The 2018 Dodge Demon’s top speed is, we have been told, 168 mph. But Johnny Bohmer, who likes the cars to go extremely fast, told Jalopnik that he recently got one to go 203 mph, with only a few minor modifications. And he’s got video to prove it.
Dodge emphasized quarter-mile times for the new Demon over top-speed potential, leaving it violently fast but still apparently slower than a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk on the track. The reasons? The tires and an electronic limiter. But Bohmer says that the electronic limiter is hogwash. And, with a different set of tires—Pirelli P Zeros over a set of Nitto drag radials—the Demon is more than capable of going well past 168.
This all happened on February 10 in Florida. The Demon, in fact, went over 168 mph that day on the Nittos, though Johnny says that handling beyond speeds of 170 mph became an issue. Here’s video of it going 180 mph on the Nittos:
What’s interesting to me about this is that Hennessey just put the Demon through its paces and only got it up to 164 mph; Johnny says that part of the reason no one’s gone faster is that few people have the proper place to test. The Demon he tested has the crate options installed, which includes a conical air filter and a powertrain control module that’s designed to unleash all of the Demon’s 840 horsepower.
I am afraid of the Dodge Demon, crate or not.
Update, 2:08 p.m.: A Dodge spokesman got back to me with a bit more context. This is from a Demon owner’s manual supplement:
The Demon Crate Powertrain Module (PCM) is not equipped with a speed limiter. This will allow the vehicle to exceed the tire’s speed rating of 168 mph (270 km/h). This could adversely affect the handling and safety of the vehicle. It’s the customer’s responsibility to equip the vehicle with the correct speed rated tires for their use above the speed rating of 168 mph (270 km/h).