Ford GT seating/comfort vs. my SRT-10?

[Wicked]

Would like to know what you all think about the Ford GT compared to our Vipers? (For those that have owned or driven one) Looking for Ride quality, comfort, etc.. Head room for tall people (I'm 6'4")

Heat Soak/Driving and it's effect on the car's power output.

Also, how do the dealerships deal with warranty work? (i.e. Not having the car for 30 days to fix a window)

Thanks!
Jason

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

I rode in a GT; seats are harder and flatter, also wider. But not uncomfortable.

Head room is better than an RT. Just watch how you swing the doors because of part of the roof is on the door. It seems to have more room inside, feels more open.

You can reach 100 in second on the rev limiter very quickly and smoothly.

The ride is excellent. Corners flat, but never felt ultra stiff.

The owner of the GT also has a '93 RT. Likes them both, but finds things to change on the RT. Says he can't find anything he'd do to the GT.

 

[Fast Viper]

A coworker just bought the GT, Excellent car, Very comfortable ride, my buddies 6'2, and its his daily. AC works real good too! The exhaust has to go, too quiet

 

[Need1]

Tom nailed most of it. The one thing is you hit your head on the door all the time. The seats like Tom said are comfortable, you're very low to the ground, and you have poor visibility. Thing is FAST even compared to the Viper. Feels like the back wheels are lifting up off the ground as you accelerate. It is a very fun car to drive, although I think the SRT makes a better every day driver.

You already found one? We might sell ours... If you want to PM me your email I'll let you know for sure if we do or not, if we do, might not be for a few months though. It's white with blue stripes, steering wheel signed by Shelby.

 

[Tranzow]

I had a chance to seat in one only. The seat is rock hard! Can't help you with the height issue as I'm 5'11. For my size, my SRT is much more comfortable but the GT is one smokin good lookin machine.

 

[Les Quam]

I currently own both an 06 Viper and 06 FGT. Here are my thoughts. FGT is not near as comfortable as the Viper. For a tall guy the FGT is tough but so is the Viper I would think? The FGT seats are hard and the holes are somewhat uncomfortable. Sound in FGT is flat out boring. Can't beat the shake rattle and roll of side exhaust Viper in stock configuation IMHO.

Car for car the Viper is simply superior in every department but looks. The FGT may well be one of the best looking cars ever built? Fit and finish on my FGT is outstanding. In regard to performance the FGT is really no faster in stock configuration than the 06 Viper depending on the driver. Not long ago a FGT project engineer spoke off the record to some automotive journalists and indicated the FGT used for the magazine tests was super tuned which explains why most FGT owners including me are disappointed with the FGT performance in stock configuration. HOWEVER for cheap money a FGT can be modified and is easily then a 650 to 700 HP rocketship and with the Ford offroad exhaust may be the best sounding street car I have ever heard? The Viper with it's V-10 just can't come close to a modified FGT in terms of exhaust note. My thoughts are focusing mostly on stock V. stock.

It's also important to realize Ford does not specialize in low volume hand built cars and rushed the FGT into production for it's 100 year anniv. Ford then made only a two year committment to the car and did not designate FGT techs at dealerships like Dodge has with the Viper tech program. Fords factory to dealer support for service is virtually non existent. Like all new models the FGT had some growing pains and for the most part has left it up to the FGT owners to sort out their cars.

Ford also does not support a club like Dodge does with the VCA, and does not support the car with a driver training program like Viper days. Also note Ford does little if anything in regard to events like Dodge's Viper invitationals. Essentially Ford built the FGT as one time only anniv. car and that is the extent of it's committment to it's owners.

That being said FGT owners are a rabidly loyal bunch fiercly defensive of their cars. Many seem to believe the FGT is a supercar in the class of a 430 Ferrari or Porsche GT2. Most FGT owners seem to think their mid engine cars are clearly superior to a Vette and a Viper. However objectivley speaking Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette and the Vipers have been around for many years and have been fully sorted out by the manufacturers and are vastly superior to the FGT simply because the builders have maintained their committment to their cars for decades and year after year continually strive to improve their cars.

The FGT is truly a unique and historic car in that it has the retro look , cool doors commenerates Ford beating Ferrari at Le Mans and is only a two year only car so it has almost immediate collector appeal. I don't think Detroit will ever build another car like it and Ford should be commended for building the car in the first place. The cool factor and fun factor in driving the FGT is off the charts simply because of what the car is. However if you are a track guy who wants a car to drive on the street and beat the snot out of it on weekends at the track the Viper is clearly the better car. The FGT is more a show and collector type car while the Viper is a working class performance supercar ready for all battles.
My two cents.

 

[Smog Dog]

Nice post, Les. Interesting, and from a man who owns both cars.

 

[Manatee]

There are so many FGT owners that ALSO own Vipers, that the best FGT owner website http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/index.php? has a separate forum where they discuss their Vipers. You may want to go over there and read their comparisons. They are an honest bunch of owners and will answer any questions. A lot of them also own Ferraris and Lambos, so comparison threads abound.

p.s. if you buy an FGT, find one without the subwoofer. It takes up a lot of the cabin space. Backing up is difficult as there is virtually no rear vision. Gearbox needs to be warm/hot to shift easily in second. I'm 5'10" and have no problems with seating. It is a great car to drive. Lots of fun. It attracts more attention than any other car I've owned, by far. Many owners have bought a second FGT just to store away.

I don't own a Viper, yet. I have driven them, but I don't feel I have enough quality seat time in them to justify me giving a fair comparison. I can't wait to drive (or own) an '08 Viper!

 

[Tranzow]

I currently own both an 06 Viper and 06 FGT. Here are my thoughts. FGT is not near as comfortable as the Viper. For a tall guy the FGT is tough but so is the Viper I would think? The FGT seats are hard and the holes are somewhat uncomfortable. Sound in FGT is flat out boring. Can't beat the shake rattle and roll of side exhaust Viper in stock configuation IMHO.

Car for car the Viper is simply superior in every department but looks. The FGT may well be one of the best looking cars ever built? Fit and finish on my FGT is outstanding. In regard to performance the FGT is really no faster in stock configuration than the 06 Viper depending on the driver. Not long ago a FGT project engineer spoke off the record to some automotive journalists and indicated the FGT used for the magazine tests was super tuned which explains why most FGT owners including me are disappointed with the FGT performance in stock configuration. HOWEVER for cheap money a FGT can be modified and is easily then a 650 to 700 HP rocketship and with the Ford offroad exhaust may be the best sounding street car I have ever heard? The Viper with it's V-10 just can't come close to a modified FGT in terms of exhaust note. My thoughts are focusing mostly on stock V. stock.

It's also important to realize Ford does not specialize in low volume hand built cars and rushed the FGT into production for it's 100 year anniv. Ford then made only a two year committment to the car and did not designate FGT techs at dealerships like Dodge has with the Viper tech program. Fords factory to dealer support for service is virtually non existent. Like all new models the FGT had some growing pains and for the most part has left it up to the FGT owners to sort out their cars.

Ford also does not support a club like Dodge does with the VCA, and does not support the car with a driver training program like Viper days. Also note Ford does little if anything in regard to events like Dodge's Viper invitationals. Essentially Ford built the FGT as one time only anniv. car and that is the extent of it's committment to it's owners.

That being said FGT owners are a rabidly loyal bunch fiercly defensive of their cars. Many seem to believe the FGT is a supercar in the class of a 430 Ferrari or Porsche GT2. Most FGT owners seem to think their mid engine cars are clearly superior to a Vette and a Viper. However objectivley speaking Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette and the Vipers have been around for many years and have been fully sorted out by the manufacturers and are vastly superior to the FGT simply because the builders have maintained their committment to their cars for decades and year after year continually strive to improve their cars.

The FGT is truly a unique and historic car in that it has the retro look , cool doors commenerates Ford beating Ferrari at Le Mans and is only a two year only car so it has almost immediate collector appeal. I don't think Detroit will ever build another car like it and Ford should be commended for building the car in the first place. The cool factor and fun factor in driving the FGT is off the charts simply because of what the car is. However if you are a track guy who wants a car to drive on the street and beat the snot out of it on weekends at the track the Viper is clearly the better car. The FGT is more a show and collector type car while the Viper is a working class performance supercar ready for all battles.
My two cents.

Great comparison. As I felt the Viper is more comfortable, but the GT is an incredible head-turner. If they were both priced at 80Gs I'd take the GT, but I paid 62,000 last July for my 05 with under 3,000 miles. Can't reconcile the difference, but I wish I had a spare 150Gs laying around for a GT.

By the way, my 22 year old son was in town last week from Fresno. He was driving my 05 Vert and had 2 great experiences. While in a gas station a cop pulled up and blocked him off. Scared the you know what out of him. the cop pulled his window down and asked the following: I'm going to ask you 1 question and I want you to be truthful. How fast have you had it? My son was scared sless as he realized that he forgot his drivers license. The cop realizing that he was tongue-tied, he said that don't worry I can't give you a ticket without witnessing your speed, my son Troy told him 100mph. The cop was stunned and replied is that all, you must be a very responsible driver and took off. Other experience was two hot babes ask for his phone number. Troy asks which one want's it. Their response was both, as we do everything together. Troy got cold feet and split, but he has a great girlfriend. He told me Dad, those girls wouldn't give me the time of day when I'm driving my Ford Focus. My son is a better man than I was at that age. Go VIPER!

 

[KenricGTS]

I don't know that I would agree Les I have both a GT and a VCA coupe. I would have to say that the GT is a better car in almost everyway. Saying that It costs almost twice as much, so that should be the case. The Viper is more practical. The GT has room for nothing buy you and your girl which is fine. The GT is better built more solid feeing. Now when modded the GT screams! My GT put down 551rwhp stone stock. That works out to 624 and change at the crank. Now with a pulley and a tune the GT put down 652rwhp. I have since added a Heffner car back and K&Ns. The GT is fine in town and on short trips buy after 200 miles the seats are a bit hard. Now I love my VCA coupe and for the money you can't beat it! With the blower it puts down 704rwhp, but the power band is much different than in the GT. Hope this helps, Also there is no issue at all with heat in the cabin. As with all cars there is going to be heat soak but, not at all really noticable. The pulls I did on the dyno with the GT was done Hot pull after pull. I have to say I love Vipers and the way we have the VCA and Dodge to support us. There is no such thing from Ford.

 

[Les Quam]

No question about it a modified FGT is an absolute rocketship and a blast to drive. I have personally watched four stock FGTs on a chassis dyno and never saw over 500 RWHP the average being about 475 with a low of 441? Which was quickly tuned to near 485. However I have heard about monster dyno pulls like the one described on this thread. With any non naturally aspirated motor their tends to be a wide variety in regard to stock HP. I had two Porsche GT2s and one was dramaticlly faster than the other and no amount of tuning could resolve it. Also experienced the same thing years ago with turbo 1987 Grand Nationals some were just much faster out of the box.

My thoughts on modifications relate to warranty issues and resale value. Plus any modifications on a FGT take more sorting out and absolutely must be done by someone with experience. The FGTs from what I have observed are more difficult to get to than the SVT Mustangs in terms of getting at the pulley.

Modifications on a Viper are less problamatic in my opinion simply because of the large amount of honest Viper dealers and tuners. Woodhouse, Roe, Cragin and Tator to name a few. Over the years a dedicated reliable network of Viper dealers and tuners has emerged along with this websight for modifying your Viper with peace of mind. More importantly Dodge from my personal experience had no problem with me tracking my Viper and honoring the warranty when I broke something.

I think if Ford had continued to build the FGT it would have become a legendary car and subsequently been superior to the Ferrari. Ford in my opinion should have continued the car in small volumes each year and used the car as a halo car to demonstrate their committment to excellence, not to mention their committment o FGT owners. Their lack of committment to the car left the owners to carry on the mystique. And I honestly although I may be biased think the FGT may be one of the two or three best looking cars ever built from any era. If one can afford a FGT it is a must have car.

But for all around bang for your supercar buck in my opinion the Viper is the better car. If I could only have one car the Viper is the car simply because it is more reliable, better sorted out, and has unprecedented factory support.