2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon's Teaser Shows 'TransBrake,' License Plate Mystery

Tyler Wooley
by Tyler Wooley
2018 dodge challenger srt demon s teaser shows transbrake license plate mystery

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s teasers continue, with this week’s spot showing yet another way the Demon will launch like a bat out of… well, hell.

The new Demon will sport a new feature that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles calls TransBrake. According to the automaker, TransBrake does exactly what it says: locks the output shaft of the automatic transmission to keep the vehicle stationary until launch.

Apparently, it does its job well.

Most cars use a system that holds the front brakes for launch control. Most of the time, this requires using more than one foot, and it only works if the front tires actually have enough grip to hold the car back. If you plan on using the narrower front tires that come in the Demon Crate, you probably won’t have enough traction.

The Demon utilizes its TransBrake in such a way that the driver can employ one of the paddle shifters to signal the car to launch, instead of releasing the foot brake. FCA claims this method yields a 30-percent quicker reaction time compared to traditional methods.

In addition to locking the output shaft, TransBrake will preload the system all the way to the tires. This provides near instant (150 milliseconds after releasing the shifter, FCA says) torque delivery to the rear tires. The automaker claims that preloading the driveline reduces unnecessary wear and tear on parts.

With TransBrake and other track assists outfitted on the Demon, Dodge posted some impressive launch figures. A 105-percent increase in launch boost pressures, 120-percent increase in engine launch torque, and up to 40 percent more launch torque than vehicles with front runners using a foot-brake launch, to name a few.

To add to the list of Easter eggs, the Demon’s screen in the video shows different two times. The “Last” time is 7.57, and the “Best” is 8.15. We’ve seen that 757 figure before, which is thought to be the power output, so “815” in the same context could mean a track-only engine configuration, according to AutoGuide, or a hint at the vehicle’s torque.

With less than a month before the Demon’s April 11 reveal, there’s (thankfully) only three more teaser videos scheduled before its launch.

At the end of this last video, a license plate that reads “8.3+317=534” is seen briefly. Unlikely a quarter-mile time, we are still unsure of the code. Any suggestions about what this mystery could mean?

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automotive]

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  • Cargogh Cargogh on Mar 23, 2017

    I had that 833 transmission in a slant-6, '80 pickup. Not too sporty, but if it gets the job done, OK.

  • Ronnie Schreiber Ronnie Schreiber on Mar 24, 2017

    I don't think they've announced the anticipated production numbers but if low enough, the Demon could be a modern day equivalent of stuf like the Yenko Camaros and very collectible decades hence.

  • Art Vandelay Dodge should bring this back. They could sell it as the classic classic classic model
  • Surferjoe Still have a 2013 RDX, naturally aspirated V6, just can't get behind a 4 banger turbo.Also gloriously absent, ESS, lane departure warnings, etc.
  • ToolGuy Is it a genuine Top Hand? Oh, I forgot, I don't care. 🙂
  • ToolGuy I did truck things with my truck this past week, twenty-odd miles from home (farther than usual). Recall that the interior bed space of my (modified) truck is 98" x 74". On the ride home yesterday the bed carried a 20 foot extension ladder (10 feet long, flagged 14 inches past the rear bumper), two other ladders, a smallish air compressor, a largish shop vac, three large bins, some materials, some scrap, and a slew of tool cases/bags. It was pretty full, is what I'm saying.The range of the Cybertruck would have been just fine. Nothing I carried had any substantial weight to it, in truck terms. The frunk would have been extremely useful (lock the tool cases there, out of the way of the Bed Stuff, away from prying eyes and grasping fingers -- you say I can charge my cordless tools there? bonus). Stainless steel plus no paint is a plus.Apparently the Cybertruck bed will be 78" long (but over 96" with the tailgate folded down) and 60-65" wide. And then Tesla promises "100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including the under-bed, frunk and sail pillars." Underbed storage requires the bed to be clear of other stuff, but bottom line everything would have fit, especially when we consider the second row of seats (tools and some materials out of the weather).Some days I was hauling mostly air on one leg of the trip. There were several store runs involved, some for 8-foot stock. One day I bummed a ride in a Roush Mustang. Three separate times other drivers tried to run into my truck (stainless steel panels, yes please). The fuel savings would be large enough for me to notice and to care.TL;DR: This truck would work for me, as a truck. Sample size = 1.
  • Ed That has to be a joke.
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