Manual Transmission Hellcat Challenger Runs a 10.86

We have talked a great deal about the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat laying down lightning quick quarter mile times with the new 8-speed automatic transmission, but today we bring you a video of the first manual transmission Hellcat Challenger that I have seen join the 10-second club – with a short mod list.

When videos started hitting the internet showing the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat running in the 10-second quarter mile range with very few modifications, folks from the Ford crowd were quick to insist that the 8-speed automatic transmission was the key reason why the supercharged Challenger is so much quicker than the supercharged GT500 Mustang. In all fairness, they were right to some extent, as we have really only seen automatic Hellcat Challengers breaking into the 10-second club, but we now have proof that a well driven Hellcat with the 6-speed manual transmission can run very near the 10s with little more than sticky tires. Also, when there is a little extra power, a good driver can put the manual Hellcat Challenger well into the 10s.

Our proof is the white Hellcat Challenger owned and driven by Jon Sipple. This past weekend, Sipple took his lightly worked Challenger with the supercharged Hemi and the 6-speed heavy duty transmission to the track and the results were a pair of records – with this Challenger being the first manual model to break into the 10s while this 10.86 run makes Sipple’s car the quickest of its kind.

The World’s Quickest Manual Hellcat
According to the “quickest Hellcat list” from the crew at Hellcat.org, Jon Sipple’s run of 11.18 at 125 miles per hour last December made his car the quickest manual transmission car in the world, and he ran those numbers with only a cold air intake, a stronger driveshaft and drag radials.

This time he headed to the track with the intake, the sticky tires and driveshaft, along with a Diablosport tuner and a light cooling charge of nitrous. Sipple also had more seat time in his Mopar muscle car, and the results paid off big time when he took to the track this weekend.

Sipple’s Hellcat Challenger ran a best time of 10.86 (as shown in the video below) and he backed that up with a 10.89. This comes after a 2-hour drive to the track during which he averaged 22 miles per gallon.

So sticky tires, a cold air intake, a tune and a light shot off of the bottle put this Hellcat Challenger well into the 10-second range, after running low 11s without the bottle or the tune.

Sipple has big plans over the next month, including a custom tune with a big enough nitrous jet to hopefully launch the Hellcat Challenger well into the low 10s. This is with a car that has an otherwise stock engine, a stock transmission with the stock clutch and the stock rear gears, although the low profile tires to effectively increase the final drive ratio.

In any case, Jon Sipple proves that a well driven Hellcat Challenger with just good tires can get down to the low 11s and with a touch of extra power – 10s are well within the reach of an experienced driver.

Image Courtesy of Jon Sipple