The new Dodge Viper ACR is more of an engineering marvel than a speedster. With a top speed of 177 mph you might feel impressed, but this actually makes the Viper ACR the slowest Viper ever made by Dodge. Even though this straight line speed falls short of other models, this Viper is the quickest around the track because the engineers made use of massive quantities of downforce to allow the Viper ACR to corner like no other Viper model has ever been able to, which simply means the downforce makes it really fast around the track but slows it down on the straight line test.
With an 8.4-liter V10 powering this speedy car to 645 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque the engine handles the car with ease and keeps the power coming as long as the driver can continue to push this model to the limit. What make the Viper ACR so special around the track are the wings that are attached to the rear of the car along with the huge front splitter to ensure the front is able to stay firm on the ground as well. With wings everywhere, two in the back and one up front, this car isn’t meant to take off, but rather be a car that doesn’t move from the planted look and feel offered.
Even though you can easily see the wings on the front and rear of the Viper ACR you might miss the other features that aid in the airflow and downforce that are in play as well. There are fender vents above the front tires to help reduce lift and a rear diffuser that cuts through the air. When the ACR Extreme package is chosen the wing, splitter and diffuser are all larger and push the car down even harder to give the absolute best control possible.
Of course the car cannot run on an engine and downforce alone, other control components have to be in place to make this car handle and drive the way we want. The large six-piston carbon-ceramic brakes help ensure the car can stop when needed. The track ready racing coil-over suspension has extremely stiff springs with height adjustable perches that help make this car more stable and easier to drive. the steering isn’t set up to react to every movement of the wheel, which does make the drive smoother and more controlled, I guess Dodge knew there would be no need to jerk this car hard one way or the other.
With other Viper models providing a faster top speed, the choice becomes which Viper to purchase. When it’s time to make the hard decision the choice is really down to what races will your Viper be competing in? If you are going to see a lot of loops and turns on the tracks in your area, the Viper ACR certainly won’t disappoint you and may even frustrate others as they see you taking the checkered flag in a car that doesn’t even offer a top speed of 190 mph.