That 6.1-litre engine isn't merely a bored and stroked 5.7-litre HEMI, although the SRT team did bore out the regular
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| The 6.1-litre engine isn't merely a bored and stroked 5.7-litre HEMI, but rather a completely revised V8. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
engine's cylinder diameters by 3.5 millimeters apiece, modified the block with reinforcements and increased coolant flow. A forged steel crankshaft was added to minimize vibration, while stronger powder-metal connecting rods, capped off by oil squirter-cooled floating-pin pistons were incorporated. Also, a modified oil pan was put in place to reduce oil foaming.
Additionally, the cams were modified to increase engine speed and effectively produce greater horsepower, increasing the engine's revs by 15 percent to almost 6,200 rpm - the 5.7-litre HEMI pegs the limiter at 5,400 rpm. Valve stems have been hollowed-out to reduce drag, due to their lighter weight, and
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| The SRT8 sports two of the coolest looking tailpipes in the industry. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
then the empty cavities get filled with sodium for dissipating heat more effectively - who would've thought?
New high-flow cylinder heads were integrated for improved airflow, while larger diameter valves combined with reshaped cylinder ports and a redesigned intake manifold featuring larger diameter runners, for higher-speed tuning. The result of the SRT division's work is a higher revving, quicker turning engine that resultantly produces much greater power than the stock 5.7, thanks also to a revised 9.6:1 to 10.3:1 compression ratio. Yes, while a lot of technical details they just go to show how much effort has gone in to create an engine capable of competing with the best premium SUVs in the business.
