Two men in their 70s die in Challenger Hellcat test (traction, braking)
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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimj
While reading the article I find it rather funny that a person who reports on cars says "That someone died in a 707-horsepower Hellcat is, sadly, not unexpected." leading me to believe he has some kind of anti-fast car bias? Maybe he should only report on Prius cars?
Why is is "sadly not unexpected"? Because the car is fast as hell or that incompetent people drive and do things they are not prepared for?
Don't mention Toyota in this case (Stuck accelerator syndrome...)
Ouch... probably the 'line of sight', no sense of 'end-of-runway' + a few other factors
If they really were test driving... they didn't have time to get to Bonneville (where they could have slowed down before the ravine.)
Similar to SUVs on ice. Easy to get going, tough to slow down very FAST....
Not really. That muscle car is really only good for straight-line drag strip racing. IMO it doesn't have the handling and suspension for a twisty road. It would not be a good choice for spirited country drive or a tarmac rally.
Trail Ridge Road, once you get to the top, evens out into a pretty straight road with mostly just gentle curves and only a few sharp turns. But it's usually packed.
All the time. Which is why you do not send someone out in a car like this without a dealer representative going along.
From my understanding, you couldn't take the Hellcats out without a salesmen in the car with you. And I had a salesmen told me, that he would have to do the driving as well.
Last 3 guys - I explained what happened. It's simple. If you have ever been down a dragstrip all you see is flat pavement coming at you at 100MPH plus. All this happens in seconds. No lights, no way you know when to stop until it's too late.
I understood exactly what you were saying, but if a person had no intentions of returning home that day, then nothing else would matter. Several things could have happen, I don't know. But, it just seem odd that they would go all out like that without familiarizing themselves with the runway, like taking a dry run to check things out.
They had to be going much faster than 100mph. But, yeah what a way to go out. That is hardcore.
I believe they were well above 100mph. I hit 127mph once before, it came up really quick. The quarter mile fly by in a 11.7 seconds at 125mph, and top speed is 199mph. This car bites back hard if you don't respect it.
I believe they were well above 100mph. I hit 127mph once before, it came up really quick. The quarter mile fly by in a 11.7 seconds at 125mph, and top speed is 199mph. This car bites back hard if you don't respect it.
I hit 105 in the 1/4 mile in my 13 second "old school" vette (fast, but not the fastest by any means, and certainly out of class with the Hellcat), you are given about another 1/8 mile or so to slow down and then turn off. This one I read was almost a mile in length, I would guess they were going at least 160 MPH and would have reached the point of no return in about 25 seconds after launching.
I think everyone said they just flew off the end of the runways but the other danger in drag racing besides the mechanical issues like blowing a tire (and that can be bad news at speed) is slipping and sliding while changing gears, even going straight, as the RPM and torque suddenly engage back into the max power band. That can be bad news as well. Maybe also hitting a patch of water or oil - bad news.
I hit 105 in the 1/4 mile in my 13 second "old school" vette (fast, but not the fastest by any means, and certainly out of class with the Hellcat), you are given about another 1/8 mile or so to slow down and then turn off. This one I read was almost a mile in length, I would guess they were going at least 160 MPH and would have reached the point of no return in about 25 seconds after launching.
When my grandfather and I were looking at the new Demon and Viper at the Chicago autoshow early this year, I told him that they should make people take an instructional class before selling them a car like this and he agreed with me. You need special training to drive an 18-wheeler or a bus...so why shouldn't you get some training to drive a supercar? I know a lot of people wouldn't like this idea or any kind of restrictions and regulations, but maybe it would've kept these guys from killing themselves.
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