Viper GTS... just a crappier version of the ZR1.

[MrH]

Yeah, but BWI holds the patents and they're able to sell them to other OEMs is the point I'm trying to make.  Ferrari uses them and I think Audi does in the R8 too.

True though, I couldn't just buy a set of these and bolt them into my car and start destroying everything on the track.  It's just as much the GM engineers working with the supplier to get these working and tuned properly.

I'm curious if GM has some sort of purchasing agreement (ie, they can't sell them to their direct competitors in some market segments)?  Or are is GM so far ahead of their competition with utilizing these effectively that no one else is taking the jump really?  Or do other OEMs think these are too expensive?

It's kind of an interesting situation.  It's hands down the biggest game changer in terms of technology in performance cars right now.  Why isn't everyone jumping on board?

[GoCougs]

I'm going to guess B - the tech has been in GM's stable for quite some time.

[VTEC_Inside]

Vette for me.

If I wanted exclusive I could always buy a Suzuki too for the price diff indicated in that article.

[ChrisV]

I'd ratehr have the Viper. Boththe cars have more capability than I'd ever need on teh street, and track times are just mental masturbation compared to the simple fun of driving them. Ive driven the older Viper GTS as well as many Corvettes, adn I'd simply rather drive the Viper.

Me in an older viper I got to play around with for an afternoon:



And what I'd own right now over any modern Corvette:





I'd rather look at it every day of the week. I'd rather drive it every day of the week.

[giant_mtb]

Yesssssssss.

[GoCougs]

IMO the Viper is rejectable simply on exhaust note alone. The GM pooprod sounds a millions times better.

[GoCougs]

So if performance is a non issue why is presumably comfort, drivability, quality, etc.?

[GoCougs]

The ZR1 just looks better. The Viper tries too hard.

[Onslaught]

I think a normal C6 looks better then both the Viper or ZR1. Just like the normal Mustang GT looks 10 times better then all the Boss ones. They sure like throwing scoops and shit all over the "better" cars.

[GoCougs]

Well, the only the non-functional addition to the ZR1 is the hood window (and yes, I think it looks tacky). The functional scoops are about as minimal as can be (unlike the lol Viper scoops).

[280Z Turbo]

I'd rather have the Viper.

[ChrisV]

So if performance is a non issue why is presumably comfort, drivability, quality, etc.?

Quality? The metric of a princess who can feel the pea under 10 matresses, more like. They are equally as comfortable to me (and I love the interior of the new VIper), and I have no problems dirivng the Viper. I LIKE the slightly more raw feeling, more of a machine that needs to be respected. And I think it simply looks 100% better. And if I'm going to dream about supermodels, it's the supermodel *I* would rather date, not the supermodel YOU would rather date.

[LonghornTX]

Your uncle sounds like a pretty cool dude.

Seriously, I always lol at the "exclusivity" rationale when used on cars. Very few cars are exclusive, and the list includes virtually no new cars IMO.  If you walk into a dealership, they'll take your money. That the Corvette is a far better value, far easier to live with day to day, and in the end a far better seller is hardly a negative.

Yes SportySpin, the better car is the better car.

Says a guy hasn't been around many exotic cars or their owners. Exclusivity does make a difference, and it is why people cherish Aston Martins Vantages more than a categorically superior car like the 911. It is handbuilt, by craftsmen, and there is something endearing to that. Similarly, the viper is also hand built, and to be honest, the build quality and materials of the gts are vastly superior to the zr1. By comparison, the zr1 looks much cheaper.

And yes, I have driven both cars. Both are amazing to drive and nobody would be dissapointed with either. But I would choose the car that is better made, better looking, more fun to drive and is a tire switch away from being the better track car.

[GoCougs]

Quality? The metric of a princess who can feel the pea under 10 matresses, more like. They are equally as comfortable to me (and I love the interior of the new VIper), and I have no problems dirivng the Viper. I LIKE the slightly more raw feeling, more of a machine that needs to be respected. And I think it simply looks 100% better. And if I'm going to dream about supermodels, it's the supermodel *I* would rather date, not the supermodel YOU would rather date.

I gotcha. My point was, I'll take the model that is much more liveable in day-to-day driving (in addition to being vastly better sounding).

[MrH]

I gotcha. My point was, I'll take the model that is much more liveable in day-to-day driving (in addition to being vastly better sounding).

Oooooooo....bold claim.  I disagree.  V10s are goofy sounding.  I love them, apparently you don't. 

[Lebowski]

Says a guy hasn't been around many exotic cars or their owners. Exclusivity does make a difference, and it is why people cherish Aston Martins Vantages more than a categorically superior car like the 911. It is handbuilt, by craftsmen, and there is something endearing to that. Similarly, the viper is also hand built, and to be honest, the build quality and materials of the gts are vastly superior to the zr1. By comparison, the zr1 looks much cheaper.

And yes, I have driven both cars. Both are amazing to drive and nobody would be dissapointed with either. But I would choose the car that is better made, better looking, more fun to drive and is a tire switch away from being the better track car.

I don't doubt it matters to some but I still lol @ their rationale.  I'm not the type that would buy an Aston over a 911, though.

More importantly it's pretty much irrelevant wrt zr1 vs viper or 99% of other current production cars. We're not talking about a Porsche 959 here, neither will turn down your money. 



I realize this all comes down to individual choice I just think "exclusivity" is a stupid rationale here. In the end the Viper is only more "exclusive" inasmuch as the Vette is a far more commercially successful program, just as Porsche is far more commercially successful than Aston.

[GoCougs]

Oooooooo....bold claim.  I disagree.  V10s are goofy sounding.  I love them, apparently you don't. 

I was referencing only the VIPER V10. Sounds terrible.

[LonghornTX]

I don't doubt it matters to some but I still lol @ their rationale.  I'm not the type that would buy an Aston over a 911, though.

More importantly it's pretty much irrelevant wrt zr1 vs viper or 99% of other current production cars. We're not talking about a Porsche 959 here, neither will turn down your money. 



I realize this all comes down to individual choice I just think "exclusivity" is a stupid rationale here. In the end the Viper is only more "exclusive" inasmuch as the Vette is a far more commercially successful program, just as Porsche is far more commercially successful than Aston.

There are a ton more Corvettes out there because they have traditionally started at a much lower price. Just as Porsches are usually much cheaper than Astons. Different markets more than differing levels of commercial success IMO.

And you are right, for a lot of people, exclusivity doesn't matter. However, for someone like me, and others here it seems, not seeing another car like yours everyday matters. I like Corvettes, they are great cars and a great value, but I see a few of them a day around Austin. I see Vipers significantly less often, to the tune of a couple a month at most. It is a niche product compared to the Corvette, and always has been. They have never tried to make it a volume product like the Corvette. If I was buying one of these cars to be my only car, I would absolutely pick the Corvette. A friend of mine did that twice with C5 Z06s.

For me, something like this would be a 2nd car, one that I take out on perfect days, just to put a grin on my face, to take to the track, or a night on the town. For me, the Viper is better at that. Add to that how much more "special" the car feels inside and out with this newest generation, it is a no brainer, considering that for most mortals like us, the performance is the same. And, given this one test, I am not even convinced that the ZR1 is any better performance wise. That will likely change in a big way with the C7, since it is slated to be a better built car inside and out, and will likely be a quantum leap forward in performance.

[LonghornTX]

I was referencing only the VIPER V10. Sounds terrible.

It is definitely unique. I like it for what it is, but it is not classically beautiful like a V8 or traditional V10. Totally fitting for the car's image IMO though

[Char]

Vette for me.

[Schadenfreude]

Yeah, but BWI holds the patents and they're able to sell them to other OEMs is the point I'm trying to make.  Ferrari uses them and I think Audi does in the R8 too.

True though, I couldn't just buy a set of these and bolt them into my car and start destroying everything on the track.  It's just as much the GM engineers working with the supplier to get these working and tuned properly.

I'm curious if GM has some sort of purchasing agreement (ie, they can't sell them to their direct competitors in some market segments)?  Or are is GM so far ahead of their competition with utilizing these effectively that no one else is taking the jump really?  Or do other OEMs think these are too expensive?

It's kind of an interesting situation.  It's hands down the biggest game changer in terms of technology in performance cars right now.  Why isn't everyone jumping on board?

To answer your question: in regards to the shocks, it's not that GM is far ahead. They are quite an expensive add on, but the larger issue is the tuning. It takes a fair amount of effort to get the shocks to perform like they do on the Corvette, and the Camaro.

The exclusivity issue you mention I honestly have no clue about.

[Submariner]

The ZR1 just looks better. The Viper tries too hard.

The overall car looks good, but all the tinsel (the air vents, the rear diffuser, even the whole greenhouse) looks cheap and tacked on. 

[565]

More ZR1 dominance.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2013-srt-viper-gts-vs-2013-chevrolet-corvette-zr1-comparison-test

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/corvette/2012/comparison-test1.html

[Char]

Not that it's a bad car, but is anyone here surprised it isn't as polished as the Vette?

[Soup DeVille]

Cougs will tell us again that there's no real excuse for it, but Viper fans are every bit as loyal as Vette fans; perhaps even more so, partaking of the Mopar fanaticism as a sort of collective defense against the bigger players in the market: And what Viper fans want is a certain lack of polish.

[GoCougs]

There's no real excuse for it (in a $140,000 car).

[LonghornTX]

Not that it's a bad car, but is anyone here surprised it isn't as polished as the Vette?

You say polished, Viper enthusiasts say raw, assuming you are talking about performance. Because otherwise, the Vette is significantly less polished in other ways as a car. Its build quality and overall level of fit and finish is no where near the Viper's. So while the Viper is a $140,000 car, as it is optioned here, it actually feels like one inside and out, where as the ZR1 doesn't feel like even an $80,000 car, much less a $125,000 one. But, at the end of the day these two cars are about performance, so the Viper's significantly better dash/EVIC and infotainment systems don't get much play.

I also find it hilarious that both reviews note how much better the Sport Cups are as a tire, despite some healthy CougSPIN