{"id":42252,"date":"2020-09-01T10:14:10","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T14:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=42252"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:22:19","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:22:19","slug":"track-prepping-your-ride-for-the-best-ets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/how-to\/2020\/09\/track-prepping-your-ride-for-the-best-ets.html","title":{"rendered":"Track Prepping Your Ride for the Best ETs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The art of drag racing takes skill, talent and the right muscle car to lay down fast times. With the current lineup from Dodge\u2019s Brotherhood of Muscle, there\u2019s a performance machine to suit just about anyone\u2019s need for speed. From a fire-breathing limited-production one-year-only 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Demon, to the new 807-horsepower 2020 Dodge Challenger Super Stock to the 485-horsepower Dodge Challenger Scat Pack 1320 to a 5.7L HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> engine-powered Charger R\/T with more than 370 horses, there\u2019s no power shortage in the Dodge garage. So when it comes to taking your Challenger or Charger to the local drag strip, or even one of the NMCA Dodge \/\/ Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> HEMI Shootout<\/a> events, we have some helpful tips from our guys on the inside that can help you extract the best times out of your ride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First, you need to get acquainted with all the cool\nfeatures both the Challenger and Charger have to offer. There are many\nsimilarities between the SRT Hellcat Redeye, SRT Hellcat, Scat Pack and even\nR\/T models, but there are also some differences. To help explain these, we\nreached out to Kevin Hellman, Dodge Challenger Brand Manager, and Ashton\nMunoz, Dodge Charger Brand Manager. These two live and breathe muscle and have\nbeen involved in the creation and development of some pretty cool vehicles, like\nthe SRT Demon, SRT Hellcat, Charger Widebody and many others. They know the\nheritage of the Dodge Brand and how important it is to loyal consumers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDodge has always had a strong presence in drag racing, dating back\nto muscle cars of the 1960s and with the early 426 HEMI street and race engines,\u201d\nsaid Hellman. \u201cThe current Challenger is perfectly suited for drag racing\nusage, so it was a natural fit to create a Halo car for the Challenger and\nDodge\/\/SRT brands with the SRT Demon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the Demon was a special, limited-production vehicle\nwith 840 horsepower, covering the quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds and doing a wheelie,\nall thanks to the unique items like the Demon Crate, high-octane calibration, TransBrake,\nstandard Nitto drag radials and unique suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Challenger 1320 was born of the idea to create a drag-ready\ncar for our grassroots drag racing customers who aren\u2019t looking for a limited-edition\n$80k car. The 1320 takes some drag racing guts from Demon \u2013 TransBrake, drag\nmode, drag suspension, Line Lock \u2013 and pairs it with our 485-horsepower 392 HEMI\nengine, which delivers a huge horsepower bang for the buck, and as a result,\nbrings that drag racing technology to a much larger audience,\u201d said Hellman. \u201cWhile\nthe Challenger 1320 is targeted at drag racing, it\u2019s a great all-around vehicle\nyou can drive during the week and head to the strip on the weekend.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munoz also shared the same sentiment, \u201cWe have found, in general, people relate more to drag racing than track\ndriving, so that plays a part in why we\u2019ve decided to go that route. With the\nCharger, each trim level has unique and fun-to-drive attributes, and they share\nthe same DNA throughout the lineup. The Charger SXT AWD through R\/T are equipped with Dodge Performance Pages,\nwhile the Scat Pack, SRT Hellcat Widebody and Redeye Widebody have the SRT\nPerformance Pages.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Dodge and SRT\nPerformance Pages on both Challenger and Charger models offer many different\nways to customize the driving experience of the car and changes can be made on\nthe fly. With all these features to aid in your drag race times, they can make you\nlook like \u201cBig Daddy\u201d Don Garlits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hellman took some time\nto explain these functions in detail. \u201cThe Challenger SRT Demon, SRT Super Stock, SRT\nHellcat Redeye, SRT Hellcat and R\/T Scat Pack, including the 1320, share Drive\nModes, Performance Pages and Race Options. These include Torque Reserve; on the\nSRT Super Stock, SRT Hellcat Redeye and SRT Hellcat, it becomes active once the\nengine speed passes 950 rpm. The system closes the bypass valve, \u2018prefilling\u2019\nthe intake with boost, manages fuel flow to cylinders and manages spark timing\nto balance engine rpm and torque. On the Scat Pack, the engine manages spark and\nfuel to the cylinders to allow the intake manifold to be filled with air. Next\nis Launch Assist; it helps resolve one of the biggest challenges to clean\nlaunches and driveline integrity \u2013 wheel hop, which happens when tires quickly\nslip and regain traction at launch, rapidly storing up and releasing energy in\nthe driveline. These high torque spikes can quickly and severely damage\ndriveline components, and up until now, the only solution was to back out of\nthe throttle. The Challenger SRT Hellcat models use wheel speed sensors to\nwatch for signs that the tires are slipping\/sticking. If hop is detected, the\nengine control module momentarily reduces torque to maximize traction almost\ninstantly \u2013 without the driver having to lift the throttle. Launch Assist\nreduces loads in the driveline from wheel hop by up to 20 percent.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Munoz also provided more details that Dodge\noffers on its performance vehicles. \u201cThere are Drive Modes that can be accessed\nvia the 8.4-inch Uconnect\u00ae<\/sup> touchscreen, drivers can tailor their experience by\nadjusting horsepower, transmission shift speeds, steering effort, paddle\nshifters, traction and suspension settings. SRT Drive Modes offer selectable\nsettings for Street (Auto), Sport and Track. On the Challenger R\/T Scat Pack\n1320, Track mode is replaced with Drag mode that, when engaged, optimizes weight\ntransfer to the rear for best launch traction. There is also a Custom setting\nfor the driver to select individual preferences. These include Performance\nPages, which bring critical vehicle performance data to the driver\u2019s\nfingertips, including a real-time dyno graph, g-force heat map and much more.\nFeatures like Launch Control, which holds the engine at optimal launch RPM and\nwaits for the driver to release the brake. Launch Control then uses engine\ntorque management to optimize wheel slip for maximum acceleration. All\nChallenger models with Launch Control receive an improved system that increases\nhold time from five to 10 seconds for optimal launch and consistent straight-line\nacceleration. We even offer a Line Lock function that engages the front brakes\nto hold the car stationary but leaves the rear wheels free for a burnout to\nheat up and clean the rear tires. The system will also let the driver perform a\ncontrolled rolling burnout and can engage for up to 200 rear wheel revolution.\nFinally, there\u2019s Track Mode that offers maximum vehicle performance capability\non a race track. It also tightens up to full firm suspension damping and\nsteering gradient feel for maximum cornering response.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When it comes to making the most drag passes in a fast\nChallenger, SRT Vehicle Development Manager Jim Wilder has that honor. Wilder played\nan important role in creating and testing the earth-shattering 2018 Challenger\nSRT Demon. Wilder and the SRT team also helped the Demon get its Guinness World\nRecord status for being the first production car to pull a wheelie. This SRT\nengineer with over two decades\u2019 experience at FCA is passionate about Dodge performance\nvehicles that come in all shapes and sizes. He\u2019s also an avid drag racer who hits\nthe quarter-mile on his spare weekends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilder gave us some helpful tips that any amateur drag\nracer should adhere to when they head to the drag strip. \u201cObviously, the car\nneeds to be warmed up. This includes the engine oil, transmission and driveline\n(differential) fluid. Warm fluids provide less friction, and also let the\nmetals expand for the proper meshing with all components,\u201d said Wilder. \u201cIf the\ncar isn\u2019t driven to the track, driving around the pits for about 5 miles will\ndo the trick. Try to get the trans temp up to at least 125 degrees as that will\nbe a good indicator the system is warmed up. On supercharged cars like the SRT Demon,\nSRT Redeye and SRT Hellcat, the intercooler temp should be as low as possible,\nas it\u2019s critical in making the most horsepower. Using the Race Cooldown feature\nbetween runs at the drags helps a ton. The intercooler pump and radiator fan that\nkeep the intercooler system from heat soak will make sure the 6.2-liter HEMI is\nmaking maximum power. With the chiller feature on the new Challenger SRT Super\nStock and Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, we\u2019re able to bring the intercooler\ncoolant temps below the outside ambient temperature, so this also helps in\nmaking more power.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to driving technique and the ever-critical burnout\nfor a good launch, Wilder offers this important advice. \u201cAll tires need to be\nwarmed up, typically to approximately 200 degrees surface temp. Different tires\nwant different levels of burnout, and you will need to do some experimenting to\ndetermine the best approach. Typically, a 2-3 second static burnout, and then\nroll the car forward, still spinning the tire for 5-10 feet is a good place to\nstart. The Nitto tires on the Challenger SRT Super Stock and SRT Demon\ntypically like a little more heat than the Nexen drag radials that come\nstandard on the Challenger 1320, so you can adjust as needed. This will require\na fair amount of smoke from the tires. If you are just getting a wisp, you\u2019re\nnot getting the tires hot enough, including the Pirelli P Zeros. It\u2019s also best\nto drive around the water box and back into it to avoid getting the front tires\nwet and then lay that water down in front of the rear tires. It\u2019s best if this\ncan be avoided, but it\u2019s not always possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hellman, Munoz and Wilder all agree the best piece of advice is for owners to educate themselves on all these cool functions offered on the Challenger and Charger. If you\u2019re new to drag racing, don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions. Learn about your car, its features, how to properly set it up for drag racing and drag racing etiquette. Also, have fun and make friends with some fellow Dodge owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The art of drag racing takes skill, talent and the right muscle car to lay down fast times. With the current lineup from Dodge\u2019s Brotherhood of Muscle, there\u2019s a performance machine to suit just about anyone\u2019s need for speed. From a fire-breathing limited-production one-year-only 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT\u00ae Demon, to the new 807-horsepower 2020 Dodge Challenger Super Stock to the 485-horsepower Dodge Challenger Scat Pack 1320 to a 5.7L HEMI\u00ae engine-powered Charger R\/T with more than 370 horses, there\u2019s no power shortage in the Dodge garage. So when it comes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":42274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[639],"tags":[526,519,528],"class_list":["post-42252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-challenger","tag-charger","tag-drag-racing"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/feature.png","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42252"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42377,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42252\/revisions\/42377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}