Let my buddy drive my '99 ACR

[sekhmet]

I let my friend take his wife for a ride in my new '99 GTS ACR; he drives a '95 Dodge Stealth TT and 'wasn't impressed' as he put's it.

It's a long read, but a good one if you need a laugh in your day Everyone else basically thinks he's on the 'not so legal drugs'

Who thinks Vipers are overrated? - 3000GT/Stealth International Message Center

 

[EllowViper]

FUNNNEEEE>>>>All that comes to mind when I read it is junior varsity locker room talk...

 

[GTS1997]

I used to own a '93 VR4, with a bunch of mods, and I will say this:

With the VR4 being all wheel drive it felt much, much more stable than my Viper does, especially at higher speeds (100 +).

I had many modifications to the VR4 (back in the day), and my only 2 gripes about it were:

(1) The turbo lag made me play catch up with the other cars (the bigger the after market turbo wheels, the more lag). The all wheel drive helped me off the line by preventing the tires from spinning. But if I was racing someone who knew how to keep their traction under control, I would be behind at the beginning of the race and then catch up and pull ahead by 70 mph.

(2) IT WASN’T A VIPER !!!!!


The VR4 was a very nice looking car and it handles very well, but with the intimidation and beauty of the Viper’s looks, the Viper is in a different league.

Driving the VR4 was like listening to a gifted jazz musician. It makes you say “wow that is awesome, I had no idea that was possible.”

Driving a Viper is like listening to Metallica or Slayer. So much brutality that not everyone can appreciate it’s style. And if you get used to the style, then you begin to see the beauty of all its intricacies. But definitely not for everyone.

 

[C.Hermsen]

That to me seems like one of two things:

A) Your friend had absolutely NO idea what a Viper is about before he drove it, and was expecting a Vette or something...

or

B) You have yourself a case of a jealous friend who was trying to downplay your car to make himself feel better I've ran into those before once or twice.

 

[99 R/T 10]

You're friend is an idiot, even his "peoples" is telling him that in-directly

 

[AbsolutHank]

Your buddies wife is a B**CH, and I had to stop reading early on.

I'm sure their Stealth is lots of fun...

 

[PatentLaw]

Wow. The Viper is so good almost every driver can never reach the limits of the car. Steering is numb? Huh? One of the most laser sharp driving experiences I have ever had.

 

[my viper]

"Guy walks into a Dodge dealer, walks up to the Viper and tells the salesman, 'I'll take a red one with an automatic.' Salesman walks him to the door and points to the Chevy dealer down the street."

LOL

 

[Goehner]

You're friend is an idiot, even his "peoples" is telling him that in-directly

So true, I read all 12 pages and the same thing kept coming back at em.

 

[BlackSnake99]

Whatever. Different strokes for different folks. I wouldn't trade my GTS for two Mitsubishis.

 

[Martin]

He's probably a good friend - he was respectful enough to not drive the car too hard and crash it. Anytime I see a post starting with "Let my friend drive my Viper..." it usually turns into a discussion on where to find a good body shop or lawyer...

Oh, and the steering probably felt numb because he was so scared that his nerve endings stopped working.

 

[ViperGeorge]

Get a new friend.

 

[1TONY1]

Hopefully I will get another chance to drive it and have a second opinion.

Yea right...you better not let him drive it again !!! What a *****.

If I was your friend and hated your new car, I still wouldn't post it on the internet.

 

[eucharistos]

thanks for posting

was a "fun" read

viper lovers all over the place

 

[NHL2133]

I was reading that the other day while looking for a solution to my suddenly non-functioning cruise control in my 3000. Maybe you should take your "friend" for a spin with him in the passenger seat, see if that doesn't change his mind?

 

[1994viper]

LOL. Fun read. Thanks god he didn't smash you car. I sensed that his girlfriend made most the posts after the initial one. Did anyone notice how the comments changed from a first person: “I” felt such and such to “We” thought this and that. I bet she was the one who forced her dude to piss on your car on that forum. Not that he should have done that anyway. At least most people were very understandable, and true car lovers, and not just a bunch of jealous jerks on that forum. Welcome to the Viper World BTW.
Mark

 

[RTTTTed]

That's too funny. I guess if I wanted a car to drive slowly it would be a Mercedes? A Ferrari? The Viper is for fast. I use my modified Stealth R/T TTs for Daily driving. The Viper ***** on ice and snow. I bought a set of IIce radials for the Stealth and with it's AWD and AWS it drives awesome and safest on ice. No comparison to pickup.

During a dry day with traction I'll take my 'numb' Viper. I'm so glad it's 'numb' and takes effort to steer (magazines complain that the steering is too hard to turn) otherwise any movement of the steering wheel after 100mph would put you in deep sh_t. The steering wheel is made so that a thought won't cause the car to ditch. The limp wristed vette is easy to turn because it's designed more for the 55mph streets - so was the Stealth. HP Driving teaches that you KEEP both hands on the steering wheel unless shifting and there's a reason for that.

I understand that when you're going slow the Viper isn't the BEST for under 50mph ... and I don't recall anyone saying it was best at slow speeds. The massive 14" brakes and 3.08 gear with 50% overdrive are obviously not designed for under 50mph driving. That is why the engineers built the car with 6 gears. It'll drive well at any speed.

Road noise? My '01 Viper GTS has the same road noise as m 3 Stealth R/T TTs under 80mph. Higher than 80mph and the Stealth has more air noise. Being so much larger than a Viper, and 4" higher into the airstream, the Stealth gets noisier and noiser the faster you go. At 100mph cruisin' the Viper GTS is the quietest car I've been in.

The electric seat in the Stealth is awesome, but not any more comfortable when adjusted properly. The roof of my Stealth's all mess up my hair as the seat's too high for me. My Viper was perfect for "hair clearance" but I lowered the seat track so that I can see the street lights easier.

The Stealth has a better (CD & Cassette) stereo, but not as much volume as the Viper's. Although both cars have the door panels made for resting your left arm, only the Viper's higher console also allows the driver (and Passenger) to rest their other arms. The Stealth R/T TTs have decent brakes (12"?) but the Viper's brakes and massive tires are way better than the Stealths. Back in the day there was about an extra 20' required for the Stealth's stopping distance as compared to the Viper.

I used to read all the Sportscar tests back when they built the Stealths and the Stealth R/T TT never won except once in a while it would kick the vette.

The problem is that your friend went for a slower than Stealth ride and that's why he wasn't impressed. On the high side of 150mph screaming down the straights of a road course your friend would be TOTALLY impresssed when the Viper slowed for the corner and his Stealth would have blown off the track and got wrecked.

At speeds under 60mph he should test a slightly modded Eagle Talon Tsi as he would find that comparable to his slightly modded Stealth R/T TT.

When I let my 28 year old daughter drive my GTS (beside me) at half throttle (it does have double the stock hp) she was AMAZED at how easy it was to drive compared to her GM Equinox. Anyone consider that a valid comparo???

Next I could get my cousin to test drive my Supercharged Viper and compare it to his 2004 Dodge RAM Cummins 1 ton? Or maybe we'd like his wife to test drive my Viper and compare it to her Ford Minivan? I asked and both said thanks anyway. My cousin was so shocked with the 0-120mph test blast in my 600rwhp 98 GTS that he said that was enough ride for the rest of his life ... and he didn't think that it was possible for a Car to go that fast. Since then I took him for a ride in my 720+rwhp '01 GTS and he was amazed that it was faster than the 98. I was surprised that HE could notice the difference, LOL.

YOU take your buddy for a test ride and then his wiffe and don't go under 100mph until you're finished. Other choice would be to get him in his Stealth TT on a road couse and spank him soooooooo badddd that he KNOWS the difference. It wouldn't take very long to lap him as the first set of corners the huge difference becomes obvious.

A Viper is just a tire flaming machine under 50mph. It's after 100mph that the Viper shines. I think that speed limits should be appropriate to the stopping distance of each car;
Honda 30mph: Vette 60mph: Pickups 45mph: Minivans 40mph: ZR1s 65mph: Viper 70mph (with 14"). I've explained to various cops that my Viper will stop in almost half the distance of their pickup trucks and they're amazed. I don't know what idiots did their driver's training, but so far they're idiots since they don't even realize that every Viper can easily out perform, out-handle and out-stop them.

Ted

 

[RTTTTed]

To summarize (in case the above post was too long to read) my modifed Stealth R/T TTs make excellent "WINTER VIPERS".

When I did HPDriving experience at PIR with JonB (another Stealth lover/owner) we caught a Stealth R/T TT right away and we were wishing for much faster cars than all the cars in front of us. Even the Audi TT was too slow.

 

[Freddog11]

After reading all those pages, I was hoping you would chime in there Ted. It's great to proud of whatever you drive, but you have to be realistic. Most of the guys on that forum seem to have a great appreciation for the Viper, with the exception of the original author. Great to hear from someone who owns and can compare both.

By the way Ted, this idiot got his driving training at Bondurant and since my patrol vehicle is a Ford Expedition (4wd), I'm well aware that a Viper will smoke me in every aspect, probably even off road . Just kidding around, not offended. You're right, most cops that I work with could never appreciate the performance difference between a Viper and a Crown Vic, or even the Chargers we have now.

If you manage to get the speed limits changed up there, let us know how so we can get them changed here too. I think they should be based on the driver's ability as well.

Again, good write up.

 

[Wads97GTS]

Get a new friend.

Great advice!!!

 

[SlateEd]

He's probably a good friend - he was respectful enough to not drive the car too hard and crash it. Anytime I see a post starting with "Let my friend drive my Viper..." it usually turns into a discussion on where to find a good body shop or lawyer...

That's exactly what I was expecting.. really glad that's not it! I'm sure there's some jealousy involved, and a certain amount of fear of the car stopped him from having a good time. Someone else suggested you take him for a ride in the passenger seat.. I'd do that! See what happens when the back of his head is pinned to the headrest from the low end torque (and what car-guy doesn't enjoy the "noise"???)

 

[slysnake]

Some comments I LOVED from the responses.

1. the viper is a car that litterally wants to kill you,
2. All an all I can't drive and not have a smile on my face the whole time. EVERYONE looks at you!
3. the people who want the viper want it for the very reasons you list as flaws.

 

[DLTARNU]

"How much weight are you saving by using plastic vs vinyl, suede or leather?"

I happen to agree with his friend on this point. Too much plastic on the inside for a car in this price range.


"How much weight are you saving removing cruise control?"

That's where he lost me. Was rather reasonable up to this point. But to make this comment, and mean it, shows just how far away he is in mindset from where you need to be to appreciate a Viper.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

The brakes are easy to de-numb.

 

[RTTTTed]

"How much weight are you saving by using plastic vs vinyl, suede or leather?"

I happen to agree with his friend on this point. Too much plastic on the inside for a car in this price range.


"How much weight are you saving removing cruise control?"

That's where he lost me. Was rather reasonable up to this point. But to make this comment, and mean it, shows just how far away he is in mindset from where you need to be to appreciate a Viper.

The "too much plastic" is a moot point since the Stealth has the same plastic and even the guages and dash panel are pretty much the same between these cars.

"Weight saving cruise control" - this comment show that this guy must use his cruise in rain and must never drive in the snow. Cruise control on a Viper would be an excellent way to die. Have the cruise control give 1/4 throttle on ice/snow/rain/dust or other slippery conditions like OLD Tires and see how fast you crash/lose control. READ YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL - do not use cruise control whenever the road conditions are slippery. I nearly went over a cliff in my F150 when the crusie turned on while driving up an icey Hill (called Revenge). Cruise control would cause accidents and liability issues in all Vipers. The reason the vettes have cruise control is becuase they have the Traction Control to control the cruise control. I hope that bit of info will save someone's life?

Ted

 

[RTTTTed]

After reading all those pages, I was hoping you would chime in there Ted. It's great to proud of whatever you drive, but you have to be realistic. Most of the guys on that forum seem to have a great appreciation for the Viper, with the exception of the original author. Great to hear from someone who owns and can compare both.

By the way Ted, this idiot got his driving training at Bondurant and since my patrol vehicle is a Ford Expedition (4wd), I'm well aware that a Viper will smoke me in every aspect, probably even off road . Just kidding around, not offended. You're right, most cops that I work with could never appreciate the performance difference between a Viper and a Crown Vic, or even the Chargers we have now.

If you manage to get the speed limits changed up there, let us know how so we can get them changed here too. I think they should be based on the driver's ability as well.

Again, good write up.

Thanks Dog,

Please remember that I write General and not specific (from your response I'm guessing that you know that). Although I insulted MOST cops, I hold many Cops in high respect. I try to educate my local cops to performance differences and knowledge that may help them in their careers when they leave this location.

It's not everyday that a cop meets up with a 900bhp car on the highway. I'm trying to take new cops out for a ride in my viper as it would add to their knowledge and may be a useful experience for them later in life.

Ted

 

[speedracervr4]

I own a highly modified 3000gt vr4 (600hp) and read the thread when it was originally posted on 3si...all I can say is the original poster is a *****. Pretty much noone agreed with her/him. I haven't driven my 99 supercharged gts yet, but the reactions I get when I tell people I bought one is crazy...definatly not overrated!!

 

[PAvenomRT/10]

I own and regularly drive both cars (Viper RT/10 and Dodge Stealth R/T). As much as I love my Stealth, the Viper is in a separate league in virtually every way. The handling and stability at speed of the Viper are superior to the Stealth (but you guys already know that, otherwise you would be driving Stealths instead of Vipers so i will stop now).
PAVenomRT/10

 

[Snake Oil]

When I finally got into the real world and was buying my first car I was lucky enough to buy a '95 Stealth R/T TT with AWD and I loved that car. It had every creature comfort item you could want including electronic controlled side bolsters on the drivers seat.

However, I also dreamt about having the real thing, a "Big Daddy Viper" one day. I had the Stealth for over 120,000 miles and I still miss it, but it doesn't compare to my Viper. The two cars are totally different. The Viper is a true sports car. The Stealth was a great daily driver, and a lot of fun, but the handling doesn't even compare AWD or not.

I would have to guess that your friend didn't jump on your car to feel the difference in speed and handling between a Steath/3000 and your ACR. You should be extremely thankful for that. (I too thought we would be looking at a picture of a wrecked snake.)I would also guess that they don't really understand what the Viper is all about, or for that matter the difference between a true sports car and a "luxury" sports car. One is meant for RAW PERFORMANCE and the other is meant to perform well and make you as comfortable as possible.

Take your friend(s) to a local Viper club or SCCA autocross or track day and show him/her the real difference so they can understand. Let them see what your car can do vs. theirs in a professional setting that is timed and SAFE if you really want to make a point.

 

[gb66gth]

What a *********!