New to the Club!!!

[Alaska Viper]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this post for a while now, but just recently became a member...So, I hate to lead off asking questions, but...has anyone out there come across our friend the ZO6 lately?
And if so, how did you do? I have an 05 C6 and there is not too much competion there, but the newer Zo6's really run...I have an 06 roadster and I am really loving it!!! Ok, before anyone tears into me, be gentle...I am just asking!!!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this post for a while now, but just recently became a member...So, I hate to lead off asking questions, but...has anyone out there come across our friend the ZO6 lately?
And if so, how did you do? I have an 05 C6 and there is not too much competion there, but the newer Zo6's really run...I have an 06 roadster and I am really loving it!!! Ok, before anyone tears into me, be gentle...I am just asking!!!

First off, welcome aboard! What color is your roadster? Make sure to add a picture of your Viper for your avatar - as a VCA member it's all yours (click "User CP" up top and go from there).

To get straight to your question: As you know, the C5 Z06 won't beat a stock SRT-10 unless there are some huge differences in driving ability. The C6 Z06 is an entirely different animal. Given exactly equal drivers, the C6 is likely to squeak out a win from a dead stop: Better gearing. And if those same equal drivers are anything less than superb, the traction control of the Z06 will give it another very slight edge. From a roll, all bets are off. The Viper has a slight edge in horsepower and a bigger edge in torque. It will again come down to the driver.

Of course in a few months when the Gen IV starts hitting the streets it will be a completely different story. And one with a very happy ending.

Again, welcome aboard!

Chris

 

[mike & juli]

Welcome Alaska Viper!!! Good to have you onboard...you are asking good questions....we had an '04 Z06, nothing compared to the '05 Viper...but as Chris stated, the C6 IS better from a dead stop (as probably most everything in this class is with the Viper, unless you've got REALLY good tires, we have run-flats)....but in endurance??? Handling on corners??? Think the Viper has it beat, not by much, but remember, the Viper is HANDMADE, the frame is one unbelievable piece of work, compared to the factory-assembly-line Vettes. Nothing against a Vette, as I said, we've had a few...still nothing compares to the Viper--nothing. Ever look underneath the Viper with the bottom panel removed????? ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, even the CROSSOVER pipes are stunning (though we have removed them)...the whole car is a work of art--to be treasured!
(you can tell I have the Viper fever, huh??!!! ) apples to oranges....
~juli~

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Welcome to America's A-Team

Post some Alaskian Viper pics asap.

 

[mike & juli]

Or could we say "Welcome to America's V-Team" as well?!! (Viper-Team) We'd love to see pics from Alaska of your Viper AND your Z06 as well...love ALL cars! ~juli~

 

[Venomiss]

Welcome aboard from the lower 48. ZO WHO??

No they are nice cars -just don't get the same attention as the Viper.
Check out the Driven, Sneaky Pete, or Fangs forum to talk about it towards the bottom of the page. They already have some threads going already.

Double Musky for dinner? (Depends on where you're at in Alaska)

 

[NK BREKR]

Welcome aboard! Like everyone else suggested...post some pics of your car with some great Alaskan scenery in the background.

 

[Viper Wizard]

Welcome and Congrats!

Not too many Vipers up your way, have you seen any others?

 

[Alaska Viper]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the warm welcome!!! Ok, let me work on the pictures...My Viper is black on black. About Alaska; my Viper is one of four in the Fairbanks area of Alaska, according to the dealership, and it is the only black viper in my area. I know there are more in the Anchorage area, but I am not sure how many. I was asking the Zo6 questions because there are probably around 5 or 6 around Fairbanks and you know as well as I that they are really gunning to take the trophy away from our shelf!!! I want to verify that I also own a 2005 C6, not a Zo6...I came close to buying one, but when I saw the dealer wanted $84000., I realized that for that price, I could buy a very nice Snake!!!

Because I know that I will eventually run into one of the newer Z06's, I was just trying to get some pointers on how to proceed...Pure fun anyway you look at it!!! And yes!!! I do agree with the quality and handling of the Viper...unbelievable really!!! I can take corners at ungodly speeds while selecting songs on my Ipod!!! Ok, don't be mad at me...I don't do that often!!!

 

[Scratch]

Not too many Vipers up your way, have you seen any others?

I saw a red GTS a few weeks back cruising around west Phoenix with Alaska plates, blonde gal driving it...hell of a drive I thought

 

[Alaska Viper]

Yea, I would say that would be one hell of a drive to soak up some southern sun!!! The roads are getting better thru Canada and out of Alaska, but I think I would opt for a trailered ride with the Viper!!!

 

[DodgeViper01]

Welcome to the club!

 

[Alaska Viper]

Thanks! Glad to be in good company!!!

 

[Alaska Viper]

I see the east coast is represented here pretty well so I might add that I grew up in Pennsylvania...east side near Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. I left the area when I joined the military back in 1987...Wish I had a Viper back then!!! If they would have made them then, of course.....I had a 79 5.0 Mustang and now I have a 84 5.0 soft top to play with also...

 

[Venomiss]

You must be at Eielson? Stayed at billeting many moons ago and watched the jets take off from our room. Awesome stuff.
Warm tires are always good for run flats and shiny side up!

 

[Alaska Viper]

I was at Eielson for 8 years and then got out of the military. I used to build jet engines for the F-16's, F-15's, and the A-10's...I had a fun 13 years in the military, but didn't want to leave Alaska...so I got out and stayed...

 

[Alaska Viper]

Venomiss,
I love that black on your hood!!! Awesome!!!

 

[Alaska Viper]

What does everyone out there recommend for rear tires? Besides run-flats of course....

 

[mike & juli]

Rear tires from JonB--Michelin PS2's....so far they have been the best tires stated by members who have bought them (we still have the runflats)....sorry, I'm the one who mistakenly thought you had a Z06!! We have the black on black convertible, and have chromed the letters of DODGE VIPER and SRT-10 so they show up more. Enjoy your Viper, and again, welcome and you are very perceptive, the East Coast DOES seem to be represented more here than others, perhaps there are more Viper owners here (NY, NYC, NJ, MA, VT, MD, DC, etc.) though we don't have the best weather, how about where you are, how is your all-around weather? ~juli~
PICS!!!!

 

[Alaska Viper]

Well, the weather up here is a little different from most of the lower 48...It has it's ups like a whole bunch of light during the summer, I mean no need for lights from May to the end of August. The air is dry and it doesn't rain everyday is also another hight point, but April through September is about the only time you can drive the "Hotrods"!!! Temps up to 90 degrees in the summer and down to 60 below zero in the winter...Not much light in the winter, but it all works out somehow and most here just love it. I just looked up the tires you told me about...does about $467. sound about right each?

 

[Alaska Viper]

I have been writing to the forum from work so I don't have any pictures here with me, but when I head home Sunday morning I will see what I can do to load some pictures of the toys...

 

[mike & juli]

Sounds good--we'd all love to see the pictures when you are able to put them on. You found those prices at jonb's partsrack, or luke's tirerack? I'd say $467 probably sounds about right. If you have mostly dry conditions when you drive, you might prefer to ask Luke or Jon what tires THEY recommend for you and your area...do you drag/race the car? Or just 'street' it as we do? It sounds awesome to actually hear from someone who lives in the light/dark aspect of Alaska. Weather sounds reasonable for driving as well, except of course, the wintertime. Thanx for sharing the bounty of Alaska!!!
~juli~

 

[black mamba1]

WELCOME! Let the snake addiction begin! I just want to say I think you will enjoy the VCA and your Viper more than any other car and car club you could possibly be a part of. I would like to give you some advice that I received when I first got my Viper.
1. Be VERY careful when you first drive your car. It takes 10-15 min for the run flats to warm up and you can easily spin your car around when shifting from first thru 3rd.
2. Be VERY careful under hard acceleration. Like most of us, this is probably the first car you have driven w/ over 500 ftlbs of torque...again, under hard acceleration she can get away from you very quickly, even if the tires are warm. Just be ready to bring her back in line, anticipate the wheelspin.
3. Get rid of the run flats asap. Those tires will cause the car to follow every groove in the road, and can make for challenging steering. Your Viper may suddenly **** to one side or the other. When I had my run flats I had to keep two hands on the steering wheel at all times. Call Jon B at Parts Rack and get the new PS2's asap. The new tires handle
and stick much better than the run craps.
4. Be careful parking. The Viper has a long snout and your seat is located where most back seats are in other cars. I damaged the front skirt on my Viper the first two weeks I got her, and I have damaged it again since. The Viper sits very low and you are closer to parking lot barriers than it may seem. This take some getting used to.
5. Be prepared for all the stares! IMO the Viper is the most respected sports car on the road, stock she is formiddable, modified she is invinceable. STRAP IN AND ENJOY!!

 

[Alaska Viper]

Thanks Black mamba1 for the advice...but I must say that I have learned most of these things on my own already without any warning!!! Yea, there is nothing like having the snake spin the tires thru 3 gears like that is what was supposed to happen!!! And once again yes, even with the tires warm, she still loves to come around on ya...And once again...I hear you about the two hands on the steering wheel!!! It didn't take too many miles to learn what road the ole' snake likes and which ones it doesn't! I have about 2300 miles on the car so far and I must say that it has been a very enjoyable experience so far!!!

I thank you for all the advise...believe me I know that I do not know it all and I love hearing all of the stories from those of you who have been around...Yes, people do love the car and it always seems to spark interesting conversation at the gas pumps...but tell me this...why do they want to race?...including the Chevettes and Pintos????? Ha!!!!

 

[Alaska Viper]

I got the prices on-line at the Tire Rack...I am mainly a street racer and not for money or anything. I just like to be surprised and run everything that drives!!! Bikes to trucks and sometimes, like with most of us, I get surprised in good and bad ways!!! I like to drive around and have fun, but nothing too serious. There are not many tracks up here and the closest one is about 250 miles. I have had a few ask me to go and see what the car will do, but I really don't need to be on a track...the street is fun enough for now...

 

[mike & juli]

We do the same thing--'street' other cars (have to be careful what we say on these forums, as 'racing' is NOT condoned!!)....and yes, we have LOTS of various cars want to take us on, we usually smile, nod to them, and go our merry way...but if someone's really serious, okay---we will take them on!! We don't track the car either, and a track is not far from us, we did it only once and because we're a convertible, we had to track 13sec. or over...so it wasn't really worth it, and we got only one run. I'd also check with JonB at PartsRack, as it's possible he can beat the price at TireRack...though TireRack is pretty reasonable as well...you could call Luke at tirerack and talk to him about either the PS2's (excellent tires) or whatever they suggest possibly? Good luck to ya, and glad you are learning and just totally enjoying this great BEAST of a car!!! And, yessssss, black on black...oh yeah!!!! ~juli~

 

[Venomiss]

After the tires maybe look up MGW and see what others goodies you can get.
Bells and whistles -ask for George. His shift knobs are great and we have replaced ours in all our Vipers we have had.('00, '03, & now '05). Juli and the others gave you some good advice with tires and other things on the Viper. Our first two Vipers were black-a great color!
Just in case you don't know already be sure to use the search feature at the top of the page to research-saves time and you can read some valuble threads of information.
Maybe look up the SRT Driving experiences or Viper Days if you ever get south to catch one.
This is a picture of our '03 at Whiteman Airforce base airshow 4 years ago with the KC Club.
http://forums.viperclub.org/showthread.php?t=603386
Yes, we still have the letters we have saved over the years to our kids from Santa at the North Pole, Alaska. Our kids are big now-college & high school and lot's of good memories from that post mark. Pictures please!

 

[black mamba1]

I race anything that rev's its engine next to me! Because the Viper is greatly feared on the road, everyone wants to "measure up" against the best. The Viper is one of the few cars that can have anywhere from 510 to 1000 hp driving around like a normal car...people have no idea what is under the snake skin! But I gotta tell ya, I came across a very highly modded Audi S-4...I am modded myself and have about 580 hp...I pulled the guy but he was w/in 2 car lengths of me all the way up to 140 mph!! There are some sleepers out there...but trust me, the SNAKE CAN HOLD HER OWN!! ah, and just for the record...I do not condone illegal street racing!

 

[black mamba1]

One more thing...my biggest competition is getting over-excited and spinning my tires all the way thru first and second gear! This comes from having a Vette before, in which all I had to do was floor it (ya know, traction control and all)...you actually need skill to get good acceleration in the Viper! You can get beat by a mail truck if you dont hook up!

 

[mike & juli]

I hear ya, BlackMamba...same here, NO illegal ummmm 'street racing' (heehee...like isn't it ALL illegal...heehee!)....and yep, same again with the spinning of the tires...from a dead stop, you are correct, anything can beat the Viper, but endurance?? Vipers RULE!!! Handling/cornerning??? They RULE!!! But yep, you're right again, GOTTA hook up ASAP!!! ~juli~