Testament To The Viper Drivetrain

[Kevan]

This past weekend, I put the Viper drivetrain through a real-world non-racing test.
Sure, racing is a great platform to test the limits of vehicles, but what I did was a little different.

In a 2005 Ram SRT-10 with a Gen. 3 engine and T56 transmission, I drove 1100 miles from Columbus, OH to Orlando, FL.
"Pfft....big deal" most will say.
Ahhh....but I did this with 2500 lbs. of guitar and PA equipment inside the cap on the back!
Did I mention that it ranged from 90F to 104F outside?

The truck (that just flipped 50K miles) had NO PROBLEM up hills, passing dolts sitting in the left lane at 2mph under the limit, and braking for that guy in front of you who jams on his brakes because the sun goes behind a cloud.

The truck kept it's engine and oil temp just under 200F, even with the A/C rolling.

We averaged about 70-75 mph.
Truck averaged about 16-18mpg throughout the entire trip.

The final part of the test comes in a week, when the truck will get new tires and go rip up the road course with it's Viper brethren at BeaveRun, PA.

Thank you to Dick Winkles and the rest of the SRT guys for designing and engineering this fantastic drivetrain for all of us to enjoy.
Whether work or play, you guys made it easy for us to love what we drive.

I'll post more, including pics, after I get back from the track.

 

[swexlin]

You should post this in the "Mileage thread" in the SRT section. Maybe THIS will convince the skeptics that these drivetrains are very stout.

 

[01sapphirebob]

Hey Kevan. Can't wait to see the truck in PA!

 

[Kevan]

UPDATE

During the 2218.4 mile trip to Orlando and back (Columbus, OH) with the truck LOADED with gear (approx. 1800-2000 lbs) and a cap on the back, averaging about 16-18 mpg, the coolant and oil never got hotter than 200F.

4 days later, after an oil change, trans. fluid change, and diff. fluid change (and removal of the cap....heh heh), the truck went to the track.
It ran flawlessly there and back, and the only reason I stopped doing laps was because the brake pads were fading faster than Billy Bob Thornton's acting career.
Top speed on the track was just under 120 mph, and oil temp got to about 210F while the engine never got past 200F.

No more torture tests for the truck and engine this year.
Just regular daily driving duties and some nice claybar'ing before Mopar Nats.

Thanks again, Dick!!!!
You guys build a helluva drivetrain!

 

[Dads Toy]

Thats great! I have a Dodge Ram with Hemi and only get 16-17 mpg on the highway without towing anything. Now my truck is a 4x4 but it looks like it gets around the same as the SRT when it is hauling stuff.

 

[viper067]

Kevan,

Wow, that's awesome ... it was great to see you out at the track, and that Viper truck sure can hold its own.

And I thought I had a big weekend of Driving ... Philadelphia to Pittsburgh for BeaveRun ... then up to Niagara Falls and back to Philly area. Over 1000+ miles in 4 days with a fully loaded trunk I think the Gen 1 held its own at BeaveRun also...just need to figure out how to improve on the braking.

Victor

 

[Kevan]

Remember a few posts back where I said "no more torture tests for the truck"?
I lied.

Rachel and I bought (2) Yamaha Raptor 250 ATVs, (1) Yamaha TTR-125, and a GAS GAS EC300. Since none of them are remotely street legal, I had to get a trailer to haul them around.
Found a great 12' enclosed trailer that would hold all the toys and gear (and give us a place to change clothes...heh heh).
The loaded trailer:

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Truck/trailer combo:

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TEST:
130 miles of mostly highway driving.
Not one single problem!!!
The engine has PLENTY of power and the torque is there too. Getting it to the ground is a different story as the SRT-10 isn't designed to tow anything bigger than a pack of Twinkies....but it did fine!!!
With the fully-loaded trailer, the rear suspension only dropped 7/8"!!!

The best part: the brakes. The gigantor 15" rotors up front and 14" rotors in the back barely got a workout today, even with the idiots in front of me and the wet roadways. The brakes are simply awesome.

The weak link: the clutch.
Any extensive maneuvering or backing up (esp. with an incline), will get the clutch hot and stinky.
Take it easy and plan your moves and limit your time shifting to R, and you'll be fine.

Again, the engine temp and oil temp never touched 200F all day.
Even the cruise control worked like a champ.

Thank you to Dick, Herb, Ralph and the rest of the SRT team for this fantastic vehicle.
What other vehicle can do 160 mph and tow 2 motorcycles and a pair ATVs?


(HINT: It doesn't end in "Z06")