I know, because I took to the Mont-Tremblant track, a course I know rather well, and by so doing experienced one of the world's
fastest sport wagons in action. The track is made up of a variety of curving esses, one set that even goes by that name, and three especially enjoyable straights. The Magnum SRT8 takes to the turns with surprisingly light feet, thanks to SRT-tuned dampers, specially designed spring rates and suspension bushings, plus large-diameter anti-sway bars and Goodyear F1 three-season tires with asymmetrical treads, 245/45/20 in the front, and 255/45/20 at the rear; although when the straights arrive it's an otherworldly experience. The powertrain emits a rip-roaring growl during open throttle, immediately followed by acceleration only high-priced supercars can imitate. It's so fast down the front straight that I started to break out into giddy fits of uncontrollable schoolboy laughter, not a good idea at 210 km/h (130 mph).
That engine, incidentally, is one sophisticated piece of OHV technology, if these two terms can be used in the same sentence. After boring out the cylinder diameters by 3.5 millimeters apiece, the modified block is reinforced and coolant flow increased. A forged steel crankshaft gets integrated to minimize vibration, while stronger powder-metal connecting rods,
capped off by oil squirter-cooled floating-pin pistons are attached. Underneath, a modified oil pan is said to reduce oil foaming.
To increase engine speed and effectively produce greater horsepower Dodge's SRT techs modified the cams, upping revs by 15 percent to almost 6,200 rpm - the current 5.7-liter HEMI hits the limiter at 5,400 rpm. The engine's hollowed-out valve stems also reduce drag due to their lighter weight. Interestingly, the empty cavities are then filled with sodium for dissipating heat more effectively.
To achieve better airflow the SRT engineers added new high-flow cylinder heads, with larger diameter valves combined with reshaped cylinder ports, plus a redesigned intake manifold featuring larger diameter runners for higher-speed tuning. The result of the SRT division's work is a quicker turning, much more powerful engine featuring a compression ratio that increases from 9.6:1 to 10.3:1.
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| On the Mont-Tremblant race track, a course I know rather well, I experienced one of the world's fastest sport wagons in action. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
That engine, incidentally, is one sophisticated piece of OHV technology, if these two terms can be used in the same sentence. After boring out the cylinder diameters by 3.5 millimeters apiece, the modified block is reinforced and coolant flow increased. A forged steel crankshaft gets integrated to minimize vibration, while stronger powder-metal connecting rods,
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| Ralph Gilles, designer of the Chrysler 300, takes us on a walk-around of each new SRT vehicle. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
To increase engine speed and effectively produce greater horsepower Dodge's SRT techs modified the cams, upping revs by 15 percent to almost 6,200 rpm - the current 5.7-liter HEMI hits the limiter at 5,400 rpm. The engine's hollowed-out valve stems also reduce drag due to their lighter weight. Interestingly, the empty cavities are then filled with sodium for dissipating heat more effectively.
To achieve better airflow the SRT engineers added new high-flow cylinder heads, with larger diameter valves combined with reshaped cylinder ports, plus a redesigned intake manifold featuring larger diameter runners for higher-speed tuning. The result of the SRT division's work is a quicker turning, much more powerful engine featuring a compression ratio that increases from 9.6:1 to 10.3:1.