Goodbye 15' GT........Hello 15' Hellcat Challenger

Bang Stang · May 26, 2017

Armen said:
I love it. Perfect colour too!

Will you get the hood wrapped black?

Yes that and the window tint are up next

Bang Stang · May 26, 2017

Mike02z said:
Good man, I see you went with the manual. Did you add the Cat Heads to the fenders? I know 15's just say "Supercharged" on the fenders they didn't start using the Cat heads until 16. Love Sublime Green.

I made the same switch a few months ago. I went from a 17 GT350 to a 16 Challenger Hellcat. I really liked my GT350. Nothing sounds like a Voodoo. winding out that motor was intoxicating. The main reason I sold my GT350 was I got a very good offer at the right time. I really only had 3 complaints about the GT350. 1.) No tq below 3500 RPM, 2.) Clutch 3.) Tramilining. None of these 3 complaints would have made me sell it.

I had a local dealer that had 3 M6 Challenger Hellcat's on their floor and they already had 3 17's and the Demon had been announced. It was also the last day of the month. I got into it for 599 a month (Includes PA use tax) with ) down with 12k miles per year for 36 months. I then pointed a buddy to them and he leased the second Pitch Black M6 HC. I liked the car so much, I went back at the end of March for a 1500 mile oil change and they still had 1 HC left. I had no plans of buying another but I had been going back and forth on the color when I leased the first one. I leased the Pitch Black for business use so I still wanted to replace my GT350 "fun" car. The dealer wanted that last 16 off his showroom floor so much that he took 14k off a 70k HC. I could not pass on a 56k HC. This was the absolute best deal on a car I ever got.

As a quick review of my impressions of the Challenger HC, The tq is amazing. From off idle to 6k RPM it pulls like a freight train. The IHI Supercharger sound is out of this world. Again, just tip in and it starts whining. It's a big comfortable car. It was also much cheaper in the end than my GT350. Downsides are it is a BIG heavy car. The GT350 handled much better. Not even close. The car comes with skinny-ass P275 tires. If you get one, you need to factor in a set of Factory Reproduction 10.5 wheels with sticky P305 or P315 tires or forget about 1st gear. It's useless with any medium/heavy throttle. Even though you don't buy a HC or GT350 for fuel economy, the M6 HC is brutal. At 75 your turning 2100 RPM. I do a lot of long haul drives and the very best mileage I got over a 500 mile, all highway trip was 19.7. In the suburban area where I live, 15 tops. Typically more like 13.5.

I'm not a fanboy. I have had a Chevy, Ford and Dodge in the last 3 years. I'm manufacturer agnostic. In fairness, you can't really compare the C7 to the GT350 or Hellcat. They are all different cars with different base purposes. I like them all. At this time, the HC best suits my needs.

Good luck OP! I hope you enjoy it.

No all the Hellcats come with the cat on the side. here is the link to why http://www.autonews.com/article/20150511/BLOG06/150519981/the-evolution-of-the-hellcat-logo And yes i went with the manual. No way i would ever buy an auto for my "fun" car. and i agree this thing sure loves gas. but i knew that coming in.And congrats on both your Hellcats also

PeterPerfect · May 26, 2017

Only ever seen one, on Grand Tour, it was loud, thirsty, ugly and rubbish.
Just saying.

Stage_3 · May 26, 2017

lwnslw said:
This is the latest craze...everyone getting rid of their Stang for these Hellcats...I have heard of at least 5 within the last week..

I service office equipment at my local Dodge dealer, last month when I was there I asked the service advisor about these Hellcats and he cringed...he told me they are always coming for service..... Hope he is wrong with all these guys switching over.

What kind of service are they coming back for? If he didn't say specifically, I'm calling bullshit. If it's the supercharger bearings, that's a known issue and I think there may be a TSB for them eventually.

Mike02z · May 26, 2017

Keep in mind the Supercharger issues are related to noisy superchargers. I have not read of a reported failures yet due to this noise. Apparently IHI changed something to "fix" the SC noise. Any car built after Feb of this year has the updated SC. People who complain about a noisy SC are getting them replaced with the updated SC.

One of our HC's blew its trans at 6k miles but there does not seem to be any reports of widespread issues with the M6.

My brother warned me that Dodge cars were "built like shit". That was before he drove it. Now he thinks differently. No manufacturer is perfect. Anyone who says the fit and finish on the HC is horrible needs to read about the paint issues and QC issues with the S550. I got lucky that my GT350 had no panel gap or paint issues but it seems like a lot of people are having these issues with the new gen Mustangs.

Every car site I'm on is the same thing. People complain about every car out there. On the S550 the OPG is considered a ticking time bomb to some. Chevy forums users complain about the direct injected LT1 and LT4. They complain about carbon buildup on the back of the valves. With the Hellcat it's " bad " supercharger. Pick any car and find a forum and you'll find people have issues with them all. What some folks forget is that people having problems are much more likely to post about their negative experience. A lot if folks have no problems but are less likely to post about it.

People who think that Ford is any better than any other manufacturer is either a fanboy or delusional. No brand/car will ever be perfect.

Stage_3 · May 26, 2017

Mike02z said:
Keep in mind the Supercharger issues are related to noisy superchargers. I have not read of a reported failures yet due to this noise. Apparently IHI changed something to "fix" the SC noise. Any car built after Feb of this year has the updated SC. People who complain about a noisy SC are getting them replaced with the updated SC.

Pick any car and find a forum and you'll find people have issues with them all. What some folks forget is that people having problems are much more likely to post about their negative experience. A lot if folks have no problems but are less likely to post about it.

People who think that Ford is any better than any other manufacturer is either a fanboy or delusional. No brand/car will ever be perfect.

Very true Mike. I agree 100%.
If the new GT500 isn't a great performer with gobs of power and torque with great looks, I'll be looking at the Hellcat Challenger and with my mind at ease knowing that the supercharger issue is resolved.
I know there hasn't been any failures with the bearings, but bad bearings will eventually give out and be a bad situation. Otherwise, FCA wouldn't be replacing all these superchargers. It's not cost effective for either FCA or IHI.

NHEcoboost · May 28, 2017

Congrats OP. Insane machine! I would probably tear up every time I started the motor and heard that exhaust.

Bang Stang · May 30, 2017

NHEcoboost said:
Congrats OP. Insane machine! I would probably tear up every time I started the motor and heard that exhaust.

Thanks. Oh man you dont even know. I love hearing it start up every time. That exhaust just sounds so good and deep. Nothing like it.

speedfrk · May 31, 2017

I traded my EB in on a Challenger. It definitely feels more solid and better built than the Mustang- but yeah, BIG and doesn't handle as well. I still like it better for a DD. Even the base R/T's have active exhaust standard now. Sounds awesome.

Mike02z · May 31, 2017

Here is a mod I think is well worth the 100 bucks. Just got my embroidered headrests back. They match the Go Mango exterior well. If I had it to do over I'd have gone with a white eye rather than red. you can see the red about 2 feet away otherwise it just looks orange.

Bad lighting but you get the idea...

Regs · Jun 12, 2017

Don't get killed!

I wouldn't know what to do with that car. I likely quit my job to drive around until I ran out of gas money.

Dominant1 · Jun 12, 2017

Yeah pully it down add a cam, headers, e85 tune and your at 800 whp easily!

Goodbye 15' GT........Hello 15' Hellcat Challenger

Bang Stang

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