Widebody Charger Hellcat Rules the Road With Massive Flares & Tires

Supercharged hell kitty finally comes of age with long-awaited upgrades to the wheels, aero, springs, sway bars and tires. 

Dodge is literally expanding its high-performance Charger models for 2020, adding a Widebody Package to America’s only four-door muscle car.

Powered by the proven supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi Hellcat V8 engine, the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody boasts a best-in-class 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque and delivers a top speed of 196 miles per hour (mph), maintaining its reign as the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world.

The Widebody Package, standard on Charger SRT Hellcat and available on Charger Scat Pack, includes new integrated fender flares that add 3.5 inches of body width, creating an even more aggressive, planted stance. The flares make room for the wider 20-inch by 11-inch wheels and Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires, Brembo six-piston front calipers with two-piece front brake rotors and unique suspension tuning with Bilstein three-mode adaptive damping, all combining to deliver improved performance on the street, strip and road course.

“People say, ‘no one wants cars anymore.’ I would tell you that the 40,000 people who bought a Dodge Charger so far this year would probably agree, because to them, the Charger isn’t just a car. The Charger’s reach extends beyond body-style practicalities and it can’t be defined by average industry shifts,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America.

“Can you buy a vehicle that is dollar for dollar more practical than a Charger Widebody? Absolutely, but there are also more than 1,000 flavors of ice cream and vanilla is only one of them. If the ‘average’ person will own six cars in their lifetime, our cars need to connect so strongly that people can’t help, but turn around and take a second look before walking away.”

Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Continues Reign as Most Powerful and Fastest Mass-produced Sedan in the World

Designed and engineered to push the boundaries of what a four-door family sedan can be, the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody is powered by the proven supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi Hellcat V8 engine, which delivers a best-in-class 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to a standard TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission. With a top speed of 196 miles per hour (mph), the Charger SRT Hellcat maintains its claim as the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world.

The performance improvements start with a 3.5-inch wider body, which makes room for new 20-inch by 11-inch Carbon Black forged wheels riding on wider, stickier Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires. The Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody also features an SRT-tuned Bilstein three-mode adaptive damping competition suspension, new electric power steering (EPS), stiffer springs, larger sway bars, retuned shocks, several race-inspired technologies and Brembo brakes, all designed to deliver performance numbers never before seen on a Charger.

For the first time ever, Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody now features standard EPS with selectable steering tuning to better manage increased grip, both improving handling performance and delivering better steering feel and ease of turning efforts at parking lot speeds.

• With EPS and standard SRT Drive Modes accessed via the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen, drivers can tailor their experience by controlling horsepower, transmission shift speeds, steering, paddle shifters, traction and suspension settings
• SRT Drive Modes offer selectable settings for Street (Auto), Sport and Track, while the Custom setting allows the driver to select individual preferences

Additional upgrades designed to improve handling include:

• Increased front spring rates – 32 percent stiffer than previous model
• Larger sway bars – expanding from 32mm to 34mm in front and from 19mm to 22mm in the rear
• Re-tuned shocks with revised valving to complement stiffer springs

Four race-inspired technologies that come standard for 2020 also bolster performance:

• Race Cooldown keeps cooling the supercharger/charge air cooler after the engine is shut off by running the intercooler pump and radiator fan
• Line Lock engages the front brakes to hold the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody stationary, but leaves the rear wheels free for a burnout to heat up and clean the rear tires
• Launch Control, easily accessed from a switch on the dashboard, manages tire slip while launching the vehicle to allow the driver to achieve consistent straight-line acceleration
• Launch Assist uses wheel speed sensors to watch for driveline-damaging wheel hop at launch and, in milliseconds, modifies the engine torque to regain full grip

Not only does Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody go fast, it also stops shorter than the vehicle it replaces. For outstanding heat management and longevity, the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody features standard 15.4-inch Brembo two-piece front brake rotors with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers. Stopping distance is four feet shorter (107 feet) from 60-0 mph.

SRT engineers took this wider, stickier beast to the track to see what it can do. The result: improved performance on the street, strip and road course and the quickest and best-handling production Charger SRT Hellcat ever. The 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody runs 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, has a quarter-mile elapsed time (ET) in 10.96 seconds and pulls .96 g on the skidpad. It also delivers a road course lap time 2.1 seconds faster than the vehicle it replaces after one lap of a 2.1-mile track. That is equal to 13 car lengths per lap.

Form Follows Function

Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody’s added 3.5 inches of width paired with its wider wheels and tires are unmistakably Dodge//SRT, creating an aggressive, planted stance unlike any of the other vanilla four-door sedans on the market.

New, wider wheels on Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody include:

• Standard 20-inch by 11-inch forged split-five spoke with standard Low-gloss Carbon Black finish
• Optional 20-inch by 11-inch “Warp Speed” deep dish, with Low-gloss Granite finish
• Optional 20-inch by 11-inch Brass Monkey

Pirelli 305/35ZR20 all-season performance tires are standard; three-season tires are available.

Beyond its menacing stance, the newly designed front fascia on the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody includes a new mail-slot grille, providing the most direct route for cool air to travel into the radiator, to maintain ideal operating temperature even in the hottest conditions. New side sills connect the front and rear fascias to help amplify the integrated design. A new rear spoiler, unique to the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody, is designed to create aero balance with the new front-end design. New this year are two-piece Satin Chrome SRT Hellcat fender badges.

Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Receives High-performance Interior Updates

The race-inspired interior of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody features standard French live-stitch accents throughout the instrument panel and doors. Additional unique interior elements and soft-touch finishes refine the high-performance cabin, including:

• Available new Carbon & Suede Package adds real carbon fiber accents to the instrument panel and console bezels and Dynamica suede headliner, sun visors and A-pillars
• New SRT Hellcat instrument panel badge is unique for the 2020 model year with a black and red finish
• From the driver’s seat:
  • Standard heated and ventilated Laguna leather front seats feature embossed Hellcat logo – available interior color combinations include Black, Black/Sepia or Black/Demonic Red
  • Heated, leather-wrapped SRT flat-bottom steering wheel with mounted controls and paddle shifters is standard or available in wrapped Alcantara
  • Fully electronic, performance-inspired shifter controls the standard TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission and gives the driver the look and feel of a traditional linkage shifter
  • Roomy center console storage compartment is designed to keep an abundance of personal items handy and within easy reach

Widebody Charger Hellcat Rules the Road With Massive Flares & Tires continued…