New test, by Car and Driver

[M. ROD]

"We drove it about 500 miles south directly to our testing site in the high desert to get the numbers. That’s a long day, particularly in an ambient temperature of 100 degrees(which may account for the slower than expected test figures). The performance ought to be identical to that of the convertible, with 0-to-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a ¼ mile in 12.1 seconds. Our car missed those benchmarks by 0.1 second and 0.4 second, respectively, but then again, we’ve never matched those early numbers in more recent tests of Viper roadsters."

THE VERDICT:

Highs: Iconic presence, surprising roominess, mega-performance.
Lows: Noisy interior, driveline shuffle, poor fuel economy.
The verdict: Still heroically antisocial.


C/D TEST RESULTS:
0-30 mph.…….1.6 seconds
0-40.………….2.2
0-50.………….2.9
0-60.………….4.0
0-70.………….5.0
0-80.………….6.0
0-90.………….7.8
0-100.…………9.3
0-110.…………10.8
0-120.…………13.2
0-130.…………15.4
0-140.…………17.7
0-150.…………20.5

¼ mile…………12.5 sec @ 117 mph
Top speed(drag limited, mfr’s claim)………190 mph

Braking:
70-0 mph……………159 ft

Handling:
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad…………..0.98 g

 

[AviP]

***? Who ever test braking from 70-0? That's the most useless test if everybody else tests 60-0.

 

[sween]

what the f***. 12.5 for the quarter mile? and whats up with the braking. the viper has the best production brakes so i know for a fact its not that bad

 

[sween]

also bad fuel economy? WHO BUYS A VIPER FOR FUEL ECONOMY?

 

[rac156]

159 ft isn't bad from 70 MPH

The 70-0 brake test is odd. It's kind of like a 3/8 mile acceleration test. I'm not sure why C&D does it that way but they always do.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

12.5???? My Mother could do 12.5.....in my Gen 2. What the HECK is going on here? It's like the X files or something. How bad can these first cars be? Are they beat up test mules? Are these test drivers for the mags THAT bad? I'm beginning to believe the latter. They can handle the cars with the electrical nannies but they can't handle the Viper. I soooo wish one of the mags would put Archer in a Viper and Heinrcy or Fellows in the Z. Now THAT would be a fair test.

 

[Vic]

"Heroically anti-social"

lol!

 

[Snakester]

The high desert could be the problem. The 117MPH trap speed shows that the car is likely making a good deal less than 510HP/535TQ.

The only thing that's worse for the Viper than the Z06 Corvette tests coming out so well, is this first run of magazine tests of the SRT Coupe doing so poorly.

I was really hoping that DC would quietly factory port the heads or something to keep the Viper competitive, considering that we have no news of the supposed '07 ACR Viper Coupe weighing 3200lbs and having 625HP.

It's disappointing to see this unfold in the press, with worse news following bad news (no extra power for the Coupe, then inferior performance to the Gen II GTS Viper from nearly 10 years ago).

At least Ford got their rear in gear and tweaked the Ford GT for much better performance when the early cars did only so-so in initial press testing. I'd love to see DC pull it out of a hat in the 11th hour to impress the world once again with the Viper, but it's getting less and less likely as time passes.

 

[Viperfreak2]

Let's test the Viper at high altitude and 100 degrees. THEN: let's test the Vette at sea level and 60 degrees. Then when we print the numbers it will piss off the Viper guys. Who cares? There's only a few thousand of them....there are hundreds of thousands of Vette owners. Economics and politics. Gotta love 'em.

 

[Magicboy2]

Car and Driver's test numbers are corrected for differences in altitude and pressure.

 

[M. ROD]

Weak numbers for a Viper, but that blast to 150 mph in 20.5 seconds is the quickest I've seen for a Viper, any Viper. Under good conditions this could be a sub-20 seconds car, and that's flying.

 

[Viperfreak2]

Aero changes make a big difference above 120. I wonder since the softtop is .40 and they say the coupe is .39 Both numbers still on the high side.

 

[Mopar426]

the viper has the best production brakes so i know for a fact its not that bad

While the brakes are VERY good, to say they are the "Best" in production is streaching it. Dive a Porsche Turbo and you will see the difference belive me.

 

[Mopar426]

Aero changes make a big difference above 120. I wonder since the softtop is .40 and they say the coupe is .39 Both numbers still on the high side.

Vipers have never been known as "Aerodynamic" but they make up for it in style (GTS atleast).

 

[Viper Specialty]

the viper has the best production brakes so i know for a fact its not that bad

While the brakes are VERY good, to say they are the "Best" in production is streaching it. Dive a Porsche Turbo and you will see the difference belive me.

Actually, the Viper holds the street car record last I checked, at 97 feet 60-0. it beat out the Porche TT in braking, without an issue. Testers of the SRT quite literally said they TRIED to get the SRT brakes to fade, but were unsuccessful- and that is not even with a nice set of Vented Ceramic rotors like the porche TT's. Now, I will give it to Porche on their Ceramic-Composite brake rotors and pads, but the only difference that makes is in wearing out, brake dust production, and brake fade... of which the first two dont matter in performance testing, and the last of which does not appear to effect SRT's in any type of said testing.


PS- I would like to adapt a set of Porche TT rotors/pads to an SRT- they should fit with a new set of hats for Viper spindles, but cost is WAAAAAAAAY out there.

PPS- the Calipers and Pads of the SRT are of the same design Lamborghini uses in the Diablo and Murcielago...

 

[sween]

yup it still holds the title for best production brakes and the title for the biggest engine and also its in the top 3 for skidpad. Also its the second best on motortrends figure 8. it has alot of titles