MY TA has arrived---Questions

[bobafett]

My TA arrived yesterday with all of its 2 miles on it. This is my 1st Viper and the 1st time I have ever driven 1. I'm coming out of a 2011 ZR1, and both of my vettes before that were also supercharged.

The driver let me pull it off the truck and the car was exactly what I expected it to be with its initial impression.

- very aggressive in nature
- not as compromising
- very race oriented
- more in touch with driver than what I'm used to

Anyhow, later in the day I took the Ms. out for dinner and got to put about 25 miles on her and at this point I am not sure what to think. Completely satisfied with how the car feels and handles and brakes- again, just what I expected. Heres my concern, the car just did not feel anywhere near as fast as the ZR1. The gas pedal is very mushy and just did not have that power on tap the way the ZR felt. Now, I did not really get into her and never went wide open throttle (although the manual says to do so) but the car just feels slow compared to what I just came out of. Theres also a slight ticking you can hear at idle when sitting in the car-Is this normal?- and yes I do realize she's brand new but I am a bit concerned. I also realize that the ZR delivers it power with an adder and the viper doesn't, but for cars that are practically identical in power and speed, there seems to be a credible difference as far as acceleration in the 2. Now is it that these cars in nature just really want to be hammered on for the car to deliver, or do I have something to be concerned about...?

 

[Bobpantax]

Congratulations and welcome to the Time Attack Pack.

Good questions. My pedal does not feel mushy to me but that is subjective and depends on what you are used to from the prior car. The ZR1 puts out more torque in the mid range. It is a better drag racer. The TA is a better road racer and was designed and engineered for that purpose. The Gen V, as shown by Nineball's posts can do a 10.9 in good weather but takes more skill to do it.

Once she is broken in, take her through the gears. You will not be disappointed. The power really kicks in and surges at higher RPM. One note. Take it easy on the brakes during the first 100 miles or so so the they seat properly.

Without hearing the ticking, it is hard to say whether it is normal or not.

 

[05Commemorative]

Take it to 4000 rpm in 2nd gear and then mash it to the floor and see if you feel the same way. first half of throttle is going to feel "softer", second half is going to feel more aggressive.

 

[MtnBiker]

I came out of a C6Z 06 into a Gen IV and felt the same. But, when it hits 4000 RPM a bomb goes off. The Gen IV has fly by wire throttle and it had serious lag. I understand they improved that in the Gen V. What helped with that was installing the Mopar race ECU. It significantly reduced the throttle lag. When they come out with the Gen V race ECU I would recommend it. I also installed Belanger headers and exhaust. I have tracked with numerous ZR1s and they cannot hang on the straights. Give if time it will grow on you and you will never look back. Congrats!

 

[johniew398]

I had a 2009 ZR1 and they are different for sure. The TA is more old school hot rod or at least that's my opinion about my TA.

Take it easy (not over 4k rpm) for the first 500 miles, change the oil and then nail it and see what you think.

 

[RSNAKE]

The LS9 in the ZR1 makes more torque than the Viper through most of the rev range. That is probably what you are feeling. However, once you hammer it and take the Viper to redline, you are then going to keep the engine in a rev range with torque more equivalent to the LS9. It is really just the difference between a NA motor and the roots / twisted rotor supercharged motor behavior. The Viper needs the RPM. Kind of a reversal compared to when supercharged motors were rare from the OEM's. Without the supercharger, the Viper's larger displacement gives it far superior torque across the rev range compared to any other NA OEM motor.

The image below shows the graphs compared to the Gen IV motor, so the Gen V motor would fair a little better than shown.

 

[ACRBruce]

Hi bobafett, Welcome to the TA tribe. How does the TA's brake feel compare to your ZR1, feel as to initial bite, pedal effort, linearity, etc.? BTW what color did you get? Any pix?

 

[shine]

Didn't I read someone's review of their Gen V recently on here where they talked about how after the 500-mile break in period, the beast really came alive? Throttle response was among those (as well as the suspension and even the seats became more comfy).

Congrats on the TA.

 

[SteveT]

bobafett - I agree with most of the comments above on the power delivery of the Viper VS ZR1. I drove 2 new 2013 GTS models yesterday and while improved (from my 2008 Viper), the throttle response off idle and at slower revs is still slow compared to my 2010 ZR1.

I still "feel" that the ZR1 is faster/quicker but the explosive nature of the Viper power after the revs build is just a very unique and grin inducing experience.

As far as the ticking sound goes I would bet it is the injectors you are hearing, just remember race cars make lots of different noise. Drive by and let the Viper tech take a quick listen but I doubt you have anything to worry about.
The bigger problem you will have is the extra time you will have to spend at each fill up, corner store trip, stop at the post office, etc...were you will be answering questions from people 8 to 80 about the Viper.
Take your time and get a feel for it before you push it to hard but in the end it is still the most fun on four wheels.

 

[Bruce H.]

Here's a Gen V dyno with the boys from SRT, and discussions note they got to 558 whp and 552 wtq on the DynoJet, and converts to the 640 whp and 600 wtq rating with a conservative driveline loss. Their dyno plots those against speed instead of engine rpm used in the above dyno, but the 640 whp and 600 wtq compares well with the similar ZR1's. http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/666705-Gen-V-dyno-New-Vid?highlight=dyno+Ralph

Can't beat a large S/C for low rpm torque, but nice not to have to worry about heat soak on the track with the N/A. I love the low rpm S/C grunt in my 510hp XKR on the street, but at mid and higher rpm on the track that advantage simply disappears.

 

[bobafett]

Congratulations and welcome to the Time Attack Pack.

Good questions. My pedal does not feel mushy to me but that is subjective and depends on what you are used to from the prior car. The ZR1 puts out more torque in the mid range. It is a better drag racer. The TA is a better road racer and was designed and engineered for that purpose. The Gen V, as shown by Nineball's posts can do a 10.9 in good weather but takes more skill to do it.

Once she is broken in, take her through the gears. You will not be disappointed. The power really kicks in and surges at higher RPM. One note. Take it easy on the brakes during the first 100 miles or so so the they seat properly.

Without hearing the ticking, it is hard to say whether it is normal or not.

thanks for the welcome and congrats and taking the time to post - Ill take it easy on the brakes

Take it to 4000 rpm in 2nd gear and then mash it to the floor and see if you feel the same way. first half of throttle is going to feel "softer", second half is going to feel more aggressive.

will do

I came out of a C6Z 06 into a Gen IV and felt the same. But, when it hits 4000 RPM a bomb goes off. The Gen IV has fly by wire throttle and it had serious lag. I understand they improved that in the Gen V. What helped with that was installing the Mopar race ECU. It significantly reduced the throttle lag. When they come out with the Gen V race ECU I would recommend it. I also installed Belanger headers and exhaust. I have tracked with numerous ZR1s and they cannot hang on the straights. Give if time it will grow on you and you will never look back. Congrats!

thank u for the congrats and your post - I am considering Belanger headers and corsa exhaust...

I had a 2009 ZR1 and they are different for sure. The TA is more old school hot rod or at least that's my opinion about my TA.

Take it easy (not over 4k rpm) for the first 500 miles, change the oil and then nail it and see what you think.

will do

The LS9 in the ZR1 makes more torque than the Viper through most of the rev range. That is probably what you are feeling. However, once you hammer it and take the Viper to redline, you are then going to keep the engine in a rev range with torque more equivalent to the LS9. It is really just the difference between a NA motor and the roots / twisted rotor supercharged motor behavior. The Viper needs the RPM. Kind of a reversal compared to when supercharged motors were rare from the OEM's. Without the supercharger, the Viper's larger displacement gives it far superior torque across the rev range compared to any other NA OEM motor.

The image below shows the graphs compared to the Gen IV motor, so the Gen V motor would fair a little better than shown.

thanks for the graph bud - I know that this all might just be me being that I have next to no seat time in the car as well as the fact that I now have had so many cars with power adders.

Hi bobafett, Welcome to the TA tribe. How does the TA's brake feel compare to your ZR1, feel as to initial bite, pedal effort, linearity, etc.? BTW what color did you get? Any pix?

Hi Bruce-I cant tell you my feelings as far as aggressive braking on the Viper as I can the ZR being that I have not drove it like that yet. I will say that I am very pleased with how they feel and pedal effort at this point-pretty smooth. I really believe that they could even lack in comparison to the ZR brakes and still be quite enough for me. The ZR brakes are that good. Thanks for the welcome, got orange # 68...I will attempt pics

Didn't I read someone's review of their Gen V recently on here where they talked about how after the 500-mile break in period, the beast really came alive? Throttle response was among those (as well as the suspension and even the seats became more comfy).

Congrats on the TA.

thank u sir. guess ill have to wait and see about the 500 mi thing...

bobafett - I agree with most of the comments above on the power delivery of the Viper VS ZR1. I drove 2 new 2013 GTS models yesterday and while improved (from my 2008 Viper), the throttle response off idle and at slower revs is still slow compared to my 2010 ZR1.

I still "feel" that the ZR1 is faster/quicker but the explosive nature of the Viper power after the revs build is just a very unique and grin inducing experience.

As far as the ticking sound goes I would bet it is the injectors you are hearing, just remember race cars make lots of different noise. Drive by and let the Viper tech take a quick listen but I doubt you have anything to worry about.
The bigger problem you will have is the extra time you will have to spend at each fill up, corner store trip, stop at the post office, etc...were you will be answering questions from people 8 to 80 about the Viper.
Take your time and get a feel for it before you push it to hard but in the end it is still the most fun on four wheels.

Thanks for your post Steve as it is a bit mind easing-I will def take some time to get a better feel for the Viper

 

[ViperSmith]

The car is a bit bland below 3500RPM (which I mean it isn't really) - but once you get above that it is scary.

I'd do the break in cycle of 500 miles, get the oil changed, and then drive it like you stole it.

 

[Nine Ball]

FYI, the engines are already broken-in at the assembly plant, before they get installed into the car. The suggested break-in cycle is mostly for the clutch, rearend, transmission, and brake pads. I wouldn't be scared to make a few wide-open hits on the highway with it, but allowing the components to cool properly after that. The cars are not fragile, trust me.

The ZR1 with the TVS blower will have more instant throttle response, I used to have a TVS on my 7.0L C6Z. It had a lot of snap, even from low rpm. But, side by side, the Viper and ZR1 are identical in performance. Just different seat of the pants experiences, that is all. Nail it at 65 mph from 2nd gear on the highway, a lot of fun. Don't shift until you see the tach face glowing with the snake logo, as close to rev limiter as possible.

 

[TAXIMAN1]

The C6 ZR is an animal. I drove one, and it made my GenIV feel slow. the car is downright dangerous (in a good way). I would not compare the 2 cars.

 

[bushido]

The brakes on the ZR1 are no comparsion to the Viper's (Which are Ferrari Enzo brakes). I drove my friends Carbon Edition Z06 which has the ZR1 brakes at Laguna Seca, and the braking was phenomenal. Phenomenal lap after lap. The two best braking cars I've driven was the Carbon Z,and a 2011 GT3RS. Both sporting 6 piston brakes..

 

[Jack B]

Questions

1. Is the zr drive by wire.

2. What is the zr's 1st gear ratio.

 

[Dan Cragin]

The dyno sheets shown really show the torque comparison. The SC Corvette has the low speed advantage. Once you get settled into your car, I think the performance factor will be obvious. You really need to "drive" a Viper to see its strong points. Get the car on the track and the "time attack" logo will come into focus. I think the look of the TA Viper is way more refined, sinister but with style.

If you want more low end power, a gear change and some exhaust mods will wake it up.

Its funny as the earlier generation Viper's were torque heavy down low, which gave them a reputation of being scary, the VVT 08-14 models tend to be the opposite, fluffy down low, the power comes on at 3500 rpm and hits hyperdrive at 4500.

 

[johniew398]

FYI, the engines are already broken-in at the assembly plant, before they get installed into the car. The suggested break-in cycle is mostly for the clutch, rearend, transmission, and brake pads. I wouldn't be scared to make a few wide-open hits on the highway with it, but allowing the components to cool properly after that. The cars are not fragile, trust me.

The ZR1 with the TVS blower will have more instant throttle response, I used to have a TVS on my 7.0L C6Z. It had a lot of snap, even from low rpm. But, side by side, the Viper and ZR1 are identical in performance. Just different seat of the pants experiences, that is all. Nail it at 65 mph from 2nd gear on the highway, a lot of fun. Don't shift until you see the tach face glowing with the snake logo, as close to rev limiter as possible.

Where did you get the information that the engines are broken in at the assembly plant?

 

[Bobpantax]

Here is what I was told by SRT.

1. Follow the 500 mile break in procedure.

2. The idle drops to 700 after 1000 miles. ( It is at 950 until then.)

3. If I wanted to dyno the car, I should wait until about 2000 miles for the best result.

I changed the oil after 500 miles to take a good look at it. Based on color, etc., there was really no need to have done that but I always do after a break in period. Its just an old school habit.

Whether any of the above is due to any need to break the engine in as opposed to letting other driveline components break in, I do not know.

 

[bobafett]

Thanks guys for taking the time to respond. Right now it sounds like I just need more seat time...