Ring times mean jack over here bro....Look no further than the last C&D lightening lap where both Z06 and Viper went against each other...Same day same approximate time same driver etc...Keep in mind the track is 4+ miles long...Long enough for the Z06 to exert its dominance over the Viper.....It only beat the Viper by .5 in 4+ miles...Yes it won but makes you put Ring times in perspective...
To break it down further so you see exactly where Im coming from lets consider the Ring times...According to the Ring the Z06 is over 30secs faster then the Viper....That kind of superiority would show up on most tracks especially a long one like VIR with comparable turns like the Ring.....Why then only a .5 advantage for the Z06???Ring times dont mean squat unless both cars had MFG times behind them...The Viper has never had the benefit of Chrysler development or factory sponsored laps of the Ring....BTW the Viper also ran VIR faster then the 997 911 tt...You know the 911 did a Z06 beating 7:40 at the Ring...The Ring is a nice accomplishment but its far from a foolproof way to judge which car will be faster on every track..
Also look at the Vipers history vs the 911.....It dominated the 993 911TT on tracks even though the 993 911TT did much better times at the Ring..Check old MT or C&D articles if you dont believe me.......Lets just wait and see what both are capable of before we all cast our votes....To not give the Viper a chance is foolish...Its only had a history of humbling the technomarvels of the supercar world....I too think the GT2 will edge it out but I cant see it embarassing the Viper by more than 1-2secs...I think it will be close enough to be a drivers race...Cant wait for the head to head...
I would expect the GTS and RT10 to dominate the corresponding 911's, I also stated that I think the Viper would surely be potent if tested on the same level as the Porsche's and Corvette. I have no problem acknoledging the cars potential and merit as a track car, it has been proven time and time again. Not arguing that.
I also know the ring times for the Viper are nonsense and will argue that till no end.
I would like to make something clear, in the world we live in today, factory street cars are coming with about as much HP as even a closed wheel race car can effectively handle on a road course. This means that with pro drivers the margins of victory will be very small comparatively. Even comparing the ring, if it was 4-5 seconds there would add up to what 1-2 seconds on a normal course. The ring is an anomaly regardless because it doesnt not exemplify the avg.
With that being said I think the gap will be substantial in this manner (meaning just what you said but I think closer to 2 seconds, which is sizeable for cars this potent), but I do not wish to get to comparing mag times etc. I'd rather be driving on the track. We can reserve judgements for when the cars are acutally compared.
I have nothing against traction control on non-Vipers. You want it, you need it, go get a car that has it - there are plenty of them.
BTW I feel the same way about ABS.
And yes, it probably is childhood withdrawl. I was born in 1960, got my license at the demise of the muscle car era and suffered through the boxy uninspiring 80s wanting to slit my wrists. (preemptive apologies, as something tells me you were hotrodding something from the 80s and actually thought you were the ****) So when Dodge came out with the no-nonsense Viper in 1992 my life began again. And now non-car guys like you wanna water it down just like every other car.
Were are my razor blades?
I see. So I'ma non car guy because I grew up in a different era? Because I like the fact that F1 has evolved to people being able to survive crashes as opposed to almost certain death, and technology has poured down into the street cars from the race cars more than ever, people are going faster than ever, and driving takes more skill than ever??
LOL, some kind of logic that is, sounds more ignorant and stuck in ways to me than anything. You expect a car in 2010 to have the same technology as it did in 1992? You need to get over it and act your age, you have plenty of 92-2002 technology to choose from, the new viper will have to step up or die. I'm surprised you dont complain about the suspension being the same, and advancing from the earlier models, or do you just fopcus on things that you can pinpoint and make a fuss about? Let's keep the same suspension as well and make the car ill-handling again, so the purists can think they know how to drive!
You are arguing over a mental concept that you cant let go of. You are so stringent that you rebuke even the options, which is rediculous. But I'm done with you, it's not worth my time because I know guys stuck in their ways like you will never change, but the Viper will, and has.