{"id":71358,"date":"2023-07-21T07:39:31","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T11:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=71358"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:19:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:19:46","slug":"confessions-of-an-srt-test-driver-part-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/showcase\/2023\/07\/confessions-of-an-srt-test-driver-part-three.html","title":{"rendered":"Confessions of an SRT®<\/sup> Test Driver! – Part Three"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve been following our \u201cConfessions of an SRT\u00ae<\/sup> Test Driver\u201d<\/strong> series, we gave you an inside look at SRT Engineer and resident drag racer, Jim Wilder<\/a>. We\u2019ve also uncovered his influence on working with a team of dedicated SRT engineers in the development of the Challenger SRT Hellcat and Challenger SRT Demon \u2013 two modern muscle cars that changed the world overnight. With their record-breaking quarter-mile performance due in part to the massive horsepower the team extracted from the 6.2L supercharged HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> V8 engine, these cars shattered records. But, for Wilder and the team, the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon<\/a> wasn\u2019t the group\u2019s final assignment. In closed-door meetings, these guys and gals that have high-octane fuel running through their veins would have one more task, and leading the charge was Wilder. With his marching orders in hand, he once again went about developing a package that would not only pummel the competition but also set the automotive enthusiast community in a frenzy. When Dodge said, \u201cLast Call,\u201d it was with a thunderous roar that could be heard across the continent and in faraway lands. It came in the form of a 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170<\/a> that launched off the line like a guided missile in front of thousands that came to witness history at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway<\/a> during Dodge\u2019s \u201cLast Call\u201d event<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To fully appreciate the significance of this momentous occasion, we look back on how the SRT Demon 170 was spawned from the original 2018 Challenger SRT Demon. \u201cFor me, I began working on the Demon 170 program back in January 2020. Once again, Tim Kuniskis dictated what the engine output should be and determined we needed to go big. He (Kuniskis) insisted on a four-digit horsepower target. With that, the SRT team went to work on addressing any potential engine durability issues. The 6.2L supercharged HEMI engine in the SRT Demon 170 was upgraded. The block, crank, rods, pistons, cylinder heads, virtually everything. The only component that was a carryover from the prior model Demon was the camshaft,\u201d said Wilder. While the SRT Powertrain team was making the HEMI engine much more robust in the SRT Demon 170, Wilder had a special mission on the program. \u201cOne of my first assignments was to work with Mickey Thompson Tires<\/a> on a new package that could hook up the Demon 170 with its increased power levels. Tim (Kuniskis) also dropped another gauntlet on us, he wanted an eight-second ET out of the Demon 170,\u201d noted Wilder. With their marching orders, Wilder and his team huddled in their conference rooms at SRT HQ in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and began to develop a strategy on how the Challenger SRT Demon 170 would exceed all the performance goals while meeting all stringent government safety and emissions standards. The seasoned SRT engineer was prepared as this was not Wilder\u2019s first time working on an intense project. As he pointed out, \u201cWhen you put a program on paper, you must go through each item list.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As the SRT team began working on the SRT Demon 170 project, Kuniskis gathered up all the members involved in the project for an impromptu meeting. \u201cWe were all in the parking lot at FREC (Featherstone Research Engineering Center) when Tim told us the Demon 170 had to run eight seconds at 150 miles-per-hour in the quarter-mile. My jaw, along with everyone else, hit the pavement. We knew low-nine-second times were attainable, but eights?!?\u201d Undaunted, Wilder and the team went back to their desks and broke out their SRT Engineering Simulations. This simulation program is an intense spreadsheet that contains a ton of math along with figures for horsepower, torque, weight, launch rpm, aero, grip level and all sorts of relevant data. Wilder and the team were tentatively confident that a 150-mph trap speed would attainable, but an eight-second ET slip would still be a major challenge.\u201d Regardless, in February of 2022, the team found a beat-up Indigo Blue Challenger SRT Redeye Widebody that was used for another SRT Engineering Program. It would be the perfect \u201cdoner\u201d to begin on-track testing and become the first of many \u201cmule cars\u201d as the SRT Demon 170 program would incorporate approximately 70 development vehicles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n