How Does A HEMI Engine Work?

What is a HEMI Engine?

Even if you’re not familiar with engine types, by now you’ve more than likely heard of a HEMI. Remember the old commercials where someone would ask, “Hey does that thing have a HEMI?”, or at the very least you may have noticed the silver letters on the side of a vehicle you were next to at a red light that read HEMI.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the HEMI engine primarily because of the Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcats, but you may be wondering what a HEMI engine is, and we are here to explain what it is, and how it works.

HEMIs have a reputation of being big, strong, powerful engines which are the primary characteristics of trucks and muscle cars. Looking back to 1948, the HEMI was created, and in 1951 it was able to produce 180-horsepower which was shockingly powerful for this time period. As the years went on, Chrysler tweaked, modified, and increased the size of their almighty engine.

It wasn’t until 1964 that its popularity spread like wildfire when the 7L 426-cu.in. version took first, second, and third place in the Daytona 500 NASCAR race. At this point, the street version could crank out 425-horsepower, but what made this amount of power possible?

What’s unique about a HEMI engine, and what gave it its name, is the combustion chamber on top of the engine that is hemispherically shaped. Going back in time again to the 50’s when most of the cars used a “flat head,” it was entirely different to see Chrysler create an engine with “hemispherical heads.”

A flat head engine is cheaper, and easier to manufacture (used in most lawnmowers actually) because the valves are on the engine block, and open in a chamber next to the piston compared to the HEMI head where the spark plug is on top of the combustion chamber so the valves open up on separate sides of the chamber.

Without becoming overly complicated, this is one of the primary differences, that and the smaller surface area helps the HEMI keep fuel warm which in turn creates more pressure in the cylinder. The bigger the valves, the greater the airflow which is crucial for horsepower.

Fast forward back to present time to where Dodge now has the legendary 6.2L HEMI V8 that is the creator of the 2015 Challenger Hellcat’s roar. To learn more about the power that Dodge vehicles are capable of, including the all-new Challenger and Charger Hellcats, continue reading here.

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hemi Hellcat

With performance that roars like a lion but makes muscle car lovers purr like a kitten, the all-new Challenger has gone from talk-of-the-town to national news with the confirmation of how many ponies this dream machine is packing. The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hemi Hellcat in McMinnville, OR has godly performance that could make even Hades’ jaw drop

The Dodge core values, power and technology, come alive within the capabilities of the all-new Hellcat whose heart beats with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi engine that has been deemed the most powerful V8 engine created by the Chrysler Group. From this point, a split decision must be made between the Tremec 6-speed Manual or the TorqueFlite 8-speed Automatic with wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

How much power does it take to become the most powerful muscle car with the fastest quarter mile drag? The Hellcat answers this with 707 HP paired with 650 lb.ft. torque to be exact. Dodge realizes that this much power must be kept in control and therefore has introduced a red key fob that allows the Hellcat to achieve its full and powerful potential and a black key fob that restricts the Hellcat’s power to 500 HP for more economical daily driving.

7 Defensive Driving Tips

Defensive Driving Can Reduce Motor Vehicle Deaths

The number of fatalities due to car accidents throughout the years has continued to increase, yet recently there has been a slight decrease in the statistics. Still, the total number of vehicle related deaths in 2012 is horrifying, 33,561. Here at Jim Doran Auto Center, we’re passionate about vehicles but more importantly, we care about the driver behind the wheel and believe that defensive driving can reduce motor vehicle deaths.

1. Far too many of these accidents could have been prevented had the driver not been impaired, and even though many of you have heard this far too many times, please do not drive under the influence.

2. Try to avoid all distractions, whether it might be futzing with electronics, juggling a four-course meal on your lap, or turning around to quiet down the kids in the backseat. Taking your eyes of the road for a couple of seconds is enough time to drift, or rear-end someone.

3. We know how irritating it is when the green light switches to yellow and you’re debating whether to accelerate or stop. Running red lights is too much of a risk because other drivers may not be paying attention to you, just the green light for them.

Always check blind spots before changing lanes.

4. Many of the new vehicles have preventative accident technology, including blind-spot warning detection. Don’t just rely on your mirrors, make sure to look over your shoulder and around your blind spots when turning, motorcycles and low riding vehicles can be difficult to see.

5. As tempting as it might be to “brake check” a tailgater, it’s best to just steer clear. Move over to the other lane if possible. Don’t bother speeding up because they will just push you fast, and you’ll be first inline if a cop is running radar.

6. Allow enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you. No matter how quick your reaction time may be, make sure you have enough room should the vehicle in front of you come to a sudden stop.

7. Roundabouts are one of the most dangerous places on the road because not everyone is familiar with them, especially older drivers and out-of-state drivers.

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Jeep Wrangler by Vilner takes extreme luxury off-road

Vilner turned its customary and intensely luxurious attentions to a two-door Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimitedback in 2012, following that up this year with its take on the four-door version. A coat of lustrous black paint outside is brightened up LED headlights, foglights and taillights and layers of chrome laid on the grille, mirrors, door handles and fuel filler cap.

Stance gets an injection of brawn from the 20-inch wheels, and they'll roll faster thanks to the power upgrade from 197 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque in the 2.8-liter diesel to 257 hp and 412 lb-ft.

Inside is furious red, with cross-stitched crimson leather and Alcantara demanding your focus. When you can look away from that, you'll find the raw metal parts painted black and again ornamented in minor applications of chrome. Feel free to feast on it in the high-res gallery above.

Learning to drive stick shift makes people better drivers

There are an increasing number of endangered species in this turbulent world of ours, but none is rushing to extinction faster than the driver who can get from A to B in a stick-shift car. The art of mastering how to navigate through the H-gate is almost completely lost on the latest generation of car buyers. It's a troublesome and worrying thing.

Today's story, dear reader, is not a rant about how stick is the purest form of driving and needs preserving at all costs – like someenthusiast magazines who like cars and drivers might banner wave over – this is a thought that maybe, just maybe, it's safer and better for every road user if we all know how the gears that make the wheels go round ratchet up.

You don't learn to ride a horse without knowing how the reins work and you don't sail a boat without understanding the rigging. Yet we see a driving license as a birthright, and it's an automatic assumption we can drive a car.

If you have a teenager learning to drive right now, wouldn't you prefer they were taught to be more like the pilot of that mechanical masterpiece rather than the autopilot passenger?

 I can still vividly remember riding shotgun with my dad as an 11-year-old boy and being utterly mesmerized by the way his feet could dance across three pedals in perfect synchronization with his left arm pushing and pulling a metal stick. (I was raised in the land of right-hand drive, remember.) I thought there was no way I could ever learn how to so dexterously coordinate my limbs in a way that could ever get me out of the driveway and off into distance.

That skill set seemed like an Olympic task to me, yet a few years later and after many hours of gear crunching and clutch mashing, I walked into a Scottish driving test center and emerged 30 minutes later with a license to thrill. I had cracked that the left hand connected to the gear shift, the left foot connected to clutch pedal and the right foot connected to the other two – ah, dem bones, dem bones.

My concern here is that the way we currently teach our youth how to move a two-ton piece of hardware around our neighborhoods should be based on the fact that driving is a skill of degrees, where you learn the process of what's going on underneath the hood first. It's about an appreciation of how the thing works, not just the result of what it does. Perhaps you get a better appreciation of time when you know how the watch works, and so I believe, it is with cars.

A good dose of healthy respect for the mechanicals and developing a one-on-one relationship with them makes for a better, safer and more considerate driver. If your first driving skill is easily being able to go straight to D and have the old girl do all the work, then it makes for very lazy and selfish drivers. A little ability in automotive foreplay, where you learn how to feather the clutch, slickly slip your stick in and out of the gate and then push a little harder on the precious pedal to get her turning over surely makes for a more organic driving experience.
 
 Having gears to play with also means you need to concentrate more, which means less time to text, adjust makeup or daydream about a bathing-suit-clad Kate Upton in outer space.

Think about it, we should require our new drivers to learn on a manual transmission and to pass their test with a stick-shift car and then spent the first year of driving in three-pedal heaven. If we did, then perhaps they would see the car not as a moving clubhouse, where you tweet, text and twerk 'til you get there, but as a tamed beast to treat with respect during the journey.

Those crucial first months are when teen driving accidents happen most. And given that 23-percent of all car accidents – that's a staggering 1.3 million a year – are texting-related, then doing something else with your hands might just save a few lives. Oh, by the way, that's how it's done in most European countries and their accident stats are reassuringly lower than ours.

A part of me thinks that changing our driving ed and testing rules would be welcomed by our learners. After all, they are thrilled to go watch actors work a manual tranny in Fast and Furious 57, or put the gearbox through its paces in the Need for Speed Rivals video game – it's cool and clever. Surely if you can buy a fake stick shift for your video driving game, why would you not want to learn how to do the real thing?

Getting a driving license by only ever driving automatics is a bit like learning to ride a bike with training wheels on, expect most drivers never take the baby wheels off. It's time to learn to read the manual. And car companies, please don't give me the guff about nobody wants manuals, which is why even Ferrari doesn't offer one anymore. If we mandated licenses linked to stick-shift cars, I can guarantee there would suddenly be plenty of choices on the forecourt.

We just need to get our act in gear. Perhaps the Oval Office should be more concerned with how the next generation get a true driver's skill set than whether or not to deport Justin Beiber back to Canada. (He's a person who perfectly examples the "if I have a license, I can drive a Lambo" mentality.) It's time to buckle up for a manual revival, and not because of an elitist enthusiast agenda but because it will save lives, make our roads safer and, alright, yes, it's way more fun diving into the gearbox than paddle shifting around the steering wheel.

This post originally published here. 

 

The 2014 Viper

This Snake Packs Venom
Under the Viper's long hood is the hand-built, all-aluminum 8.4-liter V10 that Viper owners have come to know, love and fear in their SRT-powered snakes. In its latest form it delivers 640 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque, giving it the most torque of any naturally aspirated production car engine in the world. Improvements to make those numbers possible include a new, ultra-high flow and lightweight composite intake manifold, high-strength forged pistons, sodium-filled exhaust valves, new catalysts to reduce back pressure and an aluminum flywheel that reduces reciprocating losses.
Despite all of the upgrades to the engine, SRT engineers actually managed to shed over 25 lbs of weight - just from the engine. In terms of the entire vehicle, roughly 100 lbs have been dropped, partially due to the all-new aluminum and carbon fiber body. Returning to the powertrain, the 8.4-liter V10 is mated to a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission with an improved short-throw shifter and final gear ratios that have been tightened from 3.07 to 3.55.
For the tiny minority of potential Viper buyers who care about fuel economy, the snake returns an SRT-estimated 13 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway - not bad for a 640-horsepower sports car.
SRT stiffened the structure and chassis of the latest Viper by 50 percent, much of which was adapted from the previous GTS-R race cars. Some of that strength comes from a new aluminum "X" brace under the hood that connects the front suspension to the magnesium cowl super casting.
In the rear of the car, SRT's engineers developed a new setup that locates the toe link forward of the axle for better tow control and dynamic stability. Thanks to federal law changes, the latest Viper also comes standard with electronic stability control and traction control, both of which are fully defeatable for truly brave drivers. There is also a steering wheel-mounted launch control switch for optimal acceleration runs.
Power is transferred to the ground via Pirelli P Zero, Z-rated tires that SRT promises to deliver substantially improved overall performance, cold weather performance, enhanced overall grip and steering response. There is also an SRT Track Package that features P Zero Corsa tires, which are "soft"-tuned and more of a racing compound, intended to deliver optimal track performance at the expense of longevity.
Bringing this snake to a stop are four-piston Brembo brakes with fixed-aluminum calipers and 355mm vented rotors on all four corners. Opt for the Track Package and those brakes will be swapped out for lighter slotted two-piece rotors from StopTech.

More Luxurious Interior
Getting with the changing times, the latest Viper boasts a significantly more comfortable, stylized and attractive interior. But don't think SRT went too soft on the interior: they also made a point of creating a very driver-focused cockpit-style layout to help drivers extract the most out of their car with minimal distraction.
All major interior surfaces are sewn and wrapped with additional padding applied in comfort areas, while triple-paint-finished Gun Metal appliques can be found on the cluster bezel, HVAC outlets, window switch bezels, shifter base, park brake bezel and the integrated passenger grab handle on the center console.
Relaying vital information is a seven-inch, customizable instrument cluster display with a full-time analog tachometer readout in the center to confirm the performance driving feedback philosophy of the Viper. Drivers have a wide range of custom and personal options such as an additional digital speedometer readout just below the tachometer.
The center stack houses Chrysler Group's Uconnect Access infotainment system (for a complete description of Uconnect Access, check out Leftlane's Spotlight On: Uconnect article).
Generally regarded as one of the more user-friendly infotainment setups on the market, Uconnect Access integrates most of the snake's audio, navigation and climate control functions into one unit. An 8.4-inch touchscreen mounted on the dashboard is the central component of the system, but redundant buttons and knobs for climate and audio volume and tuning are also included.
Uconnect Access featres a voice command system that allows the driver to place phone calls, use the sound system, input navigation destinations and more without taking his or her hands off the wheel. Other notable aspects of the system include the ability to function as a Wi-Fi hotspot over a 3G network - for an additional monthly fee - and downloadable applications such as Bing search.
Despite its more luxurious trappings and high-tech features, the Viper's cabin still has one major flaw - seats that many drivers regard as seriously uncomfortable. Built by Italian company Sabalt, they look sleek and purposeful, but are quite firm and lacking in necessary upper-body support.
The misshapen thrones - along with an extremely stiff suspension - mean the Viper is best left in the garage when the time comes for a long road trip.

Trim Level Breakdown
The Viper is offered in two forms: a "base" model and a GTS trim level.
Standard features on the base model include a nine-speaker AM/FM/CD/SiriusXM stereo system with AUX/USB inputs and an SD card reader, Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming, Uconnect infotainment system with 8.4-inch touchscreen, LED daytime running lights and taillights, bi-xenon headlights, 18-inch front wheels and 19-inch front wheels.
The standard Viper can be upgraded with the Grand Touring package, which adds a rearview camera, voice-controlled navigation functionality for the Uconnect system along with real-time traffic updates and SiriusXM travel info,
The GTS trim brings the Grand Touring package's features in addition to unique leather upholstery with contrasting stitching, faux-suede seat inserts, a power-adjustable driver's seat and a 12-speaker Harmon/Kardon premium audio system. A model-specific hood with two vents (as opposed to the base model's six) in addition to unique wheels are also included. On the functional end, the GTS adds a four-mode traction and stability control system and two-mode Bilstein dampers that allow for both extreme track performance and more friendly daily-driving comfort.
For those seeking extra luxury, the GTS can be spec'd with a Laguna Interior package that includes higher-grade leather and faux suede headliner.
Both cars are available with an SRT Track package that brings two-piece lightweight brake rotors, lightweight wheels and extremely sticky P Zero Corsa tires. An Advanced Aerodynamics package tacks on carbon-fiber front splitters and a carbon-fiber ear spoiler.
Other options include numerous different wheel designs, exterior stripes, interior and exterior Carbon Fiber packages and an 18-speaker Harmon/Kardon sound system with Logic 7 surround-sound.

GTS Launch Edition
SRT is offering a limited-production Viper GTS Launch edition that features a number of distinctive aesthetic and luxury touches.
The Launch stands out from regular Viper models thanks to a GTS Blue paint job and contrasting Bright White racing stripes. Viper afectionados will immediately recognize the two-tone motif because it was used in 1996 and in 2006 on previous Launch Edition models.
To further differentiate itself from the rest of the lineup, the Launch Edition features model-specific five-spoke wheels that are made out of forged aluminum. The finishing touch is a blue Stryker emblem on the hood.
Inside, the Launch Edition's seats, dashboard, center console and door panels are all upholstered in black Laguna leather with contrast stitching. The car's serial number is engraved on a dash-mounted plaque.

Viper Track Attack
Intended to be the maximum expression of the Viper's race course prowess, the Track Attack (TA) starts life as the base Viper and adds firmed-up versions of the GTS trim's adjustable Bilstein dampers in addition to the Aerodynamics Package and the Track Package (both detailed above). The suspension also receives additional modifications in the form of track-optimized springs and anti-roll bars, while the standard aluminum engine bay X-brace is replaced with a carbon fiber piece.
The TA's exterior is painted in a model-specific, visible-from-space Crusher Orange hue that's also echoed in the interior trim. The seats can be fitted with a three- or a six-point harness for track use. Finally, TA emblems mounted behind the rear wheels and a black Stryker emblem on the hood wrap up the treatment.

Occupant Safety
All Viper models come standard with front airbags in addition to traction control and federally-mandated stability control. However, side and side-curtain airbags, which are standard fare on nearly every other new car on the market, are not available.

Read more: http://www.leftlanenews.com/new-car-buying/srt/viper/#ixzz2pv9OqKTh

The Best Jeeps:


'72-'75 CJ-5 and CJ-6
It's the last of the real Jeeps that didn't come polluted with an automatic transmission option and miles of needless smog equipment. Some staffers don't really like the CJ-5 body lines, but these years have other good qualities. With a wheelbase stretched to 84- or 104-inches (CJ-5 or CJ-6) to accommodate the longer AMC six-cylinder, all CJ models came with the 232 as the base engine. Optional upgrades were the torquey 258 inline six or a 150hp 304 V-8. Durable T-14A or T-15 three-speed or T-18 four-speed manual truck transmissions and Dana 20 T-cases were better fare than previous years. All of them had admirable open-knuckle Dana 30 (front) and flanged (and centered) Dana 44 (rear) axles. Add to the mix larger 11-inch drum brakes with a power brake option, a much-improved steering system, and stronger frames and they're a natural for this list.

'74-'79 J10 Shortbed
They got heavy-duty fullsize truck drivetrain stuffed between the framerails of a midsized truck. They came with a 360 or way-bad 401 V-8, a T-18 or TH400 transmission, and Dana 44 axles (front and rear) from the factory. This is the kind of stuff people spend a lot of time and money swapping into other vehicles. They also have easily-modified suspension that works pretty good on- and off-road. Make it a short bed model and you'll be able to haul all your camping and recovery gear while still being able to turn and maneuver through some fairly tight and twisty trails.

'86 CJ-7
By this point, Jeep had its CJ model all figured out. The run of AMC car-based Model 20 rear ends had dried up, so a 30-spline Dana 44 with an optional Trac-Lok diff brings up the rear of the swan song CJ-7. Sure, the V-8 option of earlier CJs was gone, but the 258 inline six was durable and somewhat-reliable. Add a wide-track, open knuckle Dana 30 front with disc brakes for some more mechanical niceties and the option of a hard top and A/C and you've got a very nice mix of vintage Jeep looks, old-world performance, and modern-age comfort and convenience.

'06-'10 SRT8 WK
Come on, the 420hp 6.1L Hemi V-8 makes it the most powerful Jeep ever produced. It cranks quarter mile times in the low 13s, burns a faster 0-60 than a $100,000 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, romps and stops 0-100-0 in the low 19-second range, and is a skid pad (cornering) equivalent of the $130,000 Porsche 911 Turbo. And you get all this for less than $50,000. We can't afford one, but if we could, this is the 5,000-pound SUV we would smoke most sports cars with while hauling three other people and some beach toys. It's also a good way to land in jail or dead at the bottom of a cliff-but what a trip it'll be getting there.

'00-'01 XJ
Chrysler originally planned on killing off the XJ for the '02 model year, but then pushed the plunger a year earlier than what dealerships were telling us. The impromptu lethal injection sent a ton of people scrambling to buy the last-ever XJ. Drivability, off-roadability, power, room, comfort, capability, you name it, the XJ has it. All the bugs were worked out of an already-reliable platform, with coil-on-plug ignition, a durable drivetrain backing the 4.0L, and very good Chrysler 8.25 rear and Dana 30 front axles. Sure, the factory ran out of the high-pinion XJ axles mid-way through '01 and started using low-pinion TJ axles to fill the build orders, but in stock trim, it's hard to beat one of these little off-road sport machines.

This piece was originally posted here.