First, the drag strip: The original deadly dangerous Viper danced and hopped down the drag strip in such a squirmy fashion 12 years ago that it took an unmarried, no-mortgage tester with nothing to lose to set our fastest time. Compared to that one, the SRT10 is a dream. Just jump in, hammer the gas, squeal the tires and go.
We got our quickest times after only a few tries and repeated them all day long. The Viper posts a 4.20-second 0-to-60-mph time and the quarter-mile in 12.37 seconds at 117.3 mph. That’s an AutoWeek Viper record, of course, but just better than the GTS of 1996 and only four-tenths quicker than the first Viper roadster. Maybe you could argue Viper hasn’t progressed as much as it might have. Or maybe you could say there isn’t much room to progress, given how quick this car was when it was new. Nonetheless, our best time with the SRT10 coupe falls well behind Dodge’s claim the car can run to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
Where there is room for improvement in both of these cars is the gearbox, the six-speed Tremec T56 manual. The difference is the transmission sits right under the driver’s elbow in the Viper and way out at the back axle in the Corvette. And yet we prefer shifting the Corvette because of its shorter, lighter and more precise throws.
If they could knock out one of those gears we could have gotten to 60 mph quicker in both cars, since neither really gets to that speed in first gear without laborious experimentation. Also, we would appreciate it if they could do away with that ludicrous 1-4 skip-shift feature—the thing has been around since the 1980s and is irritating as hell. And the skip-shift doesn’t even eliminate the $3,000 gas-guzzler tax on the Viper!
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Back to the drag strip, where skip-shift is irrelevant:
While Viper is perfectly at home being hammered on the strip, the Corvette is a mess as far as balancing wheelspin, torque and clutch take-up. While it ultimately goes faster, much faster to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile, the Corvette demands a steep learning curve to pull it off. There is so much wheelspin that you can’t use full throttle anywhere in first gear, and you have to be mighty judicious about using it in higher gears if you want to get a fast time. We actually got the quickest Corvette acceleration times with a full tank of gas, which transfers weight rearward onto the drive wheels. Maybe we could have used sandbags and gone even quicker?
Working hard to eliminate wheelspin, 60 mph comes in 3.91 seconds, with the quarter-mile arriving in 12 seconds flat at 121.7 mph. So at the drag strip, the Corvette is the king.
But don’t grab that crown just yet, Best Vette Yet.
Viper outbrakes the Vette by five feet, taking 107 feet to stop from 60 mph compared to the Vette’s 112 feet.
Again, the Viper always outruns the Corvette on our slalom. Don’t forget, engineers and designers spend as much time making these cars turn as they do making them go straight. We took the Viper out first.
Hammering around the cones of our slalom, we found remarkably quick, precise turn-in and tremendous grip. The holding power of the Viper far exceeds our abilities to squeeze the most out of it. We recorded 46.8 mph, but think there might have been even more left on the asphalt.
Jumping immediately into the Corvette, the difference is huge. Turn the wheel and it sort of mushes over in the direction you want it to. This is by no means SUV/minivan mushy, but compared to the Viper it feels like a wet paper bag. Then at the very limit, when oversteer is getting too much, the stability control kicks in. One tester didn’t find it intrusive, but the other driver did. The Vette’s speed of 45.6 mph is still, as it always has been, below the mighty Viper.
On the skidpad the Viper rules again, scoring the first 1.00-g laps we’ve recorded. The Corvette’s 0.97 g isn’t bad.
So which car wins?
If we were to give an award for Most Improved, it would go to the Corvette Z06. With a new aluminum chassis and lightening throughout, combined with a sophisticated engine, it is leaps ahead of any Corvette. This SRT10 is better than earlier Vipers, but not by that much.
If we were to give an award for Most Livable, again it would go to the Corvette. We could base that on the lack of cockpit roasting alone. But the ease of shifter operation, combined with the general comfort of the cabin, puts the Chevrolet ahead.
If this were just a drag strip match, we would grudgingly give the win to the Corvette, which makes us work harder than ever for the numbers we got.
But if we were to take one of these cars straight off the showroom floor and go race it in showroom stock, at an autocross or in the 24 Hours of Whatever, we would choose the Viper. We can’t help but feel that without that stability program on the Z06 we would be in big trouble all day long through the slalom.
Which leads us to the winner, the new Corvette Z06.
Let the hate mail begin.
OTHER VIEWS
I prefer the Z06, though the SRT10 would sure wake up your senses on a short blast. The numbers are so close that there’s little in it, except for one number: The Chevy holds a strong price advantage. Some might choose the Viper anyway on styling and perhaps exclusivity, though neither car reaches far enough on the design side. A more distinct styling statement for the Z06 would undercut Viper’s exclusivity edge, but even as it sits I think the Corvette Z06 wins this comparo hands down. - KEVIN A. WILSON
Driving the Viper coupe and roadster back to back reveals just how good the new Viper is. The stiffness in the chassis and the corresponding better handling characteristics of the coupe are telling. This is backed by our slalom and skidpad tests. The Viper remains a beast demanding your respect at every driving moment. The Z06 is equally a stud in the performance jungle, but it looks too much like a standard Vette. If I were in this market I’d spend the extra bucks for the Viper. - ROGER HART
I wouldn’t buy a Viper over a Z06. The Corvette is faster, more comfortable, and $20,000 less expensive. Frankly, I’d take the Z06 even if the cars were priced equally. The Viper is more exclusive and flashier, but the Z06 looks good, too. Ultimately, it’s about the driving, and I feel more at home in the Corvette. That doesn’t mean it’s too easy to drive, though. In fact, the ease with which the Z06 snaps its rear tires loose means you need to be careful with your inputs. Both cars are serious heavy hitters, with scary amounts of power and almost frightening limits. But the Z06 hits hardest. - MAC MORRISON
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VEHICLE SPECS: 2006 DODGE VIPER SRT10
BASE PRICE (includes $850 delivery): $86,995
AS-TESTED PRICE: $86,995
HORSEPOWER: 510 @ 5600 rpm
ENGINE
Front-longitudinal 8.3-liter/505-cid ohv V10
Output: 510 hp @ 5600 rpm, 535 lb-ft @ 4200-6000 rpm
Compression ratio: 9.6:1
Fuel requirement: 91 octane
DRIVETRAIN
Rear-wheel drive
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Final drive ratio: 3.07:1
CHASSIS
Body-on-frame two-door coupe
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 98.8 in
Track (front/rear): 61.6/60.9 in
Length/width/height: 175.6/75.2/48.6 in
Curb weight/GVWR: 3405/3919 lbs
SUSPENSION
Front: Unequal-length upper and lower A-arms with
coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar
Rear: Unequal-length upper and lower A-arms with toe-control
links, coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar
BRAKES/WHEELS/TIRES
Vented discs front and rear, ABS; aluminum
275/35R-18 front, 345/30R-19 rear Michelin Pilot Sport
CAPACITIES
Fuel: 18.5 gal
Cargo: 6.25 cu ft
Options as tested: None
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ROAD-TEST DATA: 2006 DODGE VIPER SRT10
STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-60 mph: 4.20 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 4.32 sec
0-quarter-mile: 12.37 sec @ 117.3 mph
ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 1.5 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 2.0 sec
60-80 mph (second gear): 2.1 sec
BRAKING
60 mph-0: 107 ft
HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 46.8 mph
Lateral acceleration (200-foot skidpad): 1.00 g
FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 14.63 mpg
AW overall: 11.12 mpg
INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 64
Max first gear: 89
Steady 60 mph: 76
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VEHICLE SPECS: 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06
BASE PRICE (includes $800 delivery): $65,800
AS-TESTED PRICE: $68,700
HORSEPOWER: 505 @ 6300 rpm
ENGINE
Front-longitudinal 7.0-liter/427-cid ohv V8
Output: 505 hp @ 6300 rpm, 470 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
Compression ratio: 11.1:1
Fuel requirement: 91 octane
DRIVETRAIN
Rear-wheel drive
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Final drive ratio: 3.42:1
CHASSIS
Space-frame two-door coupe
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.7 in
Track (front/rear): 63.5/62.5 in
Length/width/height: 175.6/75.9/49.0 in
Curb weight/GVWR: 3132/3532 lbs
SUSPENSION
Front: Double-wishbone with leaf springs, gas/liquid-filled monotube shock absorbers, antiroll bar
Rear: Double-wishbone with leaf springs, gas/liquid-filled monotube shock absorbers, antiroll bar
BRAKES/WHEELS/TIRES
Vented discs front and rear, ABS; aluminum 275/35R-18
front, 325/30R-19 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar
CAPACITIES
Fuel: 18.0 gal
Cargo: 22.3 cu ft
Options as tested: 2lz preferred equipment group, with universal home remote, memory package, telescoping steering wheel, outside mirror positions, auto-dimming rearview mirror with eight-point compass, auto-dimming and heated side mirror, heated seats, Bose audio system, XM satellite radio, power-telescoping steering wheel, luggage shade, parcel net ($2,900)
ROAD-TEST DATA: 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06
STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-60 mph: 3.91 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 4.06 sec
0-quarter-mile: 12.00 sec @ 121.7 mph
ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 1.3 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 1.7 sec
60-80 mph (second gear): 1.7 sec
BRAKING
60 mph-0: 112 ft
HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 45.6 mph
Lateral acceleration (200-foot skidpad): 0.97 g
FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 19.34 mpg
AW overall: 18.40 mpg
INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 57
Max first gear: 91
Steady 60 mph: 72
