New Video with Ralph saying they tested the TA edition with sport cups

[patgilm]

Pretty good video below. Ralph mentions they tested the TA with sport cups and it was 2-1/2 seconds faster than the Pirellis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k-ItYO0LoMU#!

 

[kdaviper]

Love the Vette Fanbois in the comments whining and complaining that the Viper is an inferior car.... right after it wiped the smile off the ZR1, MPSC's and all!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Bingo --------------------and I think this was noted in the beginning that the Sport Cups ,with the new compounding in 2012, were stinking fast, whereas the Pirellis are more appropriate for 90% of drivers - as it does have much better capabilities for driving if it would rain., etc.

Nice to see Ralph chat about Trofeos in the future, as we will all realize how truly quick the Gen V is ----- bet we will see some track rats pop on a set of Hoosiers too, and report back some killer times!!

 

[ACRucrazy]

I want a Gen V

 

[canadian venom]

cool vid , thanks for sharing !!!

 

[TrackAire]

Fantastic vid, good info on the Sport Cups.

So, a set of sticky tires, a more performance alignment and perfect track conditions at Laguna Seca (which is very difficult to get, but it can happen), a high 1:29 lap time seems very possible.

Oh boy, I'm guessing a bunch of Vette guys are going to be slicing their wrists with shards of fiberglass

Cheers,

George (aka TA)

 

[VENOM V]

Not to mention that they softened the production cars' suspension. That's big to me. I want to drive it hard at the track, but take it on long weekend getaways too. Now we can have our cake and eat it too.

 

[rw99]

Great interview, with straight-from-the-horse's-mouth info.

Confirms what most of us were thinking/saying about our beloved Cups, and it was interesting to have both Pobst and Gilles at the table. I'm glad to hear that 'Cuda is years away, hopefully a re-think is in progress (especially given the concept renderings ). Sounds like there's a new Challenger sub-species lurking somewhere in Michigan, and I'll be very interested to see if a version of the Challenger ACR concept might come forward to production.

It is truly astounding that SRT managed to push the Viper TA out the door and right into competition in a few months. And dovetailing the MT track work with the NY show and press was really SMART marketing... kudos to Paretta, Sharples, et. al.

SRT is a small division with limited resources, but clearly they take advantage of their opportunities to be nimble... and Viper Nation benefits!


Rich

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

What a great round table, it was very classy and Ralph was cool about talking about the other products and his answer to them ;-)

 

[kdaviper]

What cuda renderings? Chrysler hasn't released any, only crackpot attempts by MT and the like

 

[PDCjonny]

Thats a great interview.
Have to be excited to see what the ACR will do.

 

[JAY]

Great Vid !

 

[vpower01]

Perelli who came up with that. pfft.

 

[bluestreak]

2.5 seconds on what track? 2.5 seconds on Laguna would be only 4 tenths or so slower than the Pirelli Slicks. Not sure if I believe that for Laguna. Maybe a longer track with more steady state turning. Either way, it's great that they improved the car with what they had, so now it's completely believable that all three versions of the Gen V are faster than the ZR1 on the same tire.

Hope they take all three back when the Trofeo R's come out and set new times.

PS: The ACR is going to destroy.

PSS: Love Ralph, got all excited with the hints on the Challenger and smack talk to Ford. Best CEO car guy around.

 

[01sapphirebob]

Great video indeed!

 

[steve911]

and with Cup prices (esp rears) at historically low prices, now is a great time to try them out...

 

[Alabaster Mamba]

2.5 seconds on what track? 2.5 seconds on Laguna would be only 4 tenths or so slower than the Pirelli Slicks. Not sure if I believe that for Laguna. Maybe a longer track with more steady state turning. Either way, it's great that they improved the car with what they had, so now it's completely believable that all three versions of the Gen V are faster than the ZR1 on the same tire.

Hope they take all three back when the Trofeo R's come out and set new times.

PS: The ACR is going to destroy.

PSS: Love Ralph, got all excited with the hints on the Challenger and smack talk to Ford. Best CEO car guy around.

Definitely so! How many car clubs can say they have a "Real Car Guy"? Other clubs will be saying, "I wish we had Ralph!!".

 

[Alabaster Mamba]

Every time I see a video of Ralph in an interview I know that we are lucky and fortunate to have him as our CEO and Viper Representative. Keep up the great work Mr. Gilles.

 

[v10enomous]

Makes you proud to be part of Viper Nation...

 

[viper GTS-R]

Wait...
Is the Gen V only using an Italian tire cause Chry co. is in bed with Fiat? Is that the deal? Because it offers a slightly more comfortable ride on the street? I don't understand the point of using a Ferrari tire now, rather than using the Michelin's the Viper has been sitting on for YEARS. Even past and present GTS-R's use them. Didn't Ralph and Dick go the extra mile to drive a Gen V from coast to coast to tune the suspension?

I know guys will be swapping wheels and tires at the track eventually, Hoosiers, Michelins, Nitto's, etc depending on what your doing. But if they knew the Michelin's were better than the Pirelli's from the start, why didn't they stick with them? Kinda makes the MT battle seem more like a staged test drive to see how a pre production car handled outside of SRT. That's some pretty odd publicity if you ask me.

--RS

 

[VENOM V]

Wait...
Is the Gen V only using an Italian tire cause Chry co. is in bed with Fiat? Is that the deal? Because it offers a slightly more comfortable ride on the street? I don't understand the point of using a Ferrari tire now, rather than using the Michelin's the Viper has been sitting on for YEARS. Even past and present GTS-R's use them. Didn't Ralph and Dick go the extra mile to drive a Gen V from coast to coast to tune the suspension?

I know guys will be swapping wheels and tires at the track eventually, Hoosiers, Michelins, Nitto's, etc depending on what your doing. But if they knew the Michelin's were better than the Pirelli's from the start, why didn't they stick with them? Kinda makes the MT battle seem more like a staged test drive to see how a pre production car handled outside of SRT. That's some pretty odd publicity if you ask me.

--RS

I had heard that Michelin and SRT had a falling out, during bankruptcy. That may be a rumor, but if true, SRT may not have had a choice. That said, I'm really hoping Michelin builds BOTH Pilot Super Sports and Pilot Sport Cups in Gen V sizes. They make Cups in Gen V front size, and just slightly smaller in the rear at 345/30-19, so I will probably run Cups when my Corsas wear out.

 

[RevHeat]

Michelin best tires money can by, nothing comes close!

 

[drl650]

Ralph is a way cool car guy. I really like the new Viper and will have one in about 3 months. But I am not sure that all 3 versions will be faster than the current ZR1? Hell the TA was only eight hundredths of a second faster than the ZR1. Remember the C7 Hi Po model will be even faster than the current ZR1? No matter what someone will always be faster. Kudos to the SRT team and Ralph for putting together a great group of Gen Vs.

 

[jsd512]

ACR is going to rip **** up.

 

[bluestreak]

Ralph is a way cool car guy. I really like the new Viper and will have one in about 3 months. But I am not sure that all 3 versions will be faster than the current ZR1? Hell the TA was only eight hundredths of a second faster than the ZR1. Remember the C7 Hi Po model will be even faster than the current ZR1? No matter what someone will always be faster. Kudos to the SRT team and Ralph for putting together a great group of Gen Vs.

On the same tire, it's certainly possible given how much faster MPSC are than Corsas.

 

[I Bin Therbefor]

I had the pleasure of listening to the Michelin engineer talking about the Cups. When the folks in the audiance started to light up about them he immediately tried to get the audiance to understand that while rated for the street, they were not street "friendly" tires, certainly not weather friendly. Further, they had no life to speak of as a street tire. As I recall he said they'd probably last on the street long enough for you to drive from the car dealer to the Michelin dealer to buy another pair. They are an excellent tool for their purpose but it is a very specialized purpose. Cups and the street don't mix.
Having said that, I really like it that Pirelli and Michelin have a bit of a competition going. Further, the technology exchange program that McLaren and Pirelli have signed will benefit the entire Pirelli line.

Thanks for the vid.

I really wonder if Chrysler realizes what they have in Ralph. I some times wonder if the guy is triplets, very talented triplets!!!

 

[Tenney]

Cool car guy. DeLorean/Lutz of his gen?

 

[BlknBlu]

So it appears that the T/A may out track the Gen IV ACR. Fantastic Video for the doubters.

Bruce

 

[Makara]

Cool car guy. DeLorean/Lutz of his gen?

Well, let's hope he doesn't build an under powered sports car then get busted for ******* like DeLorean, and lets hope he doesn't move over to vettes like Lutz.

 

[Canuck]

A really top-flight interview by Ralph.
Way to be firm but also really amazing to see how in action, how is able to win people over to his side.
Great leadership Ralph!