It's been 10 months since I post my first impression of the Crossfire SRT Coupe. Here are my findings on the Crossfire SRT Roadster. First off didn't know whether to post this under Roadster or SRT??? It's BOTH!

MY DEAL-
Another Ebay purchase. Had been looking for a SRT Roadster for a while and saw the price dropping on this one on Ebay. A call to the owner confirmed that he had to get rid of the car to free up funds on a Diablo project car. Of course I was there to help! This "new" acquisition took me to Tulsa, OK. Dan met me at the airport and we drove back to his place in Muskogee. This gave us time to talk about the car.

THE CAR-
Less miles on the Roadster (22k) than were on the Coupe (31k) when I picked it up. "As near immaculate as you'll find..." is how the car was described on Ebay. Pretty good description and an excellent deal for the price!
Car mods include a custom 192mm crank pulley and a "resonator" delete exhaust. The 192 pulley really wakes up the bottom end performance as the boost comes on sooner. I jury-rigged a cheap boost gauge and am only seeing 16-17 lbs of boost on the top end where as the previous owner said he saw 20-21??? Could be the gauge I guess.
I was told that the resonator had been deleted. Nope still there. The muffler is gone though. Car sounds great under mild acceleration however when you mash the gas the exhaust whistles. It sounds like you are roasting the tires for awhile then it's just plain annoying! THAT will have to change!

THE DRIVE-
Didn't want to start out with the top down so I could listen and get a feel for the car. First obvious difference from a Coupe was the intrusion of outside noise into the car. Well it's a Roadster! What did you expect? Drove a portion of the drive with the top down. Was expecting to get beat up by wind buffeting but it was actually pretty smooth sailing until my sister called and I tried to talk to her over my (bluetooth) GPS. Some cool guy in a cool roadster holding and talking into a GPS then switching it to his ear so he could hear the other person! It had to be a site to see!
I have noticed a feeling in the suspension that feels like a tire might be low on air. Is this a Roadster trait? Will have to get under her and see if everything is tight. Still haven't checked the pressure and no tire indicator on the dash. My Coupe handles better.
Averaged 20/21 mpg (speeding).

THOUGHTS SO FAR-
I love having a Roadster! Top goes down in less than 30 seconds so if you hit a new light you have time to drop it. Don't like wearing a hat but keep one in the car so that my hair doesn't get all jacked up. Trying to look cool in a cool car with your "five" head (forehead plus) showing cuz the wind blew your hair all over isn't cool!
Should have gotten a ticket today but was VERY lucky! Cop had radar on just as I did a massive pass on a bunch of slow cars (ok they were doing the speed limit) I guess I saw him first and was able to get the speed down before he "hit" me.

WHAT'S NEXT-
Have already installed a Woody Dual Flow Super Cooler and separated the cooling systems. I don't see any more pulleys in store for this car as the 192 should be enough. CAI, seat covers, a Meguiar's® Clay Bar cleaning with a Meguiar's® Wax and I think I'm done for awhile!

 

Cowl shake. It happens to some degree in virtually all convertibles since you lose the structural integity provided by the hard roof. Try driving an old MG over railroad tracks - feels like it's going to fall apart! But the Crossfire is quite solid even in roadster trim. Mine is far more solid than my Miata was, and the Miata was a blast!

 

I was thinking maybe the Continental tires. I know the feeling you are talking about. Feel that in my other two convertibles.
BWT, did ya notice the Product Placements Mike?
Free products perhaps!?

Also, just came back from a third gear high speed run. Hit 18lbs of boost. Sounds about right I guess considering the altitude here.

 

Not good for guys wearing rugs.....

 

I don't notice any difference in structural integrity between the roadster and the coupe, but the SRT6 definitely is a stiffer ride.

 

So what are you saying???

Are YOU a member!?

 

Yes I did and, uh, well, sorry. Hey, I don't blame you for trying!

 

I'll do you one better-I rented a '94 Mustang drop top in San Fransisco in '94. When I drove over some railroad tracks in Oakland at a 45 degree angle-the passenger door popped open.

Good thing my sister had her seatbelt on! I bitched to Avis and got a free upgrade to a Lincoln Town Car. Not as much fun, but a whole lot safer!

 

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