Somebody explain this "unrefined" bad rap that the Viper has

Chuck 98 RT/10

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As already mentioned several times, it's a carryover criticism from the GenI era. Personally I think the new Vipers are too refined - ACR ******** included.
 

RTTTTed

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I've been looking ever since this thread started and still haven't found any "fit or finish" issues that were mentioned. Maybe the 2 GTSs I bought were just rebuilt so that all the gaps were perfect? The hatch in rear is also a perfect fit. Although the "cheap looking plastic dash" quoted from a few magazine articles seems to be the same plastic used in every other car I looked at. The old Jag's and Bentley's had burl dashboards, but I don't think I'd like one of those heavy panels in my supercar.

I've read that the Viper's steering is "too heavy" and I am thankful for that as the qauick ratio steering would cause crashes if it turned without effort. The Viper requires a little effort to turn the steering wheel, thankfully. Some idiot mag writer thinks that finger touch steering is good??? I read that the Viper rides badly, but I think the writer meant that HE doesn't like the STIFF ride.

I like the stiff ride and would have written, "This car rides like it belongs on the track. No provisions for babies and although the car does come with a baby seat anchor ... it shows our Government thinks that children should be taught racing at a young age." "Damaged spines and newborns are not recommended for riding in this car."

Ted
 

Mopar488

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The biggest part of it is that Dodge is not giving any payoff money to the rags like some of the brand X does. I don't really give a s--- what anyone says about it being crude, etc. Those people belong in a Buick anyway.
 
K

Kaya

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People who say things like that about the Viper don't have one. I own a Z06 and a Viper Coupe. I love them both equally. For daily driving the Vette is a bit more roomy and easier to shift with the clutch and brake so close to each other in the Viper.

The Viper is a great vehicle and has a much nicer fit and finish than my Corvette. I would not trade either car. I was in a bad accident in January in the Viper and thanks to Jon-B at Parts Rack or I would haven't been able to fix my car. Since I got my car back in April, I haven't been driving it to work because of the traffic situation and the daily wrecks on my route to work.

Let me tell you, I wasn't even sore after the accident, the Viper cockpit and seats did a fantastic job of shielding me.

I can tell you, I really miss not being in the car, but at this point I am not willing to risk another 4 months of repair....

I ordered a Jeep Wrangler as a daily driver...I really hate driving "normal" vehicles.

But I digress, the Viper is a first class monster and I am lucky that I have both it and the Z06 and for the people who trash talk....well, its because they aren't so lucky :)
 

FastZilla

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I have also found the the Viper is raw and rough enough that it's owners are for the most part devoid of gold chains and pinky rings.... JMO.
 

Zrxpilot

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I think it depends on what you are comparing the viper to. My other car is a 01 jeep wrangler (the fast one with an inline 4.0) creeping up on 90,000 miles. The viper is a treat in comparison to drive but not having cruise control it gets a bit cramped after a couple hundred miles. Its tough to find a car that does everything great. I choose to use the jeep for long trips.

Fit and finish and interior styling/quality is also a BIG step up from the jeep. In my world the viper is near perfect in almost every aspect with exception of having to park it in the winter and would look really stupid with a trailer hitch.
 

viperbilliam

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Well, it is 'unrefined' compared to other sports cars at the same $100k price range. The interior is relatively cheap, there are no electrical goodies like traction control, auto climate control, heated seats, etc. The engine sill has a cable throttle rather than drive-by-wire, and the power delivery is rather brutal. Oh, and if you get out of the car on a hot day it may burn your skin if you're wearing shorts.

But, it's a blast to drive and it looks amazing. Compare it to a Porsche or something and you'll see a total difference.

- Anthony

Gen IV has drive by wire. :)
 

RTTTTed

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As far as tech and electronics the Viper has trophies for the cam-in-cam technology and the new Venom controller has 10 x the computing power of the older ECU.

Electronic controlled suspension, Computer controlled Stereo, Climate Control, etc. came out in the Stealth R/T and TT models in the early 90s. Now TC, Electronic Suspension etc. comes standard in PICKUP TRUCKS.

I've addded electronics I felt were helpful to my 01 Viper. Top quality speakers and Bluetooth Head unit. I found the SRX ('09 version 9500ci) built in radar detector to be a must and the only car I havn't received a ticket in is my Vipers. I added a portable nav system for when I do a trip out of province. I also added a Tire Pressure/Temp Monitor System to my Viper (like my pickup has stock) because the low profile tires don't show low tire pressures and adjusting tire pressure from flat just one time could save an $800 tire and prevent me from having to wait days for a new tire to be shipped to me during a trip. All MY Viper systems are BETTER than factory offerings - because I picked the features that I wanted and added them. So I guess even though the new Viper is advanced tech and an award winner - the magazines would pick my OLD Viper as the High tech wonder of choice?

The high tech stuff that makes the Viper so special is the stuff that makes the new ACR the fastest car at the RING.

I suppose that we could have that mamby pamby seat heaters, electronic susp etc. etc. but the Dodge motto for the Viper was "Race cars don't have cup holders or cruise control.

Much as I like Ford GTs I understand that they don't even come with a glovebox for the car's registration. Now that's minimalism. Guess they're not "very refined" without digital climate control either? LOL.

Ted
 
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