Y2K5SRT
Enthusiast
So much for sleep. Figured I would get a little extra time to sleep in this morning after almost 24-hours up yesterday. Not with a brand-spankin-new SRT in the garage I won't!
First thing I need to do is put in the Mopar floor mats that I got with the trunk mat kit up at Woodhouse Dodge (and with a VCA discount too!). They not only have a non-slip back (covered with small "spikes"), but they also have a very nifty snap set up to literally anchor them to the floor at the seat edge. Look pretty good too!
You might also notice the pedal set up in that picture. Besides being what I assume is lightweight aluminum, the gas pedal is polished and has the Fangs logo. Nice touch!
Okay, so much for prep work, time to hit the road! Having watched Frank turn rather pale in Blair when his silver SRT refused to start, I made sure to hit the "START" button after turning the key (which also solved Frank's problem). Oh my... this engine is SWEET! Having come from a "creampuff", I was very pleased to feel this motor and a more definitive rumble. Outside, you can here lots of lifters and who knows what else, but as my neighbor said when he came running over, "It sounds like a high-definition symphony". We decide to take a peek at it and are greeted by a familiar sight:
Looking by the intake, I am very pleased to see this:
I set up the mirrors and get everything set up a little better for driving. The seat is VERY comfortable and the side bolsters are incredible. Later on we would figure out that the passenger seat was too far back and the back too far upright. There seems to be even more room in the footwells, which allows you to slide the seat forward more and recline the seatback if you want. As there is no lumbar adjustment, moving the seats around can help make the lower back find a more comfortable angle. There is a decent "bump" in the lower seat back, so the angle can help make a difference. I remember to grab my California Duster and take off the dust from the ride down in the trailer. What's this?? This car EATS dusters!!
Fair warning to all current and future SRT owners: You WILL find your duster (and who knows what else) getting gripped in the "vise of death" on the side sill where it meets the fender. It sweeps down and forms a perfect pinch that will yank off the threads in no time. It happened on both sides of the car and will undoubtedly happen again.
And we're off! Well, me anyway. I start out on my short journey and immediately find the "bucking" that somebody else mentioned. It isn't so much a bucking like the earlier cars when the throttle bodies are out of sync, rather a "stall" like you have started out in 3rd gear even though you are in first. I had to double check this a couple times and soon got used to it (make sure I was in the right gear).
As I am breaking it in I can't do any full throttle stuff. Nonetheless, I found the power to be VERY responsive and the engine to have more depth. Maybe it was the side pipes or who knows what, but the motor just seemed to feel as though it had more range. While the engine doesn't have the "lope" of the earlier Vipers (pre-2000), it definitely has a more pronounced rumble than it's immediate predecessor. It just feels like you have a heck of a lot more under the go pedal. The exhaust also sounds great - no more "UPS truck" sound even as stock. I can see where some will want more sound (it sounded especially quiet when we heard them at Woodhouse), however once I was underway it sounded darn near perfect (and that was my biggest complaint on my GTS when stock).
My first stop is the local car wash (self serve) so that I can vacuum the passenger floor, which somehow got some fairly heavy dirt on it. And here is the TRUE test of "Viper looks" - going out in public. I see a few eyes watch as I make my way the few blocks there. More heads turn as I pull in by the vacuums. Then ZOOM, three guys come running over (literally running) to check out the new snake. Two of them knew ALL about the new SRT's, having read all about them. The other guy (driving a new BMW 7 Series), was just in awe. It was like the good ol' days with the GTS: "Can we see the engine?" "How fast will it go?" "How big are those wheels?!" "Holy crap, the speedometer shows 220 mph!!"
The car now vacuumed, I go back to take the family members for rides. As I stop at the light, a big Mercedes pulls up next to me and a boy of 10 or so is positively beaming and giving me two very enthusiastic thumbs up. His dad throws me a thumbs up as well. First ride goes to my older son, age 15 and very car-savvy. He also has a couple CD's to test out the sound system. WOW, what a sound system! This baby really rocks and the sound quality is superb. Maybe it is because I came from a GTS, but having a big subwoofer at my elbow is pretty cool. No real distortion until you went pretty dang loud. My son was very happy. He was initially underwhelmed by the SRT when he first started seeing pictures. His initial response to it last night was good, but not thrilled. Once in the daylight and cruising, he suddenly realized what many of us have also discovered: This is one INCREDIBLE machine! Soon he was begging me to drive by all of his friend's houses to check it out. Their dads soon followed and all were very impressed. Upon our return, he pronounced it "even better than the GTS", which we both loved.
Next up was my 12 year old son, who is an even bigger car enthusiast. First thing he says when underway is "We have been without a Viper for way too long. I missed this!" He is noticing all the stares we are getting, as well as a Mustang GT which has banged a U-turn to give chase. He and his friend in the GT are going crazy over the car and aren't looking for a race. They just wanted a closer look and gave the ol' "I bow to your car" look with hands clasped in front of them. Funny! Later on we have a minivan pull up next to us with several wide-eyed kids. The minivan Dad guns it and plays as though we are racing. No problem with the break-in limits to quickly thrill his kids as we walk him. My son informs me that this car doesn't look as "****" as the GTS, but he thinks it is an awesome car and "just knows it is faster" by the way it sounds.
Next up we have the wife - my toughest audience by far. It is here that we figure out the passenger seat and how to adjust it the best way. She asks me to run by one of her friends houses to drop off something. I still have the camera, so decide to take a picture of the temps at their hottest while I wait:
The thing I like is that there are no more "small" has marks that make you feel as though your car is runing hotter than normal. Also note that the center temp is now 200º instead of 190º. Many of us thought our Gen I/II cars were running hot when it was at the small mark to the right of 190º - which was probably about 200º. This one makes you worry a little less. Then there is that nifty oil temperature gauge:
Although we all know that these gauges aren't always totally accurate, it was interesting to see that the oil temp was less than the water temp. I suppose that is normal, but I have never had an oil temp gauge before!
So we drive around a bit and I am waiting for her to complain about something. Nothing. I head towards our neighborhood and she tells me not to bother, she wants to drive around some more. She then informs me that this car seems much better built than our GTS. She is impressed with the quality of the interior and is even okay with the somewhat pronounced exhaust sound she can hear. The one thing that she and I both noticed was the vent temperature when it was set to "cold". While it was probably 45º outside, the vent temperature seems to be about 80º. It had NOTHING to do with footwell temperatures or side sill heat (both absent), yet the actual air from the vents was pretty warm. The A/C worked very well when we tried it for a little bit. By the time we got home she knew this was a great car. She was even excited by the prospect of having a real convertible when it warms up - something we haven't owned in 17 years. Now she wonders what it would look like with stripes...
<FONT size="1">(continued...)</FONT s>
First thing I need to do is put in the Mopar floor mats that I got with the trunk mat kit up at Woodhouse Dodge (and with a VCA discount too!). They not only have a non-slip back (covered with small "spikes"), but they also have a very nifty snap set up to literally anchor them to the floor at the seat edge. Look pretty good too!
You must be registered for see images
You might also notice the pedal set up in that picture. Besides being what I assume is lightweight aluminum, the gas pedal is polished and has the Fangs logo. Nice touch!
Okay, so much for prep work, time to hit the road! Having watched Frank turn rather pale in Blair when his silver SRT refused to start, I made sure to hit the "START" button after turning the key (which also solved Frank's problem). Oh my... this engine is SWEET! Having come from a "creampuff", I was very pleased to feel this motor and a more definitive rumble. Outside, you can here lots of lifters and who knows what else, but as my neighbor said when he came running over, "It sounds like a high-definition symphony". We decide to take a peek at it and are greeted by a familiar sight:
You must be registered for see images
Looking by the intake, I am very pleased to see this:
You must be registered for see images
I set up the mirrors and get everything set up a little better for driving. The seat is VERY comfortable and the side bolsters are incredible. Later on we would figure out that the passenger seat was too far back and the back too far upright. There seems to be even more room in the footwells, which allows you to slide the seat forward more and recline the seatback if you want. As there is no lumbar adjustment, moving the seats around can help make the lower back find a more comfortable angle. There is a decent "bump" in the lower seat back, so the angle can help make a difference. I remember to grab my California Duster and take off the dust from the ride down in the trailer. What's this?? This car EATS dusters!!
You must be registered for see images
Fair warning to all current and future SRT owners: You WILL find your duster (and who knows what else) getting gripped in the "vise of death" on the side sill where it meets the fender. It sweeps down and forms a perfect pinch that will yank off the threads in no time. It happened on both sides of the car and will undoubtedly happen again.
And we're off! Well, me anyway. I start out on my short journey and immediately find the "bucking" that somebody else mentioned. It isn't so much a bucking like the earlier cars when the throttle bodies are out of sync, rather a "stall" like you have started out in 3rd gear even though you are in first. I had to double check this a couple times and soon got used to it (make sure I was in the right gear).
As I am breaking it in I can't do any full throttle stuff. Nonetheless, I found the power to be VERY responsive and the engine to have more depth. Maybe it was the side pipes or who knows what, but the motor just seemed to feel as though it had more range. While the engine doesn't have the "lope" of the earlier Vipers (pre-2000), it definitely has a more pronounced rumble than it's immediate predecessor. It just feels like you have a heck of a lot more under the go pedal. The exhaust also sounds great - no more "UPS truck" sound even as stock. I can see where some will want more sound (it sounded especially quiet when we heard them at Woodhouse), however once I was underway it sounded darn near perfect (and that was my biggest complaint on my GTS when stock).
My first stop is the local car wash (self serve) so that I can vacuum the passenger floor, which somehow got some fairly heavy dirt on it. And here is the TRUE test of "Viper looks" - going out in public. I see a few eyes watch as I make my way the few blocks there. More heads turn as I pull in by the vacuums. Then ZOOM, three guys come running over (literally running) to check out the new snake. Two of them knew ALL about the new SRT's, having read all about them. The other guy (driving a new BMW 7 Series), was just in awe. It was like the good ol' days with the GTS: "Can we see the engine?" "How fast will it go?" "How big are those wheels?!" "Holy crap, the speedometer shows 220 mph!!"
The car now vacuumed, I go back to take the family members for rides. As I stop at the light, a big Mercedes pulls up next to me and a boy of 10 or so is positively beaming and giving me two very enthusiastic thumbs up. His dad throws me a thumbs up as well. First ride goes to my older son, age 15 and very car-savvy. He also has a couple CD's to test out the sound system. WOW, what a sound system! This baby really rocks and the sound quality is superb. Maybe it is because I came from a GTS, but having a big subwoofer at my elbow is pretty cool. No real distortion until you went pretty dang loud. My son was very happy. He was initially underwhelmed by the SRT when he first started seeing pictures. His initial response to it last night was good, but not thrilled. Once in the daylight and cruising, he suddenly realized what many of us have also discovered: This is one INCREDIBLE machine! Soon he was begging me to drive by all of his friend's houses to check it out. Their dads soon followed and all were very impressed. Upon our return, he pronounced it "even better than the GTS", which we both loved.
Next up was my 12 year old son, who is an even bigger car enthusiast. First thing he says when underway is "We have been without a Viper for way too long. I missed this!" He is noticing all the stares we are getting, as well as a Mustang GT which has banged a U-turn to give chase. He and his friend in the GT are going crazy over the car and aren't looking for a race. They just wanted a closer look and gave the ol' "I bow to your car" look with hands clasped in front of them. Funny! Later on we have a minivan pull up next to us with several wide-eyed kids. The minivan Dad guns it and plays as though we are racing. No problem with the break-in limits to quickly thrill his kids as we walk him. My son informs me that this car doesn't look as "****" as the GTS, but he thinks it is an awesome car and "just knows it is faster" by the way it sounds.
Next up we have the wife - my toughest audience by far. It is here that we figure out the passenger seat and how to adjust it the best way. She asks me to run by one of her friends houses to drop off something. I still have the camera, so decide to take a picture of the temps at their hottest while I wait:
You must be registered for see images
The thing I like is that there are no more "small" has marks that make you feel as though your car is runing hotter than normal. Also note that the center temp is now 200º instead of 190º. Many of us thought our Gen I/II cars were running hot when it was at the small mark to the right of 190º - which was probably about 200º. This one makes you worry a little less. Then there is that nifty oil temperature gauge:
You must be registered for see images
Although we all know that these gauges aren't always totally accurate, it was interesting to see that the oil temp was less than the water temp. I suppose that is normal, but I have never had an oil temp gauge before!
So we drive around a bit and I am waiting for her to complain about something. Nothing. I head towards our neighborhood and she tells me not to bother, she wants to drive around some more. She then informs me that this car seems much better built than our GTS. She is impressed with the quality of the interior and is even okay with the somewhat pronounced exhaust sound she can hear. The one thing that she and I both noticed was the vent temperature when it was set to "cold". While it was probably 45º outside, the vent temperature seems to be about 80º. It had NOTHING to do with footwell temperatures or side sill heat (both absent), yet the actual air from the vents was pretty warm. The A/C worked very well when we tried it for a little bit. By the time we got home she knew this was a great car. She was even excited by the prospect of having a real convertible when it warms up - something we haven't owned in 17 years. Now she wonders what it would look like with stripes...
<FONT size="1">(continued...)</FONT s>
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