Hi, I currently own a 01 Z06 & am very pleased with it, I am contentplating getting a Viper. I understand that the 2003 & up Viper are much more refined in chassis, braking & performance. Are the coupes stiffer than the ragtops of this series? Are the 2008 models lazier on the bottom end than the 2003-2007 cars? Which Factory Rims are the lightest? Thanks, I'll probably have more questions in my search!
Questions about buying a Viper, Some Technical.
- Thread starter alnukem
- Start date
rcl4668
Enthusiast
First, welcome to the board.
Next, my understanding is that the 2006 and 2008 coupes (the only year for coupes thus far) are a bit stiffer compared to the convertibles. That being said, the interesting thing about the 2003-2008 Viper convertibles is that the car was designed from the beginning as a convertible and only later made as a coupe so the chassis rigidity for the convertible is still very high. Because of this, the Viper convertible is fairly special in that it is actually lighter than the coupe;
You also asked about laziness of the throttle for 2008s compared to 2003-2006 models. I own a 2008 and previously had a 2006 and while there have been some comments about lack of initial throttle response due to the new for 2008 drive by wire throttle control, I personally could not tell the difference between the two at initial throttle roll-in. What I can feel is that at higher rpms (near redline), the 2008 seems to have greater grunt compared with the 2006 which seemed to get slightly winded.
Lastly, from 2003-2008 there have been five OEM rims offered: a stock 10-spoke rim, the so-called "Sidewinder" rim offered on the Copperhead special edition convertible in 2005 and now the 2008 ACR, a 5-spoke rim, a 'Razor' rim and an 'H-spoke' rim. The 10-spoke is the heaviest, with the 5-spoke, H- and Razor style wheels being slightly lighter. The only OEM rim that is significantly lighter is the Sidewinder which is about 30 lbs per set lighter than the other rims. Here is a pic of the Sidewinder rim on my Viper:
Hope this helps.
/Rich
[email protected]
Enthusiast
Thanks for the info.
black mamba1
Enthusiast
The Gen 3 (2003-2006, there are no 2007 Vipers) SRT Vert has less drag than the coupe, but the coupe is a tad bit stiffer. Not really noticeable unless w/ a professional driver. Early Gen 3's (03's and very early 04's) are about .2-.3 tenths faster thru the 1/4 mile than the 05's and 06's. But those early models have some issues w/ failed rods under hard driving. You will need to buy a roll bar if you plan on tracking the Vert.
You can get the ACR rims, they are super light and give quite a bit of handling improvement. I have seen the 08 torque and power curve, and yes the 90 hp increase is not really relevant at the low rpms, and some have said it could use more push down there. But Vipers are traction challenged, and from the dig, that lack of initial grunt can help in acceleration. The Gen 4 only got a 35 ft-lb of torque increase, while gaining a 90 hp increase.
What are you gonna do with your car? Forced inducted Gen 3's are the fastest cars around. But a gen 4 w/ headers and exhaust and 3:33's is just about unbeatable.
Thanks for the Excellent replies! I guess I always wanted a "Cobra" since I was a kid & these are a new...."Cobra" with roll up windows & a top....quite a improvement. I was kinda thinking of a street car to play around with. I was thinking along the lines of headers/exhaust & upping the compression with aftermarket heads, with the 500+ cubes, it has to be a hoot!
