Do you think that General Motors will try to challenge the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat before the next generation Camaro arrives - or will they wait until the 6th generation of the fabled Chevy muscle car?


Reference: The Chevrolet Camaro Won't Overpower the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Until the Next Generation - Torque News

 

I bet that the Z/28 would already beat the Hellcat on a road course.

I guess the question is whether they will bother certifying new engines in the 5th Gen when they already have sellout models like the ZL1 and Z/28 using the LS architecture.

But I guess they could go for one big "last hurrah" LT car before switching platforms.

 

Hellcat Challenger will be the best performance car in my opinion until the 6th generation Camaro comes out. But I think those HP wars are over already.

 

I guess it depends on how you define best. Most powerful? Best on a dragrstrip? Hellcat takes the former and will likely take the latter. Best on the track? I think that will still go to the Z/28. The Z/28 beat the 911 Turbo S and Nissan GT-R Track in a road course comparison test even though both cars are more powerful: Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 vs. Porsche 911 Turbo S vs. Nissan GT-R Comparison - Motor Trend

 

Eric you think the Z/28 already beats the Hellcat? How?

 

He said "in a road course". The Challenger is not known for it's handling prowess. The Z28 is international class. Maybe they'll invest some effort in improving the handling of the Hellcat, but it they don't it's a "straight line" car.

 

Correct - I don't see them going to the level of suspension engineering on the Hellcat to be able to beat the Z/28 in the twisties. The Z/28 was designed specifically to be car for a road course, not a drag strip. Like I said, I have no doubt the Hellcat will win in a straight line, and probably on top speed - especially with the 8 speed auto.

But when it comes to roadholding, the 2012 Challenger SRT-8 pulled .86-.89g on the skidpad. Z/28 pulls 1.06.

The Hellcat has 9 inch wide tires - the Z/28 has 11 and 11.5 inch wide (the fronts the widest production front tire ever).

 

Challenge the Challenger?! The Z28 will destroy it on a road course and the ZL1 will probably beat it in a straight line or only be off by a couple tenths at best.

 

Uh no on the ZL1. The current NA 392 Challenger runs about as fast as the ZL1. 12.2 vs 12.3

The Hellcat will destroy the ZL1 at the dragstrip.

 

The 392 Challenger is a mid-high 12 second car with most times coming in around 12.6-12.7. That's more like 1LE SS territory, not ZL1. The S/C Challenger is gonna be even heavier than before so it's also not gonna help its case regarding handling and braking versus the competition. So, this new engine should get it down into the low 12s like the other cars, which were already doing it years ago.

 

Has everyone forgotten about the 662hp GT500? It's already faster in a straight line than the ZL1. If we're only talking straight line, there's no way the Challenger is going to beat the GT500.

 

If the Hellcat puts out near the same power as the GT500 it will probably be able to out run one 7 times out of 10 if it is an auto with the 8 speed. The stick isn't gonna beat a GT500 just not gonna happen. The 8 speed auto though will be an 11 second car form the factory just like the GT500. Most drivers can't get the GT500 power to the ground. On slicks in a 1/4 mile then the GT500 will win but on the street the auto Hellcat will most likely outrun a GT500.

 

If the Hellcat doesn't have any aids (like the ZL1 has), it will be near impossible to get that thing to stick. I'm not convinced it will be able to beat the GT500 as well.

As others have pointed out, we are running into the issue of driving ability more than anything with these HP wars. I bet 90% of GT500 owners can't get there car to do 11s... or 12s.

 

True story since 90% of GT500 owners are a bunch of old guys.

Sadly most GT500's seem to be dyno queens in the sense that's where I see most of them show up on dyno day then put back into the garage except for a few C&C outings.

 

Apparently the 6spd tremec car has run a 10.9

The 8spd auto will be even faster.