Charger Hellcat Intake Upgrade Guide
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Austin holds a technical writing degree and has 5 years of experience working as a Technical Product Specialist at BMW. He is an avid car enthusiast who is constantly watching F1, consuming automotive content, racing on his simulator, and working on his Toyota’s and BMW’s. Austin’s technical writing skills, extensive automotive knowledge, and hands-on experience make him an excellent resource for our readers.
The Charger Hellcat is one of Mopar’s main beasts at the moment. Packing a 6.2L Hemi V8 producing 717 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque for the 2023 model year, the Hellcat is good for 203 mph and an 11.9 second quarter mile time at 124 mph. And that’s just the base model. The Redeye Charger Hellcat edges closer to 800 horsepower and the Hellcat Jailbreak Charger goes over that edge. In terms of performance, the Hellcat Charger is one of the fastest sedans in the world.
In most cases, you’ll only be able to use that kind of power in one place – the drag strip. And, if you are interested in drag racing your 6.2L Hemi beast, every tenth of a second counts. To maximize your Hellcat’s performance, you’ll want to ensure that your 6.2L Hemi is breathing as efficiently as possible. That’s where an upgraded Hellcat Charger intake comes into play. The purpose of an upgraded SRT Hellcat intake is to improve the breathability of your 6.2L Hemi. Increased airflow results in marginally better performance and lower quarter mile times as a result.
In this guide, we discuss upgraded SRT Charger Hellcat cold air intakes, how they can improve performance, and also provide some recommendations if you are interested in installing this straightforward modification.
6.2L Hemi SRT Charger Hellcat Intake Benefits
- 5-15+whp
- 5-15+wtq
- Better fuel economy
- Improved throttle response
- Louder engine/induction sounds
At the end of the day, the benefits of an upgraded SRT Hellcat intake are pretty straightforward. The three main benefits boil down to increased horsepower and torque, slightly improved fuel economy, and louder induction sounds. As with most performance parts, 6.2L Hemi cold air intakes can vary substantially in terms of their actual performance. That is true for all three of the factors listed above.
Upgraded Hemi Intake Power Gains
In terms of power gains, it is unlikely that you’ll get the kind of yields advertised by the intake manufacturer. That is with a stock SRT Charger Hellcat specifically. Generally speaking, performance from an upgraded intake scales with other modifications that benefit from increased airflow. Highly modified Charger Hellcats pushing big boost with optimized tunes can benefit significantly more from a cold air intake than stock ones.
Improved Gas Mileage
Another potential result of installing an upgraded intake on your 6.2L supercharged Hemi is marginally improved gas mileage. Chances are, if you purchased an SRT Hellcat, gas mileage wasn’t a high priority in your purchasing decision. However, you can gain back a couple of MPGs with an intake that lowers intake air temperatures. Lower temperature air entering the engine can result in your Hemi burning fuel more efficiently, improving gas mileage by 2-5 MPG as a result.
Louder Hemi Supercharger Whine
One of the most common reasons that people upgrade their intake, especially on forced induction engines like the supercharged Hemi, is to increase the amount of induction sound that you hear inside the cabin. The stock closed-box intake muffles supercharger whine and intake noise by quite a bit. That might be good for some that enjoy a discreet daily driver. But, let’s be honest, that 2.4L supercharger weep is an enthusiast’s orchestra. Open air Hellcat intakes will produce the loudest supercharger whine, but closed air intakes will also improve the sound as well.
Open vs Closed SRT Charger Hellcat Intakes
When it comes to SRT Hellcat intakes, there are generally a couple of styles to choose from. In general, you have the option of either a closed box intake or an open air intake. It is important to consider how each type of intake affects performance and enhances other qualities of your 6.2L Hemi engine.
An open-air intake is one where the air filter is not contained within an air box. There are both benefits and downsides to this kind of design. While open-air systems are less restrictive to incoming airflow, they are also exposed to the inside of the engine bay. This means that intake air temperatures are generally higher than with a closed box design. Additionally, if you are looking for the kind of intake that will produce the most pronounced supercharger noises, an open intake is the best bet for you.
The other form of Hemi intake is a closed box design, where the air filter is contained within its own airbox structure. Like open air intakes, closed air intakes have their pros and cons. Because the air filter is contained within a structure, the volume of incoming air is less than that of an open-air filter. However, the closed structure doesn’t allow hot air from the engine compartment to enter the intake. This decreases intake air temperatures and will likely yield better performance.
Best Dodge Charger Hellcat Intakes
Now that we’ve covered the intake basics, and truly just the basics, it’s time for some recommendations. The recommendation list below is a good mix of closed and open intakes from a variety of manufacturers. While some names might pop up more frequently than others in the Hellcat intake scene, all of the recommended intakes below are quality and proven.
Livernois Charger Hellcat Intake
Price: $489.99
Purchase Here: Livernoismotorsports.com
Livernois Motorsports is a premier American parts manufacturer based in Michigan that specializes in specialty parts for late model Ford, GM, and Mopar vehicles. Since their initial founding in 1949, Livernois has been focused on race-oriented parts and services for the local community. Their in-house construction and manufacturing process is second to none, providing only the best parts for the Mopar aftermarket community. Additionally, if you are in the Michigan area, they install all of the parts that they sell.
The Livernois Charger Hellcat intake is a closed-box system, meaning that the intake filter is not exposed to the interior portion of the engine bay. There are a few reasons why this is a beneficial design. By closing the intake filter from the hot air trapped within the engine bay, the air temperatures entering the engine are much lower. This is better for combustion and engine health overall. The 6.2L Hemi intake is made from mandrel bent steel making it both extremely strong and internally smooth.
The Livernois intake increases the intake tubing size over the stock system by a significant degree. While the stock intake tube is 3.5” in diameter, the Livernois system increases the diameter to 5.” This increases the volume of air that enters your supercharged 6.2L Hemi. Livernois’ Charger Hellcat intake has been race-tested on Hellcats pushing over 1,250 horsepower with positive results. In addition to the performance increase, the increased induction noise and supercharger whine are another welcomed byproduct.
LMI Charger Hellcat Intake
Price: $474.95
Purchase Here: Legmakerintakes.com
LegMaker Intakes is one of the leading intake manufacturers in the LX/LC space and has been for over 3 years. They specialize in high-quality intakes constructed from carbon fiber. The lead engineer at LegMaker has worked with composite materials, specifically carbon fiber, for over 20 years. The primary reason that LegMaker chooses to use carbon fiber is its fantastic heat dispersion characteristics. Carbon fiber retains less heat than other metal compounds, reducing the chance of heat soak. Like the factory design, the LegMaker Hellcat intake is a closed-box design. The reason for this is to limit the amount of hot air from the engine bay entering the intake.
The entire LegMaker SRT Hellcat intake is designed with improved airflow characteristics in mind. As a result of their extensive experience with carbon fiber, LegMaker Hellcat intakes feature an extremely smooth internal surface to optimize airflow and limit turbulence. The LegMaker intake features a 6” S&B cone filter that smoothly transitions into a 4.5” intake tube. The intake tube is an inch larger in diameter than the stock tube, allowing more air into the throttle body. The kit also comes with a high-quality silicone coupler that makes the transition to the throttle body seamless.
Most Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye owners that have installed the LegMaker 6.2L Hemi intake claim that it has not only boosted performance marginally but also increased supercharger induction noise by a significant degree. While it might not be realistic to expect the 18-20 horsepower gain that LMI claims, it might yield a couple.
K&N Typhoon Charger Hellcat Intake System
Price: $479.99
Purchase Here: Americanmuscle.com
If you’ve never heard of K&N, chances are that you haven’t been in the muscle car world for long. K&N has been at the forefront of high-quality filter technology for over 50 years at this point, and there’s no doubt that they know what they are doing. The K&N Typhoon SRT Charger Hellcat intake system is a fan favorite in the Hellcat community, especially if increased induction noise is high on your list of priorities.
Unlike the previous filters on this list, the K&N 6.2L Hemi intake system is an open-air system. That means that the massive cone filter is exposed rather than housed in an airbox. While there are generally some downsides to this type of intake system, K&N has engineered solutions to the most common problems associated with open-air intakes. One of the central open-air concerns is hot air trapped in the engine bay. To counteract hot air from entering the intake, K&N developed a heat shield that keeps hot air out. The K&N SRT Charger Intake utilizes the factory Hellcat lower airbox which is fed by cool air from the grill inlet.
Another frequently mentioned open airbox concern is the risk of contaminants entering the system, K&N has you covered there as well. The intake comes with a massive 7.5” cone filter (the largest on the list) made from ISO 5011-approved oiled cotton. K&N’s patented cotton filter design is extremely effective at keeping contaminants out. It is also washable and reusable.
Charger Hellcat Intake Upgrade Guide Summary
Upgraded cold air intakes are one of the most popular and common modifications that you can do to a car. They’re relatively inexpensive, have multiple potential benefits, and are easy to install. That goes for Charger Hellcat intakes as well. While the Chager Hellcat has a pretty solid intake from the factory, as it is fed by cool air coming through the grill inlet, you can gain a little performance and a lot of noise by incorporating an aftermarket intake with the stock lower airbox.
There are plenty of good options out there for a Charger Hellcat intake, many of which are high quality and built by reputable manufacturers. Our overall pick for a Charger intake that balances quality, cost, and performance is the Livernois SRT Hellcat intake. With a closed box design, the Livernois intake ensures that hot air in the engine bay stays out while also increasing the intake piping to allow a greater volume of cold air into your 6.2L Hemi.
The same can be said about the LegMaker Hellcat intake. An additional benefit to the LegMaker Hellcat intake is its construction from carbon fiber which has better thermal properties than traditional aluminum. The K&N Typhoon is also a solid choice for your Charger Hellcat. While it is an open intake, K&N has eliminated the normal issues associated with the open-air design.
If you have a Hellcat and run one of the intakes listed above, leave a comment and tell us what you like and dislike about it. If you liked this article and are interested in more Hemi content, check out our 6.4L Hemi Intake Manifold Upgrade Guide. As always, safe driving!
