders to match.
Dodge revealed that the 2018 Challenger Demon gets 18×11-inch lightweight alloy wheels all around, which come wrapped in Demon-branded 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R tires. That makes the Demon the first production car ever to wear drag radials from the factory, according to Dodge. Those wheels are smaller in diameter but much wider than the 20×9.5-inch alloys offered on the Hellcat. The Demon’s 315s are also a good deal meatier than the Hellcat’s 275s. Not having enough tire has been a common complaint about the Hellcat since its release, so having that extra rubber should allow more of the power (which we expect to be massive in the Demon) to be transmitted to the ground. Combined with the wider wheels, the new high-profile drag radials add 3.5 inches of tire width. Dodges says the NT05R was specifically designed for the Demon using a new compound and construction. As such, the tire gets a sweet Demon logo on the sidewall.
To accommodate those tires, the Demon gets a wide-body treatment. Dodge says the body has been laser clearanced, and that the chassis is e-coated before final assembly. In the photo Dodge provided we get to see that shapely wide-body from the rear. But it’s possible we’ve already seen it from the front, too. Last week, a video promoting the release of the next Fast and Furious movie appeared to show a wide-body Challenger wearing the Demon logo on the front fender.
One curious Easter egg Dodge has left us to ponder can be seen in the photo of the Demon’s rear end. The license plate reads “#2576@35,” and with Dodge urging us to look for clues every week, there’s no way this is just a random string of characters. One guess for the first number is that it’s the new supercharger’s displacement: 2,576cc or roughly 2.6 liters. The blower in the Hellcat displaces 2.4 liters (2,380cc). The “35” could refer to boost pressure, but 35 psi is a ridiculous amount of boost for a production car. The Hellcat runs 11.6 pounds, for reference. Technical director Frank Markus suggests it could refer to 35 psi of manifold pressure, which would equate to 20.3 psi of boost. That’s still a lot, but it’s slightly more believable than 35 pounds.
Then again, it could be code for some performance metric. We still don’t know the Demon’s power output or estimated 0-60 and quarter mile times, though we’re confident it will be more powerful and quicker than the Hellcat (especially with those tires). What do you think the plate is hinting at? Tell us your theories in the comments below and don’t forget to watch the latest video. The tease continues all the way up until the Demon’s debut at the New York auto show in March, so stay tuned.
Source: Dodge
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