A few months back, Dodge announced that the Direct Connection program would be returning with factory performance support for modern vehicles as part of the new Power Broker dealership network. These specially prepared dealerships will be able to order unique vehicles, but more importantly, they are able to order warranty-friendly performance parts for new Dodge vehicles.

At first, only the Challenger SRT Hellcat and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye were included in the materials discussing the Direct Connection performance stage kits, but earlier this week, Dodge announced that the first kits would officially go on sale in March. That same statement included a document that outlines the future of the Direct Connection program, including the Charger Hellcat and Redeye, the 2018 Challenger Demon and both the Charger and Challenger in R/T Scat Pack trim.

The rollout of these packages is going to take the better part of this year, but with some patience, many modern Dodge owners will be able to order high performance parts from their dealership and have them installed there, preserving the factory warranty.

Dodge announced the return of the Direct Connection performance parts brand as the exclusive source of the brand’s factory-backed performance parts and straight-from-the-manufacturer technical information. Shown here is the Direct Connection Dodge Challenger SRT development vehicle, code-named DC 170.

Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye, Super Stock
When the Power Broker network officially launches on March 9^th, the first Direct Connection performance stage kits available will be for the 2019-2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the 2021-2022 Challenger SRT Super Stock.

There will be three kits offered for the Challenger Redeye and Super Stock at launch, including Pre-Stage, Stage 1 and Stage 2. Pre-Stage adds a performance air filter, a 180-degree thermostat and the Direct Connection tuning device with a preloaded 50-state-legal engine tune that yields 802 horsepower in the Redeye and 807 horsepower in the Super Stock. This kit costs $1,195.

Stage 1 for the Redeye and Super Stock adds a unique race fuel engine tune, similar to that offered with the 2018 Demon, which leads to 840 horsepower with a price of $395.

Finally, Stage 2 for the Challenger Redeye and Super Stock add a 3.17-inch Hellraiser pulley and another unique engine tune, leading to 885 horsepower with racing fuel and 837 horsepower on basic pump gas. This kit costs $1,195, but to install Stage 2, you need the Pre-Stage and Stage 1 kits, leading to a total cost of $2,785, not including installation.

There is also a Stage 3 kit being developed for the Challenger Redeye and Super Stock, but we don’t have power numbers or availability information for those kits just yet. We expect numbers above 900 horsepower for both models.

The Direct Connection Redeye High-flow Air Box Kit uses a large open element air filter to reduce inlet restriction and let the engine breathe more freely.

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
The second set of Direct Connection performance stage kits to be offered will be for the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Right now, this model only has a Pre-Stage kit and a Stage 1 kit, but the company is currently working on a more potent Stage 2 kit.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Pre-Stage kit adds a performance air filter, a 180-degree thermostat and the Direct Connection tuning device with a preloaded 50-state-legal engine tune. In the 2015-2018 Challenger Hellcat, Pre-Stage lifts the output to 712 horsepower while the 2019-2022 models pack 722 horsepower. This kit costs $1,195.

The Direct Connection Pre-stage Kit includes the Direct Connection Tuner along with a performance air cleaner, low temp thermostat and comes with a pre-loaded 50-state emissions-legal calibration that increases horsepower.

The Hellcat Stage 1 kit comes with the 3.17-inch Hellraiser pulley and a unique engine tune that leads to 747 horsepower in 2015-2018 models and 757 horsepower in 2019-2022 models. This kit costs $895, but since you have to buy the Pre-Stage kit to use Stage 1, you really pay $2,090 for this larger power increase.

When the Stage 2 Hellcat kit comes to market, we expect that it will offer slightly less power than a stock Redeye – so look for somewhere in the area of 770-780 horsepower.

Direct Connection will launch with a full line of factory-tuned parts, including exclusive new Direct Connection “Tuner” and “Stage” kits that will allow Dodge vehicle owners to install factory-tuned, 50-state-legal stage kit calibrations.

Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye
When the initial Direct Connection details were announced strictly for the Dodge Challenger, many Charger owners wondered why they weren’t included in the high performance fun. The Challenger and Charger is mechanically identical, so the stage kits from the coupe should work for the sedan as well.

While Dodge still hasnt announced the specifics of the Charger kits, we know that their will be upgrade packages for the Redeye sedan in May followed by kits for the non-Redeye Hellcat four-door in June.

The Direct Connection Tuner includes a hand-held tuning device and mounting hardware.

The Charger Redeye stage kits will offer the same end results as the Challenger kits, with Pre-Stage yielding 802 horsepower, Stage 1 getting to 840 with race gas and Stage 2 climbing to 885 horsepower with race gas. As for the non-Redeye Hellcat Chargers, 2015-2020 models will enjoy 712 horsepower with Pre-Stage and 747 horsepower with Stage 1 while the newer sedans will pack 722 horsepower with Pre-Stage and 757 horsepower Stage 1.

We don’t have a list of components for the Charger kits, but since the output is the same as the Challenger kits, we imagine that the components are shared. Also, like the Challenger, the Charger Hellcat will eventually get a Stage 2 while the Redeye will eventually get a Stage 3. We would also imagine that these kits would be priced similarly to the Challenger kits.

2018 Challenger Demon
When it was announced that the 2019+ Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye would pack 885 horsepower with the Direct Connection Stage 2 kit, owners of the 2018 Demon were a bit upset. They bought the most powerful Mopar muscle car ever and they want to retain that claim, even after the Direct Connection packages come into play. Fortunately, Dodge is working on kits for the Demon as well.

As is the case with the Redeye, the Demon will have a Pre-Stage, Stage 1 and Stage 2 kit. We would imagine that each Demon kit will offer slightly more power than the Redeye and if that was the case, Pre-Stage could be around 820 horsepower, Stage 1 could be around 850 horsepower and Stage 3 could be around 900 horsepower – but that is purely speculation. If nothing else, Demon will have as much power as the Redeye with the similar Direct Connection upgrades.

The Direct Connection Tuner, included in the Direct Connection Pre-stage Kit, is a plug-and-play engine tuner that delivers enthusiasts the power to upgrade an engine calibration at the touch of a button, plugs into the OBD-II port and can be used to install factory-tuned, 50-state-legal Stage kit calibrations.

Dodge Scat Pack Models
Finally, Dodge isn’t just focusing on supercharged models under the Direct Connection program, with packages under development for the Challenger and Charger R/T Scat Pack models. According to the official information, a Pre-Stage, Stage 1 and Stage 2 kit are all in the works for Scat Pack cars, but it is hard to guess what they will include and how much power they will yield.

We expect that the Pre-Stage kit will include a tuning device, an air filter and the low temperature thermostat, but it is unclear what will be included in Stage 1 and 2. With the supercharged models, a smaller pulley and a new tune leads to big power gains, but it isn’t that simple with the naturally aspirated models.

The Direct Connection Tuner includes a hand-held tuning device and mounting hardware.

To get more power from the 392, they would need to add things like a new camshaft, cylinder heads or headers, but we will have to wait to see how Dodge pulls more warranty-safe power from the Scat Pack cars.

The bottom line is that if you own a 2015-and-newer Dodge Challenger or Charger in Scat Pack, Hellcat or Redeye trim, you will soon be able to add warranty-friendly power at the dealership.