:tup: to Dodge, they deserve the crown, the Viper ACR does exactly what it was designed to do and it does it very well. Slower on the 'Ring or not, so does the ZR1 but these cars are 2 different animals. The ZR1 is a super performance tourer/GT while the ACR is a race car for the skreet. And frankly, I wouldn’t change a thing about either, not even the tires.
What I think GM and Chevy should do is make the Z06 akin to the ACR or Porshce GT3. They have the higher HP, Sooper-performance yet coushy version in the ZR1. Take the Z06, keep it NA, put some real tires(sport cups) on it. Lose the power (and shitty) seats, nav, strip some insulation and other BS that takes up weight and make it a dedicated track car. 525Hp and 3000 Lbs and a RWD Vette. I’d buy one and flog the shit out of it in a second!
People are pointing out they ran on r-comps because it’s a much different level of grip. Although you should know the difference between race tires and street tires if you track sport bikes.
I hope either GM or a private party hands over a ZR1 with r-comps to a professional driver to let them have a crack at it.
Also like someone else said the ZR1 is more a of street car than the ACR in my opinion. I like the ACR but it doesn’t really make sense to buy one. When you start stripping out a car to make it faster around a racetrack and start pushing the limits of grip with r-comps / full race tires your going to want to match all this performance with proper safety. Which means a cage, seats, harness’s, fire surpression etc. After all that’s said and done you could probably buy a viper comp coupe or a pre-built 1st gen viper race car if your really that much of a viper fanboy.
Love that car as well and was thinking about getting one until I heard more about the ZR-1.Obviously working at GM I’ve always been a chevy guy but that Viper is an awesome and car and very respectable
I saw the video last night, I could swear it had a radio in the dash. Either way- its 40lbs, big deal. Its not like the old ACR’s that didnt have A/C… the new ACR’s all come with A/C, H.C. package or not.
Also, I think it needs to be reiterated again to those people bitching about the R-Comps:
The ACR has a lot more downforce in any case, regardless of tire.
Experiences have shown the Sport Cups are not nearly as good as a tire such as a Hoosier- they are half-way at best.
This was a VERIFIED time. [You know, by people other than the parties involved?] The ZR-1 as I recall has a manufacturer claimed time. While I am not calling it fake, it may not even be as close. Anyone who views that video as well can tell there is obviously a tad of room for improvement with more experience in that car.
The ACR was literally a “throw the car on the boat with a couple guys and flog it in europe for a weekend trip” deal. The ZR1 had a full factory support team.
Well, yes, kind of- though there are certainly some manufacturer cars around here. They were bought before now, but the Owners Invitational has brought them all here. [While I dont know the build number, ALL the '08’s are all pre-sold]
BS, the 'Vette video has been up for a while, no fancy stopwatch work.
The ACR was literally a “throw the car on the boat with a coupole guys and flog it in europe for a weekend trip” deal. The ZR1 had a full factory support team.
“full factory support”? Um…they put gas in it, and let AN ENGINEER drive it. Not a pro-driver a freaking engineer. Now, he happens to be a great driver, but if you watch the 'Vette video, I swear you can see about 20 or so tiny little bobbles he makes in the corners. Would be interesting to see what a seasoned pro could do in it.
Knowing that the standard Viper has a top speed of just over 200 mph, the ACR’s struggle to top 165 mph makes it obvious that the big rear wing and front dive planes that are designed to plant it to the track in the turns are taking their toll on straight-line speed.
While this is true… you can blame the EPA for this one. Due to the cars gearing on the ACR, the car tops out 4th, and cant even pull much in 5th or 6th as the RPM’s are so low. It was needed to pass regulations and keep the gas guzzler tax reasonable, but it absolutely kills the top end performance of the car. It should be geared to hit 200 MPH top, not 300 like the car normally is… then it might be usable in 5-6.
Ummm, not that Car & Driver is always 100% correct. This is where I got my info from. Just because you see “100 of them roaming Detroit” doesn’t mean it’s legal.
Either way, all great cars that 95% of us couldnt get near the time these guys ran.
Again, you need to pull your head out of C&D’s ass on this one.
A car that is being produced, AND SOLD, for STREET USE by a major automotive manufacturer has to comply with certain regulations for them to be “street legal”, and registerable as such.
Seeing as you can walk into a Dodge Dealership, place an order for an ACR, receive one, register and slap a plate and insurance on it- then drive it off the lot… doesnt that answer your own question?
There is a big difference between “impractical” and “illegal”.
I think you are confusing an OLD splitter design that did not make it to production.