Granted, the track was prep'd so it was like having tack strips on it! From MSN: for more see: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/new...exploding-on-drag-strip/ar-BBTxgHP?li=BBnb7Kz
I've been wondering if the drivetrains could handle the power....hmmm....wait till more get miles on them....going to be greater odds of failure
I lost count of how many new Challengers i've seen blow their rearends on the track. It's been a weak link ever since it's reincarnation and well before big HP engines were introduced. The same with the Caddy's "V" cars,... seen a lot of them break too.
I think the article said the red car gave a warning 1st and went into limp mode, then came back online...driver decided to launch anyway. Must have deep pockets....I wouldn't have run it...not at 4100 RPM anyway.
I also read that most people aren't following break-in procedures. Said break-in isn't for the motor or tranny but for the rear end gears to go through the heat cycle to harden them....said improper break-in causes stress fractures. I just traded in my 17 Mustang GT for a 19 Charger Scatpack. Did quite a bit of reading this week. Cant wait to hit 400 miles!
And for all those flat brimmed ball cap types who love to stand next to a launching car at the line..look at that piece of shrapnel that zings out from the drivers side at :05 seconds. Thats a little darwinism, coming atcha!
Big Power + Big weight + Perfect traction finds the weak link. Happens at the drag strip all the time. The Demon is a factory drag racing vehicle. I'd be more concerned if the engines were blowing. If Dodge doesn't remedy the problem, I'm sure the aftermarket will.
This is a little more extreme than that.....getting hit with full throttle 770 ft.-lbs. and zero slip moving a 4400 lb. car is a lot more violent than anything a 1/2 ton truck would ever experience. As stated, it's the way to find the weak link, and the gears are apparently the weak link in perfect conditions. I'm sure they'd live "forever" on a normal track, but this one was perfectly prepped to be absolutely the best it could be to try to break the record of 9.65 already recorded by one. I was actually really surprised they kept the independent rear end in the Demon. I was sure the CV joints were going to be the part that blew to smithereens when the car came out.
The stock cars I'd say yes. The modded one with slicks I'd say "no", but now that it's gone viral they might for the positive public relations.
Couldn't you get the Demon, or was it just the Hellcat, with a dragpack that included slicks, skinny fronts, impact drill and so on?
Aftermarket already has several, I had the Dana rock 60 with 1400 axels and driveshaft. About $7k on the rear, $1.7 on the axles and $1k on the driveshaft.
Yessir, but not slicks. They came with 4 Nitto drag radials installed on all four wheels, and came with skinny front runners in the "Demon Box" along with tools and other parts. That's considered factory, slicks on bigger wheels would not be.