I noticed at Viper is a brand, but also a Dodge car…
Why the inconsistency?
The manufacturer determines how cars are listed. They were a Dodge Viper, then they came out with the SRT division as it’s own line and they were re-branded as a SRT Viper. Now also just as a Viper. Sadly it’s hard for me to keep up with and I work for a Dodge dealer lol.
I personally think Chrysler messed up when they got rid of the Plymouth line, in the end, it was PERFECT for cars like the Viper, Prowler, Cruiser, etc. “One good thing after another” was perfect for their “non-conforming” cars like those… I was said when it went away [Chrysler medical retiree myself]
I agree. Plymouth could have had some really great stuff these past few years. The fact they brought back the Charger and Challenger was a good sign with Dodge. The Dart, well that was a effort, - just not a good one. I would still love to see a 'Cuda come back. Road Runner would be another cool name to bring back.
1 Like
A Plymouth GTX remake would also be cool.
As long as it has a 426 Hemi in it lol
Today’s Hemi is NOT the same Hemi as back then…Hemi’s disappeared because they burn dirty! They do more power than any other method for the same fuel used, but the exhaust is some of the dirtiest out there. The ONLY solution found [that I know of] is two spark plugs per cyl to reduce the burn spread as that is what causes the dirty burn. The problem is they don’t produce the power of the previous Hemi’s…
I talked to a cop. He had just went to a dealer and didn’t like the Dart. He got into my previous generation Prius, and had plenty of positive comments about it, and after driving it for a few dozen yards [U.S. measurement] he said he always laughed when he saw one drive by, but now he’s going to go to a dealer and check out the new ones!
The Prius is not bad if driven right. I don’t have issues getting onto the roads, making lefts, etc… When I want, I can pull 70MPG for miles on end [but I’ve only gotten 60.2MPG as my best tank average]
ANY car name can be brought back, including Model A or Model T, but I do feel that the spirit of the history NEEDS to be considered. The 80s Mustang was an insult to the line, even when they put the 5.n0 in them. [I used to dust them with my Dodge Ram 3500 Quad-Cab [V10 & 10-speed manual transmission, 4.11 axle]]
'Cuda or Road Runner would be nice, but it would need to be done right! Nova came back, but it came back as an econo car two steps below the Chevette
well when Dodge brought the Viper back they branded the car under as a SRT Viper & not a Dodge. Now why Turn 10 placed it under Viper, My guess would be to avoid confusion on why all the other Dodge SRT cars weren’t put uner the SRT brand.
Oh I agree, I just would only like to see the GTX name back if it had a Hemi
I wonder what would happen if they built a Hemi V8 under 4L… Maybe under 3. For that matter, what about a 4 Cyl Hemi [IRL, not in the game]
It wouldn’t make any power. The main advantage of a OHV engine over a DOHC engine is the ability to be high displacement in a smaller physical space (witness the low hoodlines of the Corvette and Viper)…as a trade off a DOHC engine breathes better. A large displacement OHV 4 Cyl makes no practical sense due to the large pistons that would be required, which would limit high rpm capability. Interestingly, the modern “Hemi” was born after the LSx series was produced and the possible advantages of a modern OHV architecture became apparent. Chrysler was planning to go all DOHC like Ford before then.
Hemi comes from the head. The head was hemispherical ! It causes the air to rotate over itself as the cylinder moves upwards , causing a superior mix of fuel and air, of which no other method currently known mixes it as well. The superior mix gives more power.
And that is what makes the Hemi superior… What is preventing such a mix from functioning in a high revving 4 banger, or an engine with smaller cylinders?
The “hemi” as it is produced now, and in previous iterations, is an OHV motor. It, like all piston engines, is limited not by how well the combustion chamber mixes, but by how much air can be shoved into it. More air, more fuel, bigger bang, more power. A DOHC motor, for a multitude of reasons can have more air shoved into it at higher RPM than a OHV motor, with a similar state of tune, thus making more power for the same displacement. As a practical example, the DOHC F136 out of the Ferrari F430 made 491hp at 8,500rpm. By contrast the OHV LS7 out of the Corvette C6 Z06 made 505hp at 6,300 rpm. While the LS7 could spin up to 7,000rpm note the power peak is before redline because the motor can not breathe in any more air. It is, however, shorter, possibly lighter, and certainly cheaper than the F136 despite the greater displacement. That is the great advantage of OHV.
While I do doubt that Chrysler found the holy grail of cylinder head technology in the 1960’s before computational fluid dynamics were even a pipe dream, let’s, for the sake of argument, say that it is the best head design ever made for producing power. Now that that’s settled how well does it handle emissions or fuel economy? Can it handle more than two valves per cylinder? Is it compatible with direct injection or forced induction? There is more to an engine than just the head design, and since most manufactures spend hundreds of computer hours (with supercomputers mind you) getting the most possible performance out of their cylinder heads, it is staggering how complicated modern engines have become.
1 Like
There are several things to focus on in head design. You need a consistent mix, no settling. Air/fuel intake and exhaust are just as important. ALL OTTO based engines use valves, same with the Atkinson. The rotary engines doesn’t even have valves. It seems to me that all valves are basically the same, numbers and how they are moved vary, but they are all nothing more than a disk that moves up/down and regulates intake/exhaust. Has anybody done anything to valves that have made a major step forward since the Model T days?
Sorry for the late reply, I didn’t realize that you responded to me.
Anyway, to make it simple, valves basically allow air into the combustion chamber and allow the burnt fuel/air mixture to exit. The complexity of valves is that they themselves have inertia, thus their opening and closing can be difficult to control, and they are exposed to the very high temperatures of the exhaust. A multi valve engine mitigates both of those factors. The lower inertia of smaller valves means they can operate at higher engine speeds without valve float/bounce. They allow better positioning of the spark plug for better flame propagation. And they also allow for better cylinder head cooling. All other things being equal a multi valve LS7 that could hold power to 8,500 rpm (the engine can spin that high according to GM, but the accessories can’t handle it and it makes no power) would make 600hp or more (as point of reference the Ferrari 458 makes 562hp at 9,000 rpm out of 4.5L).
BTW even the modern Hemi DOESN’T use a “hemi” head.
I do agree that they need to bring the muscle cars back but they also need to take away the tired generic chassis and body. Just making a few minor alterations to the suspension power plant wheels and body is getting a little redundent don’t you think. I haven’t seen a HEMI since the 70’s
The owner of the dealership I work at has several. Road Runner, Super Bird some GTXs. Just way too many older cars to list. He now does way more with Vipers than anything else. I think he needs to get the older ones out more often but he never does. Really a pity to see all of them sit in storage. He even has a 1928 Dodge and a 1910 REO
Jay Leno has it right. He drives EVERY car he owns that is street legal! He has a model A or a model T, and he drives that too! Cars are built to be driven, not to be parked and sit on display!