Challenger SRT HellCat vs 2015 Stingray

[RED-85-Z51]

They finally went and did it...I think the results were just as Id expected..the Challenger is a fat pig, the Vette is a cheetah....but you shove enough rockets up a fat pigs ass and it will kick a cheetahs ass all day long...

https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/watch-a-challenger-srt-hellcat-race-a-corvette-stingray--because-america-155111608.html

On paper, it looks like a bloodbath: the Hellcat has 707 horsepower to the Corvette’s mere 460. But horsepower isn’t the only factor at play here. For one thing, the Vette weighs about 1,100 pounds less than the Hellcat. With its rear transaxle — in this car, the new eight-speed automatic — the Vette has a higher percentage of its weight over the rear tires, which are also 10 millimeters wider than the Hellcat’s. And while the Chevy has the frontal area of a Sharpie, the Hellcat is more like a Shar-Pei.

Digest all that, and a betting man might guess that the Vette will actually beat the Hellcat off the line, but that the Hellcat will eventually reel it in. I mean, 247 horsepower is still a pretty major advantage, a whole Honda S2000 or so. I mark off a quarter-mile, per the Vette’s onboard data-logging system, and return to the end of the runway to line up with the towering Dodge.

Vette in the right lane, Hellcat in the left, I roll down my window so we can verbally time the launch. Three… two… one… Go.

https://s1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dqb8CmoLFKyKhenM603xqg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTczMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/autos/2014-12-15/03ac01e0-8472-11e4-b8e1-fb04ec647361_vettehellcat22.jpg

The yellow Chevy squats down, hooks up and leaves the Hellcat at the line, where it’s fighting for traction. I’ve seen a four-second 0-60 time out of a Hellcat, but getting there requires a perfect launch — second gear on the eight-speed automatic, not too much throttle. Under ideal circumstances, the Hellcat will turn a low 11-second quarter-mile time. The Corvette will run high 11s, but it’s pretty much idiot-proof. Just floor the throttle and go. This might be closer than we expected.

Since my window is still down, I hear the Hellcat before I see it. We’re about halfway to our nominal finish line, the Vette roaring past 100 mph, its optional performance exhaust in full straight-pipe mode. There’s a lot of noise. And yet there’s something even noisier barging up the left lane of our improvised Autobahn.

The Hellcat’s supercharger displaces 2.4 liters, turns 14,600 rpm and draws air through a hole where one of the headlights should be. I’m sure that in the slipstream there’s a lot of exhaust noise, but from my rare position just ahead of a hell-bent Hellcat, it’s all supercharger whine. The Hellcat is gulping its share of the atmosphere and shoving the rest rudely aside. Another fun stat: The Hellcat has almost 26 square feet of frontal area. It’s a noble edifice, the Challenger.

By about 105 mph, the Hellcat and Vette are door to door. By 110, he’s pulled in front. At 120 the Hellcat is walking away. Then we hit the brakes. Our unscientific conclusion: The Vette launches harder off the line, but the Hellcat will inexorably reel it in if you give it enough runway. Above 100 mph, the Dodge eats the Vette alive. At least, that’s what we think. But we’d better go back around and do this again. Just to be sure.

[Fastguy]

In before the obligatory "run it against a Z06".

[RED-85-Z51]

Whats funny is..the Hellcat has a pretty solid pricetag of 59,995...and urges...kinda heavy handedly, the dealers to adhere to it...707hp. I understand it, that, the hellcat comes with color options, that its pretty standardly equipped as far as options.

C7 Z06, has a pricetag of 80K, and Im seeing people paying a marked up price of over 100K for it...well equipped they run an MSRP of well far and beyond 80K..

Yes, "you throw a bend in that straight line, the vette walks away"...probably true, but the hellcat will make up alot of time at the top end, Id love to see a stingray, Z06, and hellcat go around the Nurburgring, Road Atlanta, sears point, Dega...etc..

[Fastguy]

The Hellcat will suffer the same consequences as a GTO on a road course, it won't turn. High HP heavy car with tiny tires.

[RedLS1GTO]

So what you are saying is that a car with < 50% more horsepower is faster at the big end going in a straight line.

Who'da thunk.

[RedLS1GTO]

The Hellcat will suffer the same consequences as a GTO on a road course, it won't turn. High HP heavy car with tiny tires.

... not to mention the heat soak issues it will undoubtedly have.

I'd be willing to bet that lap times fall off a cliff very quickly.

[Fastguy]

... not to mention the heat soak issues it will undoubtedly have.

I'd be willing to bet that lap times fall off a cliff very quickly.

That was an issue with the 03-04 Cobras and I have seen it with aftermarket setups on Corvettes as well.
Still, the fact that you can buy a 707 hp car with a warranty and EPA blessing in the era of the Prius is pretty damn awesome.

[ApexOversteer]

Yeah, and a pro-stock drag car can prolly beat an FIA GT3 class race car in the 1/4mi too...

[carlton_fritz]

Whats funny is..the Hellcat has a pretty solid pricetag of 59,995...and urges...kinda heavy handedly, the dealers to adhere to it...707hp. I understand it, that, the hellcat comes with color options, that its pretty standardly equipped as far as options.

C7 Z06, has a pricetag of 80K, and Im seeing people paying a marked up price of over 100K for it...well equipped they run an MSRP of well far and beyond 80K..

Yes, "you throw a bend in that straight line, the vette walks away"...probably true, but the hellcat will make up alot of time at the top end, Id love to see a stingray, Z06, and hellcat go around the Nurburgring, Road Atlanta, sears point, Dega...etc..
The story compares a Stingray to the Hellcat, yet you talk about a Z06 being $80,000. Try comparing the cost of the Stingray to the Hellcat.

[Bucwheat]

That 650 horse ZO6 would have little problem with the Dodge.

[RedLS1GTO]

Still, the fact that you can buy a 707 hp car with a warranty and EPA blessing in the era of the Prius is pretty damn awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it... at all. Had the Hellcat Charger been just a bit cheaper, I would have seriously considered buying 1 instead of my SS.

I know that as long as there have been fast cars, people have wanted to see who was faster. I get that as much as anybody. What I DON'T understand is the point in comparing 2 cars with completely different design purposes.

[RED-85-Z51]

The story compares a Stingray to the Hellcat, yet you talk about a Z06 being $80,000. Try comparing the cost of the Stingray to the Hellcat.

Okay..I just built a 2015, 2LT Z51, outfitted it with the kind of things in a Hellcat, came to $70,050 + 995 destination fee

And it loses in a drag race to a 60,000 dollar dodge with the aerodynamics of a cinderblock..lol

[Fastguy]

. What I DON'T understand is the point in comparing 2 cars with completely different design purposes.

Publicity, start flame wars, get people to share the link, create web trafffic.
Ultimately, drive traffic to their advertisers.

[Datawiz]

Buy one of each and STFU. Both have their merits, and both are attractive to me. Z06 is where I'll spend my $$$, thanks. :seasix:

[Loco Vette]

Okay..I just built a 2015, 2LT Z51, outfitted it with the kind of things in a Hellcat, came to $70,050 + 995 destination fee

And it loses in a drag race to a 60,000 dollar dodge with the aerodynamics of a cinderblock..lol

Right up until you had to slow down or steer. Build a car for what you wanna do.

[simpleman68]

Right up until you had to slow down or steer. Build a car for what you wanna do.

Aptly and concisely put. :datawiz:
Scott

[boracayjohnny]

So what you are saying is that a car with < 50% more horsepower is faster at the big end going in a straight line.

Who'da thunk.

:iagree::lol::cert:

[Silverspeed]

... not to mention the heat soak issues it will undoubtedly have.

I'd be willing to bet that lap times fall off a cliff very quickly.

A lot slower than a Z06. Dodge talked about this several times when they unveiled the Hellcat. The gave it enough cooling that supposedly you can run it all out for 20 minutes on a track before it even starts pulling timing.

[snide]

Buy one of each and STFU. Both have their merits, and both are attractive to me. Z06 is where I'll spend my $$$, thanks. :seasix:

If I had $100k to spend, here's what I'd be looking at:

Aston Martin Vantage GT
Jaguar F-Type vert
Z06 vert

Possibly in that order.

Now, if I needed 4 seats, which I kinda do, either of the Hellcat siblings would do the trick. With the Challenger, and with $25k leftover, I'd consider cutting the roof off. :yesnod:

:cheers:

[LATB]

https://s1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dqb8CmoLFKyKhenM603xqg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTczMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/autos/2014-12-15/03ac01e0-8472-11e4-b8e1-fb04ec647361_vettehellcat22.jpg

.

As awesome as the new Vette is...

I gotta be honest.
If I'm driving in that Dodge I'd feel like a teenager in the 1970's.
If I'm driving the Vette I'd feel like an old guy in a new Vette... :D

[RED-85-Z51]

A lot slower than a Z06. Dodge talked about this several times when they unveiled the Hellcat. The gave it enough cooling that supposedly you can run it all out for 20 minutes on a track before it even starts pulling timing.

Thats pretty badass, 20 minutes of all out running..in a street car making 707hp..lol

Like I said...I cant wait till Topgear (stig), gets a hold of a hellcat and a Z06/Stringray and puts them through their paces.

Im interested to see what Dodge did to with the Challengers handling with 707hp under the hood...Im a little shocked they didnt go to a bit wider tire..

[carlton_fritz]

Okay..I just built a 2015, 2LT Z51, outfitted it with the kind of things in a Hellcat, came to $70,050 + 995 destination fee

And it loses in a drag race to a 60,000 dollar dodge with the aerodynamics of a cinderblock..lol

That 650 horse ZO6 would have little problem with the Dodge.
:waiting:

[RedLS1GTO]

A lot slower than a Z06. Dodge talked about this several times when they unveiled the Hellcat. The gave it enough cooling that supposedly you can run it all out for 20 minutes on a track before it even starts pulling timing.

A 700+hp, 4500lb tank with a massive blower bolted on top goes 20 minutes at 10/10ths?

They claim it. I'll believe that when I see it.


There are all sorts of things on that car that would be about a gazillion degrees at that point.

Im interested to see what Dodge did to with the Challengers handling with 707hp under the hood...

It weighs 4,500 pounds + the driver. It goes straight.

[RedLS1GTO]

For a little perspective on weight:

If I took my race car, filled it with fuel, climbed in it...

...and stacked 2 Duramax LML engines on the roof it would actually still be lighter than the Hellcat.


That mofo is HEAVY.

[RED-85-Z51]

So...you paid 70k for a c7...and you want to take your wife and 2 kids to the drag strip and take names...presents a couple of problems...1, seating for 4. 2...if there is a 60k HellCat on hand you better hope that 1/4 mile developes a hairpin turn about halfway down...

http://www.speednik.com/files/2013/04/Callaway-wagon.jpg

[Rob]

So...you paid 70k for a c7...and you want to take your wife and 2 kids to the drag strip and take names...presents a couple of problems...1, seating for 4. 2...if there is a 60k HellCat on hand you better hope that 1/4 mile developes a hairpin turn about halfway down...

http://www.speednik.com/files/2013/04/Callaway-wagon.jpg

Oh, Supervettes LLC has a new design I see

[snide]

Oh, Supervettes LLC has a new design I see

The wagon is Callaway. Dunno who did the trailer.

[RedLS1GTO]

So...you paid 70k for a c7...and you want to take your wife and 2 kids to the drag strip and take names...presents a couple of problems...1, seating for 4. 2...if there is a 60k HellCat on hand you better hope that 1/4 mile developes a hairpin turn about halfway down...

So... you paid $60k for a HellCat and you want to tow a 10,000lb trailer to the race track... presents a couple of problems...

A Corvette can't hold 4 people? The Hellcat is faster in a straight line? No sh*t.

What's your point? :shrug:

[Silverspeed]

A 700+hp, 4500lb tank with a massive blower bolted on top goes 20 minutes at 10/10ths?

They claim it. I'll believe that when I see it.


There are all sorts of things on that car that would be about a gazillion degrees at that point.



I'm just telling you what I read. There is a longer video talking about it with the SRT chief, but here is a Quote from R&T:

"Not a lot of new ideas went into making 222 more horsepower than the naturally aspirated 6.4-liter. The main concern was keeping everything cool enough to reach those numbers. That means a separate low-temp cooling loop for the intercoolers (a setup originally cooked up for use in high-efficiency small-displacement applications), cooling for the transmission, and a big oil cooler. To feed it, they popped a hole in the left parking lamp to ram-air the airbox. One of the development targets was for the car to endure a 20-minute track session in 100-plus-degree heat without having to start pulling power from the engine."

FIRST DRIVE: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat - 10 Things You Need To KNow (http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a8362/2015-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-review-first-drive/)

[RedLS1GTO]

I'm just telling you what I read....

I've read the same thing. If they actually manage to keep that much power at 10/10ths cool for that long, my hat is off to them.

How it is driven makes a HUGE difference in the statement "... to endure a 20-minute track session in 100-plus-degree heat". Who is driving? How hard are they pushing it? With the '02Z for example, if I drove at say.... 7/10ths (still harder than the average HPDE guy is going to push a car), it had no problem for as long as I needed it to go. If I started driving 9/10ths, completely in control but pushing corners, banging downshifts, etc, I could easily overheat pretty much every part of it in just a couple of laps. Add something as minimal as sticky tires that let you gas sooner, brake later, roll corners faster and you up the heat even farther.

Like I said, I'll believe it when I see it. ...and don't take that the wrong way, I really would like to see it.

[RED-85-Z51]

Wonder if a c7z could go balls out for 20 minutes in 100 degree temps without needing to detune?

[RedLS1GTO]

Wonder if a c7z could go balls out for 20 minutes in 100 degree temps without needing to detune?

Probably not... and a whole lot of people who like to put them on a track aren't happy that the Z has a blower.

Give me a 500/550ish hp, small displacement, high/fast revving, N/A engine over a big heavy blower motor any day. I don't think there is much denying that Porsche is THE standard for factory cars on a track. How much power does the GT3 make? 475... Hell, the C7R race cars are making in the 500hp range.

The ultimate for the Corvette in my opinion would have been to use some version of that C7R engine (5.5L), but nope. They wanted that big magazine cover number and bolted a blower on it.

[Nemesis]

I have to drive the car before I say I hate it, but I do hate the idea of it. Based on the spec sheet alone, I would have it sold before I took delivery if one was gifted to me. Driving in a straight line is boring to me.

[Fastguy]

As I have said before, I wish they made a REAL comp prep corvette.
No AC, no radio, no sound deadener, no power seats, no nav, etc etc.
Big brakes, big oil cooler, trans cooler and diff cooler. No supercharger.
Make the car loud and uncomfortable to weed out the posers.

[Nemesis]

As I have said before, I wish they made a REAL comp prep corvette.
No AC, no radio, no sound deadener, no power seats, no nav, etc etc.
Big brakes, big oil cooler, trans cooler and diff cooler. No supercharger.
Make the car loud and uncomfortable to weed out the posers.

Like the L88 cars?

[RedLS1GTO]

As I have said before, I wish they made a REAL comp prep corvette.
No AC, no radio, no sound deadener, no power seats, no nav, etc etc.
Big brakes, big oil cooler, trans cooler and diff cooler. No supercharger.
Make the car loud and uncomfortable to weed out the posers.

The best thing GM could do would be look at what Porsche does... and do the exact same thing.

There are near countless P-cars running at various tracks in various series across the WORLD every weekend. There are entire series running nothing but Porsche. GM on the other hand does everything in their power to kill all but the 2 factory cars running in ALMS (or whatever the hell it's called now).