First Hellcat tuning software launched

Hellcat Charger and Challenger owners looking for a few extra ponies may be excited to know that the first tuning system for the 6.2L supercharged Hemi has reached the market. It comes from Diablosport, one of the biggest names in the world of tuning, which has a history of adding power with their tuning software.

Diablosport has three power levels, and an extra bit of added security, should you need to return to the dealership for repairs. In each case, the tune is added by plugging into the car’s diagnostics port and pressing a couple of buttons to add a claimed 30+ rear-wheel horsepower.

The first tuning option is the stock tune, which works with the stock PCM tune so there is no power increase, but other aspects of the vehicle such as throttle response and transmission shifts are sharpened up for a more engaging driving experience. I haven’t driven a Hellcat car with the “stock tune,” but in other vehicles, it makes a big difference in driving dynamics. The Hellcat Challenger and Charger are good enough that the stock tune likely doesn’t have the impact on these cars that it does on my Dodge Ram, but this is an option for those who want a crisper drive with the stock power.

The second tuning option is the 91 Octane Performance Tune; it sharpens up the throttle response and adds around 28 horsepower and around 22 lb-ft of torque. Since the Hellcat test cars used by Diablosport laid down 660 rear wheel horsepower, the 91 Octane tune pushes it up around the 690 rwhp mark.

The top power comes from the 93 Octane Performance tune, which adds more than 30 horsepower and more than 30 lb-ft of torque. With this, the Hellcat Challenger and Charger are both capable of laying down just over 700 rear wheel horsepower. Diablosport claimed corrected numbers of 700.2 horsepower at the rear wheels, nearly 40 more horsepower at the rear wheels.

Additional Features, Added Security

Regardless of the tune, the Diablosport products allow Hellcat Dodge owners to adjust the neutral and idle RPM, move the rev limiter, adjust a speed limiter, disable the traction and stability control, adjustments for different tire sizes, and adjust when the cooling fan turns on and off – along with adjusting the engine parameters to make better power.

All of the Diablosport Hellcat tuning packages come with an extra PCM that will make trips to the dealership a little less of a headache. Retuning the engine can both void your engine warranty and cause dealership people to give you a hard time when you come in for service. Owners can send their factory PCM to Diablosport to be unlocked, but from there on out, the dealership will be able to tell that the PCM has been accessed.

The three tuning packages for the Hellcat Charger and Challenger coming with the tuning components themselves, along with an extra PCM already prepared to accept a tune. Thus, owners can swap out the factory PCM for the one with the tuning package; then swap the factory PCM back in before hitting the dealership. (This may violate the owner’s agreement with Dodge/FCA US).

Prices Partly because of the PCM being included, prices are fairly high. If you only want the modified PCM, e.g. to do custom tuning, Diablosport will sell it to you for $799.

If you want the full tuning package from Diablosport, you can pick either their Trinity tuner or their InTune tuner, both of which come with the unlocked PCM. The Trinity for the Hellcat costs $1,199 while the InTune system costs $1,099. Based on those numbers and the Diablosport price of $799 for the new PCM, the actual performance tunes and the tuning components (Trinity, InTune) is $300-400.

Read more at: http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2015/10/first-hellcat-tuning-software-launched-30303