Charger Hellcat FTW

[Indygenerallee]

I know some of you guy's don't recognize the new Charger Hellcat as a equal to the original 2 doors BUT.....  I think in terms of performance it's LIGHTYEARS better than the originals (not style but perfromance!!) http://jalopnik.com/is-your-car-faster-than-the-204-mph-dodge-charger-hellc-1620800779

[1974dodgecharger]

a lot of cars are light years ahead of our old cars......in performance, but NEVER STYLE!

[Indygenerallee]

I AGREE!!! I cannot walk by my car and not look two or three times.... These 2nd gens are so damn sexy!!

[Dino]

I don't think anyone would dispute that statement.  Much of what's on the road today beats our old iron, but that's not what it's about anymore.  It's funny how many people move over when I come up behind them on the highway, if only they knew that theirCamry could kick my ass.  
The new Charger just doesn't tickle my senses in any way shape or form.  A fast engine does not change that either.  I'll take my slow 69 over the new cars any day of the week, all faults included.  If I was in the market for something really fast I'd have a hard time finding something I would really like, and could afford.      It wouldn't be a mopar though.

I still wonder what Hellcat owners are going to do with those cars, where do you find roads where you can unleash that power anymore?  Who will come close to using a fraction of its potential if you're not taking it to the track?  Oh well, as long as it makes them happy!  

[Indygenerallee]

Dino, there are plenty of roads....I have done way past 150 mph in a modded 95 Cobra, I guess that's why I am going with a modded 5.7 Hemi with a 6 speed in my #71 Daytona I want it to perform as well as any newer car. These new HellCats will do 200+ on public roads for sure...

[Dino]

You're actually doing 150 on public roads?  Where others are?  I'm not talking about organized road racing and such, that's all fine and dandy, but I sure would hate to see you end up on the news.  Maybe you have some really open and deserted roads around you.  I don't think I have any here, I can't think of any at least.

I've done over 120 when my wife called in a panic with chest pain.  I didn't think much else than to get home asap but it sure could have ended real ugly traveling at those speeds on 55 mpg country roads.  I've also done 180 on a bike many many years ago, but that was far from intelligent.   

[Indygenerallee]

Yep I have done way over 150 mph in a modded 95 Cobra at 2 A.M. one night. I was also pulled over by a Putnam county Indiana Sheriff at over 120 mph and told him the truth and he just gave me a warning and told me the next time I would be going to jail (the whole time he was asking me what had been done to the car!!)  

[ws23rt]

I recognize the new charger (by name) as a great addition to the current market. That it has a dodge name on it all the better.
However the new dodge is a few company ownership steps away from the dodge that makes this forum what it is.

I think I am with many that feel the name Charger does not fit with the new and it only could if  the past was brought forward with a design that did it justice.
I'm a fan of the new challenger (as I would be of the charger) because of how it puts me back in the day of muscle cars and it has the look of both then and now.

[Ghoste]

150 on a public road is just not smart at all.  But SCCA or autocross stuff, bring it on!

[Indygenerallee]

Ghoste I was 24 years old then ... and as the saying goes Young, Dumb and full of.... well stupidity!!!

[Indygenerallee]

ws23rt, I wish the Charger still looked like a 2nd gen but it does not, at least a part of it still lives on in it's namesake and a few vague styling cues. wish it was more but I came from a family that owned a Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth dealership from 1965-1993 and I only wish the best for all Mopar products.

[ws23rt]

150 on a public road is just not smart at all.  But SCCA or autocross stuff, bring it on!

 I agree----any public road is no place to play with our cars like that.
I pushed my old 68 hemi rr to 150mph on a private road once. It took two lanes to do it.  The car was way too light at that speed and the tires were not rated for it.
The cars we drive today can be much safer than the old ones at that speed but the places one can do it are few.

[Ghoste]

My 20 year old decisions weren't always the best either. 

[Indygenerallee]

Exactly, Id never pull that shit at 35 years old.....(not on public roads anyway!) BUT like I said these Hellcat's will get way PAST 150mph ALOT quicker than any old modded 1995 5.0 Mustang.... I would have to say there will be a lot of guy's with the story I relayed in another 15 years but saying it was plenty past 200 mph.

[ws23rt]

ws23rt, I wish the Charger still looked like a 2nd gen but it does not, at least a part of it still lives on in it's namesake and a few vague styling cues. wish it was more but I came from a family that owned a Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth dealership from 1965-1993 and I only wish the best for all Mopar products.

 I am with you on that.  My start was with Chrysler is imprinted in me. The car I miss the most is my old 300C.  I don't reject the names dodge, Chrysler,mopar, etc. I too will follow the names of the heritage.  
This is a good time to enjoy these cars for many reasons. The old for what they were and the new for what they want to be.

[ws23rt]

Exactly, Id never pull that shit at 35 years old.....(not on public roads anyway!) BUT like I said these Hellcat's will get way PAST 150mph ALOT quicker than any old modded 1995 5.0 Mustang.... I would have to say there will be a lot of guy's with the story I relayed in another 15 years but saying it was plenty past 200 mph.

You tell a true story---If the car can do it some fool will do it on a public road. 
I saw a video recently from a cam mounted on a motorcycle. The driver was going to try to split lanes at 100mph. He chose an urban location with stop lights at every block. It did not end well. Wish I could bring that video up.  The point is fast cars don't kill.

[Indygenerallee]

Yep..... I chose to do a 150+ run at night but just as the officer that pulled me over told me at (120+) he said one deer running across the road and I would have been toast.

[1974dodgecharger]

put a old 2nd gen charger next to a hellcat charger 2:1 people will admire the 2nd gen charger same with a modern challenger.  The lines back then were bold and aerodynamics were thrown out the door in favor of beauty....

[Lord Warlock]

There always seems to be some car people that feel driving fast on public roads is bad, unsafe, or dangerous.  It all depends on the road in question, and the car being driven as well as the driver.  Almost ANY public road without potholes is safe to drive 200mph on.  As long as you are aware of the possible risks in front of you and the car is in sound driving condition, it is no big deal to drive a performance car over 120mph.  The smart folk will only do it rarely, and save it for a track should one be available.  Unfortunately not every city has a dragstrip anywhere close by and are forced to use public roads.  I really think readers should assume people talking about driving fast on highways are NOT doing it during rush hour, or even when other cars are present, only when the road is clear or possibly with one other car involved.  High speed runs are best done alone on the road.  In my state we have one well built highway that is straight for hundreds of miles with plenty of stretches of 2 miles or more visibility so the occasional blast over 120 is only as dangerous as the car's condition is.  Every car I've owned has been tested over 120 at least once, and always on a public road, its 70 miles to the nearest quarter mile track, its 10 miles to long straight unpopulated 4 lane roads.  At a sanctioned track you aren't likely to ever see 140.  My cars aren't quarter queens, they take more road to get up to speed and it is thrilling to occasionally hit 130+, but I certainly don't see it often.  You really don't have to worry much though, MOST drivers lose their nerve long before they get close to 170 or higher.  I doubt I'll ever see a hellcat on the road driving 200mph.  120 to 130 a few, over 140 a lot fewer. 

As for the hellcat charger, the fact that its a sedan that can run as fast as it can demands some respect.  I wouldn't consider trading the 2nd gen for one, I never liked the style or looks of the new charger, the challenger on the other hand I do like (and would consider selling the 69 for the 2015) but they are basically the same underneath so won't knock the new charger.  If I did however one day end up with one, there is no doubt in my mind I'd try to hit 180 once, somewhere.

Although we do get deer on the road occasionally, it isn't something you see often here or worry much about, unlike some other areas or more rural settings.  I can count on one hand the times I've even seen a deer in the wild in the last 15 years.  And not once has one actually been on the road itself. 

[Ghoste]

True, however you don't get all that many people backing out of a driveway at a track or kids running out in the middle of it.  Hitting a cat or dog at 200mph isn't loads of fun either.

[Lord Warlock]

Anyone that does it anywhere kids or pets deserves confinement.  Hitting a cat probably wouldn't hurt a car too much, I've hit an armadillo at 90 before, wasn't fun, but it did no damage to the car itself, right front tire went over the top which would have been hairy at 150+, and this was in a car that sat on the ground pretty low from the factory. Lost traction for a moment but not control.  (helps to have practiced being momentarily airborne as a youth, going over RR trax in hometown would do that if you did it at 50 or higher). 

I don't drive over the limit on roads where there are driveways, children or pets.  And don't go too fast if there are cars on the road in front of me, prefer to do it during daylight, although night speed can be interesting as you have to drive to the limit of your headlights, I wouldn't attempt 200 at night, but will attest to an enjoyable 110-120mph sustained drive of over 100 miles. If a track was closer, fairly cheap to use, and you could pick your opponents rather than getting what happens to roll up next to you, I'd use it for drags.