Mopar 17 Challenger: first with a 392

The eighth Mopar-branded vehicle to be produced is the Mopar 17 Challenger, designed to help celebrate the 80th anniversary of Mopar.

The Mopar-branded car has the interior and exterior appearance upgrades that we would have expected, but the big news with this Mopar Challenger is under the hood. For the first time, a Mopar-branded production vehicle is powered by the 392 cubic inch Hemi with 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque, making this the most powerful Mopar-branded car in the history of the program. Ever other Mopar car, other than the Dart, was powered by the 5.7L Hemi.

In addition to the basic features of the 392 Shaker engine setup, the Mopar 17 Challenger has a Mopar cold air intake paired with a driver’s side Air Catcher headlight, but there is no word of any added power from the extra cool air.

On the other hand, the Mopar strut tower braces improve handling performance, in addition to looking cool in the engine bay.

The 392 cubic inch Hemi might be the biggest news with the Mopar 17 Challenger, but buyers can get that powerful mill with a handful of different trimlines.

Where the Mopar 17 stands out from, say, the 392 Scat Pack Hemi Shaker, which shares the same drivetrain and cold air induction hood system, is in the interior and exterior design.

On the outside, the Mopar 17 Challenger is black on the hood, roof, pillars and trunk lid, and Contusion Blue or Billet Silver elsewhere. The unique, silver 392 decals on the fenders show off the Mopar “omega M;” the car also has machined-face 20 inch Scat Pack wheels with black painted pockets. Finally, the package adds the exhaust tips from the SRT Hellcat and a Mopar badge on the rear spoiler.

Inside, the Mopar 17 Challenger Shaker has SRT performance seats with suede centers and leather bolsters, all in black with gray (“Tungsten”) embroidered Mopar logos. The stitching uses Tungsten thread throughout, matching the embroidery. There is plenty of black leather trim throughout the cabin, and a serial badge announcing the number (out of 80) for that particular car.

Finally, buyers of the Mopar 17 Challenger will get a unique owner’s package, which includes a Mopar welcome letter, a “birth certificate” with the build date, an autographed Mopar 17 rendering from the design team, a Mopar 17 book with information on the vehicle, an acrylic “memorabilia showpiece,” Mopar valve stem caps, a keychain, and an anniversary badge.

The bad news is that the Mopar 17 Challenger will be limited to just 160 cars – 80 in Contusion Blue and 80 in Billet Silver.

When these cars begin reaching dealerships in the second quarter of 2017, they will have an MSRP starting at $55,790 (not including destination).

Read more at: http://www.allpar.com/cars/mopar/17-challenger-392.html

The SRT Durango is here — and it’s awesome

After ages of speculation and rumors, the SRT Durango will finally debut later today at the Chicago Auto Show. I was fortunate enough to check the SRT Durango out in advance, and as a fellow Mopar fan who has long been hoping to see a proper high performance Dodge SUV, I believe that this is the Durango that the Mopar community has been hoping to see for so many years.

As you might expect, the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT will share a drivetrain with the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, starting with the 392 cubic inch Hemi. This mill delivers 475 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via a quick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission and a high tech all-wheel drive system, allowing the big SUV to make the most of every bit of power. Also, with the 2.75 inch exhaust system fitted with 4 inch exhaust tips, the 6.4L SRT Hemi offers the type of tone that you would expect from the fastest and quickest 3-row SUV in America.

The SRT Durango is lightning-quick in a straight line, but thanks to the addition of a huge Brembo braking package (6-piston/15” fronts, 4-piston/13.8” rears) and a revised suspension setup featuring the same adaptive, adjustable dampers from the other SRT vehicles, this big SUV will blast through the curves as well.

Finally, and most importantly to some buyers, the SRT Durango offers the same copious amounts of cargo space as the non-SRT Durango models, along with an even greater towing capacity. The same SRT Durango that will run a 12.90 quarter mile will tow 8,600 pounds, so you could conceivably tow your Mopar muscle car to the track, drop the trailer and race both your Durango SRT and your Mopar muscle car.

In addition to being fast and capable, the SRT Durango has a sporty exterior design that is similar to the SRT Charger. This begins with the twin vented hood and a hood scoop, a unique mesh grille, a new slim air intake slot in the middle of the fascia and a huge lower fascia opening. There is also a new air intake duct system which helps feed cooler air intake the Hemi engine for improved performance in any situation.

Finally, like all SRT vehicles, the 2018 SRT Durango will have a loaded interior with heated, leather bucket seats in the first two rows, and smaller bucket seats in the third row. The SRT cabin also includes the newest UConnect infotainment system with an 8.4” touchscreen in the dash and a 7” adjustable driver information center.

The 2018 SRT Durango is aggressively designed on the outside, it has loaded interior and it has a high tech drivetrain which makes it the toughest and fastest 3-row SUV inn America. While there will be some people who now insist that this Durango should have packed a Hellcat Hemi – this is the SRT Durango we have all been hoping for and it will be available in dealerships in the fourth quarter of this year.

You can see the video and read all about the finer details of the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT in our full piece by clicking here.

Read more at: http://www.allpar.com/news/2017/02/the-srt-durango-is-here-and-awesome-36429

Nighttime Driving Worries: Do You Want to See Better At Night?

This year, Daylight Savings fell on November 6 – the day we all set our clocks back an hour, officially welcoming the season of shorter days. For many, shorter days result in an increase in nighttime driving.

Are you someone, or do you know someone who doesn’t enjoy driving once the sun has gone down? You’re not alone. A recent survey from SYLVANIA Automotive found that 62 percent of motorists avoid driving during evening hours. However, for many drivers avoidance is simply not realistic – you still need to get home from work, your children still need to get to and from after-school activities, and plans must go on. So, what to do? In order to increase visibility on the road and make you more comfortable when driving at night, it is essential that high-performance headlights are installed on your vehicle.

The same survey found that while 28 percent of drivers have difficulty seeing hazards and other drivers on the road at night, 34 percent of drivers have never changed out their headlights.

When asked the question: “Do you want to see better when driving at night?” – The answer should always be yes. This is a no brainer – we all want to see better when given the option. Improving a vehicle’s headlights can affect the lives of drivers and their overall experience on the road. Better headlights can help improve down road visibility and increase chances of seeing objects sooner in the event of an accident or hazardous road conditions. This is a simple maintenance check that drivers of all ages should prioritize when it comes to overall road safety.

While many focus on oil changes, brake pads and tire pressure checks, there’s one safety element that’s often overlooked but especially critical this time of year – vehicle headlight maintenance. Headlights are an active safety item and are the first line of defense on a vehicle; if drivers cannot see objects on the road, they cannot react. If you can see it sooner, you can make a better reaction.

47 percent of surveyed drivers said they would be likely to change their headlights if they knew it would improve the safety of loved ones and other passengers. Changing your headlights is usually a simple DIY fix that doesn’t require a mechanic and helps to keep you and your passengers safe when driving at night. You can watch vehicle-specific videos about changing out your headlights, at this site .

Read more at: http://www.carcare.org/nighttime-driving-worries-want-see-better-night/

Demon teaser: Skinny wheels, tools, performance parts

The newest 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon teaser video and press release have arrived; this time, we learn more about the new muscle car than we have in any of the earlier teaser.
 

First, the press release clarifies a handful of points, stating very clearly that the 2018 Challenger Demon is designed for both street and drag strip. Some have claimed that the Demon wouldn’t be street legal, while others claim that it might be a road race car, due to the wide tires at all four corners.

The Dodge release states that the Demon is “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.”

What exactly does that mean? We don’t know, but that leaves no question that the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will be street legal, while also being a drag strip beast.

That brings us to this week’s teaser video for the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, titled “Crate”. The video focuses on a literal crate; it looks cool, but what is inside is the most important aspect of this Demon teaser, even though the crate in the picture appears to be empty.

Today’s statement explains that it comes with “eighteen components that maximize the Challenger SRT Demon’s flexibility, exclusivity, and future collectability.” The contents include some Direct Connection Demon performance parts, Demon-branded track tools, matching Demon spare wheels, and the Demon Track Pack System.

The spare wheels are the key feature in the crate in my opinion, as in the video, we can see that they have a similar design to the 18×11 wheels on the Challenger SRT Demon – except they appear to be much narrower when laying flat on the ground. With this being a drag car and those “spare wheels” being narrower than the other Demon wheels, I am guessing that those are what are known in the racing world as drag skinnies. These are narrow wheels wrapped in narrow tires, which reduce the front end weight and coefficient of drag, doing little more than allowing the driver to keep the car straight.

I have skinnies on one of my Mopar muscle cars, and while they greatly reduce handling, they are great at the track, weighing less than half of what my rear wheels and slicks weigh.

Provided that these are indeed drag skinnies, they should cut even more weight from the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon when the car hits the track, and all but confirm that this car is not all-wheel drive. After all, putting drag skinnies on the front of an AWD car would eliminate the effectiveness of the all-wheel drive system.

As for the other items in the Demon crate, it is unclear what all is included. The guy in the new teaser video has an impact gun, a torque wrench, and a jack, so perhaps they will have those with Demon logos. As for the Direction Connection Demon Performance Parts and the Demon Track Pack System, your guess is as good as ours.

The second picture today shows a small plaque with a serial number and VIN, suggesting that the crate will be paired with each car. Notice that the serial number on this plaque is 0757. You have to wonder if perhaps that isn’t another subtle clue, along with the VIN ending 1121.

The bottom line here is that the Demon crate has skinnier front tires that you can swap on at the track with Demon-branded tools. This all but confirms that the Demon is rear wheel drive and per the FCA press release today, we know that the Demon is a street car optimized for drag strip performance.

The new mystery is figuring out what the Direction Connection Demon Performance Parts are and the Demon Track Pack System entails.

Only a little over two months until the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon debuts at the 2017 New York International Auto Show.

Read more at: http://www.allpar.com/news/2017/02/new-demon-teaser-skinny-front-wheels-performance-parts-36374

Here are the Challenger Demon weight loss secrets

Earlier today, Dodge gave details of the Challenger SRT Demon weight reduction secrets to a small group of journalists at a private event. While we still don’t have any of the juicier details, like the power levels, we know now exactly how much weight the SRT engineers cut from the next Mopar muscle car – and how they cut that weight.

When the second Challenger Demon teaser video went live a few weeks back, we learned that the newest Challenger trim line would weigh around 200 pounds less than the SRT Hellcat, but we received only vague details as to how that weight was removed. Today, we have a more detailed breakdown of the weight reduction efforts, including the total reduction number of 232 pounds.

First, the Challenger Demon will have a unique steering column assembly which is four pounds lighter than the one in the Hellcat. SRT also removed the parking sensor system, to trim another two pounds.

Changes to the braking system including smaller rotors (from 390mm to 360mm) and calipers (6 pistons to 4) cut 16 pounds, the new 18″ wheels cut 16 pounds, a removal of some sound insulation and other “NVH” components cuts 18 pounds, lightweight suspension components cut 19 pounds, the removal of the spare tire/trunk materials cuts another 20 pounds and a scaled down audio system cuts 24 pounds.

Finally, the biggest weight cuts in the Challenger SRT Demon comes in the way of the seats – or the lack thereof. The Demon doesn’t come from the factory with a rear seat (cutting 55 pounds) or a passenger seat (cutting 58 pounds). That’s the biggest factor in the 232-pound diet: 113 pounds of seats.

With the next Challenger Demon teaser video set to debut on Thursday, we should know more about this wicked new muscle car in less than 48 hours.

Read more at: http://www.allpar.com/news/2017/01/challenger-demon-weight-loss-detailed-36346