2011 Grand Caravan Cargo Van Complete With Storage Bins & Bulkhead...unit# 3813t on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Dodge Demon makes so much torque, it needs stronger driveline parts

Torque is a lovely thing, a sweet and wonderful force that twists and pulls and can help propel a two-ton metal box forward at comical speeds. Torque is also fickle and will bend and break those same metal parts without a second thought, which is why the new Dodge Demon is compensating for its increased torque with some new re-engineered and reinforced parts. And there's software intended to combat wheel hop, which one of the most dramatic ways torque can break stuff. Week 8's video, "Race-hardened Parts," gives a hint towards what all these new parts can do. While we still don't know how much torque the Demon will throw out, we do know it's enough to warrant an upgraded prop shaft, half shafts, and a differential housing. The Challenger Hellcat, which is the basis for the Demon, makes 650 pound-feet of torque already. The new parts will go a long way toward making sure the work from the Demon's engine is properly translated into motion by those Nitto drag radials. The new prop shaft uses high-strength steel, heat-treated stub-shafts, and increases the tube thickness by 20 percent for a 15 percent increase in torque capacity. Additionally, Dodge says the upgraded differential housing allows for a 30 percent increase in torque capacity by using heat-treated A383 aluminum alloy and a higher strength shot-peened gear set. The 41-spline half shafts that deliver 20 percent increased torque capacity through the use of high-strength low alloy steel and 8-ball joints. In addition to the hardware, the Launch Assist software has been tuned to help alleviate wheel hop. Dodge says the Demon is the first factory production car that uses wheel speed sensors to detect hop and momentarily cut torque to compensate. This means a driver can keep their foot planted on the floor while the computer sorts out the traction. Previously, the best solution was to back off the throttle to manually cut the load. Finally, the Dodge Demon will offer a four-point harness mounting bar as an optional accessory. The part will be supplied by Speedlogix and fits in place of the deleted rear seat. Customers can install the bar without having to hack apart their cars to find a proper mounting point. Look for more teasers and info on ifyouknowyouknow.com in the lead-up to the Demon's debut at the 2017 New York Auto Show. Related Video: Image Credit: FCA Dodge Performance dodge demon dodge hellcat

The Dodge Neon is alive!

"Holy crap! It's a new Dodge Neon! Like a new new one." Oddly, no one else on the Cancun resort shuttle seemed to notice. Or care. Ogling Mexican-market compact sedans is apparently something exclusive to automotive journalists on vacation. Yet there it was, fittingly on Dio de los Muertos, in all its resurrected glory. With a margarita in hand and an ocean in front of me, ignored, I turned my attention to my phone to get to the bottom of Neon version 3.0. Introduced for 2016, today's Dodge Neon is based upon and built alongside the Fiat Tipo/Egea, a C segment compact sedan co-developed by Fiat and Turkish industrial outfit Koc Holding. More than 125,000 were sold last year in Europe, with another 47,000 in Turkey. It's also sold in the Middle East and Africa, with Mexico alone getting the Neon version. Exterior styling is really the only difference, and then, only the crosshair grille manages to identify it as a Dodge. Then again, the same could be said for the not-so-dearly departed Dart, which belonged to the same segment. It was much bigger, though, with an extra 6 inches of overall length and 3 inches of wheelbase (which, as I just discovered, is "distancia entre ejes" en espanol). The Neon interior, not surprisingly, is pretty much the same as its Fiat siblings. The dash has two variations. A bigger, upgrade touchscreen resides in a dash-mounted, tablet-style infotainment pod, but the standard stereo head unit or 5-inch touchscreen upgrade fits into a binnacle shared with the instrument panel. It's a bit more like the Challenger, Charger, and yes, Dart in this regard, but in total, the Neon's cabin design is also less blocky and more organic in appearance. The switchgear is pure Fiat, but the steering wheel has the same control layout as Dodges, Jeeps and Chryslers. Power comes from the Challenger Scat Pack's 6.4-liter Hemi V8. No, it doesn't, I totally got you. The standard engine, dubbed FIRE, is a 1.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder good for 95 horsepower and 94 pound-feet of torque. So, less than the Scat Pack. The optional engine, dubbed E.TorQ, which is in no way related to the Ram's eTorque mild hybrid system and not especially eTorquey, is a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder good for 110 hp and 112 lb-ft. Sadly, the Neon color selection is in no way neon, which probably doesn't matter since virtually every car on the Yucatan peninsula is painted white.

Dodge Challenger Hellcat drift video is pure horsepower porn

We could listen to the whining, snarling 6.2-liter Hemi V8 in the Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcats all day long. The noise just sounds like power that's being barely restrained and is everything about a muscle car that's right. The team at Pennzoil apparently understands that allure, too. The oil company has a new video where it lets the engine roar for over a minute, while a Challenger does some big, smoky drifts through an abandoned city. The whole stunt is edited together in a slickly produced way that looks fantastic. Although, the big finale might go a little too far and starts straining believability. Nonetheless, the Hellcat's wonderful noise is still the star of this show. Related Video: