Do SRT-10 Convertibles Flex?
- Thread starter Evoking
- Start date
haha, NO.
The Old Gen-1 RT's were STIFF. Jack up a corner, and teeter the car. Still open the doors just fine.
The Gen-2 RT's were STIFFER.
The Gen-2 GTS was STIFFER yet.
The Gen-3 Vert is even stiffer than the Gen-2 COUPE.
In short, dont worry. It feels like a coupe with the top up, and has no shakes, rattles, or rolls.
The Old Gen-1 RT's were STIFF. Jack up a corner, and teeter the car. Still open the doors just fine.
The Gen-2 RT's were STIFFER.
The Gen-2 GTS was STIFFER yet.
The Gen-3 Vert is even stiffer than the Gen-2 COUPE.
In short, dont worry. It feels like a coupe with the top up, and has no shakes, rattles, or rolls.
ViperGTS
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In my Gen-2 RT/10 (R.I.P.) I never had a squeal with the soft top on. Never used the hard top.
The Gen-4 convertible with the top on: a little squeaking from the side front area ...go figure!
May be the rubber against the windows, but still, there should be no movement...
However, driving open all the time the little squeaking when it rains (top up) does not matter at all. The cars are very stiff compared to other cars.
The Gen-4 convertible with the top on: a little squeaking from the side front area ...go figure!
May be the rubber against the windows, but still, there should be no movement...
However, driving open all the time the little squeaking when it rains (top up) does not matter at all. The cars are very stiff compared to other cars.
The cowl shake you are concerned about is fairly common with many convertibles, but the Viper is almost devoid of the issue as it was built as a roadster from the ground up. The engineers at Dodge did a wonderful job as I can not ever remember a single complaint from any of our customers over the years about this phenomenon. I know when I had my 04 and 05 , that the stability was just insane. Quite likely one of the stiffest convertible platforms built worldwide -- enjoy.
Check the little "nubs" on the corner on the top, it is likely that they are rattling/squeaking against the replaceable composite bumpers/holders on the windshield corners. This is not from chassis flex as much as it is from worn out bumpers, where the nub now has room to move, even when the latch is holding the front down.
345s-bspinnin
Enthusiast
Stiffness comparison are fine, but does anyone have real data on the torsional stiffness? For example, Bugatti engineers brag about their Veyron Grand Sport's torsional rigidity of 16,300 lb-ft/degree. Anyone have similar test or analytical data for the stiffness of our SRTs?
As others have stated, it is generally pretty solid, and significantly more solid that any other convertible. The chassis WILL flex, its just a matter of how much. I was doing a Texas Hill Country spirited fun run earlier this year. Every time I would hit a sweeper, I could here a very slight increase in wind noise (top up). It would only happen during the sweepers, and the sound would alternate sides depending on the direction of the turn (indicating flex). The sound increase was minor, but both my navigator and I could hear it and immediately correlated it to induced chassis flex resulting from turns/sweepers. I was shooting video with my GoPro mounted inside the car. I will review the footage and see if that sound increase was captured.
That being said, I have jumped out my SRT vert and onto a new Camaro vert. No comparison or argument on the Vipers superior stiffness. Period.
As others have stated, it is generally pretty solid, and significantly more solid that any other convertible. The chassis WILL flex, its just a matter of how much. I was doing a Texas Hill Country spirited fun run earlier this year. Every time I would hit a sweeper, I could here a very slight increase in wind noise (top up). It would only happen during the sweepers, and the sound would alternate sides depending on the direction of the turn (indicating flex). The sound increase was minor, but both my navigator and I could hear it and immediately correlated it to induced chassis flex resulting from turns/sweepers. I was shooting video with my GoPro mounted inside the car. I will review the footage and see if that sound increase was captured.
That being said, I have jumped out my SRT vert and onto a new Camaro vert. No comparison or argument on the Vipers superior stiffness. Period.
Paul Hawker
Enthusiast
The super stiffness is one of the reasons that Vipers handle so well, and can be equipped with such wide tires.
Having a stiff chassis allows the SRT engineers to hang the suspension on a very solid platform indeed.
You will see absolutely no cowl shake on these cars.
The Ferrari California I drove a while ago was significantly less stiff.
Having a stiff chassis allows the SRT engineers to hang the suspension on a very solid platform indeed.
You will see absolutely no cowl shake on these cars.
The Ferrari California I drove a while ago was significantly less stiff.
F
FrgMstr
Guest
Wrap the posts in the fuzzy side of a length of Velcro. Viola! No more rattle on rough roads.
shine
Viper Owner
When I pull my Gen 4 into my driveway, I always take it an an angle to keep the splitter from rubbing. I had a friend back it out one day to verify what I'd been feeling -- the car has two wheels in midair (on opposite corners) when one wheel is up on the driveway and the other is on the road!
Point being, yep, the verts, even with the top down, are very very stiff cars.
Point being, yep, the verts, even with the top down, are very very stiff cars.
Genius! What a good idea. I thought I would just have to live with it, so I just turned up the radio.
Yes it flexes ... it's muscle, that's about it.
I've had many many verts since my first in 1991, and the viper is not like a vert. Not saying there isn't some micro-measurable flex, but not that it would impact a mere mortal.
I've had many many verts since my first in 1991, and the viper is not like a vert. Not saying there isn't some micro-measurable flex, but not that it would impact a mere mortal.
F
FrgMstr
Guest
Hehe, I do this in my alleyway, except it is a "valley" so the two opposite sides of the car get picked up. Looks really stupid.
Surely a testament to the stiffness of the chassis. It makes no creaks or sounds doing this. And of course jacking up the entire side of the car with one jack point will make you a believer too. Go around and open and close the doors after getting it in the air. Not a problem.No, they SNAKE, Rattle and Roll!
Does an SRT10 Chassis Flex? Hell yes! Ask anyone who has put a roll-bar in one, to discover the Anti-sway bar bonus they got from stiffening up the chassis.
Does it flex as much as most SOB Verts? Hell NO! The Viper chassis has a torsional stiffness per inch of some HUGE amount in excess of 7500lbs per inch or some-such..race-car-like. But the super-stiff chassis is what can cause some SHAKE......Rattle...but not much roll.
Do the verts shake-rattle? I had a 92, 93, 94, 95x2..... and even tho they had NO windows to rattle, the cowl indeed shook, as did the top, when that heavy suspension rode over rough roads. Rattled a lot. The 1996 RT was/is the stiffest street-chassis ever...and the aluminum suspensions since then made for a much-improved, rattle-diminished experience.
So DO buy a SRT-Vert without fear of Shake-Rattle-Roll........... but please DONT tell me that Viper verts Dont Shake. Why? THE YEAR MATTERS!!!
[SOB = Some Other Brand]
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Jon- There is a difference between "shake" from chassis flex where the chassis effectively becomes a "spring" and the whole car flexes back and forth, and "shake" from inadequately attached and/or adjusted components in the old RT's... which was very commonplace, especially hard tops. However, this exact issue does not really coincide with the OP's question. The Old RT's "shook" because of their tops and glass- not because they were roadsters. Take all that crap out, and they were quiet without flex. The same goes for an SRT- drive it with the top up and worn out bumpers, and the top can "vibrate" over bumps, but its because of the top, not the car specifically.
SOB verts often rattle even with the tops off/down, the dashes move, flex, and creak, and the doors wont shut correctly if not parked on a flat surface. None of those effect the Vipers to speak of, which is what I think the OP was getting at.
I think you said what I said. Viper verts FLEX....but not as much as SOB verts
The Year Matters....
The Year Matters....
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KNG SNKE
Enthusiast
I would say yes, they do flex, a lot. See exhibit A.
Exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FidoUnp2o0M
Exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FidoUnp2o0M
That is wheel hop... a WHOLE different ball game, and far more "jarring" than anything the car will see under correct use. Wheel hop is what will, sooner or later, break axles, diffs and suspensions like they are tinker toys. Its the equivalent of standing the car on end supported by the rear wheels and bouncing it on the ground by the front wheels while twisting the whole car back and forth rapidly. Keep in mind, YOUR GTS isnt as stiff as that SRT. If the wheel hop was enough to jar that Vert, it would be enough to make your windows fall out.
kidding. Well, except for the yours isnt as stiff part. ****** in the tank anyone? That'll fix it!
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KNG SNKE
Enthusiast
Who said it wasn't wheel hop? If you look at the video, I would certainly say the frame, suspension and pretty much the whole damn car is FLEXING! True statement? I would think so. The OP asked about flex, so yes, the Vert's do flex.
And you are missing the OP's point. The owner is looking for feedback on "convertible flex". If its wheel hop- it doesn't matter if its a COUPE, or even a Viper- its still going to do it! He is looking for an answer to a specific question: Do SRT Verts have the flexing problems that other convertibles on the market do.
NO, THEY DONT.
All your video proves is that any car with wheel hop can and will flex. That is not a surprise in the least, and in no way indicative of a problem or answers the OP's question. If that was a coupe in the video, it would be doing the same thing. If it was your car in the video, it would be worse than that vert. Is that indicative of a problem? No. Just like it wouldnt matter if it was a Gen-1, 2, 3 or 4 being driven into a brick wall at 200. NONE of them would survive, so who cares what the results of THAT test are?
georgethedog
Enthusiast
All I can say is the little flex mine might have ever had is gone with the Autoform Roll Bar.
The correct answer is: The Year Matters. You ask "do they shake-rattle...." in clear english, no hidden meanings?
EVOKING: Did I misunderstand your question?
The very stiffness that Final GTS cites in post # 2 conspires to create some rattle and shake.
If you buy a Gen 1 Viper (all convertibles) they are simultaneously loved and hated for the almost kit-car build, heavy suspensions, esp on rough roads. "Shake-Rattle?" YES! The chassis of 100% of Viper convertibles flex more than their coupe counterparts, but much less than any Sebring or Corvette or Mustang for example. And if you drive a Gen 1 on rough roads? Your cell-phone conversation will make kids laugh....
I have seen an improperly-secured hard top LIFT off the windshiled header in a corner? Why? Chassis flex. They all do it.... but Vipers do it less than SOBs. ..... Ask ANY SRT10 vert owner how a roll bar changed the ride and handling? Flex GONE.
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