Vintage72

I know . . . crazy . . . have any of you folks driven a Viper ACR? Don't flame me please. I am in love with he GT4 - just say'in.

myBailey07

Except for the fact that they eat front tires for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I have not heard anything bad about them. They are ridiculous fast. I track buddy of mine (I'm pretty sure I am at least an equal, or better driver) got one. He flys by me and leaves me behind eating his dust everywhere, I don't even find it funny...

I think it is classic and a beast, but another example of a car with ridiculous power and computer technology that allows a mediocre driver to be stupidly fast. It is a car that is so fast and so good that it will allow, and even encourage and reward bad behavior. My C7 Z07 was so powerful with such good nannies that it took me six months of working very hard and with pro coaching to unlearn the bad behaviors it taught me. I fell for the siren call of the stupid powerful car and really regret it today. I felt that the whole year I had it was a year of my driver development that I lost and had to spend another six months to "recover" from. 18 months of driver development for me that was lost, ugh!!!!

But, from a technology point I truly appreciate these cars (from a distance...)

ShakeNBake

I came very close to buying one a few months ago. If you want to win the DE, it's the car to have - there is nothing, save a cup car or a V8 Radical/Wolf that would touch it. I hear mixed things about heat issues. I suspect the really fast folks have heat issues.

Veloce Raptor

I have driven one at speed at COTA a couple months ago. Absolutely wonderful car unlike previous Vipers. Loves to be aggressively trail braked. Totally benign at turn in and mid corner. Ridiculous amounts of rear grip at corner exit.

A gigantic car that is tiny inside...but boy it drives great. And zero heat issues whatsoever...

TheGhost

I'm experiencing some overheating issues just looking at your avatar.

Veloce Raptor

Lol happens to me 7 times a day!

jphughan

I think lots of cars these days can mask or even enable bad behaviors nowadays simply because suspensions and especially stability control systems have gotten so refined, and in the latter case some of them are even tuned so that even the pros are faster with them on (or in some sort of track mode) because they can do things that no human driver can, like brake individual wheels. Still, this is worse in some cars (GT-R) than others, of course. The C7 and then Z06 were on my short list for a while, but I eventually passed on them for a few reasons. First, I went from being iffy on its styling to really liking it to deciding that it was a bit too ostentatious for a DD. Then I was really put off by the rampant cooling issues that both Z51 and Z06 customers suffered (and the total cop-out response from their lead engineer on the issue), but mostly it was because I decided that I just aligned more with the GT4 from a philosophical standpoint. It seems to me that Vettes and Vipers are about daring you to go fast in them and giving you the thrill of having tamed the tiger if you survive the experience, whereas Porsches, especially the Boxster/Cayman models, are more about encouraging you to drive them quickly and working with you to become a better driver. I have little doubt in my mind that it take a more skilled driver to run a Vette/Viper at the limit than a GT4 (though most drivers would probably lap faster in a GT4 than an ACR due to the former's approachability), but that's just not the experience I was looking for.

And on the overheating issues, two Vettes (a Z51 and Z06, driven by a father and son pair) caught fire this past weekend at CotA at basically the same time. I don't know the root cause of either one or even whether it was determined at the track, but I do know that the Z51 had been supercharged and meth-injected to produce 850 hp (up from 450 stock), and that brought two observations to the front of my mind. The first is that thinking back on my time working trackside garage support, an awful lot of GM products roll in, and the second is that the vast majority of them have power mods. This in turn prompted me to realize that even if Porsches are more expensive upfront for a given power level, they do seem to just work more reliably than just about anything else out there, so for track junkies the cost differential may not be as great as it appears after taking into account repairs, shortened or lost track sessions/days due to overheating or breakage, etc. And on the subject of power mods, those Vettes plus my experience instructing an Aventador student this weekend (plus the recent accounts of power-modded GT4s with issues) also made me realize how grateful I am that I've never been tempted by power mods. First, while they may work perfectly well on the street, a track day in a Texas summer is another story, but more than that, it seems no amount of power will ever be enough, or if it is, you'll have made the car basically undrivable by that point, so it seems a total losing battle either way.

Vintage72

I am a P car guy all the way and agree with your observations, especially as to the % of GM products at the track with issues. It was a parade at the track side support garage.

I passed at least 4 GM cars on the track with mechanical issues pulled off line and going slow. Not to mention the red flag session due to a Corvette fire. One car that I let past me, a Mustang GT350 of some type then has the same issue after the next couple of turns (I guess those may have issues too). So, grateful for the GT4: just watch the oil, brake fluid, tires, and pads - then just drive the heck out of it all day even in 95+ degree heat with ZERO issues. Stops, goes, and turns on command. No fuss and one heck of a car for me to learn in while hanging out with you guys.

Vintage72

Help please, what do I use to remove the rubber scuffs from tire debris on my car? I washed it thoroughly last night and now I need to detail him. Recommendations are appreciated.

jphughan

Mothers R3 and a microfiber cloth. Available on Amazon, works perfectly on paint, glass, and clear bra. Doesn't get any easier, amazing stuff. Like Porsche, there is no substitute.

Vintage72

THANK YOU - order placed and delivery tomorrow!

ShakeNBake

It's magical stuff. 3M clearbra did not like it, I think it was too porous.

myBailey07

Haha, and I was the guy trying to talk you out of getting the ACR...

This from Andy Lally. He knows his ****.

http://jalopnik.com/2016-dodge-viper...iew-1719237409

Vintage72

2017 Viper ACR Extreme - ORDERED. Bad news, I am told I have to wait up to a year for delivery. Good news, I have a year to learn how to actually DRIVE like you!!!

jslee225

Omg so jealous! Congrats!