Road and Track give the nod to the Viper

[Early93Viper]

Road and Track September 2006 (When comparing the Viper SRT-10, C6 Z06 and the Ford GT):
"On the American side, the Viper gets the nod. On paper, the GT and Z06 outperform it in acceleration, but its grip, confidence factor, controllability and effortless, explosive torque make it the track-day darling."

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=7&article_id=3768

Notice the Lap times:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/WorldSuperpowersTrack.pdf

Pick up the issue if you get the chance.

 

[96GTS]

What I find interesting is that every Viper that rolls of the assembly line is the same. There's no modified street legal Viper that went on a significant diet with a huge bump in horsepower over other Vipers. It's basically unchanged since 2003, and it went head-to-head with the finest cars in the world that incorporate todays technology.

 

[Newport Viper]

Good read.

So, does that make the Viper the world's best vert?

 

[madman]

It makes it a worlds best roadster

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Good read.

So, does that make the Viper the world's best vert?

I think so.

These SRT/10's are going to be a hard car to ever beat. All this raw HP and torque in a convertible V10.
It just doesn't get any better. IMO

 

[John Johns]

The coupe would have done even better.

 

[Nader]

that is a good point, why did they test a convertible? They didnt test a 430 spider... I just bought the mag.

 

[SnakeBitten]

Good read.

So, does that make the Viper the world's best vert?

Maybe best affordable sporstcar vert....The AMG SL65 probably is the best vert overall in the world now or its maybe the Mercialago vert, F430 spider, Gallardo Spyder, soon to be Veyron vert etc...

 

[Nader]

SL65 - that car is just power in a straight line. I am not even sure if qualifies as a sportscar. More of a GT cruiser.

 

[Newport Viper]

The coupe would have done even better.

Why? Same HP, more weight.

 

[elanderholm]

I like how the euro rides have R-compounds...sweet. That's fair....

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

The trap speed on the SRT-10 seemed slow. It should have been over 120. Seems like it was the most unbiased comparison test in a magazine I have seen in a while. The Ferrari did better than I expected.

 

[Bobpantax]

"Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The coupe would have done even better.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why? Same HP, more weight."

The coupe would have done considerably better on the all around stats. It handles better on a road course and has a higher top speed.

 

[SylvanSRT]

Im not sure which all around stats you speak of, but to say it would have done considerably better does not make any sense. It'd the same car same chassis same engine with a hard roof panel and different rear end! my guess is that on a road course the difference would be marginal with the only advantage going to the coupe in overall top speed, and probably not by much.

 

[Nader]

From what i have heard it would be a slight advantage. the added rigidity that everyone talks about has to help somewhat.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

You'd have to think DC has improved upon the vert with the coupe.
That's what their about.
But for the money. The SRT/10's are Badassss.




2005 Silver SRT/10
2000 Steel Gray GTS (sold)

 

[Bobpantax]

Re: SylvanSRT's comment above. I am referring to the overall stats in the article. Don't just take my word for my statement. My point has been articulated very well in an article. Below is the relevant portion of the article.

"The 2006 Dodge Viper is quicker, faster, and more civilized than the previous car, among the fastest production cars sold in America. It is stiffer by far than the convertible, which leads to palpable improvements in steering, stability and handling. It is even more powerful and more torquey than the original V-10. The lightweight plastic body has more built-in downforce for high-speed handing. It is huge fun to drive approaching the limit, and then you really have to be careful. If we had the kind of discretionary income that it takes to own one of these cars, we'd buy one in a hot minute, put slicks on it, and take it to the nearest race track every weekend. Or, just drive it to work, the longest way possible."

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw filed the report that the above excerpt is from.

The bottom line is that the coupe is tighter, has more downforce at the rear at high speed and, because it is a coupe, with the attendant aerodynamic advantage, has a higher top speed. This should not be any surprise. As you may recall, the Gen II RT 10 was rated at about 177MPH and the GTS at 190MPH.

 

[Newport Viper]

More gas on the fire. Talkin top speed now.

Not that big a dif in drag c. Bigger tail on coupe = more down force = less top speed? Is it ?? more pounds for the roof? More weight helps top speed? Just askin.....

From an aerodynamic standpoint, the all-new 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe is designed for increased downforce and high-speed stability, with a sloping roofline and decklid spoiler. The canopy and rear spoiler of the SRT10 Coupe contributes to more downforce at the rear. It is estimated that the coefficient of drag for the 2006 Dodge SRT10 Coupe will be improved (estimated for Coupe at .39 - the convertible’s coefficient of drag is 0.4).


Gen 2 from dodge viper central

Drag Coefficient 0.495 (top off)
0.46 (soft top)
0.45 (hard top) - RT/10
0.35 - GTS


I can see a big top speed difference in the Gen 2.

It can't be that big a gap in the gen 3. I guess we will never know for sure.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_coefficient


From Automobile Magazine.

As you can see from the photos, the coupe has the same front end and doors as the roadster. "Even the windshield surround is the same," says Knott. "With ASC's help, we were able to build a coupe on the convertible's foundation. The coupe top, rear quarter-panels, rear fascia, and deck lid are all attached on the current structure." Knott says that the coupe has 30 percent greater structural rigidity than the roadster and that rear downforce has increased significantly thanks to the more aggressive rear spoiler. Although the coupe looks more slippery, it's unlikely that top speed will increase, because the frontal area of the car is slightly larger.


Car and Driver.

its aero advantage should be a single digit, 0.39 Cd versus 0.40. It's expected to weigh in about 15 pounds heavier than the softtop car, and output numbers for the pushrod aluminum V-10 engine will be unchanged.

 

[RoadiJeff]

As you may recall, the Gen II RT 10 was rated at about 177MPH and the GTS at 190MPH.

Umm...175 and 180, according to the owner's manual.

 

[Bobpantax]

"Umm...175 and 180, according to the owner's manual." I owned a 1999 GTS for 6.5 years. What owner's manual are you referring to? Please cite the year, type of Viper and page number of the manual. If you do a search on this site, you will find many posts evidencing at least 185MPH with a stock GTS. It takes a while to get there, but the GTS got there. Also, if you do a google search on the RT 10, you will come up with numerous reliable sources for the 177 MPH figure.

 

[Bobpantax]

Good points Newport, but there is also the factor of buffeting and distortion of the top with a convertible at speed. I am assuming that the high speed test in the article was done with the top up. I am not assuming as big a difference with the SRT models. I think that, at most, it would be three to five MPH. JMO.

 

[RoadiJeff]

What owner's manual are you referring to? Please cite the year, type of Viper and page number of the manual.

Certainly. 1999 RT and GTS owner's manual - page 129.

 

[Bobpantax]

Thank you RoadiJeff. There appears to be a discrepancy between the data on page 129 and the road tests showing actual performance. See the data from a prior post with sources stated below.

"Re: What is the top speed of our Vipers?
#615735 - 11/22/05 07:26 AM Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply



Stock:

GEN 1 => 165-170 mph (168 mph tested by Motor Trend and Car & Driver)

GEN 1.5 => 170+ mph ( ~ 173 mph can't remember which mag)

GEN 2 RT/10 => 180+ mph

GEN 2 GTS => 190+ mph ( 192.6 mph tested by Motor Trend)

GEN 3 vert. and coupe => 190-200 mph"

and from ConceptcarZ:

"1998 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe
Year 1998
Make Dodge
Model Viper GTS Coupe
Engine Location Front
Drive Type Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series 1996 - 2002
Price $73,900.00
Weight 3375 lbs | 1530.9 kg

Performance
0-60 mph 4.5 seconds.
1/4 Mile 12.5 ONDS @ 118 MPH seconds.
Top Speed 185 mph | 297.7 km/h"

The ConceptcarZ test was, by my experience, a little low on the numbers.

 

[RoadiJeff]

Thanks for your input, Bob. The point of my original post was not to determine any specific top speed. Most of us know the published data in the owner's manual is a bit low. Rather, the listing shows that the two cars are within 5 mph of each other, not 13 mph as someone else originally said. One message I read in my search said that he had his RT/10 up to 185. Weather conditions do matter.

That being said, I do not see any significant difference between the two as far as top speed performance goes. There are not many roads in the US where one can test the true top speed on a regular basis. However, a 1/4 mile run from a stoplight is more practical in everyday driving. I found the following in my search for top speed threads on the forum. Perhaps it is due to the lighter weight of the RT/10 without a hardtop.

The RT/10 is generally slower on the top end but it is an RT/10 that holds the published 1/4 mile record @ 11.77