Scariest exprience in a car ever!!!

I wanted to share the scariest moment that I experienced while driving as a warning for new Viper owners, a reminder for current owners and to get advice from the veterans. I bought the car last October and I've been driving every chance I get, which is mainly weekends. I read all the warnings and all the advices about the car specially when new, so I drive it very very carefully.

So I was cruising around with my '93 RT/10 on the stretch of road that was made for specifically cruising here in Dubai. Its an amazing 3-lane road on the beach and one could see just about any car that is in the world. I made a U-turn and I was in 1st, I changed to 2nd and floored it going on the throttle as gently as possible so that I don't lose traction. I reach around 5,500 rpm and I decided that was enough fun on the road since the speed limit is 70 km/hr but this time I'm doing maybe 80 or 85 km/hr. I changed to 3rd and I let go of the clutch slowly, as soon as the rpm goes above 3,000 rpm the car just goes side ways. At this moment I turn the steering the opposite way and I put my foot on the brake. I was on the left-most lane and the car went about 70 degrees to the left and I see the pavement in front of me and some buildings, I think one of the front tires locked because I could smell smoke and I was heading straight into the pavement. The car started to correct its direction but I was sure I was going to hit the pavement but suddenly a bus stop opens up, so the road is effectively a 4-lane road for a short while now, and I enter the bus stop and I fully correct the direction. No damage was done, fortunately.

This was the scariest moment I have ever experienced in any car what so ever and I have been in a number of accidents before, but this is just all out scary. I stopped the car for about 10 mins just to get my adrenaline level back to normal so I could think properly again.

My analysis of what happened is that I think I engaged the clutch properly at first but at the last moment I took my foot off to quickly and I broke traction and the car just slid. New tires already ordered, the rears were '06 tires. Also, I think that I should have changed to 4th and not 3rd after flooring it to give myself some room for error. Also, when the car was side ways, I think I was supposed to press clutch (this is my 1st manual car, so I really don't have a lot of experience).

This happened about 3 weeks ago, I've been driving the car with much much more concentration, and I'm very careful with the clutch now. I love this car to death and driving it is the best thing I could do after a long week of work.

To anyone who is reading this, drive the car with respect and it will respect you back, I'm very grateful I did not crash that day and I hope this story could help others to take care and drive safe.

I am sure I will get bashed for this but your first mistake was disobeying traffic laws. Glad you are ok.

Bruce

Glad you or no one else was injured, thats the best time to learn what can happen (when Nothing or Nobody else is around, that includes mailboxes, trees, ditches, etc...). NOW YOU KNOW, so there's no excuse from now on. I know when I got mine, I'd always read on here about ALL of the things a Viper is capable of doing & I waited (because I'm like everybody else, I had to find out for myself just what everybody's talking about) till their was nothing around me & I mean nothing, goosed her just enough for the car to be pointing in the wrong direction from where I was suppose to be going (that was a lil' over a year ago & I still remember it like it was yesterday). Some people don't get a second chance, but believe me I respect this car more than any other car I've ever owned & I've owned a few quick cars. These cars just seem like they will get away from you at any moment, whether you're going 40mph or 90mph! Forgot to add, mine were the orginial tires & they were like driving on ice, got new tires & it 110% better! jmo

Thanks for writing this story because we all need to refresh our minds about these cars occasionally--they can kill us and others if not respected. Very happy that you are OK and still have your Viper. --Happy driving--Dave

7amood5041 said:

I changed to 2nd and floored it going on the throttle as gently as possible so that I don't lose traction.

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You gently floored it?

7amood5041 said:

I changed to 3rd and I let go of the clutch slowly, as soon as the rpm goes above 3,000 rpm the car just goes side ways

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I'll go around a turn, pop her in 2nd and drop the clutch for a fun little slide when there's nobody around, but that's at like 35km/h and I never touch the brake. Mind you, it only takes a quick dose of the gas before my neck is snapped sideways. When you feel that back end break, get your foot off the gas and let the rear wheels wind out and help push you in the direction of your correction. Just like if you were driving in snow.

Yes, they say... "In a Spin, Both Feet In" (Brake and Clutch) Been there, done that. Yes these cars need massive respect.

A Viper tearing up the streets of Dubai. Good showing.
Be careful however.

scottmarston said:

... Just like if you were driving in snow.

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You do realize your talking to a guy from Dubai ??? I'm mean that have lots of snow, but I think it is at the indoor ski resorts

scottmarston said:

You gently floored it?

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Haha, I guess that doesn't make sense. I meant gently pressed the throttle. English is not my first language

viper_itch said:

You do realize your talking to a guy from Dubai ??? I'm mean that have lots of snow, but I think it is at the indoor ski resorts

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Snow??? we barely get rain....

Fatboy 18 said:

Yes, they say... "In a Spin, Both Feet In" (Brake and Clutch) Been there, done that. Yes these cars need massive respect.

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So that's what I should've done... I'll keep it in mind.

VIPER -----SKILLED HANDLER REQUIRED. These cars are so appropriately named. Driving one is really like holding a snake by the tail, and hoping it doesn't get upset, turn around and BITE. Vipers are so much fun at, or close to the limit. Unfortunately, sometimes things can get out of hand. I think it's good that these cars scare us every once in a while (as long as there's no damage or injury). Very intense reality check! It seems like everyone always says -the tires, the road, the dark, the rain, the tires, the deer, the truck, the tires, the screaming wife, the tires, or something. ALWAYS something else. I'm sure alot of times, it is this or that, but why cant we just be honest? These cars are monsters, and sometimes we think "it will be OK" then the car says NO. ---Anyway drive safe, and I hope the only pain you ever experience with your Viper is your face..........from smiling so much!

Glad you're ok and no damage to the Viper. Sounds to me that you may have accidentally shifted into first gear, not third gear which would explain why you did an immediate spin.

Agree. Sounds like an accidental 2-1 shift. Did this on the track once and it was instant spin till I hit the clutch again.

I was thinking the same as Rocket, with that much torque a wrong/sudden downshift can slide the tires very easily. Glad you and the Viper are okay! Get your new tires on there and enjoy twice the traction

Glad you're ok.

When on a public road just drive like my 80 year old mother....you'll never have another scarey Viper issue.

Cheers,
George

ROCKET62 said:

Glad you're ok and no damage to the Viper. Sounds to me that you may have accidentally shifted into first gear, not third gear which would explain why you did an immediate spin.

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jcaspar1 said:

Agree. Sounds like an accidental 2-1 shift. Did this on the track once and it was instant spin till I hit the clutch again.

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How fast were you guys going when that happened? He was going over 50mph. Wouldn't you have to really force it into 1st at that speed?

I've never done it is why I'm asking.

Ive done that a few times, foot flat on the floor going from 3rd to 4th and hit 2nd And that's with a short throw shifter! Whoever installed the shifter in my car, got rid of the gate springs, the shifter never returns to the centre it just stays where ever you put it!

I have a Hurst shifter sitting in the garage waiting to be installed, just been so busy Ive not had a chance to fit it! Not driven my car since October last year

There was this one time in high school, my girlfriend said she might be pregnant. That was the scariest experience in a car ever for me.

I had the accidental catching 1st gear happen to me about 2 years ago. I was getting on the highway and my brother was behind me in his corvette. I caught 1st instead of 3rd and it scared the heck outta me. The rear tires locked and started to slide bit I quickly mashed the clutch pedal. I was afraid my brother was going to reared me. Very scary thing. Glad you and your viper are ok. And never underestimate the snake bite.

Similar experience with me although tires were definitely the culprit. Playing with a ricer tuner car, entered a reverse cambered curve on the inside lane when the car started to slide (speed limit 35, I was doing about 70). Huge curb on the right side, the direction I was turning into. Not sure what I did but I saved it (or perhaps the car saved itself). Ordered new tires the next day. LOL!

scottmarston said:

When you feel that back end break, get your foot off the gas and let the rear wheels wind out and help push you in the direction of your correction.

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Purely academic at this point but getting off the gas at the start of a spin lightens up the back, less bite and increases the chances that you'll go around.

I'm pretty sure that the tires played a big role in what happened. However, I doubt I shifted accidentally to 1st. I'm sure that I would have noticed that I did even if it was retrospectively. But I guess that's still is a possibility.

I basically do drive like a 80 year old when I drive the car, but every once in a while, testosterone takes over and I go full throttle and enjoy the V10 roar.

The thing is when I was going off the clutch, the rpm was raising, I saw it going over 3,000 rpm. Let's say I was 70% off the clutch. I think the rest 30% I lifted my foot too fast and that was why I spun. That's my theory though.

1st question: Would the rpm go over 3,000 rpm if I'm shifting from 2nd-3rd? If it doesn't then that means I did shift accidentally to 1st.
2nd question: Would the tires break traction if I lifted my foot off the clutch like it did? I mean, I did engage the clutch, the rpm was raising. I was smooth with it till about 70% of the pedal travel.

I just wanna collect as much info as I can so that I would avoid such an incident in the future. It's only inevitable for a guy in a viper to press full throttle every once in a while...

DrumrBoy said:

Purely academic at this point but getting off the gas at the start of a spin lightens up the back, less bite and increases the chances that you'll go around.

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You probably know more about this than I do, but if I stay on the gas when the back end breaks, it will whip around faster than I can get the front wheels pointed in the right direction (which probably means I loaded up on the throttle to hard). I guess now that you mention this, I get my foot off it first to feel it out and then feather the gas to straighten out the slide. It's difficult to recall how your body reacts in a circumstance unless something traumatic has happened.

My scariest driving experience was after a first snow when I was about 17 driving my ’85 Toyota pickup. I was going down a hill with a stop sign at the bottom of it. It was a pretty busy intersection and I had my hubs in. I was probably doing about 30mph down the hill (stupid) and couldn’t slow her down. So I locked up the brakes, quickly put it in reverse and stomped on the gas. I got it stopped just in time, but I’m sure it was a funny sight to watch a pickup throwing snow in front of it while it was sliding forward.

Respect the Viper

Glad you're ok! Thanks for sharing - If this happens to me the first thing I'll do when I get home is change my underwear, have a smoke/drink, and hug the kiddo!!

7amood5041 said:

I'm pretty sure that the tires played a big role in what happened. However, I doubt I shifted accidentally to 1st. I'm sure that I would have noticed that I did even if it was retrospectively. But I guess that's still is a possibility.

I basically do drive like a 80 year old when I drive the car, but every once in a while, testosterone takes over and I go full throttle and enjoy the V10 roar.

The thing is when I was going off the clutch, the rpm was raising, I saw it going over 3,000 rpm. Let's say I was 70% off the clutch. I think the rest 30% I lifted my foot too fast and that was why I spun. That's my theory though.

1st question: Would the rpm go over 3,000 rpm if I'm shifting from 2nd-3rd? If it doesn't then that means I did shift accidentally to 1st.
2nd question: Would the tires break traction if I lifted my foot off the clutch like it did? I mean, I did engage the clutch, the rpm was raising. I was smooth with it till about 70% of the pedal travel.

I just wanna collect as much info as I can so that I would avoid such an incident in the future. It's only inevitable for a guy in a viper to press full throttle every once in a while...

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If you had 2nd gear wound out, then you would definitely see the RPM come back up as you tried to engage 3rd if you had the clutch in long enough to let the RPM drop. It's better to pull 2-3 gears higher after winding the car out in a low gear if you're just trying to maintain speed or slow down.

This is a post I wrote about 3 years ago. Reading yours 7amood brought this to mind.
The bottom line is that the majority of owners have at one time or another had history with a variety of muscle cars. Some of the cars I helped build and drove daily to high school would pull wheel stands. This was in the late 60's when there were real muscle cars. My son loves to hear the stories and has seen the trophies. The torque in most of these old muscle cars wasn't at all like the Viper.
I had been away from muscle car "shenanigans" for some years while I put my 3 kids through college until I bought my "well deserved reward" and dream car a year ago. I had read all of the "warning" posts but I was of the notion that these guys "don't know how to drive a fast car but I grew up with them." I had come within .2 tenths of a second of the track record down in Orlando Florida 35 years ago on a road course and had plenty of 1/8 and 1/4 mile fun blowing stuff away on the weekends. I learned very quickly I was wrong. I went to a huge empty parking lot with my new to me 94 RT/10 Viper with 15000 miles and the original tires on it to see what it would do and also to squelch the "it'll get away from you in a heart beat" theory. Remember "I thought I knew how to drive powerful cars." I pointed it straight like everyone suggested and started a slow roll. I then rev'd her up and "dumped the clutch" from about a 5 mph roll. The tires started spinning like crazy, smoke started billowing and then it happened. I went about 25 feet and the car did a 360. Thankfully I hadn't eaten anything greasy in a while so my pants weren't ruined but let me tell you that this silver haired young guy at heart learned a valuable lesson. I was now a believer in all the posts I had read about respecting the car and its torque. The torque is unbelievable. All the guys that say "that's not me..I know how to drive, they don't know what they're talking about" beware if you've never owned a Viper. Play with it somewhere where it's safe and make sure the lot doesn't have those concrete based light poles in it. Steer clear of them.
I have called Summit Point but they said I couldn't run their road courses without a roll bar but sure would love to find a road course that will let me have some fun. Any suggestions for a non-roll bar car close to Northern Va?
Great post! Get the word out any way we can about respecting these cars. The Viper made a believer out of me.

jesus cant stop reading this thread .I just got my gts and am having 2nd thoughts about hammering it . My previous car was a supercharged z06 706rwhp & 580rwtq @ around 3500-4000 rpm maybe. .Even thou my old car was with out a doubt faster im kinda bugged out about the whole super low rpm tq thing & am seriously thinking twice about seeing what the viper got

Take your Viper to a big parking lot.

Practice steady radius turns, gradually increasing throttle, until it understeers, (or oversteers). All four tires should be steadily shrieking. Make no sudden course or velocity corrections at this time.

After you get comfy with the above-

Now try it in the same way, but abruptly lift-off the throttle, and see how the back end comes around, when the weight transfers forward.

Same thing again, but now try keeping the rpms high, steady state of shrieking tires, then try stabbing the throttle. The weight should transfer rearward, making the front end light, inducing understeer.

When you get acclimated to the above, then try some burnouts, but stay on top of the back end, by countersteering, and feathering the throttle.

Become familiar with the limits of your car, until it's second nature.

Now run away fast, cause the cops are coming.

I did this in my first two hours of viper ownership....your lucky you made it so long into ownership.

The way they make power is just so damned differant than any other car out there. I came from a 400 rwhp vette to a stock 400 rwhp 99 viper and figured it was the same.

Big mistake. The viper makes gobs more power and torque throughout the rpm range despite them both being 400 to the wheels.

I would have needed a 500 rwhp vette to prepare me for the 400 rwhp stock viper. Me you and many others have made this mistake. Luckily we actually got them out of the dealerships. Many didnt even make it that far

--------Always watch out for cops when driving a Viper on the street.