The only place where Corvette C7 Z06 holds technical advantage over Generation 5 Dodge Viper

Any direct comparissons between the two quintessential US made (at least assembled) mobile penis enlargers always amount to deciding which of these two vehicles is a lesser failure. 

The fact that the newest Viper tends to be a lesser evil is actually purely accidental, due to the fact that the previous generation of Viper took it to its maximum potential that was combined with the complete lack of Generation 5 R&D money (all R&D took place before Generation 4 was released) and complete incompetence of the idiot put in charge of new Viper, Ralph Gilles. 

Had this tool have more money available, the current Viper would be just as fucked up as the new Corvette, with +General Motors allowing +Tadge Juechter to employ new technologies but not funding the new car sufficiently to devolop technologies specifically designed for Corvette, technologies that could actually make the car perform as advertised.

Nevertheless,  although generally the new Viper is a re-skinned carryover of the previous generation, there oned specific item where Viper is technically inferior to the Corvette counterpart, the battery location (advantage of aluminum frame over steel counterpart is debatable since they both fall short anyway).

For majority of people, including the usual Corvette and Viper nuthuggers, this part tends to be ignored but it is a fact that Viper's battery location sucks, due to the pesky physics laws...   As a matter of fact, the same idiotic location has been chosen since the very first Viper ever made, not sure who was the idiot that signed of on this, must have been either Lutz or Shelby (both too busy stroking their egos and making money to give an engineering aspect even a single thought).

So what is the problem with the battery location?  Of all the places typically used to mount the battery, the location on the driver side behind the rear left wheel is the second worst (only one worse would be its front equivalent.)

It took GM until Dave Hill to figure out that the best place for the battery is in the rear, on the passenger side but it finally ended up there in 2006, in the C6 Z06 cars.  This shit is right down funny how resiliant to the simplest sound engineering principles American car makers can be since my fondly remembered E30 had the rear location back in the 80's but then again, BMW engineers and designers pay attention in school instead of jerking off as continuously demonstrated with their American counterparts, including the clown in charge of Corvette, now.

Although the photo above depicts a Gen 4 location, it is identical for the Generation 5.

For some mysterious reason, the shit with with Viper carrying that battery behind the left rear wheel continues until now, readily demonstrating how little development is in this car altogether.  After all, this is the 21st Century and the newest Viper still has the exact shitty battery location as the 1993 car.

To the credit of Chrysler, since 2003, there is no need to remove the wheel to get to the damn thing.

To balance things somehow (pun intended), even the newest generation of Corvette is still half ass, exactly like its C6 Z06 and ZR1 predecessors, with the battery located AFTER the rear right wheel since apparently Tadge Juechter still cannot figure out this one bit and the new frame is not all different than the previous one in reality, either.

The irony of the whole situation is that in spite of its V10 engine, the Viper has a weight distribution over Z06, with 48/52 to 51/49 Z06 POS (this ratio is subject to change for worse should anyone attempt any improvements to the cooling system or supercharger, hehe).

Do these details matter?  Of course they do, especially if a porker like Jim Mero is involved or his generic typical Corvette owner counterpart  (fully applicable to Viper owners as well).  Even if the car can on paper have a F/R favorable weight distribution, this is not all what is involved.

Certainly, there is considerably more to designing a proper high performance car but items like battery location are a very good indicator of the overall outcome.  LAZY is the word fully applicable to both Corvette and Viper design teams since neither one can get the job done right.

In doubt?  A quick look at the battery location of BMW Z4 should provide all needed evidence.  Sad but true, completely avoidable and so embarrasing when compared to other cars....  Yes, the battery sits higher than in Corvette or Viper but this is considerably a smaller negative impact than placing it behind the rear wheel, especially on the driver's side.  If this is the best current US automotive technology can do, this is beyond pathetic....