Hi everyone. On my 3rd hc now and I have been extremely happy with all but this new one. I just got a 2018 challenger HC A8 beautiful destroyer grey, satin hood, orange callipers and demonic red interior.
Now for the bad.....
Supercharger isn't as loud as my previous HCs, rear end is ridiculously noisy and whiny at any speed, and the biggest issue is there's something different about the transmission. It shifts extremely quick almost too quick of the line...the car actually bogs sometimes as it goes into 2nd gear! I can put my foot through the floor and it doesnt even feel fast! (yes I'm using the red key) & (no its not in valet mode)
Ive put almost 2500kms on it so far and it hasn't gotten better. Its extremely frustrating considering I'm comparing it to my previous HCs and they were tire shredders right from the day I picked them up. The only time it sort of has the right power and right shift points is if I put it in sport or track mode.
I thought I knew quite a bit about these HCs after 4 years of having them... BUT I need someone to shed some light on this. PLEASE.
...my 2018 Hellcat Challenger, also my 3rd ‘cat, also has had from the get, a quieter supercharger, less cracklings, less drama overall engine wise than the ‘16 & ‘17 ‘cats. Because of this, & I surmised, having a new Demon may have upped my expectations, but, my impression was the same as you, close but where’s the magic?
After 1,200 miles or so, it seems a threshold was crossed; things changed for the better, & it seems the engine is still getting better/stronger even now at 2,500 miles...
I speculate they learned & changed some things developing the Demon, giving the Hellcat more refinement, structure, but at what price? Did they take the character out, the hooligan out?
I agree w/you, the shifts the A8 is doing seem different than in ‘16/‘17. In normal driving, leaving it on its own, the shifts are smoother, less occurrences of a ‘hard shifts’, hunting, or ‘confusion’ in finding the correct gear, ‘bogging’ instead. In normal driving, the paddle shifters make much better, seemingly quicker revmatching downshifts, the upshifts seem off, slower, although smoother. The SC seems absent however, sadly, except during downshifts, she wines then.
Drive hard, left on is own, however ‘spot on’ its shifting was before, it seems tweaked & better now. Again, less drama, but more speed. With noticeably smoother feeling engagement, revmatching, & more willingness to hold onto a gear till red line. Up shifts are quick, now with more refinement, at just the exact right moment, in harmony, w/engine ablaze, the SC whining, & then at about 6000/6200 rpm, deliberate, bam. Bliss. Seat of my pants says less drama then before, but my memory, I didn’t track them, or dyno them, says the boost & HP guage reads about the same, but the speedometer seems to climb quicker now.
Paddle shifters also seem more refined during hard driving; & as in normal driving, with better revmatching downshifts, & maybe fractionally slower but much smoother engaging upshifts than in my previous ‘cats.
I speculate they also changed the throttle mapping, giving the pedal less ‘tip-in’ & more control than before. To be hooligans, we need to be more deliberate.
I bought the Hellcat after the Demon, having decided to not burn up my Demon doing Publix runs. Point is, my NB Hellcat seems awfully close to the Demon in quickness, once it hooks, but its much more of a hooligan, always. Less drama than my previous ‘cats, it seems it needs you to be more deliberate if you want shenanigans. I know there are sample to sample differences, but with 2.5K miles, I’m confident this ‘cat is as strong or stronger than any previous ‘cat I’ve owned. I do miss some of the cracklin’, drama of the previous ‘cats, but as the miles climb, to my great joy, that too is getting better on this example, it’s crackling more often; the SC remains quiet until I throttle hard, & I’m getting used to that.
The magic is back, & somehow its better than before!!!
I hope you experience the same.
