The Dodge Demon 170 is the Quickest, Hardest Accelerating Production Car in the World

Dodge has done it again. Built a gas-powered monster that can accelerate harder and faster than any other production vehicle ever built. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 can leave any Tesla in a cloud of exhaust, along with countless seven-figure supercars both gas and electric. It's so quick that using its full performance on the drag strip will immediately get you banned from the strip.

With drag radials mounted to the rear, a drag strip suspension, and more than 1,000 horsepower, just how quick is it? The Dodge Demon 170 can do 0-60 miles per hour (98 km/h) in just 1.66 seconds. That's 2.004 g's of acceleration that rockets the Demon 170 through the quarter-mile in 8.91 seconds at 151.17 miles per hour.



The heart of the Challenger SRT Demon 170 is a honking supercharged V8. Developed from Dodge's Hellephant C170 crate motor, the Demon 170's 6.2L supercharged V8 makes 1,025 horsepower.

How? It starts with a larger supercharger. With 40 percent more boost, a total of 21.3 psi, it can flow 30 percent more air than the supercharger Dodge used for the Hellcat Redeye Widebody.

The Demon 170's fuel injectors can flow more than 164 gallons of fuel per hour. That's more than your showerhead. A 105mm throttle body lets 33 percent more airflow into the engine than the 2018 Demon. With air intakes in the headlights and the hood making sure that air is packed in as quickly as possible.

To handle the extra boost pressure, and the 32 percent higher in-cylinder pressures, Dodge has beefed up almost everything. Upgraded main bearings with higher-strength bolts. Mightier connecting rods with heftier bushings. Even stronger steel studs to hold down the cylinder heads.



Even all of those changes were only enough to make 900 horsepower. More than the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon's 808, but not enough for the Dodge team.

The trick to 1,025 was ethanol. The Demon 170 supports E85 fuel, a mix of 15 percent high-octane gasoline and 85 percent ethanol. The engine computer uses a sensor to know when you're using the 105-octane fuel and unleashes all of the V8's power.

That ethanol fuel is also the source of the car's name. Ethanol is alcohol, and the Demon 170 needs to drink plenty of it. 85 percent is 170 proof. There's your name, and it's reflected in the Demon 170 badge, which also gets a yellow eye to tell you it's on ethanol.



The rear tires were developed by Mickey Thompson along with Dodge exclusively for this car. The 315/50R17 ET Street R drag radial tires have a massive footprint and an extremely soft compound. The tires are designed with taller and nylon sidewalls to give the driver more of the "wrinkle effect" that transforms power into traction and launch speed.

Dodge hides those rear meats and their 17-inch wheels behind fender flares just like the 2018 Demon's. At the front, though, Dodge dropped the flares. The front tires are 245/55R18 Mickey Thompson ET Streets. Not quite slicks and skinnies like a classic dragster, but not far off. Losing the fender flares helped trim kilos, too.

And trimming weight was important. Despite thicker drive shafts and a larger ring and pinion, the car is 157 pounds lighter than a Hellcat Redeye. Some of that comes from carbon fiber wheels, lighter front brakes, hollow sway bars, passenger and rear seat delete, and even lightweight carpet.



Adaptive dampers from Bilstein help maximize the Demon's launch. New geometry increases contact patch under load and the damping increases weight transfer for rear tire grip. The Demon 170 has a chiller that uses the AC to cool the intercooler. It also gets Line Lock for burnouts, Launch Control, and a next-generation TransBrake 2.0.

A maximum of 3,300 Demon 170s will be built, 300 for Canada, the rest for the U.S. But production might not hit that total, because Dodge says there are limitations behind the scenes.

Each buyer will get a Demon decanter set and a custom dash plaque. Direct Connection will offer accessories like carbon fibre bits, and even a parachute. Pricing starts from $130,890, and orders close May 15th. Production runs from mid-year until the end of the year.