Some negatives about the new SRT-10...

[SteveBCloud9]

The reason I'm posting this is to see if other SRT-10 owners feel they have some of the same issues with their vehicle as I do. I'm not putting down the vehicle (I can come up with a million positives over the last Viper I've owned), just some opinions of the new vehicle. It has just 600 miles on her with no full throttle starts.

1) My A/C already doesn't work. Gone through the manual and the compressor doesn't turn on. This is usually due to insufficient coolant... a leak somewhere.
2) The tires find ruts a lot easier, especially on the highway.
3) The steering wheel is an accident waiting to happen. I think they made it out of teflon. It looks cool but you need glvoes to drive it.
4) If you find an uneven hwy road, the rear end will bounce... and bounce... and bounce.. like 6 inches up and down until the pavement becomes flat again. Dring back from Woodhouse on 80, it drove me nuts.
5) Try driving over 100mph on roads like #4....

 

[John Myrick]

I have had my SRT-10 since January of this year and I do not have these complaints.

 

[snowmann]

What about the looks?

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Have 600 + miles on my SRT-10 and love it. AC works great. Steering is great. No bounce/no off road driving.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Noticed the ride is a bit harsher. I attributed that to the run flats. Overall the ride and handling are much better. It does seem as though the steering is just a little more sensitive. That again may be the stiff sidewalls of the run flats.

If you want to experience severe tire rut following find someone with a 1994 or prior Gen I with the original alignment and tires. Now that was what I call "**** steer." Revised alignment specs in 1995 made it much more tolerable.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

So far my A/C is icy cold. Approaching 3000 miles and notice the car "tracks" on the ruts about the same as the GTS did, maybe a hair more. I would attribute this to the wide tires (same width as the GTS if I recall correctly) and possibly the stiffer sidewalls of the run flats. No problems with a bounce. Steering wheel is great for me and never had a problem with slipping. My complaints?

1. Rattle in roof latch (fixable, just no time)

2. Reflection of oil pressure gauge in windshield at night (no huge deal, just a little distracting)

3. Miss the "bundle of snakes" look of the previous motor, but this one is easier to clean and I like the valve cover finish a lot more.

4. Wish it still had speed-sensitive volume on the stereo. No, I am not a "cupholder/cruise control" kind of guy, but once you get used to that feature in previous Vipers you kind of get used to it.

Two other comments I would make as it relates to the design itself: First off, I do think the looks really do grow on you and definitely impresses the crowds. Read Wayne Finch's "Attention Deficit Disorder" post and you will know what I mean. And Wayne also has a "1 of 1" GTS that will draw a crowd in any venue. Of course his SRT is black, and that doesn't seem to hurt...

The other comment I have read a few times is about the "waterfall" gauge layout. Some complain that it requires you to take your eyes off the road. Personally, I think it takes a little getting used to, as you are habitually drawn to where the previous gauges were in the the GEN I & II. ALL gauges require you to take your eyes off the road and it takes as much effort to move your eyes 1" as it does one foot. More importantly, the SRT as it is delivered is not a track car (unfortunately) and I don't see why you would be watching those gauges religously anyway. The oil pressure (top) and oil temperature (second) gauges are level with the tach and speedometer, and I would think those would be the two most critical measurements anyway. I like the design and the way it is set up. A lot.

That's my 2 cents!

Chris

 

[GR8_ASP]

Chris I agree except I feel the coolant temp is more important. Especially given the Viper history. I find myself looking at the oil temp, which always seems to be on the cool side, instead of the coolant gauge. The coolant gauge is too low for my tastes. I would have placed it second.

Anyone know if the gauges can be relocated?

 

[ABADASP]

J58854777 You`re probably not as good looking as your predecessor either so what about your looks. 3000 miles on my SRT I like it better all the time. Only complants, Heat in drivers footwell, Button behind key, Teather on gas cap, OK light in wind shield from top gauge. I also have a 98 GTS and 98 RT10 the SRT is the one getting all the driveing time.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

I forgot about that stupid gas cap tether. Make that my #1 complaint...

 

[Phoenix SRT]

The ride is pretty jiggly unless the pavement is very smooth, but I find that it rarely gets to the point of being uncomfortable (relatively speaking, of course - it's no Lexus!). Sometimes, but not often.

The complaint that I have is cockpit heat. The footwell is warm, of course, but that isn't the problem. The A/C seems to be fairly effective and directing some of the cold air to the footwell keeps the temp down there under control. With the top up, the A/C can cool the whole cockpit, footwell included, to a reasonable temperature even when the ambient air temp is pretty hot.

The real problem is heat swirling into the cockpit from the vents in the hood and from underneath the car when the top is down. At least that's where I think it's coming from. Anyway, if the ambient temperature is in the 80s, I find that enough heat swirls into the cabin from outside the car to be quite noticeable and when the temp gets in to the 90s, let alone the 100s (I'm in Phoenix), it is pretty uncomfortable.

Also, as with Gen 1 and 2 cars, the inside rear view mirror is in the way when looking ahead to the next right hand corner. Mostly, that is a problem on a race track, but it also comes into play from time to time on the street.

Overall, the car is great and I like it far better than my Gen 1. It handles much better than the old car, it is much more livable when just driving from here to there, and I am very happy with the car.

One other thing, DC: a sequential, clutchless manual trans would be really nice. Think BMW SMG or Ferrari sequential trans. No automatics with a "manual" mode, please.

 

[Mike Brunton]

steveb,

you could try playing with tire pressure to see if it helps the ride and rut-following. My 98 was horrible for following ruts, but I noticed the pressure was about 26psi. I tried 29 - better. Tried 32 - even better! Much more seemed to make the car ride alot more harshly

 

[CajunViper]

I have 6000 miles on my SRT and noticed about everything everyone said, but to a lesser degree. The heat in South Louisiana during the summer is unbearable and therefore the top is up all the time, and it last for 9 months, and the A/C has worked without a flaw. I found the car much stiffer than my old Viper, but with that said, on these roads were I live the car drives and handles better. I am thinking of getting rid of the Durango and only having the one car. The ride is that much better. None of the other things said bother me. But there is one that does. Dodge please relocate the windshield wiper switch. I am always hitting it.

Dean

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Geez, I forgot about the windshield wiper switch too! I have probably knocked that sucker 15-20 times as I go to shift. Pretty embarrassing - like watching an American in Australia hitting the wipers every time he or she makes a turn (where the turn signal switch is on a LHD car). Add that to my list, but put it down a couple notches...

Chris

 

[SteveBCloud9]

O, I forgot the seats for us wide hip 245lbs. guys... I HATE the seats. I can see a "normal" size 6 foot guy who can get into the "grip type" seat for total support in turns but when you actually sit down on TOP of the side supports and feel like there's air under your butt... it isn't fun, especially in a $80k vehicle... Hopefully continued use will wear them out.

I just drove it over to the dealer for the A/C work and noticed a lot of bouncing on the NEW roads... checked the tire pressure and it was 29 all around.... maybe something is lose or broke?

 

[DEVILDOG]

steveb,

you could try playing with tire pressure to see if it helps the ride and rut-following. My 98 was horrible for following ruts, but I noticed the pressure was about 26psi. I tried 29 - better. Tried 32 - even better! Much more seemed to make the car ride alot more harshly

Mike,
When are you getting your SRT-10? Would appreciate your impressions.

 

[GR8_ASP]

I forgot about that stupid gas cap tether. Make that my #1 complaint...

Took my tether off before the first gas stop. It just snaps in place at both ends. No problems noted in over 1000 miles with it removed. But it does not improve the ability to get gas into the tank. I have not yet found the secret to filling the tank. At most pumps I cannot get it to accept the first click on the gas pump. And this thirsty little devil needs its gas more often. Less than 200 miles per tank every time. I am averaging just a little over 11 mpg comared to around 14 in my RT/10.

 

[SRT10]

What about MY looks?

Yeah,you look like a happy face..

 

[Joseph Houss]

Not enough time to drive it!

 

[Viperfreak2]

At least they fixed the headlight switch. My knee is always resting on it in the GTS.

 

[kverges]

None of those complaints in 4000+ miles.

The car is tons better in many ways:

(1) Being "normal" sized, I love the seats; best production car seats I've ever sat in. Frankly, I am GLAD that Dodge did not make the seats bigger, as I'd just rattle around in them.

(2) The brakes are simply awesome. I have had the car on track and all I did was put ducts on the fascia cooling duct outlets and the brakes worked fade-free for lap after lap.

(3) cooling system keeps oil and water cool. I have been on track and in Dallas summer rush hour and coolant stays below 210, oil below 240 in the harshest conditions thus far.

But there are a few negatives:

(1) "waterfall" gauges (except oil pressure) are blocked by my right hand and the wheel; I have to take my hand off the wheel or lean over to see the gauges. Dumb.

(2) Why are there no lights in the console glove box, under the hood or in the trunk?

(3) Why not keep the speed-controlled radio volume?

(4) The looks just aren't growing on me. It is a beautiful car, and my BMW/Mercedes/Japanese-car-owning friends like the new car better, but I don't think I ever will.

So I don't have the love affair I did with my prior cars, but I do drive this car more, since it looks just fine from behind the wheel.

 

[Toddh]

Maybe it goes without saying, but being a first time Viper owner, I love the SRT-10. But even after only 78 miles, I can say that it's not perfect ;-)

(1) Left rear blind spot with the top up is really bad. I wish the side mirrors were a little farther out to see around the car a little better anyway and the blind spot only makes me wish harder.

(2) The dead petal is too close to the clutch. I keep whacking the top of my foot on the bottom of the clutch. I'm going to see if adjusting the dead petal will resolve this a little better.

(3) No floormats! Ugh.

(4) The shock of hearing what insurance is going to cost me Obviously not a DC problem, but still...ouchy.

In contrast to what some others have said, my experience is that the car is a real attention getter.

 

[SteveBCloud9]

Got the car bck from the dealership. It was a loose nut going into the firewall on the high side. Replaced the o-ring too. They said the rear differental cover was leaking too? Bunch of hoooeey.....

 

[Phoenix SRT]

I find the seats comfy. If DC made the seats to fit XXL sized butts, then they would be too wide and sloppy for those of us who are not overweight.

 

[Viperzilla]

They could posibbly make two or three size seats, special order, no cost addition. Thank the Ferrari Enzo for my inspirational idea.

 

[SteveBCloud9]

If you saw me (I bench 335) You wouldn't call me overweight.... 10 post boy...

 

[BobK898]

LOL, "10 post boy".

 

[GR8_ASP]

Maybe 10 post boy just meant "large." At 245 you would have to agree that you are larger than average.

Jokes aside I do not believe that the seats should be made for the highest common denominator, but more for the masses. I am 185-195 depending on the day of the week and how much I gorged the night before. The seats fit me just fine. So I believe that they fit 90% or more of the population just fine. Don't know exactly how the other 10% should be "fitted."

The Enzo idea is okay but if I remember correctly the seat must be positioned for the drivers position versus the steering wheel and pedals. And is not adjustable. That would make it very difficult for multi driver families. Guess with an Enzo they do not expect the owner to let their spouse drive.

 

[BobK898]

No reason they can't have adjustable bolsters for your legs side and front, along with adjustable bolsters for your upper torso. My '85 Supra did.

 

[FASTRNU]

I noticed that about the seats also, but I am overweight somewhat, and unfortunately, inherited my plus size posterior from my Dad.
Dave

 

[99 R/T 10]

If you saw me (I bench 335) You wouldn't call me overweight.... 10 post boy...

OK, so Steveb, now we need a picture of you. Cough it up to clear up "10 post boy's" interest.