Is the 5.7 Hemi Underrated?
OntarioStreetCar.com posted an article on October 28, 2009, entiled, "Underrating Horsepower, back from the 1960s." The article claims that the new 5.7 Hemi tests out at 400 hp at the flywheel. Here is the article:
The last time auto makers commonly underrated actual horsepower levels was back in the muscle car days in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Initially everyone wanted more power than the other, but after a few years, all that meant was your cars were hit with larger insurance costs and the consumer notion that it would be considerably worse on fuel.
Chrysler Corp was the poster boy for it as most of their engines were all well known to be underrated (especially the 426 hemi) but Don Yenko Chevrolet dropped Corvette LT1 350’s into mundane Chevy Nova’s in 1970 so buyers could pay the standard insurance rate that you would be charged for a normal 350 powered Nova. Except the Yenko Nova’s had 360 horsepower and could destroy most of their big block powered brethren.
Today it seems quite rampant all over again, but the reasons why are different.
The late model BMW 335i coupe with its twin turbo 3.0L inline 6 cylinder is rated at 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, yet the car runs 0-60 times in 4.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 13.3 seconds. Its “big brother” M3 with a 414 horsepower V8 runs 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and the 1/4 in 12.7 seconds…hmmm. Sounds like the 335i has closer to 360 HP, but it’s rated lower so it doesn’t interfere with M3 sales.
Chrysler is still at it too, this time with the new variable cam timing 5.7L hemi. The engine is rated at 390 horsepower when it is put in the Dodge Ram, yet only rated at 372 hp when put in the Challenger R/T. Independent tests have resulted in the engines producing 400 horsepower at the flywheel, so why pay extra for a Challenger SRT 8 that only has 25 more ? Unlike the BMW’s where the M3 has still held an advantage over the 335i, in the Mopar camp its not common for Challenger R/T’s to run quicker acceleration times than the SRT 8 model. However, next year the SRT will make you forget with its much more powerful 6.4L hemi.
And now the newest player, Audi with their new 333 horsepower, 325 lb-ft of torque supercharged S4. VW / Audi tuner APR just strapped one onto their all wheel drive dyno and pulled 331 horsepower and 336 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. Drivetrain losses amount a lot more through all wheel drive than front or rear drive, to the tune of about 20%, making the new S4 a true 400 horsepower German super sedan. Just don’t tell the guy that paid thousands more for an RS4 with 20 additional ponies.