People have been trying to squeeze every drop of performance out of the 2013 SRT Viper on the drag strip ever since the vehicle was launched. Now, we have the first stock unit managing to pull a 10s run and we’ve got a video that shows the run.
Like we said, this is a stock car - no added power, no removed weight. As for the all-important rubber, the Viper, fitted with a Track Pack, used Nitto NT05R drag radials on stock 19-inch wheels. Well, we have to explain that this is a... very high 10s run, since the supercar’s exact numbers indicate a 10.97s time at 127.94 mph (206 km/h). The feat took place on the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, TX.
The Traction Control and Stability Control were both turned off. The 2013 SRT Viper comes with a launch control function, but you can easily beat this, as shown in the last video below (clip by Car and Driver).
Thus, to achieve the 10s run, the owner, Tony Whatley, had quite some work to do. The man explains he did 27 launches throughout the day. As for the conditions, the temperature varied between 45 and 57 degrees F. Density altitude was negative 448 feet.
Here’s the 2013 SRT Viper launch ritual, in the owner’s words:
“Best launches were achieved by slipping the clutch, starting at around 4400-4500 rpm. At the initial movement of the car, with the weight transfer over the rear tires, I'd begin applying more throttle and then feathering the clutch quickly. That would achieve 1.6X 60' times, consistently. Doing the same method at 4200-4300 rpm would net low 1.7X 60' times. I tried a few higher than 4500 rpm, but the tires would spin. Note that these launches are brutal on the clutch. The car appears to smoke off the line, but that is actually clutch dust. It doesn't slip bad enough to let rpm zing up, you can actually control the bite and the throttle. It does seem to magically heal itself pass after pass. The hydraulic lines of the clutch, and likely the slave cylinder, do require that cool-down though.”
The man goes on, detailing the rest of the run:
“After getting the launch method down, the rest is just shifting gears as quickly as possible. I found my ET's were better when I shifted just as the rev-limiter hit in each gear. No early shifting, here! You can hear it barely tap the limiter on my shifts, but those netted the best ET's consistently. I'm not talking about riding the limiter, you should only hear at most one "bump" if you do it perfectly. I also got quite good at no-lift shifting the 3-4 shift. I didn't trust myself on the 2-3. The 1-2 shift didn't matter much. When I'd no-lift (powershift) 3-4, it would usually be worth 1 mph trap speed. “
You can check out the full story, temperature data and burnout tips included, on motorhed.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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