Widebody Package Adds Maximum Muscle to 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat, Scat Pack

Maximizing the footprint with which to apply up to 707 horsepower and 650 ft-lbs of torque, the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat and Scat Pack add a Widebody package to cover their 305/35ZR20 Pirelli tires and 20×11-inch wheels. For the Hellcat, 0-60 mph comes in 3.6 seconds while the quarter-mile elapsed time drops to 10.96 seconds and the skidpad grip builds to 0.96 g. Combined with the additional braking grip and revised chassis tuning, the lap time around an FCA-approved, 2.1-mile road course drops by a massive 2.1 seconds.

The Scat Pack Widebody sees similar improvements, getting to 60 mph from a standstill in 4.3 seconds on its way to a 12.4 second quarter mile. Without the weight of the supercharger and associated plumbing over the nose, the Scat Pack Widebody pulls an even more impressive 0.98 g on the skidpad. Around the same 2.1-mile road course (presumably GingerMan Raceway), the Charger Scat Pack drops 1.3 seconds in Widebody form.

The engines and transmission carry over from the narrow-body Charger models, but the additional grip of the 305-width tires aid in putting that power to the pavement. The 707hp 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 makes the headlines, but the 485hp from the 392-cubic-inch Hemi represents the most horsepower-per-dollar that you can buy in a sedan today.

All the upgrades in the Widebody package are built around the meaty Pirelli tires, starting with the integrated fender flares that add 3.5 inches of width to the body. Integrated with new front and rear facias, the stance gives the Charger inescapable presence. The only downside is a slightly reduced top speed of 196mph for the Hellcat Widebody, attributable to the increased drag from the larger frontal area and upsized tires.

Since the Widebody will be the only Charger Hellcat body style for 2020, it maintains its claim as the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world.

Contained within the 20×11-inch wheels are the same 15.4-inch Brembo two-piece front brake rotors with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers found on narrow body models. With additional grip on hand, they bring the stopping distance down to 107 feet from 60mph. That’s down four feet from the skinny Hellcat and three feet for the Scat Pack.

To compliment the additional grip, chassis upgrades include stiffer springs and stabilizer (anti-roll) bars. The Hellcat Widebody receives increased front spring rates – 32 percent stiffer than previous model — and larger sway bars — expanding from 32 mm to 34 mm in front and from 19 mm to 22 mm in the rear. The Scat Pack Widebody receives 27 percent stiffer front springs and the same rear swaybar upgrade as the Hellcat. All extra-wide models come with Bilstein 3-mode adaptive damping, which has been calibrated to make the most of the newfound grip.

The Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody makes a move from hydraulic to electric power steering. Along with the standard SRT Drive Modes, all widebody models have user-selectable EPS settings relative to Street, Sport, or Track to go along with the suspension and powertrain preferences.

Having personally worked on the early stages of the vehicle dynamics tuning of the Scat Pack Widebody, the early setups showed a lot of promise in the car becoming a practical sedan that was genuinely at home on the racetrack. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turned out on the finished product.

[Images: FCA, Adam Tonge]