I have had the extreme pleasure to spend time driving the 2016 Dodge Challenger 392 Scat Pack Shaker and the 2016 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the past few weeks. While testing those two beautiful Mopar muscle cars, I hooked up my GoPro to make some videos showing each Hemi-powered beast blasting from a stop up to 60 miles per hour.
Of course, the Hellcat Charger with the 8-speed automatic transmission and the 707 horsepower supercharged engine gets to 60 much more quickly than the 392 Shaker Challenger with the 6-speed manual (3.9 for the Hellcat, 4.9 for the Shaker), but these videos offer a sample of what each car and each engine sounds like making a hard run up to 60 miles per hour.
The first two videos show the 0-60 run from the in-car perspective, with the Shaker first and the Hellcat second. I rev the engine and launch with each car, running up to 60mph. The Shaker seems louder because I have the windows open in the Challenger, but take note of the different engine sounds – particularly the whine of the Hellcat supercharger.
In the second set of videos, I mounted the camera below the passenger side tail light, which offers the best exhaust sound with the least amount of wind noise. In this view, you can really hear the difference between the two engines – even though they have very similar exhaust systems.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
