So the upcoming Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has lost weight. Surely, the massive wall of people screaming “About time!” will be satisfied that Mopar’s muscle car has finally shed some pounds. But the question has been, “How much weight?” Would it be enough to justify what’s in store in the first place, or was it a cursory weight loss? With the Hellcat coming in at a tick under 4,500 pounds curb weight, there was no doubt that the Challenger could stand a trip or two to the gym to compete with the 3,781 pound Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 or even the heaviest Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which at maximum comes in at just over 4,100 pounds. FCA has removed the weight, and earlier today they threw out the figure:
232 pounds. Here’s where the weight was lost:
- 4 pounds, manual tilt/telescope steering wheel
- 2 pounds, removed parking sensors
- 16 pounds, 18×11-inch aluminum wheels with open lug nuts
- 18 pounds, removed 23 NVH components (it’s going to be loud)
- 19 pounds, smaller diameter, hollow sway bar (front went from 34 mm solid to 29 mm hollow, rear went from 22 mm solid to 19 mm hollow)
- 24 pounds, removed all speakers except front door speakers
- 16 pounds, new aluminum brakes: 2-piece, 4-piston Brembos (went from 390 mm diameter to 360 mm)
- 55 pounds, removed rear seats
- 58 pounds, removed front passenger seat
- 20 pounds, removed trunk lining and spare tire/wheel
It doesn’t sound like much, but any weight lost is good. But for those that are expecting the Demon to be a jack-of-all-trades, there is undoubtedly going to be some disappointment. Dodge has made it clear without outright confirmation that the Demon is going to be a monster in the quarter-mile, and it should do really well in events like WannaGoFast, ECTA land-speed runs and maybe even Bonneville. But with only one seat, an expected rollcage, and all of the fluffy bits that most buyers expect yanked out, is the Demon going to be an actual hardcore street car, like we are hoping for, or will it be a drag package car? Until the car’s April 11th showing, we will have to subsist on the tidbits and videos coming out, the next one appearing in just over a day.
Just needs a van seat and the windows held up by seatbelt straps.
Kind of wish they left the passenger seat, and removed the power windows/locks instead. At least a couple light weight seats without heating/cooling and more power movements than a road grader blade.