Home - Piston.my

Amazing facts that you might not know about the SRT Demon

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is probably the most powerful drag focused muscle car you can buy. It has a monstrous 6.2-litre HEMI V8 that delivers 840bhp and 1044Nm of torque but shares only 38% of its parts with the less powerful Hellcat V8. It has a new crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods and supercharger.

Built at the Saltillo Engine Plant in Mexico, the Demon’s engine cylinder heads are machined on dedicated CNC machines to ensure perfect production. The engine block is deck plate honed to minimise bore distortions. And once completely assembled, the powerplant is dyno tested for 42 minutes under load up to 5,200rpm before it is approved for use.

Here are some facts about the engine:

– Forged alloy steel crankshaft with 90.9-millimeter stroke and revised balancing

– Induction-hardened crank bearing surfaces; individual journal optimized main bearing clearances

– Forged high-strength alloy pistons; 30-micron increased piston to bore clearance

– Powder forged connecting rods; upgraded shank and big end; revised ultra-high tensile fasteners

– Flow doubled on piston cooling oil jets

– Revised design valve springs

– 33 percent increase in oiling for valve springs and rocker tips – lubrication and cooling

– Single-groove collects on valve stems for improved stability

– Fuel injector pressure increased 27 percent

– Oil pan and windage tray optimized for high acceleration – tested up to 1.8g

The car is fitted with a TorqueFlite 8HP90 Eight-speed automatic transmission that is able to change gears in just 400 miliseconds. And the Demon’s drivertrain consists of a limited slip differential that that has a 20% thicker prop shaft than the Hellcat’s, made of high strength, low alloy steel tube and high strength steel stub shafts. The strengthened internals are able to cope with the mind blowing acceleration launch forces of up to 1.8 g.

Unlike some muscle cars, the hood scoop on the demon is functional and is the largest of its kind for a production car at 292 square centimeters. It is part of a high flow, low restriction intake system that helps deliver cool air into the supercharger – the air-flow is rated at 33 cubic meters per minute. A another feature worthy of mention is the SRT Power Chiller. It redirects air conditioning refrigerant from cabin to chiller unit, which reduces charge air temperature by -8 degrees Celsius.

https://youtu.be/MkeKWmuxyow

During a 1/4 mile drag run, a Demon’s engine sucks in 4.9 cubic meters of air, which is the equivalent to the lung capacity of 816 humans combined. Putting that into perspective, in just 244 meters, the car sucks in as much volume of air as that found in its cabin – that’s a lot.

In order to keep the high performance engine cool, the Demon has a very efficient cooling system that is able to remove as much as 258kW of heat from the engine when running at the limit. That same amount of heat can boil nearly 950 ml of water in just 1.2 seconds.

A remarkable car by any standards, the Dodge SRT Demon is only available to purchase in North America for now. It’s an amazing technological achievement for drag racing, but for anything else, it falls well short of the mark.

Subaru attempting to break record at Nurburgring

Subaru, a name that needs no introduction in the rallying world, has announced that its American division, is hoping to shatter the Nurburgring lap record for a four door sedan. The Japanese automaker is a attempting this feat with a WRX STI Type RA NBR Special later this year.

The company is known for producing some of the best road-going rally cars for the masses. Recently it used a near production WRX STI to set a record at the Isle of Man TT, a haven for adrenaline-pumped junkies looking to prove what they are worth.

There’s no word yet on specification of the WRX STI Type RA NBR Special, but the company has stated that more information will be made available on June 8th. Till then, check out the promo videos and the picture gallery and let us know what you think about Subaru’s latest obsession.

Need For Speed Payback pays homage to the Fast & Furious movies

EA Games will launch the latest installment of the Need for Speed gaming franchise, called Payback, this year. Slated for release on November 10th 2017 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC via Origin, EA seems to have gone back to its roots with this new game. Unlike the recent crop of NFS releases, which focused more on professional competitions, Payback’s storyline is reminiscent of the good ol’ days of virtual illegal street racing.

The game’s story surrounds the (player) and his crew who are out to seek vengeance against a nefarious cartel known as The House, that rules the city’s casinos, criminals and cops. The trailer portrays action packed gameplay that is similar to what you would expect from a Fast & Furious movie. Highly tuned sports cars racing down public roads with the cops in tow, cars careening off roads during high speed racing sequences in spectacular cinematic CGI fashion and a myriad of explosions – it’s a recipe for a every intriguing game.

According to the EA website, Need For Speed Payback will feature a storyline where players will be able to choose between three different protagonists who are united with a common goal, high-takes competition racing, five different car classes (Race, Drift, Off-Road and Runner) and collect, win or buy after-market parts and house them in garage along with your vehicles. A major departure from the NFS games of past is the ability to find abandoned vehicles that have been scattered throughout the game and restore them from the ground up to create your perfect cars.

It combines some of the best features from other popular NFS games into what maybe the best NFS yet. Based on the trailer at least, that seems to be the case, but we would prefer to reserve judgement till we get our hands on the actual game – remember NFS 2016?

Jenson Button to race NSX-GT in Super GT Series

This past few months have shown that Jenson Button is one driver who will step up to the occasion when and where he is needed. Recently, he stepped in for former teammate, Fernando Alonso for the McLaren Honda F1 team at Monaco. Unhappy with the team’s current fortune in F1, McLaren decided put Alonso’s talents to better use in the InyCar racing series for the prestigious Indy500 race.

Despite showing promise throughout the race weekend, Alonso’s F1 misfortunes followed him to IndyCar too, where he suffered engine malfunctions, which led to his retirement. During that same period, Jenson Button, who retired from F1 last year, rose to the occasion and stepped in for McLaren Honda at Monaco with Alonso’s car.

Unfortunately, Button too suffered similar misfortune on behalf of Alonso during the race. He caused a bizarre crash with Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein during an overtaking maneuver. Neither driver suffered serious injury but any hope of Button being McLaren’s saving grace were dashed with that particular incident.

On the upside though, Honda has agreed to allow him to participate in a one-off race in the Super GT racing Series. He will be competing in a NSX-GT in the GT500 category at the Suzuka circuit. Button will begin testing the car in Japan with Team Mugen from 6th to 7th June.

Speaking of his participation, Button said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to race a NSX-GT at the prestigious Suzuka 1000km. Last year in December, I really enjoyed driving the NSX Concept GT at Honda Racing Thanks Day, and since then have been itching to drive it in a championship race. Thankfully when I approached Honda to race in SUPER GT they thought it was a great idea. I am grateful for this opportunity and am very much looking forward to racing in front of my Japanese fans again. See you guys at Suzuka in June!”

The International Suzuka 1000km is the longest running car race in Japan and has been held annually since 1966. His participation will mean that the team will be fielding three drivers for this particular race, two of the regular ones, Hideki Muto and Daisuke Nakajima as well as Button.

Here are 36 things you probably didn’t know about Porsche

If you are a Porsche fan and have a thirst to know everything you can about the brand, then this is your lucky day. The German automaker has decided to share 36 facts you didn’t know about the company, the 919 hybrid and its achievements at Le Mans.

Some of them are really interested such as what the 919 Hybrid has in common with the power supply of a village, How many times has the company won Le Mans and how many hollywood actors participated in Le Mans with a Porsche race car.

Here are the 36 facts as described by Porsche:

1 The initial roll-out of the first 919 was done by Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard on June 12 in 2013 at the Weissach test track. A little over two years later, he became world endurance champion with the further developed Le Mans prototype.

3 Hollywood stars entered Le Mans with Porsche. Steve McQueen’s attempt made it in to the cinema in 1971, Paul Newman came overall second in 1979 while Patrick Dempsey also climbed the 2015 podium, finishing second in the GTE-AM class.

3.2 hours is the average time each of the Porsche LMP drivers spend on a massage bed during the 24-hour race.

4 Porsche LMP team members were the small delegation visiting Le Mans in 2013 for research purposes one year before the return to the top category. They witnessed the first win of a works Porsche since 1998 when the 911 RSR won the GT class.

5 people were on board at the end of 2011 when Porsche, under the guidance of Fritz Enzinger, began to prepare for the LMP return. Since 2015 the team’s head count is 260 with 160 of them being engineers.

6 Porsche LMP drivers in three bedrooms: two drivers each share a container behind the pit box to rest and sleep. A shared bathroom is included. Quietness is not an option.

8 megajoules from energy recovery systems per lap in Le Mans is the highest category from the efficiency regulations. Porsche was the first – and for a long time – only manufacturer in that category. The trendsetting challenge behind this: the more electrical power the 919 uses, the less fuel it is allowed to burn.

10 At 10pm on 10 June 2015 Neel Jani set off for the first Le Mans qualifying session. He lapped the circuit in 3:16.887 minutes – which remains a record time.

12 men were the advance guard that began on 23rd May 2017, almost four weeks before the race, to build up the two-floor steel hall behind the Porsche LMP pit box. On May 30, a convoy of eight semi-trailers arrived containing the race cars and the entire equipment. For the test day on June 4, everything has to be in place.

14 gigabyte of data is sent by each 919 to the pits during the 24 hours.

15 minutes before the 919’s maiden race, at Silverstone in 2014, Team Principal Andreas Seidl spun his tension into a funny quote: “That’s one small step for mankind, but one giant leap for Porsche – we’ve got two LMP1 cars on the grid!”

19.9 kilograms is the weight of a rim with tyre. Mechanic Rainer Mühlhäuser manages to pick up a used wheel and attach a new one by using only one hand respectively. Since he did that at the opening WEC race in Silverstone, others down the pit lane are practicing this truly impressive feat.

20 hours in to the race when car number 20 took the lead in 2014. 20 minutes after Mark Webber had begun his final stint, he brought home this number 20 car on electric drive – engine failure. 20 minutes later the number 14 sister car suffered a gearbox failure.

20:32 was the time in complete darkness on December 9 in 2013 when Mark Webber started his first ever lap at the wheel of an LMP1 car on a circuit he had never driven on. This Portimão test was a turning point: The 919 Hybrid’s initial V4 engine had caused heavy vibrations. By December, the problem was solved.

25 On October 10 in 2014, practice day in Fuji, the team congratulated Brendon Hartley for his 25th birthday – including presents. Unfortunately, it was one month early.

30 stops for refuelling and ten stops for changing tyres and drivers is anticipated for each Porsche 919 Hybrid during the Le Mans race.

54 consecutive laps Romain Dumas as well as Neel Jani were at the wheel of the winning car at night during the 2016 Le Mans. Due to safety car periods, Dumas’ stint was exaggerated to the longest stint of all the Porsche LMP drivers. It lasted from 00:13 hrs until 03:38 hrs. That’s almost the duration of two Formula 1 Grands Prix.

60/40 Around 60 per cent of the 919 Hybrid’s recovered energy comes from the front brakes, around 40 per cent is provided by the exhaust system.

65 people form the Porsche LMP Team’s operational crew at a six-hour race. At the Le Mans 24-Hours this number is 90.

90 degree is the cylinder angle of the 919 Hybrid’s V4 combustion engine. But its operating mode is one of a steep standing “boxer” engine.

100% At the 2015 final WEC round in Bahrain, both throttle barrel levers broke on the Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber car. The fact that the three drivers still reached the chequered flag and became world champions was thanks to a mechanic’s clever idea and quick thinking engineers: mechanics had locked the barrels on full throttle – by putting two pliers into the engine, fixed with cable straps – while engineers were busy programming in real time to keep the car running.

239 On November 30 2014, Mark Webber was on lap 239 at the season’s finale in São Paulo when he suffered the worst crash of his entire career.

248 After 248 laps in São Paulo, Neel Jani in the sister car, scored the first race win of the Porsche 919 Hybrid.

395 laps were covered by Earl Bamber/Nico Hülkenberg/Nick Tandy on their way to win the 2015 Le Mans 24-Hours. The three LMP rookies agreed before the race that they each drive the speed they were comfortable while trying to avoid hitting anything. This way a podium finish should be doable. The plan resulted in the first overall victory for Porsche since 1998.

397 laps is the longest distance ever covered during the Le Mans 24-Hours. The 2010 winners all had a Porsche junior background (Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Mike Rockenfeller). They shared an Audi when they covered the 5,410.713 kilometres.

> 400 HP contribute the two different energy recovery systems (front axle brakes and exhaust). On demand, an electric engine powers the front axle and turns the 919 Hybrid in to what is in effect, a temporary four-wheel drive car.

< 500 HP is the output of the 919’s turbo charged petrol engine that drives the rear axle.

919 The 919 Hybrid is the only LMP1 that regains energy not only when braking but also when accelerating, thanks to exhaust energy recovery.

1900 was the year when Ferdinand Porsche created the first car with a serial hybrid drive. Its name “Semper Vivus” translates to “always alive”. Two-wheel hub electric engines (20 ampere at 90 volt each) and a battery were constantly serving two combustion engines by a dynamo. At the 1901 Semmering hill climb race, an improved version of the Lohner Porsche prototype comfortably achieved the best time of an electric car. Afterwards a small series of two-seater electric compact cars were built.

2013 For two hours the smell would linger for if a driver broke wind in the car commented Neel Jani – unhappy with the cockpit ventilation of the first test car back in 2013.

22,984 shifts (up and down shifting) of the winning Porsche 919 Hybrid’s gearbox during the 2016 Le Mans 24-Hours.

62,000 kilowatt hours of electrical energy have been recuperated by Porsche 919 Hybrids during a total mileage of 321,000 kilometres (testing and race weekends) from their two energy recovery systems (brake energy from the front axle and exhaust energy). If the 919 was a “power station”, this energy would have been the capacity to power a village of 15 houses, each occupied by four people, for an entire year.

120,000 revs and more per minute of the turbine that sits in the exhaust and drives a generator. To recover energy also at low engine revs, the turbine has variable geometry. The turbo charger instead works without VTG.
128,000 kilometres have been completed by various variants of the Porsche 919 Hybrid from early 2014 until the end of May 2017 during race weekends (including practice and qualifying).

193,000 kilometres from testing since 2013 add to this impressive tally.

243,000 kilometers had been clocked up by the identical specification of the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s water pump with no issue when it suddenly failed at 23:13 hrs in 2016 at Le Mans. At 01:56 hrs, Bernhard/Hartley/Webber returned to the race now 39 laps be-hind the leaders.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You are a die-hard Porsche fan who will stop at nothing to understand everything in order to develop encyclopedic knowledge about one of the most respected names in motoring.

Ford to build a special Focus RS for North America

Ford will be launching a limited production run variant of its world renowned Focus RS. Meant to be the last hurrah of the current generation hot hatch’s platform, the car builds upon the success of the standard one by including improvements that fans and enthusiasts wanted to see added to the car.

Apparently, Ford Performance scoured the internet to discern what majority of its fans wanted to see incorporated into the base Focus RS. What they eventually came up with, is quite interesting. Only 1,500 of these cars will be built and will only be available to order in Race Red or Nitrous Blue body colours. Both feature a new gloss black painted roof and mirror caps. The rear roof spoiler also has a gloss black finish with blue RS logos on the side wings. Fitted as standard are 19-inch painted forged alloy wheels with blue RS center caps.

The door handles, handbrake lever, and turbo boost gauge surround are wrapped in a carbon fiber skin. The RS2 package, which is an optional extra on the base car, comes as standard for the this special edition. It gets, black leather-trimmed Recaro seats with Miko-Dinamica eco-friendly suede microfiber inserts and RS logo, heated front seats with eight-way power driver’s seat, heated steering wheel, heated exterior mirrors and voice-activated navigation system.

What sets the limited edition car apart from the base RS is the Quaife limited-slip differential. Ford Performance developed this standard mechanical limited-slip diff for the front axle to help improve power delivery and traction management even further. The Blue Oval says that it will allow the car to carry speed more easily through corners on the track and allow for maximum acceleration when coming out of them.

“To satisfy strong demand for the ever-popular Focus RS, I’m very excited that we’re bringing this limited-edition vehicle to North America. We have spent a great deal of time listening to our customers, speaking to owners’ club members, reading comments and suggestions on enthusiast websites, and even studying various forum Photoshop renderings,” said Henry Ford, Ford Performance marketing manager.

The system works by controlling the mount of torque distributed to each front wheel. More torque is sent to the wheel that has the most traction and limits it to the wheel that has less. This will reduce the differences in wheel spin to offer better acceleration and stability. Ford says that this will allow drivers to take full advantage of the 350bhp 2.3-litre engine. It also says that this new differential will play nicely with the car’s other systems which include the all-wheel-drive, Dynamic Torque Vectoring, Torque Vectoring Control and the Focus RS Drive Modes.

Only 1000 cars will be made available for purchase in the US with another 500 reserved for customers in Canada. Delivers of the limited addition Focus RS will begin towards the end of this year and into 2018.