New owner

[webby]

Congrats! I personally love the stock Viper sound - just wish it were a little louder. But it has a nice rumble at low RPMs and then is high pitched when you push it

OK, now, one thing that I have yet to see is a viper with a bike on a roof rack. ( Just sayin.... )

Congrats on the new baby !

you don't need a rack

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[Steve M]

I have a sort of dumb question...I am a noob after all.

Why do the Vette guys refer to the motor in this car as a truck motor? Is that meant to be derogatory?

The truck motor thing seems to be a pretty common dig, along with people saying the interior is crap. The other dig I've heard against Vipers? "They don't handle well." What's worse is when you call them on it, they still won't believe a Viper can go around corners.

 

[MtnBiker]

Don't handle we'll? Pfft! From what little I have experienced the car sticks way better in the corners than my Z. My response to that dig would be "have you driven one?" I believe it is a matter of skill, no matter what car one drives. Skill to handle the car you are in.
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[CEJ]

Is an iron block used in the Ram? I thought that was another difference...iron block vs. aluminum block in Viper.

 

[CEJ]

The truck motor thing seems to be a pretty common dig, along with people saying the interior is crap. The other dig I've heard against Vipers? "They don't handle well." What's worse is when you call them on it, they still won't believe a Viper can go around corners.

I had a buddy (Porsche guy) ask what I had in the garage nowadays and as soon as the word "Viper" was said, he started bashing how badly they handled. Not surprisingly, he's never driven a Viper.

That's okay with me...he loves paying a ton of money to fix his Porsche, and I love driving my Viper that rarely needs anything.

 

[Sonoman]

The "not handling well" comments probably stem from all the crashes where owners have lost control of the car and stacked it, often in the first few weeks or months of ownership. This is not unusual for any high-powered rear-drive car, however. On Wrecked Exotics there are a bevy of smashed Lambos and Ferraris every week, even models with traction control. When the only time you hear about a certain vehicle in the news is because it is involved in a major accident, it is easy to start jumping to conclusions about handling and safety. The Viper _can_ come around suddenly with a heavy right foot, but then, so can a lot of other cars. Back 30+ years ago it took a racer's reflexes to catch a 930 Turbo or a DeTomaso Pantera once the rear end came out beyond a certain point; I think most modern vehicles have tamed this snap oversteer down a bit, but it can still happen when the conditions are wrong and you have the power to really spin the rears as the Viper does.

 

[MtnBiker]

I appreciate the feedback in this thread. I have learned a lot about the Viper's perceived reputation and flaws. I agree with the last post about driver skill/carelessness. The Vette also snap oversteers and all new owners are cautioned to respect the power. Pride of ownership is the main reason for derogatory comments IMO. I am a car guy not a brand guy, and Have owned the Vette and 911. I own a bad a$$ Viper now and look forward to learning to drive it well. I respect its power and raucousness and plan to take good care of it.

 

[BadAzp]

The original V-10 was initially developed for use in the Ram. When the Viper needed a worthy powerplant, they sourced the V-10. Unique features of the Viper version included a low-profile cross-ram intake with dual throttle bodies, the manifolds, oil pan, heads, and accessory drive; the compression ratio was raised, the pistons lightened, the maximum engine speed increased, the valves enlarged, the rods and crank strengthened. In the end, few components were shared with the truck engine. In 2003 the Viper received a revised 8.3L powerplant. Dodge also produced a SRT10 Ram variant that shared all the basic components of the Viper 8.3L V-10, however this time the 8.3L was designed for the Viper and not visa versa.

I know this is an old thread but i was searching for 03 piston/rod to 05 piston/ rod comparisons and came across it.
This truck motor story is so wrong.
The aluminum viper v10 was first displayed in 92 while the truck iron v10 was in 94.
The UPS truck story is plausible enough but the fact is the viper version was based off the 360 (which at the time WAS a truck motor).
The viper v10 was way ahead of the iron truck v10