When news broke of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon it was practically earth-shattering. Not only was it the highest horsepower V8 (obliterating the Hellcat’s claim), but it was the fastest production car ever made and the first to actually pull the front wheels at launch. Simply put, the Demon is an enthusiast’s dream. It comes fully equipped with the capabilities we typically spend thousands of dollars on in the aftermarket to accomplish. And now today, we have a closer look at the components that make that a reality.
Demon V8 Quick Facts
Output on 100-octane: 840hp at 6,300rpm, 770 lb-ft at 4,500rpm
Output on 91-octane: 808hp at 6,300rpm, 717 lb-ft at 4,500rpm
Production Site: Saltillo Engine Plant, Ramos Arizpe, Mexico
Construction: Supercharged 6.2L V8 with deep-skirt cast iron block, aluminum alloy heads with hemispherical combustion chamber
In total, 62 percent of the Demon’s engine is new compared to the Hellcat V8 including the supercharger, engine block, crankshaft, pistons, and connecting rods. The cylinder heads are essentially the same, and are machined on dedicated CNC machines. The deep-skirted cast iron block is deck plate honed to minimize bore distortion as you’d see in a race engine shop. Here is a list of all the internal changes to the Demon V8:
- Forged alloy steel crankshaft with 3.58-inch (90.9 mm) stroke and revised balancing
- Induction-hardened crank bearing surfaces; individual journal optimized main bearing clearances
- Forged high-strength alloy pistons; 30-micron increased piston to bore clearance
- Powder forged connecting rods; upgraded shank and big end; revised ultra-high tensile fasteners
- Flow doubled on piston cooling oil jets
- Revised design valvesprings
- 33 percent increase in oiling for valvesprings and rocker tips – lubrication and cooling
- Single-groove collets on valve stems for improved stability
- Fuel injector pressure increased 27 percent
- Oil pan and windage tray optimized for high acceleration – tested up to 1.8 g
Dodge says that every Demon and Hellcat engine is dyno tested for 42 minutes under load up to 5,200 rpm before being shipped to the assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario. A few other fun fact:
- During a quarter-mile run, the Demon V8 ingests 173 cubic feet of air. That’s equivalent to the lung capacity of 816 humans.
- 800 feet into a quarter-mile run, the Demon V8 would empty all the air in the cabin of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – 105 cubic feet
- Demon V8 cooling system rejects 258 kW of heat at rated power – that would boil 1 quart of water at room temperature in 1.2 seconds. The heat rejected is equal to 250 electric toasters.
- At rated power, high-octane fuel flows at 1.36 gallons per minute. Typical shower head flows at 2 gallons per minute
- On each power stroke, piston and connecting rod is loaded with 11 tons of force – equivalent of 5 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demons. This happens more than 50 times a second at 6,300 rpm.