Let's talk track tires for the Gen V!

[VENOM V]

Tires can make or break a car's lap time, and it is the one area of the Viper program that lags all of its serious competitors. Here are a few of my opinions based on tracking and discussions with track rats. I'd like to know what others think. Imagine if SRT surprised us with a new-generation hardcore R compound on the TA 2.0 or upcoming ACR?

ZR1's MPSC RUNFLATS:

I keep hearing about how phenomenal the special-construction ZR1 run flat MPSCs are from the most reliable sources. Ralph stated that they are something like 2 seconds faster than the Corsas at Laguna Seca and Erich Heuschle confirmed this to me personally. He said that the Viper "loves" these MPSCs, they made a custom set of Viper wheels in ZR1 sizing and found these gains.

And last weekend I tracked my Camaro at Buttonwillow with a local hot shoe, one of the best drivers I've ever known. He said two things that surprised me.

First, his brother drives a black C6 Z06 race car and has run a best time of 1:44 on those special ZR1 MPSCs. His best on Hoosier R6's? 1:51. He is faster on the cups! This delta I find hard to believe but these guys are two of the fastest and their words carry credibility. While I question whether they are better than R6s, this is a confirmation of how amazing the outgoing ZR1's tires were.

MPSC2s:

Second, he runs a highly modded C7 on MPSC2s. He runs these tires because he can't go to a lower treadwear for his racing class. He says they aren't as good as the ZR1 MPSCs. Also very interesting but doesn't completely surpise because of the MPSC2's 180 treadwear rating. If you're curious about these Vettes and their drivers, click the Buttonwillow link in my signature.

So the ZR1's MPSCs are the real deal, better than the Corsas. They are NOT the same tire as the MPSCs that come in Viper sizes, they are much better and were specifically developed for the ZR1 although they clearly work well on a similar car, the Viper. This was also confirmed by Erich. This jives with my personal experience where I found the regular MPSCs not as grippy or long lasting as the Corsas.

CORSAs:

A good entry-level R compound but not at the same level as the ZR1 MPSC, and certainly not in the same zip code as the Trofeo R. They are a good streetable compromise that have decent grip, last a long time, don't heat cycle out much, and can be driven in the rain. A "sensible" compromise for a performance OEM tire but not worthy of being paired with a track focused Viper such as a TA or ACR.

TROFEO R:

I'm a Camaro guy as well as a Viper guy, but anyone that doesn't believe that a huge contributor to the Z/28's remarkable lap times is due to the Trofeo Rs is a Koolaid drinker. They are likely the best R compound out there short of Hoosiers.

I asked Maurice to press Pirelli to give us Trofeo Rs on the Viper, during his recent discussions with them on the VOA discount. They already make our front size, all we need is a 345 or 355/30-19 out back to literally shave two or three seconds off of lap times! Their response? We'd love to but unfortunately can't justify the development cost considering the low volume. Which begs the question, why didn't they develop the Trofeo R for the Viper in the first place instead of the Corsa? My guess is that Chrysler's lawyers wanted a safer rain tire and chose the Corsa, but who knows.

HOOSIERS:

The new generation of Hoosier R7 and A7s are supposed to be phenomenal. I've driven both R6s and A6s on both my Viper and Camaro and they are unbelievable, so improving on them is something that I cannot wait to experience.

Crazy idea: they showed the ACR concept with Hoosiers at SEMA. How about an optional second set of track-focused wheels with Hoosier R7s that can be ordered with your TA 2.0 or ACR? The mag rags would go nuts, test them in every imaginable way and enjoy all of the controversy. Talk about press for the Viper! It would probably never happen, LOL.

I think that the Viper must have a new generation R compound if it is to remain relevant, set lap records and not fall behind the competition in the near future. Every legitimate competitor has gone to a new R compound, team Viper needs to find a way to make this happen.