SRT Engineering Chat HERE on March 3rd!

[SRT Engineers]

Just an off-beat question (not sure if it has been asked, or can even
be answered). I, like many here, was more than excited to hear about
the SRT10 Challenger Prototype built for SEMA. And, like many here,
I was heartbroken to learn that it wasn't going into production. My
question - did you guys built that car as serious contender, or was it
strictly podium/show dressing from the start? And for follow up - how
much effort was needed to shoe-horn the V10 into that platform? - ie,
was it a weekend swap for you guys or was there $$$ fabrication involved?

We built it as an experiment to see if we could, that's what we do.... From that point on a business case was developed to see if it made sense for the corporation.

 

[SRT Engineers]

Thanks for your time and attention, Tell Dick W. that the Georgia VCA really enjoyed our pre Christmas dinner with him and the Mrs.
Re: the ACRX, brakes, does it still use the RHT ( rubber hose technology) and the dot 4 fluid ?

Thanks again guys.

David - Dick and the wife enjoyed spending time with you guys, too bad more club members couldn't make it.

The ACR-X will use steel lines with DOT4 fluid.

 

[Bobpantax]

1.

4. Every great once in awhile the door latch does not operate properly on my Gen III. The cure is to turn the engine on and off. What causes this? It happens so infrequently that I do not mind it but I am curious as to why it happens at all.

5. As one or more of you witnessed ( depending on who is on this chat), one of my headlights sometimes, without warning, turns off. It is not a frequent occurrence. It just happened to happen as I was recently, safely approaching the Winkles test team from behind during an acceleration test near Palm Beach. Both headlights also sometimes show moisture inside. Is this covered by warranty? There seems to be some resistance to replacing the lights. I have the Chrysler Max care extended warranty and the light issue has been there from the beginning. I believe Mark J. may have spoken with one of you about it back in 2006. Please advise.

For item 4 - Do you ever put your Viper in the battery save mode? In battery save mode the car shuts down almost all systems until you turn the key on. No. That's not the cause.

For item 5 - it sounds like you may have an issue with the connection between the ballast and the HID lamp in the headlight to cause the lamp to go out. IS THERE A WAY TO FIX THIS?

There is a service kit that releases a part with Gortex patches that help with the moisture in the lamps. Of course with lamps that large some moisture is always a possibility.

YES. LARGE LAMPS ARE KNOWN TO COLLECT MOISTURE.

 

[Janni]

What's your right foot for?

My right foot is fine - and I think the car handles quite well as is, thankyouverymuch.

I'd prefer you leave it alone.... and do the LEAST POSSIBLE intrusion when TC / ESC is mandated.

 

[ViperGeorge]

On an 06 when the IM monitors have been reset by clearing a code or by removing the battery what conditions must be met for the Evap Test to complete? It seems to take forever. I've driven the car hundreds of miles and the test still does not complete.

Hope you have time to answer this before you leave us.

 

[Nsane1]

I see my questions have been answered (CEL on a GenIV with hiflows, Transmission Fluid, MOPAR controller, and the IPhone adapter).

I just wanted to say thanks so much for coming here and doing this for us, what other company would do this kind of stuff!?

Also, chiming in on the Iphone adapter, I wish I would have asked first, I found out the hard way it DON"T work...

Thanks!!!

 

[SRT Engineers]

The ACRX and the TDS seem to be nearly the same car. Is there an advantage to making both in the same model year? What are the major differences?

Bruce

We originally intended for the TDS to be a lower entry price for a 'do it yourself' ACRX. Basically an ACRX without the roll cage, fuel cell and other race components.

The ACRX is actually a much better value than the TDS considering what you get for the price.

The initial customer feedback was overwhelming for the ACRX so the TDS option was dropped.

 

[Vic]

Here's a question that looks to the past, and honestly I dont expect that much could be said about this issue now, but here goes anyway.

The Viper GTS made an indelible mark on the world of sports cars, because of several factors, like its beautiful-yet-agressive body style, good/great performance, and sheer uniqueness. Areas that needed improvement were addressed later in the Gen3, (Better brakes, more power), and even more in the Gen4. Unfortunately for some of us who were in love with the Gen2s, the styling took a radical direction, and was compared with the Honda S2000, the rear end with a Le Baron, etc. We felt that the soul of the Viper we came to know and love had been lost.

Where am I going with this? Well, here it is, and here is my off-the-wall question- Why couldnt the Gen2 Viper have continued further development, under basically the same body style, until it had better brakes, more power, etc?

There is another iconic sports car that has done this very thing for many, many years, and is still revered worldwide, which is the Porsche 911, in a plethora of itterations. That iconic look has survived, and is revered by gearheads everywhere. My feeling is the same could have been done for the Gen2 Viper, (especially the GTS, but thats just my preference) So why didn't Chysler see fit to continue development?

 

[Tom Sessions]

Who is writing the rules for the viper cup series and the ACR X? When can we expect to see them? And who is enforcing them.

 

[Y2K10 SRT#39]

Can you tell us when the 2010 production will start?

Thanks for chatting with us after hours!

PBR

 

[SRT Engineers]

Can you tell us when the 2010 production will start?

Thanks for chatting with us after hours!

PBR

We started building the engines last Monday. Vehicles to start very soon!

 

[Vic]

One more- Many of us Gen2 owners would like to put the latest and greatest Viper tranny in our cars. I know the driveshaft would need shortening. What about the absence of a tone ring for the speedometer? Whats the easiest fix?

 

[SRT Engineers]

On an 06 when the IM monitors have been reset by clearing a code or by removing the battery what conditions must be met for the Evap Test to complete? It seems to take forever. I've driven the car hundreds of miles and the test still does not complete.

Not quite sure which test you are referring to but I'll take a shot - If it's Leak Detection (fuel system) it will run whenever the fuel level is between 15 and 85% and the car has been off for at least 8 hours. The test only takes about 30 seconds to complete but if you exceed 25 mph before completion it will abort. Hope this helps!

 

[BlknBlu]

Being the last year for the Gen IV. Is there any chance that some kind of documentary on the car could be made available to the VCA? Video of CAAP, Prefix, testing and development and the ACRx. I think Viper owners would love to own this piece of history.

Bruce

 

[Richard Koch]

I have a small question for you. Are the stock throttle bodies on the 97 and 99 Vipers the same and would the entire manifold and injectors interchange exactly ( no problems with electronics or other issues)?

 

[SRT Engineers]

Being the last year for the Gen IV. Is there any chance that some kind of documentary on the car could be made available to the VCA? Video of CAAP, Prefix, testing and development and the ACRx. I think Viper owners would love to own this piece of history.

Bruce

That's a great idea. We'll have to look into it.

 

[SRT Engineers]

I have a small question for you. Are the stock throttle bodies on the 97 and 99 Vipers the same and would the entire manifold and injectors interchange exactly ( no problems with electronics or other issues)?

Throttle bodies are the same as are the manifolds and injectors. Should be no problem to interchange.

 

[Bobpantax]

Thank you all very much. Who is coming down on the 14th?

 

[gb66gth]

I did stop by for a chat. I spoke with one of the drivers (Kuno?) and with the engine engineer (Dick?) super nice bunch of peeps, really cool to have around.

Also thanks for your time on this forum!

 

[SRT Engineers]

One more- Many of us Gen2 owners would like to put the latest and greatest Viper tranny in our cars. I know the driveshaft would need shortening. What about the absence of a tone ring for the speedometer? Whats the easiest fix?

This is another one of those 'stay tuned' answers. We have talked to Tremec about the possibility of getting the TR6060 transmission fitted with the speedo tone wheel on the main shaft so it could go into the earlier cars that require the vehicle speed sensor... I would say there's a decent chance this product will be available in the near future... so 'stay tuned'.

 

[HISSSN1]

There were no changes to bushings, so these alignment settings are achievable. Keep in mind that we also updated the damper tuning and front bar to accomodate the new tire characteristics.

will this work on a 04 SRT

 

[Richard Koch]

Thanks for all your help. What a great group we have with the World of Viper. It is hard to imagine other brands doing such helpful things and sharing technical information.

 

[BlknBlu]

Thanks again for allowing us to speak with you. Your commitment to the Dodge Viper and SRT products keeps us going day after day.

Bruce

 

[SRT Engineers]

Thank you all very much. Who is coming down on the 14th?

Unfortunately, we are all busy; I don't think anyone is going to be able to make it.

 

[SRT Engineers]

Who is writing the rules for the viper cup series and the ACR X? When can we expect to see them? And who is enforcing them.

We aren't ready to announce who will be responsible for writing the rules and enforcing them at the track, nor when they will be released. However, the basic idea around them will be that the cars may not be modified at all. Cars with drivers will weigh in at base car weight plus 200 lbs so some ballast will be required for drivers weighing less than 200 lbs. Suspension alignments are open within a tolerance, the shocks can be adjusted with the factory adjustment settings, and rear wing can be adjusted within factory specs. We really want the cars to be equal and the race results reflective of the driver/crew skill levels.

 

[Bobpantax]

Unfortunately, we are all busy; I don't think anyone is going to be able to make it.

That's unfortunate. I heard that Motor Trend may cover the event.

 

[SRT Engineers]

will this work on a 04 SRT

Yes, it will.

 

[SRT Engineers]

I did stop by for a chat. I spoke with one of the drivers (Kuno?) and with the engine engineer (Dick?) super nice bunch of peeps, really cool to have around.

Also thanks for your time on this forum!

Kuno is a great kid and a fantastic driver! Dick is a legend in his own mind!

 

[SRT Engineers]

Thanks guys! Great talking to you!

 

[SRT Engineers]

Here's a question that looks to the past, and honestly I dont expect that much could be said about this issue now, but here goes anyway.

The Viper GTS made an indelible mark on the world of sports cars, because of several factors, like its beautiful-yet-agressive body style, good/great performance, and sheer uniqueness. Areas that needed improvement were addressed later in the Gen3, (Better brakes, more power), and even more in the Gen4. Unfortunately for some of us who were in love with the Gen2s, the styling took a radical direction, and was compared with the Honda S2000, the rear end with a Le Baron, etc. We felt that the soul of the Viper we came to know and love had been lost.

Where am I going with this? Well, here it is, and here is my off-the-wall question- Why couldnt the Gen2 Viper have continued further development, under basically the same body style, until it had better brakes, more power, etc?

There is another iconic sports car that has done this very thing for many, many years, and is still revered worldwide, which is the Porsche 911, in a plethora of itterations. That iconic look has survived, and is revered by gearheads everywhere. My feeling is the same could have been done for the Gen2 Viper, (especially the GTS, but thats just my preference) So why didn't Chysler see fit to continue development?

Vic.....

Your question is a good one. There was much discussion relating to the styling of a new car. Truth be known, the successor to the original car (2003) started out as the original car with a real convertable top. Little by little, to make everything fit the new car started to morph away from the original. At the same time our team was getting pressure from senior management to freshen the car, because some felt that it was getting long in the tooth. The theme that was picked was actually one of two that were reviewed. Believe it or not had the other theme got picked, it would have looked alot like the C5 .......we actually got the better of the two.........In addition many changes were may to the design that helped the quality............GK