A question for you racers out there

[2003 Viper]

Seeing the Hellcat do a 10.85 in the QM weighing 4450 lbs my question is this. If Dodge made the Vipers frame aluminum at a weight savings of around 135 lbs and dropped in the hellcat motor and auto tranny I'm guessing the car would be around 1200 lbs lighter than the Challenger and with huge 355 rear tires compared to the Challengers 275 rears. Would that be a 9.99 sec car?

 

[Bruce H.]

I can't answer that but I do know that if pigs had wings they could fly

Curious why you would ask that since SRT has said no aluminum frame and no Hellcat for the Viper.

 

[2003 Viper]

My question is more about power to weight not about changing the Viper.
I could of asked it this way also...If the Hellcat was 1200lbs lighter and had 355's in the rear could it do a 9.99??

 

[Bobpantax]

It would definitely be considerably faster because of the change in power to weight ratio but in order to accommodate the 335s it would probably require a stronger differential and axles. Using one of the online calculator guesstimators a 3200 pound car with 707 flywheel HP could do 10.156.

 

[MoparMap]

Wider tires doesn't always necessarily mean better times. There's a 10.5" wide tire class out there (roughly 255 section width) that pulls some stupid numbers. There's also the FAST (Factory Appearing Stock TIre) class that baffles me as to how a 4" wide bias ply tire can run the numbers they do. The main thing is compound. Tire width does not mean more traction, it just means it can withstand more punishment without heating up. Frictional force only cares about weight and the coefficient of friction. The frictional force generated is spread over a wider area with a wider tire, but is never any higher because of it.

Sorry for the rant, I'm a mechanical engineer so every once in a while I like to use some of the stuff I've learned.

 

[2003 Viper]

Thank you both for the reply.

 

[steve e]

I think 9.98 would be right.

 

[klamathpro]

For what the car is, the GEN-V is pretty light by today's standards. It's a Supercar, not a lightweight Hypercar like a Pagani or a P1. There really is no cheap way to go lighter on a low production car. Giving it more HP will be cheaper.

 

[steve e]

For what the car is, the GEN-V is pretty light by today's standards. It's a Supercar, not a lightweight Hypercar like a Pagani or a P1. There really is no cheap way to go lighter on a low production car. Giving it more HP will be cheaper.

I think your right. I heard some where that the Viper just got a 5 hp increase and they are keeping the price the same. But kidding aside it is cheaper to add power, than do a redesign with a different alloy.

 

[sunsalem]

kidding aside it is cheaper to add power, than do a redesign with a different alloy.

Agreed.

The amount of R&D and durability testing needed would probably be cost-prohibitive for Dodge.
Unless Ferrari would throw in a little expertise, I don't see this as realistic.

 

[Twister]

The 2015 vipers will likely run 10.8 at 131 mph in great condition with great drivers.

The current ones run 11.0 at 129

Its more than fast enough as is.

What you are suggesting is lightening the frame and putting more weight up front. Thats a serious no no for cars that turn on road courses.