Driver mod... Where to start?

[TonyCool]

Still just a few days into viper ownership. Yesterday I went to my first ever VCA sponsored event Dyno Day here in WA. The car scored very decent numbers: 455.75 rwhp and 487.40 pound feet of torque. While I'm sure there is a bunch of things I could do to try and increase those numbers I figured the first and best mod I can do to eventually get the most of the viper ownership experience is the "Driver Mod".

As I have driven my viper the last few weeks I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by finding that the car was easier to drive (street driving like a grand ma) than I expected. If you have seen my previous post you will know that the Viper scared the hell out of me. In fact my first post was called something like "OK... So I need to know how bad vipers really are". Don't get me wrong I still respect the hell out of the car and I'd probably always drive very conservatively. But I'm just glad it's not like you would put it through a wall just from hitting the start button... Yesterday was raining pretty bad but I didn't want to miss Dyno Day so I drove about 3 hours in the rain. Not once I felt the car was dangerous, what might be dangerous is the driver. Of course I didn't push it and I was driving very very carefully.

I'll be the first to admit I don't have that much experience driving at all. I had a somewhat unusual start and I learned how to drive until I turned 26. I don't think I'm what I would call a bad street driver. When I drive that's all I do, no eating, drinking, cell phone talking, nothing just driving. Common sense and responsibility is what you get when I'm between the seat and the steering wheel. But I don't know any advanced techniques, don't know the first thing about performance driving and racing. So to those of you that are gurus on this subjects I wanted to ask where to start?

There are a few race tracks near by some offer lessons. But I think it's in go karts. Is that what people have in mind when they speak about performance driving classes?

What's the best way to start learning. How about books you recommend to read while I'm not practicing?

Ok that's all I'll be listening

In the mean time here are a couple of pictures of Dyno Day:

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Tony

 

[fastandloud]

Good tires, smart people behind the wheel....

 

[Allan]

GOING FASTER -mastering the art of race driving , is a great read. Alot of the Skip Barber instructors contributed to this book. Very, very helpful. For your own safety, please read it before going to a roadcourse. If you have no idea about anything, this will help. There is more to 'driving a Viper' than the pedal on the right. be careful, these cars bite if disrespected........ don't ask how I know.

 

[Allan]

Also noticed you drive your car in the rain. Be careful with that as well. Viper tires are as wide as steam rollers. Even with treaded tires, if there is standing water SLOW WAY DOWN. The car will hydroplane very easily wthout warning and put you where you don't want to be real quick. .......don't ask how I know.

 

[The_Greg]

Allan, you say that phrase a lot ("don't ask how I know")...

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Except I think you DO know what that phrase means


I am new to Viper ownership as well and will be starting off with Autocross. My train of thought there is that I want to figure out how it all works at lower speeds than road racing and I want my learning to be in the Viper. I've never Autox'd so it should be a pretty steep learning curve. I'm expecting to be embarrased a couple of times, but cleaning cone marks off the car is a way better use of my time than repairing the bumper from when it contacted the wall at 120+, or worse.

My nearest high profile track is Road America too, and... I've gone crazy enough in Forza 4 to know better than to do THAT track before doing something else first. Baby steps!

 

[Allan]

I have done autocross also. It is nothing like driving full blast on a roadcourse. I don't think the Viper is well suited to autocross. Not as well as miatas and the like. Autocross to me is kinda like high speed parking lot manuevers with cones instead of parked cars. I like to relieve stress when driving, not aquire it. Go to the roadcourse, you and the car will enjoy it more. Remember, it's not a race, just fun without cops. Don't drive above your comfort level or ability and you'll be fine. Let the faster cars pass, and learn from them. (try to follow their line) Also remember... SLOW in - fast out -don't ask how I know.

 

[Richard Koch]

It was nice meeting you on Sunday. Thanks for the nice photos. You can check out the local track which has excellent instruction on using your own car on track. The instructors bring you along at an appropriate pace and make sure you know what you are doing on the track. Here is a link for one of the local schools in Shelton. http://ridgeracingschool.com/ Several of the local Viper owners have run there and it is a very safe track to learn on.

 

[T26]

Guess it's just us Venom Reds here today. Tony, I'm in a very similar situation here - first time in a real performance car and no training. We had an autocross here in So. Cal yesterday. My face still hurts from all of the smiling. I think it was a great way to learn where the Viper will break, slide, and corner. Any other advice on where to learn would be great. I think these events are fantastic to get to know your car.

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Not the best quality photos - my son with an iphone.

 

[TonyCool]

GOING FASTER -mastering the art of race driving , is a great read. Alot of the Skip Barber instructors contributed to this book. Very, very helpful. For your own safety, please read it before going to a roadcourse. If you have no idea about anything, this will help. There is more to 'driving a Viper' than the pedal on the right. be careful, these cars bite if disrespected........ don't ask how I know.

Just bought the book, several people have recommended it. While I know theory won'r replace practice and seat time I'm sure it will be an interesting read.

Also noticed you drive your car in the rain. Be careful with that as well. Viper tires are as wide as steam rollers. Even with treaded tires, if there is standing water SLOW WAY DOWN. The car will hydroplane very easily wthout warning and put you where you don't want to be real quick. .......don't ask how I know.

I did drive in the rain as I said I didn't want to miss Dyno Day. But I'll generally avoid driving the viper in the rain. Can you hydroplane even when your driving slow? Does the viper tends to hydroplane more than other cars due to the wider tires?

I have done autocross also. It is nothing like driving full blast on a roadcourse. I don't think the Viper is well suited to autocross. Not as well as miatas and the like. Autocross to me is kinda like high speed parking lot manuevers with cones instead of parked cars. I like to relieve stress when driving, not aquire it. Go to the roadcourse, you and the car will enjoy it more. Remember, it's not a race, just fun without cops. Don't drive above your comfort level or ability and you'll be fine. Let the faster cars pass, and learn from them. (try to follow their line) Also remember... SLOW in - fast out -don't ask how I know.

I plan to assist to all driving events organized by the WA VCA and when work/money and time allow it I'll also take racing lessons. I'm just concerned about doing it on the viper. If I make a mistake I wouldn't like to damage my viper...

 

[TonyCool]

It was nice meeting you on Sunday. Thanks for the nice photos. You can check out the local track which has excellent instruction on using your own car on track. The instructors bring you along at an appropriate pace and make sure you know what you are doing on the track. Here is a link for one of the local schools in Shelton. http://ridgeracingschool.com/ Several of the local Viper owners have run there and it is a very safe track to learn on.

It was nice talking to you too. Sorry if it was challenging to understand me. My nose was still packed with cotton from the sinus surgery. I'm glad you liked the pictures. I wish I took more. It was really cool to see the street serpent side by side with stock and with your rt10 as well, as I said I really like the top with the scoop and the stripes look great on black. I think Charley's srt10 would look even more amazing with stripes. Only thing missing is a gen5 it would be really cool to park next to one and see how the viper has evolved.

Also thanks for the link. I like they have prices posted on line for half and full day coaching. I'll try to schedule a couple days this summer to start learning.

 

[Allan]

The Going Faster book doesn't replace seat time, or a good instructor yelling in your ear. But it will help you to not be so clueless driving the car. Also makes instructor time better spent, cuz you'll have some idea at least on what he's teaching. ( less time spent explaining 'everything' ) I hydroplaned at above highway speed, and very lucky to still be here. Car spun 3 times and almost ended up in a ditch on the other side of a 4-lane highway. -spilled my coffee. Goin' fine then hit some unexpected standing water. I had brand new nitto invos at the time. Even with new treaded tires, be careful. I've driven in rain before and I know a regular car wouldn't have spun like that.

 

[shine]

Going Faster is a good resource, but it's a book trying to explain something that's very visceral. It's like playing a video game... without feeling the car, the Gs, the traction, it's nearly useless.

The best is just being in the driver's seat though. Find an abandoned or empty parking lot, or find some backroads and unwind it a little. Baby steps. Get a feel for where it's happy and where it starts to warn you.

If you're looking for a gentle primer, remember there's the SRT Track Experience, which will put you in several SRTs and introduce drag racing, autocross, road racing, and some of the associated concepts. www.drivesrt.com

 

[Tail lights]

I'd recommend autocrossing first, you can push it to the limit and beyond with almost no chance of damaging the car. learning where the limits are in a viper on a road race track, is the risk. minimize yourrisk.. go karting is a great way to tune yourself up. I always try to go go kart racing at a high quality track the day before autocrossing,

 

[SRT8&10]

I started autocrossing years ago, and it is fun at first, but because the Viper is made more for road racing than autocrossing, you will become aggravated eventually with autocross, as most courses are too tight for you to get any speed. I would recommend a performance driving school at a road course. You can drive safely, within your comfort zone, and still go pretty dang fast. Find a good instructor nearby, and explain to him what you want to get out of your seat time. I have been to several and (knock on wood) have not seen anyone have a car damaged.

 

[Sonoman]

Karting is a good way to get a lot of seat time on a track at a low cost. You can learn a lot about racing lines, 4-wheel vehicle dynamics, balancing oversteer and understeer with braking and throttle, and just feeling comfortable on a race track amidst other faster and slower vehicles. For me a big deal was learning and fine tuning the inner sense of when a tire or tires is on the edge of grip, developing an innate response to slippage that is already occuring, dealing with spins and "spin control", determining braking points into a corner, and other nuances in the art of driving. I can't really do this kind of thing regularly on a Viper just because of the cost of tires. However, it certainly is a good idea to do at least some of your hi-perf driving experience in your own car!

Here's a shot of my Birel DD2 class kart, w/steering wheel paddle shifter and 4-wheel disc brakes:

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[slysnake]

Nice car!

If you have seen my previous post you will know that the Viper scared the hell out of me.

Healthy respect is a good thing.

I was pleasantly surprised by finding that the car was easier to drive (street driving like a grand ma) than I expected

That was my reaction too. A lot of people have quite a misconception about the ride. But, don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. The first time you get into it a little with the wheels not straight you'll think "Holy $hit!!"

 

[Viper X]

TonyCool,

We started doing car control clinics here in So Cal, which includes a timed auto cross, about four years ago as we wished to reduce the number of "driver error" type accidents in our local club.

As T26 above says, we held our annual Car Control Clinic last weekend at the LA County Fairgrounds. The instruction "stations" vary each year but we always include "in car" instructors at one station where we allow you to experience oversteer and understeer in your own car, induced by various means such as too much speed while turning, too much throttle while turning, braking while turning and sudden "lifting" while turning to name a few.

Some years we have a "launch" station where you are taught how to get your car started with a "Drag Tree" in a "drag" race situation, taught by a Pro drag racer.

We also usually have a small Auto X and we always have a larger, timed Auto X with awards for our class winners.

FYI, I'm currently "lobbying" our national officers to try and include a "car control clinic" type event at VOI 12 - wish me luck.

As a track guy myself, I enjoy watching our club members learn how to handle their cars in a safe situation at our Car Control Clinics. I haven't seen anyone yet who isn't smiling from ear to ear while running with us. Admittedly, I also hope to add to our "Sidewinders" track group once some of our newer guys get the idea of just how awesome Vipers can be in a high performance driving situation.

We also do multiple club track events each year with everything from first timers to experienced racers and "time trialers" in our group. Our track group attends most of these events together and provides support for new and intermediate members.

As mentioned by others, getting professional driving instruction is a good way to start your Viper driving experience and help keep it a safe one.

Good luck,


Dan