Bill,
Is it your name or the name of the Dealership?!? I'll assume it's your name. I think I've talked to you before when I called Woodhouse for Comp Coupe Parts.
Anyway, I have to turn auto subscribing on (or something like that), cause I never know when people communicate with me on this board. Hence the lack of response from me. I apologize.
Thanks for the compliment on the driving, like I said before, it's a lot easier when the car has that much down force and handle so well. As you know, anyone looks like a star and goes fast in a Comp Coupe. Same idea here. The car handles so well, it makes fast laps feel like cruising.
Funny you mention the "Go slow to go Fast" theory. Everyone who knows racing, knows it's true, but you would not believe how many times I have taken guys in cars to show them what to do around a track and they would get out of the car disappointed asking for someone else to show them, as they thought I was too slow (because we didn't have a lap timer to prove anything). They jump in a car with a super violent (and super slow) driver that drives all over the place and they feel like they had the ride of their life and that's what they are going to try to duplicate. Sad and frustrating. I know I look slow and in the Videos, it even shows more. It's boring to watch, but there's nothing I can do. It is what it is. Maybe someday, I will do a lap all over the place just to make a good looking video. I'll have to hide the lap timer though.
As far as the Gearing and the power band of Gen3 vs gen4, what I meant is that the Gearing I Came up with for the Viper X10 is ideal for most of the tracks. I started with the fastest speed you could expect on a track in 6th gear. I picked 185 mph (for the Nurburgring, as we were suppose to test the car over there but missed the opportunity) and went down on the other gears to allow perfect selection of each gears. I ended up only changing 5th and 6th and played with final drive to reach my goal. Now the car drives like a Ferrari, Porsche or a Lambo that all use short gears with no overdrive and reach top speed in 6th at redline. So, not so good for gas mileage, but It's not really the intent of this car. So I really really LOVE these gears on the tracks. You just keep on shifting as much as you need to (like any formula car or sport racer) and you never have to "compromise" and end up too low or too high in rpm because of long gears designed for gas efficiency. For example the stock gearing on a gen 3 with it's low powerband is kind of ok on the 2 straights at Willow Springs, but the same transmission in a Gen4 is wrong as you end up having to jump on the brakes for turns 1 and 8, before you even have a chance to reach the sweet spot of the motor. In fact, I have done some intensive testing with a Gen3 coupe and a Gen4 coupe at willow (On Street Tires) and because of the powerband difference and the low gears, the Gen4 would not set a faster lap time. Hard to explain in few words, but I suppose you can imagine what I am talking about. The stock gears are just way too long for anyone to optimize their engine on any track. With the Viper X10's Gearing, it's a DREAM!!!!
What I also meant is that the handling of the Viper X10 is sooo Amazing, it's running out of motor. The car is now clearly limited in lap time, by the lack of HP (since when 500 hp isn't enough? Funny!!!). I am flat out in so many sections of tracks that I wish I could have more power for the straights and be forced to slow down for turns. For example for turn 8 at Willow spring, I am flat out from turn 5 to turn 9 and can't pass 130 mph while I would like to have more power and speed in the straights and have to slow down for 8 (which can't really be taken faster than 130mph in any production street legal car). Another good example is California Speedway where gen 3's are limited to 150 mph on the oval while a "lightly" modified gen4 ACR will hit 165!!! It's very annoying as 150 is also the speed at which the Viper X10 can take turn one (while ACR's have to slow down to about 130-140). I have a video that I will post asap.
So I am really really looking foward to building the next ViperX10 on a Gen 4 platform (It's so fast on a Gen3, imagine on a gen4!!!).
Coming Soon...
I hope I didn't bore to deaf everybody with all these Technical details.
Terry.
