Am I Missing Something

[Turbo63]

Some recent posts continue to recount stories and concerns of SRT 10 grip and handling - I know its been warm out but I don't feel understand the "feeling" of traction concerns when driving my SRT 10. I have owned high performance sports cars for years and feel I know how to shift and when to apply power given different driving circumstances - a recent post reply compared driving an SRT 10 to driving a car on black ice - waiting for traction to give out - if someone knows what they are doing I really cannot see this happening without some advance warning - am I missing something? I wonder if those that experience this issue are first time sports car drivers and those not experienced with how a high performance/power car performs - additionally, you always need some common sense - The SRT 10 is simply amazing and my C6 corvette even with traction control engaged felt lighter, and more unstable then the Viper!!

 

[wormdoggy]

When I was in the process of purchasing my Viper I heard so many terrible stories about traction and people losing control. I think those that put down cars like the Viper quite frankly are inexperienced drivers. I remember this one guy telling me that he wrapped his car around a pole while accelerating in a curve.................DUH........if I accelerated into a curve with my Porsche I would probably have the same problem.

Remember : " Other cars drive drivers..........only drivers drive Vipers"............... Some people find it quite difficult to drive a Viper after leaving a car like Porsche or perhaps Mercedez or BMW. These cars " compensate " for driver errors and unfortunately camouflage true driving abilities. That is why F1 is now considering eliminating traction control on their vehicles.

Drive her with respect and more importantly learn how to drive her and she'll reward you ten times over.

Cheers
Patrick

 

[DocAdam]

I experienced the same thing. I find the SRT to be easy to drive and relatively easy to toss so far, but I respect its power.

Like others I am coming from a background of sports cars, I also have some 4-wheeling/mud bogging experience - so I enjoy a nice slide every now and then.

I'm not at the point where I will be powersliding or drifting the car around a corner with a cup of coffee in my right hand, but I think the SRT provides excellent feedback.

 

[dirk989]

Most of the Vipers that have been wrecked are done so shortly after purchase. Look at the ads selling wrecked Vipers, nearly all of them are very low miles.

A lot of people are inexperienced with the type of power a Viper has. By power I am talking about the incredible torque. There is a lot of whining about the Viper 'only' having 510 hp, but the 535 torque is an amazing unparalled number.

If you are inexperienced or don't respect the Viper then it can bite you. Once you've gotten used to it, or at least earned a healthy respect then it isn't a problem at all. I've driven mine, out of necessity, on snow and also ice. I haven't wrecked it or even had any close calls.

Should you be scared of the Viper? Of course, that's half the fun. Besides that will make you a much better Viper pilot.

Dirk

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

My 2003 SRT is the 5th Viper I have owned. It is the best handling of my ownership experience.

In my opinion losing control of a Viper is 99.9% driver lack of understanding of basic car control and vehicle dynamics or the ability to apply same to the driving experience.

Most drivers are clueless about car control. As they go through life starting the car, turning the wheel, adding power and brake they do it from instinct, good or bad. The claims of car related defects have been promoted my these clueless drivers for many. When I purchased my first Viper in 1995 my wife was told how dangerous the Viper was because of defects. That is why I became an advocate of Skip Barber driving schools to help drivers out of trouble and to maximize their driving pleasure.

The current Viper is a terrific sports car with the best brakes in class, best acceleration and best handling. The only defect is the drivers Software that controls the steering, throttle and brake.

 

[Art 138]

Statistically, it appears most were wrecked in first gear; Running a Paxton SC I try to be careful in first gear as the torque can be overwhelming. That is the only time things can become scary; Compared to other high performance vehicles I have driven, the torque in first does lighten the car enough to where if you hit a patch of water or a bump could cause too much oversteer.

 

[Michael Hatch]

Those not familiar with the Viper Runflats are at a disadvantage. Runflats have terrible traction when cold. Cold = simple driving around town. I took my stock 04 to Sebring twice. After a couple of laps the tires were hot and were pretty damn sticky.( I was prepared for much worse from reading so much about runcraps). I had absolutely no idea how great of a track car I bought. It is amazingly predictable and easy to track. I strongly suggest anyone with an SRT that hasn't yet tracked it, go do it. You'll learn more than you can believe and will come away with the respect for your vehicle that you see from reading these replies to your post and you'll be a much better driver. Guaranteed!

 

[gts_2001]

I'm the guy that wrote the statement of which Turbo63 speaks.

"a recent post reply compared driving an SRT 10 to driving a car on black ice - waiting for traction to give out"

Perhaps you did miss something. The statement was a metaphor (a statement that describes as or like). I still stand by my claim that I felt better feedback from the road in the GTS than in the SRT. Because of that personal feeling, (please remember that it was MY personal feeling) I chose to keep my (then) 2 year old GTS and sold the SRT after comparing the two. (I had 6 weeks of drive time in the SRT-10). In my post, I chose to express my opinion about my experience. If you re-read the post, I never made any statements which trashed or "put down" the Viper.

I'm not a first time driver. After 4 years of drive time in the Viper seat, I have a healthy respect for the machine. I've learned to expect the unexpected and learned to stay out of trouble. I've learned enough to know that I can always stand to learn alot more.

None of us knows what to expect out of the SRT-10 Coupe. Regardless of me previous experiences, I've chosen to ante-up again. If my Coupe is ready September 14th as projected, I'll be posting with my initial impressions on the 15th or 16th. In any case, I'll post soon after I pick it up, whenever that may be. It's my hope that it will have characteristics in common with both.

One thing certain about Viper drivers, we like to talk about our cars and share our very privileged experiences!

 

[Turbo63]

GTS, I meant no disrespect and hopefully you are not pissed - I was just trying to get some level of Viper Owner perspective on the traction/handling aspects of the car as I really admire it's performance - hearing all the stories and then driving the car actually make one wonder what the heck the problem really is... thanks for the additional clarification - take care!

Tony

 

[snampro]

My experience driving a RT/10 was that it too handled better than my Corvette C5, I would hope the SRT-10 is even better than that. I suspect some people have trouble controlling their right foot leaving corners. I was able to slide out of a few corners with the RT/10, but only when I wanted to and it was very controllable...

maybe the guys complaining are just more aggressive, not less experienced...although I do drive pretty hard...

 

[viking]

If you can drive a motorcycle the viper is easy. I came from two corvettes and the Viper is more sensitive due to hunting little bumps and grooves. I keep two hands on the wheel when I can see something coming up and then there is no problem. Now I enjoy the extra attention and focus needed and best of all can feel the acceleration better than in a bonneville. Still I would be worried doing a ton in the rain. The car has hydroplaned at 75.

 

[Racer Robbie]

what does a motorcycle have to do with driving a viper? That is as bad as compairing the viper to a corvette

 

[Finally got it !]

I have been driving my Plymouth Breeze at the limits for years. Driving a Viper is easy....

 

[snampro]

man, I know what you're talking about, I feel sorry for the guy that bought my high school/college car, a sweet ford probe, 5-speed of course...

 

[gts_2001]

Turbo63: No offence taken!

I think it's great that we have this forum to share ideas and experiences. I only wish I had known about it prior to my GTS purchase.

My very first Viper driving experience was on the day that I drove it out the back door at CAAP. It was a sunny afternoon when I left and headed down Conner to get back to I-696 and ultimately back to Grand Rapids. By the time I hit the freeway, a torrential downpour started and the wipers barely kept up to allow me to see through the windshield. At my point of entry to 696, traffic was bumper to bumper as we traveled westward in the "ditch" (anyone who has driven I-696 will understand that). As you might guess, I was rather unfamiliar with controls (lights, defroster, etc.) and even less familiar with clutch force, torque, acceleration, etc. To be blunt, I was scared ****less as I made my way towards home. All I could think of was the scene from Risky Business in which they opened the door of the Porsche 928 and the water came rushing out and the shop manager stated "OK, who's the U-Boat captain?" By the time I got to Lansing, the rain had stopped and even though it was a coupe, I was drenched! Amazingly, I managed to get the car into my driveway without a scratch. Advanced knowledge from a board like this might have lessened my anxiety. Hopefully, we're all reducing blood pressure, heart rates, headaches and mental illness for others by these discussions!

In any case, thanks for your input!

Ken

 

[quick2tr]

I can agree with a Viper being easier to drive than the motorcycle.

 

[dirk989]

Actually I think the comparison to a motorcycle is pretty good one. You can ride a motorcycle hard and fast, but only within its limits. You can NOT ride a motorcycle hard and fast until you know those limits. Sitting on a bike with 2 wheels and 100 or so hp you learn very quickly to respect it and spend some time learning the limits.

The Viper is the same beast. You can drive one insanely fast and take corners quicker than most any other car out there. But....until you know the limits of the car you can NOT safely approach those limits.

If the new Viper owner sits in the seat with the same fear or healthy respect as the guy on the 100hp sportbike then I wouldn't expect him to hurt himself or the car.

Dirk

 

[quick2tr]

dirk989 -
Actually I think the comparison to a motorcycle is pretty good one. You can ride a motorcycle hard and fast, but only within its limits. You can NOT ride a motorcycle hard and fast until you know those limits. Sitting on a bike with 2 wheels and 100 or so hp you learn very quickly to respect it and spend some time learning the limits.

The Viper is the same beast. You can drive one insanely fast and take corners quicker than most any other car out there. But....until you know the limits of the car you can NOT safely approach those limits.

If the new Viper owner sits in the seat with the same fear or healthy respect as the guy on the 100hp sportbike then I wouldn't expect him to hurt himself or the car.

Dirk

Very well said.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

I've been driving motorcycles for 30-years and Vipers for 4-months. I'm more scared driving my motorcycle than my Viper.

Though it has nothing to do with my driving ability as much as the other cars on the road. They seem to see my Viper more often than my bike. I have no problem with the traction, the speed nor the handling. Though I tend to drive cautiously in both.

 

[NOTV8]

You just need to know "when to do it and where to do it". Respect her power. She'll bite if you dont. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Mach10]

Drive her with respect and more importantly learn how to drive her and she'll reward you ten times over.

Cheers
Patrick

Thats beautiful patrick....... I couldn't have said that any better.....
Almost brought a tear to my eye..

 

[Turbo63]

Group hug man!

 

[SylvanSRT]

like it has been stated earlier when the tires are cold or more noticably when the outside temps are below 40 degrees (F) it becomes quite difficult to get heat into the tires. Also like stated above the is much power to be respected here.

 

[Janni]

You are not missing anything. Going into your buying decision with a realization that this car isn't like anything else and that the electronic nannies aren't going to save your butt has allowed you to enjoy the torque and grip (with the runfalts WARM) and not do anything to get yourself in trouble.

This is an amazing handling car. It IS NOT a talk on the phone, eat your lunch, one arm lazily over the top of the steering wheel, lean back, point and shoot, idiot proof transportation method.

Because it's so competent - it CAN lull you into a false sense of security and let you start slacking on the "active participation" part of driving. That's when stuff happens.

ENJOY your new ride - it sounds like you are already on your way to being one with the car. Stay focused on driving and you'll be rewarded WAY more than you can imagine.

 

[SweetRed04]

Actually I think the comparison to a motorcycle is pretty good one. You can ride a motorcycle hard and fast, but only within its limits. You can NOT ride a motorcycle hard and fast until you know those limits. Sitting on a bike with 2 wheels and 100 or so hp you learn very quickly to respect it and spend some time learning the limits.

The Viper is the same beast. You can drive one insanely fast and take corners quicker than most any other car out there. But....until you know the limits of the car you can NOT safely approach those limits.

If the new Viper owner sits in the seat with the same fear or healthy respect as the guy on the 100hp sportbike then I wouldn't expect him to hurt himself or the car.

Dirk

I also agree with your analysis and opinion.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

And it is hand assembled in MI.

The body panels are painted and hand finished in MI. Amazing to watch the workers polish every panel to perfection.

Vipers are made by people who appreciate our passion for performance and build quality.

 

[Turbo63]

Coming from a ton of corvettes, I agree with your comment 200% Fred!