Quote:
Originally Posted by 2cnd chance
It won't. Not that I blame them for trying. Especially after the new Viper was beat by the old ZR1.
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Acutally the Viper took it's lead back with the new TA and you realize when the ZR1 was brand new it was 2 seconds SLOWER than the last generation Viper around Laguna Seca?
As for Tech, Chrysler has no problem with tech, from their engines with the high tech Pentastar V6, to the 6.4 Hemi, to the new MultiAir 4 cyclinders they are equal to or ahead of the others in their respective classes
Transmissions, they easily beat all mainstream manufacturers (not lux car) to the line with top end 8 speed autos and will do the same next year with the 9 speed autos in FWD and AWD applications, Ford and GM are just starting to work on a competing transmission.
Suspensions: No real problem here either. They current crop of rear drivers are constantly compared to BMW which is high praise on any account, and that is not only the HIGH TECH 3 mode Bilstien suspension, but also the basic non adjustable suspensions. Yes some of the normal cars are tuned for a better ride, but let's be honest, 99.9% of the population doesn't give a crap about track times and prefer a good riding car that doesn't beat them up everyday. It has nothing to do with technology, but tuning the cars for their segment and their target buyers.
safety tech: Chrysler has offered things like adaptive cruise control, collision warning, and crosspath detection for years now.
Interior tech: GM is just now starting to offer touch screens and navigation in cars other thn high end models, Chrysler Dodge and Jeep have been doing this for nearly 10 years. They are constantly improving it and just coming out with a new revision with an improved interface, features, and even a wifi hotspot, they also offer things like configurable guage clusters and push button (have for many years now), and even the entry level dart offers all that, the safety equipment mentioned above, heated seats and steering wheel, high tech turbo and NA engines which offer BETTER horsepower than most competitors and still offer similar or even better fuel mileage and prformance.
I know people knock the Challengers weight, but the ZL1 weighs the same as the SRT8 and the V6 models of both are basically the same weight. They can make a 3800 pound Challenger using the same tricks and tech GM used to make a 3800 pound ZL1. The 6.4 should easily be able to produce similar or better horsepower than the LS7 in the Z28, heck, some dynos show it is nearly there now.
The Viper, even though it is an infant, is already making great times and while it is not gentle, it is made to run hard. It took the ZR1 4 years and basically "legal race slicks" to beat the old Viper and barely beat the fresh new viper (there was less than a seconds difference between the ZR1 and actual production Vipers Motor trend finally ran).
Can they do this? Yes they can, at least a close one, beating the Z28 will be harder than think I believe. Also they have the new 6.2 Supercharged, apparently slated for a 2015 launch, that should be interesting.
I know I covered more tech klevels than needed considering the issue was performance, but the point is they are not at all behind in tech.