We test the 2008 Dodge Viper ACR for Americas Best Handling Car comparison competition.
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00:00 Our next best handling competitor is a serious ringer.
00:08 Dodges Viper ACR.
00:09 That stands for American Club Racer.
00:11 It's Dodges Racer for the Road.
00:12 It has the standard horsepower and torque, but it's 40 pounds lighter than the normal
00:16 Viper thanks to the forged wheels.
00:18 It's got the Michelin Pilot Cup Sport tires, StopTech brakes, and that aerodynamic stuff
00:22 you see there adds 1,000 pounds of downforce at 150 miles an hour.
00:26 Not sure if we'll hit 150 at Laguna Seca, but I tell you, if this thing doesn't win
00:30 the contest here, I'll be very surprised.
00:33 All right, Randy, you've just driven the most powerful car here, the Dodge Viper ACR.
01:00 600 horsepower V10 driving those rear wheels, Michelin Cup tires, basically a race car for
01:05 the street.
01:06 What did you think?
01:07 Well, we just made the jump to light speed.
01:11 It's really a wormhole into another galaxy.
01:14 The Viper ACR has the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, which is a race compound DOT legal
01:21 tire.
01:22 And on top of everything else a Viper can do, it just raised the limits of the braking
01:28 and the cornering an entire dimension.
01:31 That car is a tremendous amount of fun.
01:34 One thing I noticed is it was geared really tall.
01:37 Here at Laguna Seca it's not a really fast corner track, but I was using second gear
01:41 most places where I normally use third.
01:44 And I was barely getting to fourth going up the hill on the back to the corkscrew, which
01:49 indicates that it's a tall gear.
01:51 Now, this car doesn't even offer traction control.
01:53 Did you miss it?
01:54 Did you notice the car putting the power down?
01:57 How did it feel?
01:58 I was so pleased to be driving without all the electronic controls.
02:02 It was a wonderful experience.
02:04 The traction control is not a problem.
02:06 I mean, the car had so much grip that even with 600 horsepower, and goodness knows how
02:11 many pound feet of torque, it would not break the tires loose unless you really coerced
02:17 it in maybe second gear.
02:19 The ACR package actually helps wrap a little more grip around the incredible capabilities
02:24 of a street Viper.
02:25 How about steering feel?
02:27 How did the Viper treat you?
02:29 It was brutal.
02:30 Gs were high.
02:31 The steering effort was high.
02:33 The steering was a little bit numb compared to the best like the Audi R8 and the BMW M3,
02:40 but it was very quick, which I actually enjoyed, the quick ratio.
02:45 And along that same line, I enjoyed the shifter, a good old H pattern six speed that goes straight
02:52 into a transmission.
02:53 It's just you're working metal on metal, got a big round shift knob.
02:58 I loved it.
02:59 In terms of overall handling feel, how did you rate the Viper compared to the rest of
03:03 the cars today?
03:05 Very high in terms of the numbers it will pull, but rather brutal.
03:12 A little bit more like riding a bull than riding a quarter horse.
03:17 And I mean, if the Audi R8's a thoroughbred, this thing is a bull with a rope through its
03:21 mouth.
03:23 And really entertaining and just so satisfying, but a handful.
03:27 You had better know what you're doing or be darn careful if you're going to try to drive
03:31 a Viper ACR at its limit.
03:34 Great.
03:35 Thank you, Randy.
03:35 [Music]