The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Will Give The 1/4-Mile A Spanking With 'Drag Mode'

Recently, Dodge had the motoring world pretty bemused by quoting Metallica when talking about the Challenger SRT Demon’s massive airbox. Fast forward two weeks, and the latest Demon teaser is referencing Isaac Newton. Obviously.

The newly released teaser - number seven of 14 - is called ‘Third Law’, referencing Newton’s Third Law. That’s the whole “every action has an opposite and equal reaction” thing, which Dodge has tied into suspension set-ups.

First up, we’re given a history lesson:

“The “old school” solution was pretty simple – get the quickest reacting springs upfront, the softest rebound front shocks that wouldn’t restrict the springs’ reaction, remove any restrictions (sway bar) and increase the compression of the rear shocks. This combination resulted in extremely efficient weight transfer, but provided minimal lateral stability in the event that directional corrections were required.”

So, what’s the solution? Well, as much as muscle purists might baulk at the idea, the answer for the Demon will come in the form of electronics.

It’ll have a special ‘Drag Mode’, which disengages the traction control but keeps stability control switch on. Crucially, the system will change the suspension rates on the fly to stop the car bucking under heavy acceleration, working in tandem with a series of good old fashioned suspension hardware upgrades.

Both those and the Drag Mode system’s have been detailed in the release, and reproduced below:

Hardware:
35 percent lower rate front springs/28 percent lower rate rear springs
75 percent lower rate hollow front sway bar/44 percent lower rate rear sway bar
Drag-tuned Bilstein Adaptive Damping Shocks

Software:
Rear = F/F and Front = F/S
F/F – F/S maintained @ wide open throttle (WOT)
F/F – F/F < WOT
Traction control disabled/ESC maintained

Result:
13.5=575@500

We’re assuming F = firm and S = soft, but as for that cryptic equation at the bottom, we’re pretty stumped. Comment below with your theories…