2018 Dodge Challenger Srt Demon 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

Chrysler patents smarter minivan folding seats

It's frightening to think of how quickly the mice would have overtaken us if we hadn't stayed one step ahead of them with better mousetraps. We'll never have to worry about that in our relentlessly re-engineered world, though. Case in point: Chrysler has been granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office for an improved design of the already wondrous Stow 'n' Go seating found in the automaker's Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.
Introduced in 2005, the Stow 'n' Go was improved in 2008, and based on the drawings of this third-generation improvement, the new design appears to allow stowage of the second row of seats without having to move the front-row seats forward as much. It look like it also involves fewer operations and moving parts, with a portion of the seatback being incorporated into the flat floor when the seats are stowed, as opposed to having a completely separate cover.
It's possible that the innovation may appear on the next-generation minivans expected in 2015, but Chrysler isn't commenting on the patent.

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon, 1970 Charger become Lego cars

As much as we all would have loved to buy one, Dodge made sure that it wouldn't be easy for everyone to own a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. It was only built for one model year, with a total of 3,000 units, and the last one was built last summer. And even if they were still available, each one started at just under $85,000, a substantial chunk of change. But thanks to Lego, there's a comparatively cheap way to get a new Demon: in tiny brick form. The toy company has added another kit to its Speed Champions line featuring a yellow Challenger Demon. Since the Speed Champions cars are quite small, it's a somewhat rough facsimile of the car, but it's still instantly recognizable. It's blocky, it has a big hood scoop and fat fender flares. It also has two sets of wheel covers to customize it. This kit has an advantage over a real Demon, too: it comes with a second car. The other one is a 1970 Dodge Charger in black. This is an even more faithful rendition, thanks in part to the real car's ruler-straight lines. It doesn't have customizable wheels, but you can choose whether to leave it stock, or stick on a little replica of a supercharger and hood scoop that poke through the hood. It ends up looking like Dominic Toretto's Charger from The Fast and the Furious. Besides the second car, the kit features a drag strip starting tree. It doesn't light up, but it does have a slider on the back that lifts up each set of colored bricks as it's pressed down. So you can have little drag races with the two cars. In total, everything is built with 478 pieces, and it will cost you $29.99. The kit is available now wherever Lego kits are sold, and even at the Dodge merchandise website. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.