When Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) recently invited me to sample their latest offerings from SRT, the Dodge high performance lineup, I jumped at the opportunity. Upon arrival at Willow Springs International Raceway, about an hour north of Los Angeles, I immediately encountered Dodge’s newest version of the Viper—the hardcore, track-focused ACR.
The ACR’s aero creates more than a ton of downforce at speed – more than any other production car on the market today.
Compared to a standard Viper, the new ACR boasts nearly one ton of downforce at 177 miles per hour via its aggressive aero package; 1.5 g of sustainable lateral grip in the corners from its ten-way adjustable Bilstein coilover suspension; and Kumho Ecsta V720 high performance tires (made specifically for this car). Also, there was serious stopping power by way of a new Brembo “Carbon Ceramic Matrix” system, which utilizes 15.4-inch two-piece front rotors (with six piston calipers), and 14.2-inch discs out back that are clamped by four-piston calipers.
A Viper ACR returns to the pits have a few hot laps.
The first car I took out was a Challenger SRT Hellcat coated in a Redline Pearl hue. Upon turning the motor over, I overheard an FCA rep say, “That never gets old.” That instinctively caused me to stick my head out the window, and say, “What, this?” and give the throttle a good stab. We all agreed that the engineer who tuned that exhaust system certainly earned their paycheck.
The Challenger SRT Hellcat is available with either a six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters. This test car was equipped with the latter.
Since the long term tester I’ve been driving is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, I thought it’d be interesting to compare it with the 8-speed automatic provided during my visit. As a strong proponent for rowing my own gears, it pains me to say that the 8-speed auto feels a bit quicker. It’s also inherently easier to drive, although I missed the visceral connection afforded by a three-pedal system. After kicking the back end out around the Streets of Willow course a few times, I concluded that either way, the car is pretty awesome.
Feeling properly invigorated, next I decided to hop into a Charger SRT Hellcat for some fast laps around Big Willow. I have a fair amount of experience lapping this course, not only for media drives but also because I’ve done some Spec Miata racing here with the SCCA, so Big Willow feels like home. Which is nice when you have 707 horsepower at your command.
707 horsepower and room for the kids. Is the Charger SRT Hellcat the ultimate daily driver?
While the Hellcat cars are surprisingly easy to drive, they can get you into some trouble if you don’t respect their capabilities. FCA provided an instructor who sat shotgun with us to provide guidance, just in case. Before setting off, we discussed my familiarity with the car and the track. On the course, I remember him saying “good” when I kept the throttle down going over the crest between Turn 5 and 6. I like this guy.
Dodge isn’t shy about leverage their muscle car heritage, and that includes some of the cool paint hues from the 1960s and 1970s, like Plum Crazy Purple.
Next I took a go in a Challenger R/T Scat Pack 392. With these 485 horsepower “mid range” performance offerings, Dodge let us out on the track on our own—so I took the opportunity to get the car a bit looser around the course since I was passenger-free, kicking the back end out a bit coming up the hill out of Turn 3, and really pushing it to see how it danced. While the Scat Pack cars don’t have the same level of capability of the SRT models, they hold their own on the road course and offer plenty of entertainment.
Afterward I got a chance to hop into the Viper ACR with Chris Winkler, an SRT vehicle dynamics engineer who helped design and tune the ACR, for a ride-along. It didn’t take long for me to fully appreciate the presence of the center console handle placed to the right of the shifter—an excellent way to brace myself against the sheer amount of g-force this beast can generate. “We hit 1.6 g around Turn 2,” Chris told me after our laps, and I don’t doubt it. This is a level of grip that makes you feel like your face wants to come off. Dodge’s people aren’t ready to post lap time numbers just yet, but I get the feeling there are some big headlines coming.
Drivers queue up in pit lane to head out for laps around Big Willow.
We’ll have to wait until next year to see what the ACR can do around Germany’s Nurburgring. The current restrictions—which limit speeds to 155 mph on the Döttinger Höhe section—will be lifted in 2016. Until then, Dodge is prevented from getting everything it can out of the ACR.
Finally, I got my turn behind the wheel of a Viper. This one was a GT model outfitted with the TA 2.0 aero package, which now includes a rear wing and a pair of dive planes up front. Though substantially slower than the lap in the ACR, it was a point of pride that I got the snake up to 140 before stomping on the brakes for Turn 1. The raucous day ended well when I won a friendly bet with a fellow journalist by beating his fast lap time by a second and a half.
