forg0tmypen

I have to say, I have a whole new respect for Ralph Gilles after watching this. A stand up guy.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/04/s...tor-trend-vip/

Racer

Huh?
What did he say that gave you this whole new respect?

NytmereZ

He told it like it was, while still giving respect to all the cars SRT beat.

EyeMaster

Am I the only one that is not a fan of the new Viper? I'd rather have a C7.

NytmereZ

E erybody has the right to their own opinion, but IMO all though I really like the vette, in no way can it compare to the new viper.

forg0tmypen

So let me get this straight: if someone offered you a new Viper, or a new C7 Stingray, you would take the Stingray?

LEE427

Ralph Gilles reported that they tested the Viper T/A on the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups and it was 2.5 seconds/lap faster than the Pirellis. So I'd say ~2.6 seconds/lap faster than the ZR1 on equivalent tires should be good evidence of the new car's capabilities. Seems the Corsas are maybe in line with the Super Sports..

Guibo

So Ralph had initially blamed Randy as "fearing" the Viper. Yet in this interview, we hear:
That first Viper's rear suspension was out of alignment. (Randy's fault or SRT's?)
That first Viper's brakes were brand new and not yet bedded in. (Randy's fault or SRT's?)

I'd think that driving a misaligned Viper on virgin brakes to that time was a testament to Randy's driving prowess and not necessarily damning.

I couldn't quite get where Ralph mentioned GM having the Michelin contract and that being denied to Dodge. From what I gathered, he said they had already stopped developing the Cup in '08 and that they were developing Trofeo R's with Pirelli for the new car, just that they were not ready yet. There wasn't even a Cup in the new Viper size, so they had to make a wheel to fit.

ZR1Gerhardt

It is to early for comparisons. Not to mention, the Viper is a $120K plus car vs. the base C7 which is suppose to be in the $60K range. They are aiming for different markets. But yes, the Viper should be faster all around than the base C7.

The true test will be the high performance model of the C7 whenever it arrives. The question will then be what do you compare it to? The GTS or this new T/A Viper?

Did I read somewhere where they are only going to make 33 of the T/A versions? How many ACRs did they make a year?

Scott

Big Dan 427

Should be faster than the base C7? The Viper will stop for coffee and a donut to let the base C7 catch up...lol. If the car ran 2.5s faster on cups than it annihilated the ZR1, and it's not even the ACR, just the TA. GM will have lots of work to do to keep up!!

ZR1Gerhardt

Of course it is faster, poor wording on my part.

I bet GM will be up to the challenge on their zr1 or whatever it is called with the C7. I bet they will beat the time attack version.

However, the ACR is more of a track dedicated/focused car, it better be the fastest when it comes out or Ralph will have to go through the exercise of creating another version quickly like he had to do with the Time Attack.

On a side note, I don't believe Ralph's comments about the current car being 2.5 seconds faster on the Cups. Even Randy P. said the GTS' problems were unrelated to tires. I think Randy has more credibility through all the accusations and hype generated by Ralph, but that is Ralph's job to thump his chest and declare his product the best as he is trying to sell them. I just don't trust a car salesman!

I don't think a new ZR1 would beat a new ACR as it should retain more of a GT car feel, where you can comfortably drive it around town touring. They won't sacrifice that for ACR numbers.

Now for competition, how about Chevy bring back a ZR-2 to go after the ACR. That would be cool! Have not had a ZR-2 since 71? Been a while!

Scott

Big Dan 427

You are right in that Randy said it wasn't the tires, it was the fact that the first car he ran was a mule and the camber was out on the right rear tire, on a course like LS that is huge! In the same breath though there is no doubt that cups would make any car faster, I guess a good test would be to let the ZR1 run on the Corsas too.

It's a great thing that SRT is so adamant about being fastest, it gives GM something to shoot for.

forensicsteve

I am a viper guy, on my second one (Gen II, now Gen III) and not at all sold on the 2013 model. It's not about hp or drag/track times. I drive mine on public roads and not interested in who gets to the next red light first or whether the 1/4 is 11.2 or 11.3 or whatever. Just don't like the look of it from many angles, although not seen one in person.

By the time I migrate to a Gen IV, maybe a C7ZO6 will be offered and seduce back to corvettes which I previously enjoyed

racerns

They tested the TA with true racing slicks and it was ~2.9 sec per lap faster than on the Corsas. So Ralph is saying that the Cups are only 0.4 sec a lap slower than a true race slick? That is just pure BS. Ask anyone who has run both a DOT track tire (Cup or R6/A6) on their car and then switched to a true slick and they will tell you there is a 2-3 sec a lap difference.

Big Dan 427

@ racerns, In the video Ralph said they ran on cups and were 2.5 seconds faster. I also did hear they ran on slicks too and were 2.9 faster, but he specifically said cups in the video. I can't imagine he would BS after the firestorm from a few months ago. Either way they annihilated the ZR1 record with cups on the car! All the smack talk the ZR1 owners were doing was about a mule that was out of line! Just stating the facts...As to your statement regarding slicks I do agree with you, not sure though if they ran the same day which could alter the times obviously.

ZR1Gerhardt

Ralph also said the original 13 viper was always faster than the zr1. This was done while testing their mules vs zr1s! But it was not when it came out and he upset the Viper community. I would not be shocked if their testing was actually done vs. an older zr1 that did not have PTM or maybe even the cups. It is the little details like that the tend to get over looked when doing research in company having tremendous financial troubles. Just saying he is first and foremost a car salesman. That is meant as no disrespect to him, its just his job to promote his cars.

I also don't believe the slicks are only .4 seconds faster than the cups.

Look it is no surprise that the Time Attack was faster than the Zr1. Even if it is a second or two faster, it should not surprise anyone. They went back to the office and made some track adjustments after the first. I like that, shows he loves his job and his cars.

I guess the disappointment some may have with the Time Attack is that they are only going to make 33 of them. So the odds are that you are unlikely to ever come across one unless you own it, and that may be impossible in itself. Can you imagine the dealer markup on these!

Scott

ZEEEE06

QUOTE=forg0tmypen;1583555878]So let me get this straight: if someone offered you a new Viper, or a new C7 Stingray, you would take the Stingray?[/QUOTE]

Vette_Minded

I like the Viper but, I feel that a new Viper should have beat the ZR1 handley regardless of track, tires or driver. The Fact that it didn't and actually got beat IMO is a win for Chevy.

ZR1Gerhardt

It was the tires, brakes, suspension, a mule, etc., but it was the same as the mules that were suppose to be beating the crap out of the zr1s when srt was testing the new viper.

It came out and it lost. Egg on face.

Now they have corrected it with the track attack and beat it by what was .08 of a second. It still counts as a win, just not as overwhelming as expected.

I think they should have said we don't care if the GTS is a tad slower, forget the time and money put in the Time Attack, and just focus on getting the ACR done right. If people complained just say our track times will be handled by our track car, the ACR.

boost2na

I have love for both cars. Part that confuses me is why people are getting so upset when the cars are basically identical from a physics stand point. Seriously, power, torque, weight, transmission, it does not get any closer than this. So I'm confused why anyone would expect the viper to win by something insane like 6 seconds? Even if the wheels and tires on both cars were identical one car isn't gonna end up 1200 ft ahead. Not trying to start a fight, just doesn't make sense from an engineering perspective.