http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...0401_vipandgt/</P>


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Road Test: 2005 Dodge Viper vs. 2005 Ford GT
Welcome to the 500-horsepower club </P>


By Jack Keebler &amp; Todd Lassa
Motor Trend, January 2004
Enough talk. You demanded a legit, track-test showdown between America's 500-horse contenders. We're here to serve. </P>


Sorry, Bow-Tie boosters, Chevy's Corvette sat this one out. Among the world's best-performance values, even the 405-horsepower Z06 lacks the beans to tee up on this turf. And, as you can tell from our cover and related article in this issue, a new Corvette is on its way, which creates all sorts of future shoot-around possibilities. Stay tuned on that front.</P>


This is a track test, not a road test, so there won't be any cupholder talk, and we couldn't care less about golf-bag capacity. We're here for numbers and an understanding of how these two philosophically and mechanically differing designs, and their disparate technical approaches, get the job done. Other than the fact that the Fabulous Ford and the Demonic Dodge are both built in Michigan, USA, they couldn't be more mismatched. The Viper uses a steel chassis with composite bodywork, powered by a front-mounted 8.3-liter naturally aspirated overhead-valve V-10. Ford's new GT relies on aluminum alloys for its chassis and coachwork and runs a supercharged, DOHC V-8 mounted amidships. The Viper is a convertible, the GT a coupe.</P>


These guys can't agree on anything. A perfect matchup.</P>


Our Viper was a production SRT-10. The GT assigned to us was prosaically dubbed "Engineering CP-04." That's "confirmation/certification prototype number four" in engineerspeak. In other words, something beyond an initial prototype, but not yet a pure, production piece, either. Of the 15 CPs built, some will be crashed (okay to wince here...), some will do emissions duty, others will serve the Powertrain Gods. And our gritty, well-worn tester is regularly taken out for torture by the ride and handling teams. Still, it's largely representative of what a real GT will perform like, but not quite. 2005 GT production begins this spring.</P>


Getting 500 horsepower to the ground on street tires isn't easy. Too many revs, and the tires go up in smoke. Too little rpm, and the engine bogs and can fall off its power curve. There's usually a 1-2 or even a tricky 2-3 shift to hang things up. But none of that is your problem; it's just our challenge. We're thrilled to report that both the Viper and GT are up to it, and then some. </P>


Neither the Ford nor the Dodge require a shift before hitting 60 mph, a key ingredient to their respective 3.6- and 3.9-second performances. Indeed, 60 arrives just at the crankshaft-straining first-gear redline in both machines. The Ford's 0.3-second advantage may not sound like a big margin, but in acceleration parlance, it's a lifetime.</P>


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Things tightened up farther down the dragstrip. The GT remained a bumper ahead all the way to 100, which the Viper reached in 8.4 seconds and the GT hit in just 8.1. By the time both cars hit the quarter-mile traps, the Viper caught its breath and managed to nip the GT by just 100th of a second with a slightly lower trap speed of 123.63 versus the GT's 124.31. Yeow. Without electronic timing, it'd be way too close to call.</P>


Thanks to both players' electronic anti-lock systems, multipot calipers, and massive brake rotors, stopping requires far less driver skill than laying down a John Force-quality launch. Standing on the GT's pedal from 60 mph nailed six stops all at less than 115 feet with no cool down in between runs (brakes take the inertial energy of the vehicle and convert it into a zillion calories of heat energy, which is then dissipated into the air by the rotors). Thomas Reichenbach, the GT's vehicle-engineering manager, claims the car has stopped in as little as 107 feet during Ford's testing, with the brake pads up to maximum temp. We tried several 80-to-0 stops in an attempt to warm things up a bit; a final 60-to-0 stop yielded 111 feet, as fade-free and linear feeling as on the first run. Our seatbelt bruises are finally fading, thanks.</P>


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Although we attempt to keep things as equal as possible, our Viper was tested on what might've been a slightly grippier section of test-track pavement. Dodge also equips the car with bigger-rubber contact patches. Stopping the Viper was even more like hitting a wall, taking a staggeringly short 97 feet to haul down from 60 to 0. And, like the GT, it could repeat the deed over and over, with no heat-related fade. That's how far braking and tire technology have come. In the stopping department, the Viper is record-setting, the GT merely outstanding.</P>


We usually address handling and ride at the same time. But, obviously, these cars are handling-biased to the extreme. We didn't have the opportunity to sample them back to back on public roads. And this GT was equipped with decidedly nonproduction carbon-fiber bucket seats that gave a false impression of a harder ride than what customers can expect. Between track runs, we gathered some impressions on a variety of the smooth and not-so-smooth pavement ribboned throughout our closed-course test locale. </P>


That said, we'll stick our necks out to interpolate that the GT has better ride characteristics than the infamously stiff Viper. The GT has the longer wheelbase, which reduces ride motions. It runs on slightly smaller wheels and tires, which means lower unsprung mass. This also tends to be an asset in ride quality. Another reason the GT prototype's hard buckets muddied our impression is because the Viper has comfortable, supportive seats with curve-handy side bolstering.</P>


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Both of these muscle/sports cars exhibited high levels of grip and impressive handling during our slalom test. Few hot rides can do the 600-foot cone dance as quickly as these two-seaters; anything over 70 mph is serious stuff. This pair qualified, with the Ford nipping the Dodge by 1.1 mph (71.5 versus 70.4). The GT is so together it somehow feels like it's going slower than it actually is.</P>


It takes less time to get friendly with the GT. We learned the handling limits with ease because there's more clear feedback about what's going on where the rubber meets the road. At the limits of adhesion, we could detect even slight chassis yaw earlier in the Ford than in the Viper and counter-steer corrections into the equation. All said, the Ford enjoys better overall chassis balance and a more progressive, precise, and lighter steering feel.</P>


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The previous-generation Viper had a reputation for punishing slow-reacting and inattentive drivers. It had high limits, but they were never reached or communicated to the cockpit in anything resembling a progressive manner. The SRT-10 has much-improved on-limit handling behavior and feedback. But the chassis still feels a tad numb, at l

 

OMG! GREAT Story...I'd pick the Viper for sure!! WOW!! I wishI could test out a car or two for Motor Trend. LOL! Even just to see them, take some pictures... I would LOVE that! Red goes fast standing still... so a.3 second differance doesn't irk me at all. <IMG style="CURSOR: pointer" alt=Wink src=smileys/smiley2.gif onclick="AddSmileyIcon'smileys/smiley2.gif'" border="0">

~Amanda <edited><editID>Dodgegirl19</editID><editDate>38008.0009837963</editDate></edited>

 

Should have gone to the Viper plant w/ me then! <IMG src=smileys/smiley17.gif border="0"></P>


redriderbob</P>

 

Yeah, especially when the Viper makes up that difference and more by the end of the 1/4. <img border="0" src=smileys/smiley2.gif border="0"> <img border="0" src=smileys/smiley36.gif border="0">

 

Just wait for two more years.. can't wait for the 8.3L HEMI "VIPER" V-10 w/ 600 horsepower!!!</P>


redriderbob</P>

 

The image of the Vipers center console is interesting. A 500 hp car with a run of the mill stock head unit. The dial style temp controls are a dissappointment also, s/b digital display with climate control. That is just my opinion.

 

The interior is pretty much the only thing that disapoints me on this 3rd generation Viper! I wish it had the 2nd generation interior still!</P>


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The only problem, you will hear from Viper owners is that the 1st and 2nd generation car are tight in the interior, because of the center console which covers the trans and driveshaft. I have had riden in two R/T-10 models and one GTS Coupe as well as two Prowlers and the Prowler interior is actually wider believe it or not!</P>


redriderbob</P>

 

I have only been in a '94 R/T-10 and found it to be just right, at least without the top on it. <img border="0" src=smileys/smiley17.gif border="0">

 

"Just wait for two more years.. can't wait for the 8.3L HEMI "VIPER" V-10 w/ 600 horsepower!!!"

redriderbob


Can't say I've heard of it. I have heard rumors of a Hemi Viper, but no specifics. A V10 Hemi would make a nice addition. <img border="0" src=smileys/smiley4.gif border="0">

 

those are some nice pictures.