- Mar 15, 2006
- 767
Got our first 2008 Viper SRT at the shop tonight. Thanks to Mike Robbins of Ringgold Dodge for the excellent service and quick delivery.
Just got back from a short but spirited drive with Mike's trusted transport driver, Tony (in pic), riding along shotgun.
The new shift linkage is much improved and has a true sports car mechanical feel. Power is impressive and the car really pulls hard from 4000 rpm on up even thru the top of 4th gear. The car hooks well from a slow roll, likely due to the PS2 tires which are an improvement over the runflats. Dodge even included an air compressor in the trunk in case you need to put air in the tires. Car sounds a bit better but not as good as some have described to me. The car still wanders and is a bit darty driving at steady state down the road. The KW suspension is a must have for this car.
In stock form, you can use nearly all the power all of the time. And without the aid of traction control, etc.
The verdict - it hauls ass and is much more fun to drive than the gen 3 Viper. It would be a good race between a stock 2008 Viper and a stock FGT. All this car needs is a KW suspension and a set of headers/exhaust.
More testing to come tomorrow, including stock baseline testing on the chassis dyno and some driftbox acceleration recording. We will have the car out to the dragstrip this weekend.
I look forward to reporting more information about the 2008 Viper soon. Stay tuned.