My patience was wearing thin with the piecemeal announcements about the ultra-high performance Challenger set debut at next month’s New York Auto Show, but the latest weekly release from Dodge has stoked the fires of my intrigue once again.
The latest spot was for yet another gear-head-targeted bit of technical minutia. In this case, an advanced torque reserve launch system, which, sure, sounds pretty cool, but how many even moderate car fanatics know what that is? I guess, like the campaign tagline goes, “if you know, you know.”
Dodge has released another detail about the Challenger SRT Demon, but what's more interesting is what it's not telling us. (DODGE)
For those who don’t know what a torque reserve launch system is, it’s a component that gathers more air flow into the engine before the vehicle launches, allowing supercharged rpm to build without ruining your brakes or spinning your rear tires into pulverized rubber dust.
In the SRT Demon, the torque reserve kicks in when Launch Mode is activated and rpm surpasses 1,000. When this happens, a bypass valve closes on the supercharger so it can “prefill.” Also, a powertrain controller cuts fuel flow to selected cylinders and controls ignition timing to balance engine rpm and torque.
The result of this process is a distinct exhaust note that, to the unknowing ear, might sound like a transmission being rammed through a high-powered food processor, but rest assured nothing is wrong under the hood. Well, something might be wrong in the sense that it’s wrong to have so much freakin’ power in a consumer vehicle, but nonetheless, it’s functioning as intended.
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Gallery: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Teaser Photos
It is a cool, unique sound and if you really dig it Dodge is offering it for free in the form of a downloadable ringtone. However, this demonic exhaust note is not what has resurrected by interest in Dodge’s Demon campaign.
It’s the dang Easter eggs! Dodge is trying to tell us something about this street-legal racing coupe, but I’m coming to terms with the fact that I might be too stupid to figure out what it is.
First off there’s the license plate that, plain as day, reads “3.9+221=405,” which, last I checked, no it doesn’t. But maybe, in some way that is beyond my cognitive abilities, it does? I don’t know.
Then, in one of the newly released wallpaper images that also was released today, Dodge has a more cryptic message in the exhaust of a Demon that’s about to rip down a drag strip, reading “13.5=575@500.” Again, not sure what math class I skipped to miss out on that bit of algebra, but it’s not computing with me at face value.
Clearly, Dodge is trying to tell us something with the "13.5 = 575@500" message, but what is it? (DODGE)
So what is Dodge trying to tell us? Clearly, those are some kind of performance metrics, but I’m just not picking up what’s being put down. If anyone out there has any sense for it or even an idea to float, get at me on Twitter: @bykylecampbell. If not, I’ll see you here next week, same place, same time, with hopefully some more Easter eggs to parse through.
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