SRT Engineer Chat HERE on January 16th!

[Y2K5SRT]

Once again the folks from SRT have generously offered to host a chat here for Viper owners (and prospective owners) on Wednesday, January 16, 2008. It will take place here from 6:00 - 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (that's 5:00 Central, 4:00 Mountain and 3:00 Pacific).

Now this is your chance to chat directly with SRT employees about the Viper platform - be it old or new. Just understand that ALL questions about future product (anything beyond the 2008 model) will be ignored if not deleted by our moderating staff first. Chrysler/SRT personnel are strictly forbidden from commenting about future product, so don't waste your typewriting. Our moderators will be standing by and will delete without warning - other than this one.

Given the short notice, we would encourage you to start posting questions here immediately. Our web staff will consolidate those questions into one reply before the actual chat starts and SRT will review them beforehand as well. As stated above, we reserve the right to edit or delete those questions that SRT cannot answer due to company policy.

We look forward to your questions and seeing you here on the 16th!

[Y2K5SRT]

And here are the questions as consolidated thus far:

rcl4668: What are the exact weights for the 2008 Coupe versus the 2008 Convertible. Is there still a weight differential of about 30 lbs as on the 2006 model? (With the convertible actually being lighter.)

An article in a recent car magazine stated that the wheel used on the 2008 Viper ACR is a Sidewinder wheel that has been improved over prior Sidewinder rims (like the one one used on the 2005 Copperhead limited edition convertible) using finite element analysis. Is this accurate or is the ACR rim essentially the same albeit with a black paint finish?

j-rho: I'd like to know the front and rear spring rate differences between the 2003-2006 cars and the 2008. If the 2008 rates are appreciably higher, would also like to know if these parts could be made to supercede the old in the factory parts books. Such that if my stock coilovers "disappeared" I could get the new parts as legitimate stock replacements at the dealer.

black08: If it falls within their province, I was wondering if the SRT engineers can give us any definitive information on the alleged 75 horsepower Mopar package for the '08 as shown at the 2007 NAIAS?

doctorbob: I would like to know the expected wear on the Pilot Cup tires of the ACR and wear if you put on stock PS2s. Obviously, you're just not going to be taking this car only to and from the track so I was interested on advice if you were to take the ACR on an extended trip.

Nader:

• I just finished reading the ACR article in the most recent Viper Magazine. In the article it summarizes the ACR suspension mods. In particular it mentions, "The more aggressive ACR suspension setup requires increased roll stiffness up front, so a new stiffer front stabilizer bar is included." Since I have very similar mods namely lighter wheels and non runflats, Moton adjustable suspension, and stoptech rotors would you recommend the same thicker stabilizer bar? I do track the car 2-3 times a year. The car handles extremely well but not sure i should be running a thicker bar in conjunction with my more aggressive suspension setup. Also, with the StopTech rotors do you have any pad recommendations for light track use but mostly street driving?
• When driving i get an some "creaking" from my top when it is up. It sounds like it is coming from overhead and where the top meets the windshield. If i pull on the driver side handle on the top it stops. Does it need to be adjusted or tightened? Or does it need to be lubricated and if so where and how. Are there any general maintenance procedures for the hardware on the top?
• Why the move back to two independent throttle bodies?
• Mopar is currently selling the 2008 hood. Questions: Does the intake inlet of the 08 hood line up with the 03-06 filter box? The 08 hood does not come with the vent covers from Mopar nor are they listed as a Mopar part. Are they sold seperately? How does one obtain the vent covers if they chose to change to an 08 hood?

Early93Viper: Without violating any company policies, can you comment on how committed Chrysler's new owners are to the Viper? We are seeing some very scary rumors right now. Also are the new owners committed to producing and making available parts for the GEN I and GEN II vipers?

rcl4668: What pad would you recommend for the Stoptechs for someone who had to run one pad for both street and running 6-7 HPDE/track days per year?

Andrew/USPWR: Why aren't 5 point harnesses standard on the new ACR or even an option?

viperflex: Will the 08 heads and intake work/fit on a 03-06? If so what kind of numbers would we see and poss time frame?

SnakeEye:

• Can excessive wind noise in the upper rear corners of the door glass in coupes be eliminated or reduced via window adjustments or other techniques?
• Is there an easy fix to address the trunk lid not fully releasing when using the fob?
• What is the weight of the new optional razor wheel compared to the standard 5-spoke?
• Is a Mopar 3.33 gear available for the updated '08 rear differential?
• What is the approximate shift throw reduction in the '08?

art 138: Will the 08 differential and transmission be compatible with the 03-06s without major modifications??

Kai SRT10: Why is there no roll bar in the 2008 convertible?

Paul Hawker: It has been mentioned that the 08 transmission shifts easier, yet is beefier. Any insight as to why people that have driven with this new transmission react so positively.

black08: Obviously, thousands of hours were logged on the track during the development of the ACR. I was wondering if the SRT engineers could give us an idea of how much quicker the ACR was on the track versus the regular '08 model?

pcc:

• When exactly will the aero package be available to order as an option and what will it cost?
• When will viper red verts start down assembly line?
• Are any other options not previously disclosed planned for the 08 model year?
• When will the upgraded suspension and other parts that make up the 08 ACR be available at my local dealer?

viperjim:

• Why doesn't Chrysler offer other rear end ratios as an added cost option on the Viper?
• I think most Viper enthusiasts were looking for a bigger 1/4 mile differential between the 600 hp Viper and the 505 hp Corvette Z06 during Car & Drivers match up. I know the Viper is about 300lbs heavier and has less rear gears, but I would have guessed 100 hp would have had a bigger impact against the rival Z06.

dino: Having held the torch for supreme American muscle for so long, what is the sentiment at SRT with the newly announced 620 HP ZR1. Are you doing anything about it?

elanderholm: Can you list tracks and time comparisons vs the 08 coupe and the 08 ACR?

Schulmann:

• Question on 2006 Coupe regarding heat inside the cockpit:

The heat inside my 2006 Coupe is like the heat in Death Valley. I have already removed cats and crossover pipe but nothing has changed. The AC runs fantastically, it is very effective. However sometimes I would like to drive with the windows down and the AC turned off (Especially on tracks).

After analyzing the situation as a passenger, while my wife was driving, I have discovered that heat is sucked into the cockpit from the engine ventings through the windows. The heat flow is very noticeable between the window and the side mirror. I presume that heat is also sucked through the a/c venting below the windshield.

What would the best way to cut this air flow from the engine into the cockpit (Without retro fitting the 2008 hood)?

Is there a trick to install some air deflectors ?

How effective would be to retrofit a 2008 hood ?

• Question on 2006 Coupe’s rear differential:

Gen 2 Viper differentials make light “clinque” noise in 6th gear when hitting accelerator. On my 06 Coupe when I accelerate in 2nd gear I can hear a strong clique. Where it comes from? What modifications were done to 2006 differentials compared to earlier Gen3 differentials?

Bobpantax

• The ZR1 has a rear shock that allows the car to squat on launch without abrupt rebound. This appears to have been done to facilitate traction in quarter mile and shorter races/sprints. Any chance that this type of shock could be offered as an option on the Viper or does it also require some nannytech to im plement it properly?
• Also since traction was an issue at 510 HP and appears to still be an issue at 600 HP. Any possibility of offering traction control that can be turned on or off as an option? ( I know - blasphemy.)
• I know that I am going to get flack for this one. How about an optional power adjustible driver's seat for us grey beards? Bending forward or reaching down to the side to adjust the seat manually has its pains.
• Many have put three M on the front fascia and the front of the mirrors. How about making this a factory option?
• The 2008 tranny does not fit on the 2003 to 2006 cars without significant modification. Is there going to be a kit available to owners of 2003 to 2006 Vipers to either upgrade there existing transmissions or facilitate the use of a 2008 transmission on the earlier cars for those who wish to do so?
• A follow up on Vipermann's question - are the engine mounts used on the 2008 different than those used on the 2003 to 2006 models? If so, how, and would they be of any benefit to use on the earlier models?
• What is the amount of downforce produced by a stock 2006 coupe at 150 MPH? Same question with respect to a stock 2008 coupe? If you do not have the stats at 150 MPH, please provide what stats you do have.
• How many parts does the 08 coupe have in common with other SRT products - including the recently announced six speed '09 Challenger?

graphite: Hi from Europe,
thanks for making the effort to answer our questions. all my questions refer to 2002 rt10.

• Are there any 2002 Connoly champagne seats laying around the factory ? Spares are always nice to have.
• What cam do you recommend for a 2002 v10 with headers and 1.7 roller rockers?
• Does Dodge have a book available with recommended performance modifications for the v10?
• Are there any front facias available for the 2002 rt10?

The Swiss VCA and the German Viperclub Deutscland eV thank you for your continuing interest in us, your fellow enthusiasts.
Andrew

Viper X:

• Question on the new ACR's suspension. What are the spring rates front and rear?
• Another question on the ACR. It is likely that those of us that buy this car will run 18's all around due to a better "sticky" tire selection. What will we have to do to adjust the aero features, i.e. wing and splitter, to accomodate shorter 18" rear tires?
• Why no roll bar in the ACR or no 6 points? Do you know that you can't run this car at Viper Days events with the PS Cups without a roll bar?

Thanks for building this version of the Viper. As you likely know, we'll put the rest of the parts together.

Venom 1000TT: On a 2006 coupe, what is/was the purpose of the crossover pipe? Should it be eliminated? What advantages/disadvantages would there be to removing it?

Vipermann: The upgraded Mopar 'poly' transmission mount seemed to yield a noticable improvement on my '05 -- more precise shifts, etc. Will the '08s benefit from a similar upgrade, or are the drivetrain differences such that there would be less improvement?

JonB - PartRack: SRT Engineers, FBW Throttle Questions Please:

• How quickly does "The Computer" allow WOT on the 2008 Fly-By-Wire throttle? My Charger Daytona only allows 75% of WOT in 1st when I try to go WOT, and that is meted out til 2000 RPM. How intrusive is the 2008 FBW WOT management? Do we get Full Throttle in 1st?
• How quickly does 2008 throttle go CLOSED-Idle? My Gen 1 went CLOSED/IDLE as soon as I lifted. GREAT on track. Gen 2 "lifts" in a 2-step ISM process, something about better emission burnoff. (I dont like this.) Since the 2008 apparently has no ISM, does it still need to "LIFT" more slowly? When I LIFT I want to go in 1 fast step to idle, please.

Thanks again SRT: "WHAT A COMPANY" !!! Jon Brobst

Les Quam: My question is of the utmost importance (LOL) since it is a hotly disputed issue on the forums for quite some time.(at least a few months) Perhaps the engineers at Dodge can put this issue to rest once and for all.

Is the Viper V-10 motor considered a "big block"???

The term was coined in the 60s when Chevy needed to use it for parts interchangeability. The Chevy blocks are externally different as are the Mopar LA family (318-360) and B/RB(383/400-413/426/440 raised block) so Mopar also has historically built both small and big blocks...... However Pontiac does not the 326-455 are essentially the same externally as are Oldsmobile blocks 350 being the same as 455.

So is the Viper V-10 a small block?? Not if externally different blocks are the critieria? However in a world with 500 cubic inch small block Chevy's a dispute among the Viper faithful has arisen.

I say the Viper is the only production big block performance car built since the late 60s early 70s? And the only big block sports car built since the 1974 454 Vettes and the second hand built big block sports car ever built since the Shelby 3000 series Cobra.What sayeth you??????????

DC Performance:

• The front timing covers (that include the oil pump housing) for the 03-06 Vipers have been on backorder from the dealer for many months (with no expected new production date). Will these be available anytime in the future? Is this part available with the short block currently available?
• Will the clutch, transmission and differential for the 08 fit the 03-06 models?
• I have numerous customers asking for the ACR package upgrade for their current 08 models. Will there be a package to convert non-ACR cars?
• I am very aware of the concerns with emissions and performance upgrades on the new models. Viper owners are known for wanting to increase the performance of their vehicles. With the current concerns, will Dodge be producing performance products (for track and street) that will allow us tuners to upgrade these cars for our customers? In the past products have been developed, but they have either been too late to the game or did not include an emissions certification (track only). This has prompted the aftermarket to jump in.
• How long will Dodge support the Gen 1-2 Models? It seems that most manufacturers support product for 10 years. Can we expect this from Dodge? Parts for the early models are getting thin (I can understand why). Do you think the hard parts will continue to be available for over 10 years?
  
  Viper has been a great journey for all of us, I hope all at SRT and the new Management will continue the passion.
  
  Dan Cragin
  DC Performance Inc

PAViper: I have had the same noise coming from what appears to be the right rear on both my 06 coupe and my previous 04 vert, it is a very odd "rattle" that I cannot pinppoint and it seems to be much worse when the temps are colder, it goes away significantly when it warms up (outside temp and car temp) but never really goes away. It is very noticeable on choppy roads.
Thanks and we appreciate what you folks are doing

roadrunner: The 2008 ACR Raffle Car - Will it have fresh tires on it before delivery to the winner? Will any track time video of it be available from the press events or whatever it was part of?

kenricGTS:

• Why are the internals of the '08 and'06 not forged like the Ford GT or the new ZR-1?
  
• How much faster is the new ACR compared to the standard Viper coupe around a road course?
• How much slower is the '08 ACR than a non acr '08 as far as top speed and 1/4 mile times?

Thank you SRT and Dodge for bulding and continuing to build the awesome Viper. 600hp rocks!!!

Paul Ronald: We thank the SRT Engineers for their time and committment to us. While I understand there are no answers for future product, can you give us an idea when the 09 colors will be announced?
Again, many thanks!
PBR

[Slypopsracing]

As a newer Viper owner I want to thank Dodge, VCA, and now SRT for helping me to forget the Corvette by having such a good overall experience with the Viper. ALSO I want to remind the seasoned owners to get their ACR raffle in, don't let this newbie with 3 posts take the car without a fight!(Although I will take it to AL/TN events for all to enjoy) Thanks to all!

[kcobean]

A couple of reminders for everyone:

1. Please do not reply to posts in this section (unless you're an SRT engineer). If you read another members question and you "have the answer" PM them, do not use this as a general discussion thread. When the chat goes live, the post count in this thread will skyrocket. We need to keep the 'clutter' to a minimum to maximize the 'face time' with the engineers.

2. *NO* questions about future products, future modifications to existing products or anything not current as of the '08 model lineup. The engineers are not allowed to comment on these things, and these types of posts will be deleted.

3. Please, try to keep your questions as short and to the point as possible. The SRT engineers are generously giving us two hours of their time, and in that time everyone would like their questions answered. If the engineers have to spend lots of time reading extraneous information, it reduces the time they have to bang on the keyboard.

Thanks, and keep 'em coming!!!

[kcobean]

WELCOME SRT ENGINEERS!!! Thanks for joining us tonight and giving us your time!

A reminder to everyone, please read the post above this one and remember that we have a brief time with the SRT Engineering team tonight. Thanks!

It's now 6:00 PM Eastern. No more questions will be folded into the list above, so we're 'real time'!

GO!

[kcobean]

I see that the SRT Engineers are reading the thread, so we've got 'em online. They may be running through the long list of questions in post #2 above. Let's give 'em a bit to churn through those.

[JonB - PartsRack]

I know EXACTLY what they are doing: Fighting over the Meat Lovers Pizza, and shunning the Veggie. (As they read and contemplate the questions of course!)

You are EXACTLY right there several Veggie pizzas going untouched.

But we ALSO have Hawaiian....

[SRT Engineers]

Reply for SnakeEye:

There is not a 3.33 ratio rear gear available from Mopar for the '08 Viper. In the past, 3.55, 3.73, and 4.10 ratio gears have been available, but now only the 3.73 is in stock. Order Mopar P/N P5007526 for the 3.73 gears.

[SRT Engineers]

viperflex: Will the 08 heads and intake work/fit on a 03-06? If so what kind of numbers would we see and poss time frame?

Mopar is working on a solution to allow 03-06 owners to use the 2008 heads and intake. The numbers from preliminary testing were impressive. Stay tuned for availability.

[SRT Engineers]

Venom 1000TT: On a 2006 coupe, what is/was the purpose of the crossover pipe? Should it be eliminated? What advantages/disadvantages would there be to removing it?


The crossover pipe is for noise reduction. With the 08 we were able to tune it such that it's not needed.

If you remove the cross-over pipe on your 03-06 car it will no longer be noise compliant ..... on the upside you'll probably have a cooler cabin

[SRT Engineers]

art 138: Will the 08 differential and transmission be compatible with the 03-06s without major modifications??

Mopar is working on a kit to allow 03-06 owners to use the 2008 diffential, clutch and transmission. Stay tuned for availability

[SRT Engineers]

Regarding the rear "rattle" noise when cold out of the rear. It is very difficult to diagnose these things without driving the car. That said, it sounds like a shock noise if it goes away as things warm up. It doesn't mean there is something wrong with the shock, necessarily. Some are a little noisier than others. Some cars are more sensitive to shock noise than others. We fight shock noise on SRTs because, like brakes, good shocks tend to be noisier than regular, wimpy shocks.

[SRT Engineers]

Q: Andrew/USPWR: Why aren't 5 point harnesses standard on the new ACR or even an option?

A: There are a lot of different driver preferences on racing harnesses. In fact, many owners pulled out the harnesses from their Gen-2 ACR and put in their own. We decided to focus our efforts on components that make the car go faster around the race track.

[SRT Engineers]

black08: If it falls within their province, I was wondering if the SRT engineers can give us any definitive information on the alleged 75 horsepower Mopar package for the '08 as shown at the 2007 NAIAS?

Black08
The MOPAR package for the 2007 NAIAS consisted of: Special lower intake, Headers with 3" exhaust, Stiffer pushrods, Ti Conn rods, Forged pistons, and special engine control module (ECM). Further refinement indicates not all of these additions are necessary to make the extra 75 hp but add enough safety factor to make a robust package.

[SRT Engineers]

• When exactly will the aero package be available to order as an option and what will it cost?

Ordering is open, however, production will be this spring. MSRP aprx. $6500

• When will viper red verts start down assembly line?

This color will be available early spring.

• Are any other options not previously disclosed planned for the 08 model year?

No

• When will the upgraded suspension and other parts that make up the 08 ACR be available at my local dealer?

In process, timing TBD.