VPS: I can understand that viewpoint on it, as the Viper is indeed a rare car. However, spending 100k to get it and not be able to outdo the local Chevy is going to **** off a lot of fans and loyal buyers.

With Ferrari, Lambo, even some McLarens and Porsche, there's an expectation of performance. They know that the performance comes along with the name. The Viper was that way for a long time. It still is associated with raw power.

I just hope that the lack of dominance expected by the Viper doesnt push people away from it...

 

Never[8D]

 

viper.. firepower .. they both are cars that go really fast so they are both the same to me.. so i say haha never

 

i like side pipes

and yea it wont be long and dodge will make the viper faster than everybody once again cus it seems now that dodge is trying to have the fastest vehicles and break records. (srt10 ram *cough* i want one)

 

Its so easy to point out that the Viper is currently lacking a little in the power department, and, as it always has, costs more than the Vette.. Sure, for $85K you would expect that it would have much more speed than the $20K less Vette. But, don't forget the good ol' Ford GT. It's got 550HP (50 more than Viper) and 500 lb ft torque (25 less than Viper). Sure, its pulling that out of a 5.4L, but its also supercharged. Oh yea, and the GT costs around $70K more than the Viper.
We also have the (now retired it seems) Acura NSX. It only had a 3.2L 290HP 224 lb. ft. engine. When new, it cost about the same as a Viper (and weighed about the same, etc etc) How about that for bang for your buck?
I was recently at the dealer getting a quote on some work another dealer messed up before I bought my truck, and while I was there, I was reading a mag comparing modified Vettes, Vipers, etc. The modified Vette costed more than the modified Viper, but the Viper, in most cases, kicked its ***. *Suprize, suprize, not*
As for not having a lot of technology in it, thats actually what they wanted when they built the Viper - "yestertech" as ex-Chrysler President Bob Lutz put it.
The Viper should definitly keep the side exhaust, and the V-10.
I wouldn't be suprized to see a big power increase with the next gen Vipers. And than, of course, the Chevy guys will be back to the good ol' "Well, of course its faster, its got a V-10." (While they increase the size of their V-8s)

 

The Ford GT was severely overpriced...and couldnt beat the Corvette even with its price tag. The NSX was an Acura....which is Honda's high priced lineup....and is another extremely overpriced car. The NSX while low on HP/Torque, was still a fairly fast car and could hang with a stock Corvette.
I remember once upon a time when you couldnt get a Porsche for the price of a Corvette....now you can...

As for the modified Vette...losing to the modified Viper.....I can see that happening....but you also have to consider who did what to their cars. I've seen 1000rwhp Corvettes and Vipers....but only people with alot of money can afford it.


The point you are really missing however is that they're not improving the Viper. They're adding more HP/Torque, but its not FIXING THE PROBLEMS it already has. It needs to be lightened and have a better gearing ratio. That would fix the problem. How are you going to add 115-140hp and get the same times in 2008 as the current Corvette from 2005 does???? It's a complete and utter disappointment.

As for the, "It should be faster, its got a V-10 in it...." Hate to break this to you....but of the top 50 fastest cars in the world.....only about 20 of those have a V10/V12......the rest are all V8 powered....

One last thing, three of the fastest US built cars all run on V8's...Saleen S7, Z06 Corvette, Ford GT....stock..

 

I think that is the point... BESIDES the Vette, the Viper is one of the best for bang for your buck.

ok... point being.. why defend the Vette so much and attack the Viper?

How do you know what they are doing? These are just rumors. And even the rumors don't state what is or isn't being done in the gear and weight department. How do you know that they are just assing horsepower and aren't fixing problems? You don't... You guys need to stop jumping to conclusions like you know what's going on. How can something that hasn't happened, be a disappointment?

He was talking about how the Vette fans used to whine cause it was a bigger engine.. That's the point... Just cause it's bigger doesn't mean it was faster... (It was, but that was their excuse) I don't know what you thought he meant and felt you had to prove here...

 

DevilsRejects: Pretty much the point in me bringing up the Ford GT and Acura NSX was to say, well, that sometimes people don't just buy a car because its a "Viper killer," or a "Vette killer." Yes, in pretty much every test, the GT and Viper were identical, sometimes the GT was faster, sometimes the Viper. But people still bought the more expensive GT, why? Because they liked the styling, or they just wanted one because of its rareness, or, just because they had the money to buy one, because we live in America, and damnit, they can buy what they want!
MidnightBlueNeon interperted what I meant by the V-10 comment. If you beat a V-8 Vette with your V-10 Viper, they'll use the "Well, its got a V-10, of course its faster!" Not the case always.
Infact, the Viper V-10 isn't really that amazing, as has been stated before.
With a 472 HEMI, I can get 525 HP; with a 528 HEMI 610HP, and with the monster 540 HEMI, 900+ HP, all of them being V-8s (granted, some are bigger than the Viper motor, and the 540 has some add ons)
vipersforsale brought up a point: the Viper is much more rare.
But, as modifiers have proven, the V-10 has a LOT of potential, you just need to know how to tap it (and, have some money, but, thats always the case). And I'm sure, as time goes on, Dodge will continue to tap that potential, as the competition keeps catching up.
It would be pretty logical to think that, in fact, Dodge will make improvements over the current Viper, and fix some stuff that needs fixing. Thats usually the reason they bring out new Generations, or give them mid-life refreshes (such as the improved 2006 Ram, which isn't just a new face)

 

If the only reason you spend money on a car is because its rare......then you got issues, but hey...that's just my opinion. No worries, I wont comment on this stupid affair anymore, period

 

Believe me, I'm not going to go out and buy a rare car just because its rare. (I didn't write that as saying people buy such cars because they are rare, but, now that I read over it, it may give that impression) I'm just saying, if someone is given the choice of buying a car everyone else has, versus something that can make them stand out, most people will go with what other people don't have. (Thats why many people mod their CARS, because you can't really make a car more function with most of the mods out there, but you can a truck if you use it for what it's made for) And for those that have seeminly endless amounts of money, money, of course, would be no problem, and they can spend hundreds of thousands on a car.