2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 - Driving Impressions - First Test

So how does it drive? About as before on heavily patrolled North Carolina and Virginia byways, which is to say -- unhappy at 55-to-65 mph, which utterly lugs in sixth gear (1250 rpm) and results in a tiresome drone in either fifth or fourth. When winding the car out, however, the exhaust note is better than expected -- and far better than the first Viper, which also used sidepipes with no crossover. SRT Powertrain honcho Pete Gladys attributes the transformation not only to exhaust tuning, but also to improvements in the combustion chamber -- the bangs are happening less raucously and more efficiently. Another side-benefit to sidepipes that flow exhaust more efficiently: They don't heat up to skin-searing temperatures, which makes getting in and out a much less risky business than in early Vipers. The more compliant tire sidewalls smooth out the ride a bit and dramatically reduce the car's propensity to get stuck in truck-rutted asphalt. The helm feels a bit less nervous on these tires, although no changes were made to the steering.

To truly appreciate 600 horsepower, one needs to get completely away from civil society. Virginia International Raceway's 2.5-mile north loop is the perfect place to do this, and out here the Viper is a monster -- but not an utterly untamed one. In fact, it launches fairly gracefully with what feels like some torque limitation in first gear, its giant Brembo brakes apply smoothly, and its shifter requires far less brutish manhandling, all of which makes the car fairly easy to drive hard, fast, and smoothly on courses like this. This is especially true in the coupe, which makes rear downforce you can feel in several of the higher-speed turns at VIR. Driven at the same pace in the same corners, the convertible's rear end breaks loose more easily, exercising the GKN differential to produce nice, controllable, power-on slides. Many suggest this behavior makes the convertible more fun to drive, and they may be right -- though the more rigid and neutral coupe is the choice if winning races is the sort of fun you're looking for (no wonder they charge $750 more for the coupe). The Pilot Sport PS2s grip tenaciously, with negligible squeal in all but the tightest of corners, and according to SCCA champ and SRT chassis guru Erich Heuschele, they shave two seconds off the car's time on a wet autocross-about a second on VIR's dry 2.5-mile north loop. A week later we got the Viper to the track.

The hard numbers: