SRT-10 News
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Joined: Feb 2001
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From: Bel Air, MD
Re: Automobile Magazine Test
Originally posted by F150SVT
0-60: 5.3 sec.
1-100: 13.2 sec.
1/4 mile: 13.9 sec. @ 103 mph
Speed in gears: 1=50, 2=75, 3=100, 4=147, 5&6=155
0-60: 5.3 sec.
1-100: 13.2 sec.
1/4 mile: 13.9 sec. @ 103 mph
Speed in gears: 1=50, 2=75, 3=100, 4=147, 5&6=155
0-100 is 13.2 seconds.
0-103 is 13.7 seconds
3rd gear holds up to 100, then into fourth
... So you could speculate that it took that driver half a second to shift into 4th and speed up 3MPH?
If so, either a bad driver, or a good indication at how difficult shifting can be in it.
And, yes, I still believe it's too early to compare this vehicle against others, but you can always compare it against itself.
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From: Orlando, FL
Hurst Ram?
Good observation, Brian. My guess is that the tranny is a little balky. Maybe there will be a Hurst version. 
The most surprising thing to me about the road test are the skidpad numbers. An average of .87 g is pretty amazing for a 5,000 pound truck.
The most surprising thing to me about the road test are the skidpad numbers. An average of .87 g is pretty amazing for a 5,000 pound truck.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 512
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From: Bel Air, MD
'03 Lightning factory #s
0-60 mph 5.8 seconds
80 ft. slalom 63.6 mph
100 ft. skidpad 0.85g
http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/specs.htm
[edit:]
Oh, and the obligatory (since it's expected of me) Gen1 reference:
SKIDPAD--------0.89g
0-60 mph 5.8 seconds
80 ft. slalom 63.6 mph
100 ft. skidpad 0.85g
http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/specs.htm
[edit:]
Oh, and the obligatory (since it's expected of me) Gen1 reference:
SKIDPAD--------0.89g
Last edited by Brian Baskin; Dec 3, 2003 at 10:42 PM.
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From: Orlando, FL
Orlando Sentinel SRT-10 Article
Following is an interesting article that appeared in today's Orlando Sentinel. It's written by Steven Cole Smith, who edits the weekly "Ride" section of the newspaper. Steve used to be an editor at Car & Driver and is a first class automotive writer. He is a Ford truck fan and loves the Lightning but he also seems to be impressed by the new Dodge:
Dodge smokes truck market with Ram SRT-10
By Steven Cole Smith
Sentinel Automotive Editor
December 4, 2003
An answer to a question no one was asking -- "Why doesn't somebody make a 500-horsepower, $45,000 pickup truck that can't carry much, and won't tow a trailer?" -- Dodge presents the Ram SRT-10.
Why, indeed?
"Because we can," says Dan Knott, director of Performance Vehicle Operations for Dodge. It is oversimplifying to say the SRT-10 is a short-bed Ram pickup with an engine and transmission from the Dodge Viper sports car stuffed under the hood, but that's what it is.
The SRT-10 showed up as a concept two years ago at the North American International Auto Show. Though Dodge executives insisted that they'd build the truck, it wasn't until a private showing of the production version of the pickup for a handful of journalists early this year that we realized how serious Dodge was.
After all, Dodge began offering a V-10 engine in the Ram pickup truck in 1994, but it was a 300-horsepower, semi-industrial version available only in heavy-duty models. The fact that the company would offer a pickup with the same exact 8.3-liter V-10 engine -- the only real difference is a redesigned oil pan -- as the $80,000 Viper sports car is startling, and possibly a little troubling to some Viper owners.
But here it is. And boy, does it go fast.
The biggest surprise, though, is how well it goes fast. Ford, with the 380-horsepower F-150 SVT Lightning pickup truck, proved that a pickup could be made to ride and handle like a performance car. Dodge ups the ante with the SRT-10, somehow massaging the Ram's chassis to accept the power the V-10 engine provides without hysteria.
We knew the SRT-10 would go, but the revelation is how well it stops and turns, too. "We didn't just make a boy-racer truck with lots of horsepower," Knott says. "We tuned the suspension, redesigned the interior for performance driving, re-worked aerodynamics, and created a new truck."
That's apparent from the moment you sit in the driver's seat. Upholstery is leather and the twin bucket seats are ultra-supportive. Interior trim is handsome but not ostentatious. The big Hurst shifter is prominent between the seats -- the six-speed manual transmission is all that's offered. The transmission shifts easily, and the clutch, though beefy, has a lighter touch than you'd expect.
Viper-like, there's a red starter button by the steering wheel. Dodge engineers found a very nice balance between making the V-10's surprisingly pleasant exhaust note evident, but not deafening. Punch the throttle, though, and the beast screams. So will your wallet: I averaged about 9.5 mpg.
The tires are huge 22-inch Pirelli Scorpion Zero radials (before you ask, the replacement cost is $321 each.) Wheels are 10-spoke alloys, with big disc brakes front and rear, with anti-lock. Some parts of the SRT-10's undercarriage come from the Dodge truck parts bin, and others come from premium companies outside Dodge, such as the Bilstein shock absorbers. Engineers built a damper that all but prevents "axle hop" under acceleration, a problem with powerful pickups. The damper is essentially a separate shock absorber attached to the center of the rear axle -- an old racing trick, but it works.
The SRT-10 weighs in at just over 5,000 pounds, but doesn't feel it. The fact that it can top 150 mph and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just over five seconds attests to the muscle of the V-10 engine. It's heavy, and even though the truck's exterior was tweaked by the same engineer who works on the Dodge's NASCAR Craftsman truck racing program, it isn't that aerodynamic.
So the SRT-10 is a lot of fun. But it is, after all, a pickup.
Yes, you can put a light load in the bed, but you'll have to remove the rear spoiler that extends from one side to the other just in front of the tailgate. It's held on by four bolts, and you can move it to the front of the bed, where it bolts down until you remove the load. As for towing, Dodge doesn't recommend it, but a regular Class III hitch will fit. With the manual transmission, I wouldn't think of towing more than 1,500 pounds, about the weight of a small boat.
But then, you can't carry or tow anything with a Viper, and at $45,795 including freight -- assuming a dealer will sell you one for that, since it's unlikely there will be more than 2,000 built in the next year -- the SRT-10 is a comparative bargain.
Ford SVT Lightning, pull over: There's a new bad boy in town.
Sentinel automotive editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, or 407-420-5699.
Copyright © 2003, Orlando Sentinel
Dodge smokes truck market with Ram SRT-10
By Steven Cole Smith
Sentinel Automotive Editor
December 4, 2003
An answer to a question no one was asking -- "Why doesn't somebody make a 500-horsepower, $45,000 pickup truck that can't carry much, and won't tow a trailer?" -- Dodge presents the Ram SRT-10.
Why, indeed?
"Because we can," says Dan Knott, director of Performance Vehicle Operations for Dodge. It is oversimplifying to say the SRT-10 is a short-bed Ram pickup with an engine and transmission from the Dodge Viper sports car stuffed under the hood, but that's what it is.
The SRT-10 showed up as a concept two years ago at the North American International Auto Show. Though Dodge executives insisted that they'd build the truck, it wasn't until a private showing of the production version of the pickup for a handful of journalists early this year that we realized how serious Dodge was.
After all, Dodge began offering a V-10 engine in the Ram pickup truck in 1994, but it was a 300-horsepower, semi-industrial version available only in heavy-duty models. The fact that the company would offer a pickup with the same exact 8.3-liter V-10 engine -- the only real difference is a redesigned oil pan -- as the $80,000 Viper sports car is startling, and possibly a little troubling to some Viper owners.
But here it is. And boy, does it go fast.
The biggest surprise, though, is how well it goes fast. Ford, with the 380-horsepower F-150 SVT Lightning pickup truck, proved that a pickup could be made to ride and handle like a performance car. Dodge ups the ante with the SRT-10, somehow massaging the Ram's chassis to accept the power the V-10 engine provides without hysteria.
We knew the SRT-10 would go, but the revelation is how well it stops and turns, too. "We didn't just make a boy-racer truck with lots of horsepower," Knott says. "We tuned the suspension, redesigned the interior for performance driving, re-worked aerodynamics, and created a new truck."
That's apparent from the moment you sit in the driver's seat. Upholstery is leather and the twin bucket seats are ultra-supportive. Interior trim is handsome but not ostentatious. The big Hurst shifter is prominent between the seats -- the six-speed manual transmission is all that's offered. The transmission shifts easily, and the clutch, though beefy, has a lighter touch than you'd expect.
Viper-like, there's a red starter button by the steering wheel. Dodge engineers found a very nice balance between making the V-10's surprisingly pleasant exhaust note evident, but not deafening. Punch the throttle, though, and the beast screams. So will your wallet: I averaged about 9.5 mpg.
The tires are huge 22-inch Pirelli Scorpion Zero radials (before you ask, the replacement cost is $321 each.) Wheels are 10-spoke alloys, with big disc brakes front and rear, with anti-lock. Some parts of the SRT-10's undercarriage come from the Dodge truck parts bin, and others come from premium companies outside Dodge, such as the Bilstein shock absorbers. Engineers built a damper that all but prevents "axle hop" under acceleration, a problem with powerful pickups. The damper is essentially a separate shock absorber attached to the center of the rear axle -- an old racing trick, but it works.
The SRT-10 weighs in at just over 5,000 pounds, but doesn't feel it. The fact that it can top 150 mph and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just over five seconds attests to the muscle of the V-10 engine. It's heavy, and even though the truck's exterior was tweaked by the same engineer who works on the Dodge's NASCAR Craftsman truck racing program, it isn't that aerodynamic.
So the SRT-10 is a lot of fun. But it is, after all, a pickup.
Yes, you can put a light load in the bed, but you'll have to remove the rear spoiler that extends from one side to the other just in front of the tailgate. It's held on by four bolts, and you can move it to the front of the bed, where it bolts down until you remove the load. As for towing, Dodge doesn't recommend it, but a regular Class III hitch will fit. With the manual transmission, I wouldn't think of towing more than 1,500 pounds, about the weight of a small boat.
But then, you can't carry or tow anything with a Viper, and at $45,795 including freight -- assuming a dealer will sell you one for that, since it's unlikely there will be more than 2,000 built in the next year -- the SRT-10 is a comparative bargain.
Ford SVT Lightning, pull over: There's a new bad boy in town.
Sentinel automotive editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, or 407-420-5699.
Copyright © 2003, Orlando Sentinel
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Posts: 725
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From: Orlando, FL
OK, You're Right
OK, Shane, I agree with you. No more Dodge Ram posts from me. Even though this is an SRT-10 thread, it's on the F150 board and I know we've all been inundated to the point of numbness with posts on this subject.
On the other hand, of course, with over 6,700 views just on this one thread, it looks like lots of L folks are pretty interested in what our competition is doing.
Mike
On the other hand, of course, with over 6,700 views just on this one thread, it looks like lots of L folks are pretty interested in what our competition is doing.
Mike