Driving in the rain
- Thread starter jjbondzio
- Start date
eliems
Viper Owner
For those with roadsters ... do they leak?
goldcup
Enthusiast
Hey its worth the price of detailing to see the windshield wipers work!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its a car not a cookie it wont melt although it hydroplanes at an amazing rate!!!!!!!Plus it gives you an excuse to spend 15 hours to detail it!
dave6666
Enthusiast
I highly recommend these topics too:
-> ABS
-> Red vs. yellow
-> Most desireable color
-> Stripe vs. no stripe
xlrashn
Viper Owner
You forgot one Dave....
-> Possible mental instabilties of white hood vent owners- opinions please!!!
RobZilla
Enthusiast
Every time. If the forecast is rain I dont take it out. Ive been caught once or twice and the clean up is no fun.
I all depends on what level of clean you can live with.
Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
They can be made not to leak, although every car will be different.
The obvious places are thickening the weatherstrip along the forward and upper edge of where the door meets the body or softtop.
The less obvious is the bottom corners of the windshield under the cowl cover and when the rear glass seal gets hard with age.
But my '94 stays outside so it is in the rain whether I drive it or not so I keep an eye on it. (..or in it.)
Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
dave6666
Enthusiast
You forgot one Dave....
-> Possible mental instabilties of white hood vent owners- opinions please!!!
My therapist says I should be nice to people like you.
My parole officer says I should stay away from people like you.
got one
Enthusiast
Okay, maybe time to raise a question to stir the ***.
GIVEN that you don't wash it immediately (having owned older cars for daily drivers) will the wiring/wiring connectors/rubber bushings/etc not wear a bit faster? Also, over time would it not wear on weatherstripping and paint faster...once again, only if you don't get the crap off on a rather quick basis (don't wait a month to wash your car?).
Just asking...
GIVEN that you don't wash it immediately (having owned older cars for daily drivers) will the wiring/wiring connectors/rubber bushings/etc not wear a bit faster? Also, over time would it not wear on weatherstripping and paint faster...once again, only if you don't get the crap off on a rather quick basis (don't wait a month to wash your car?).
Just asking...
dave6666
Enthusiast
Water and dirt are not typically considered corrosive to automotive polymers and elastomers (plastic and rubber compounds). UV light and ozone are.
Moral of story: Stay out of the sun and don't dip your car in ozone.
Moral of story: Stay out of the sun and don't dip your car in ozone.
got one
Enthusiast
Corrosive, perhaps not, but what about plastic breaking down (more so due to time I would assume). Thinking about it now, Sun (UV) and age might be a significantly larger impacting agent to damaging the car than road grime and moisture?
I suppose over time (like an early gen 1 for example). Often and extreme temperature differences probably don't help either. However, Tom of all people can talk to these points better than most since he has the real world experience that no one on here seems to have with the Gen 1's
dave6666
Enthusiast
Plastics and rubber compounds can break down by oxidation which is simply due to the presence of oxygen. So, um, that means air is the needed constituent to promote said oxidation. Compounders blend the plastics and rubbers with anti-oxidants to inhibit the oxidation, but over time they will lose their effectiveness, or just get used up.
Also to consider is that the technology in to plastic and rubber manufacturing and compounding has changed over the years. More better plastic and rubber as science has improved them. So your 15 year old gaskets are not the newest stuff any more on 2 fronts; time and technology.
Also to consider is that the technology in to plastic and rubber manufacturing and compounding has changed over the years. More better plastic and rubber as science has improved them. So your 15 year old gaskets are not the newest stuff any more on 2 fronts; time and technology.
got one
Enthusiast
Man, if I had a nickel for everytime someone told me my stuff is old and outdated
The oxidation process is potentially spead up by UV and repeated swings in larger temperature deltas perhaps then? IF so, then the best thing for us to do is drive on moderately cool, dry, nights
Too much.... just wash, wax and take good general care of your car and it will last longer than if you didn't
dave6666
Enthusiast
Man, if I had a nickel for everytime someone told me my stuff is old and outdated
I'll let your lovely wife handle that determination...
dave6666
Enthusiast
Must have been a yellow Viper. They aren't resistant to much of anything, let alone water.
eucharistos
Enthusiast
Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
Grandpa here. Looked at my gaskets; they seem fine. Any rubbers or elastomers are OK. Surprisingly my softtop looks pretty good, not faded. The roll hoop fake leather cushion looks lighter, though. Seatbelts are faded on the outside; I'm overdue for a new set. The paint clearcoat is lifting badly behind the rear glass and around the rear window opening. There's some on the hood, too, but not bad. The wheel wells where the body rolls under are all very white and pitted from road grit. The front end of the side sills has no paint left. Other than that, drives as well as always, daily.
Oddly, the advice to stay out of the rain - doesn't matter. Only drive on sunny days? Might be the most harm.
Technically oxidation will speed up only due to higher temperature, not swings in temperature. So hot days, hot garage is worst. That's why I leave mine outside in the winter; to preserve it longer.
Oddly, the advice to stay out of the rain - doesn't matter. Only drive on sunny days? Might be the most harm.
Technically oxidation will speed up only due to higher temperature, not swings in temperature. So hot days, hot garage is worst. That's why I leave mine outside in the winter; to preserve it longer.
BlackSnake99
Enthusiast
this guy ignored all of our warnings and drove in a light drizzle...
[media]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/kostroma_viper_burn.jpg[/media]
[media]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/kostroma_viper_burn.jpg[/media]
SYNFULL
Enthusiast
If you have polished wheels you want to make sure there are no water spots left on them cause it will stain them and you have to polish to get out. Try to wipe them dry as soon as you get a chance.
Fatboy 18
Enthusiast
SILVERSTONE.......IN THE RAIN
ON PILOT SPORT 1s
Mark
ON PILOT SPORT 1s
You must be registered for see images
Mark
RoadiJeff
Viper Owner
Let me put it this way: If you owned the Mona Lisa I bet you would not carry it around in the rain, even if you had it protected in plastic. The previous owner of my car said it never touched a drop of rain in all the years he had it. I've been trying to maintain the tradition.
On the other hand (she had a wart), I pedaled 27.5 miles to work earlier today in the rain. No big deal - it was just my commuter bike and it helped wash most of the sweat off before I arrived.
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Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
Soon there will be a thread about "do you drive your Viper in the daytime?"
Ans: "No, only when the UV count is below 5, and even then I use Meguiar's sunblocker wax."
Me, I can't wait for the 6 digit odometer reading.
Ans: "No, only when the UV count is below 5, and even then I use Meguiar's sunblocker wax."
Me, I can't wait for the 6 digit odometer reading.
whitebluevipe
Enthusiast
think.......then ask
GTSnake
Enthusiast
Wipers? We don't need no stinking Wipers.....
dave6666
Enthusiast
Windshield...? Then ya gotta have wipers here in Texas or it's not street legal.
Lets see... I picked up my Viper from a guy in Orlando on Sep 11 2007. I smoked a cigar in it on the drive back home. It rained halfway home. I put a scratch on it pulling into my garage, front lower edge caugh the grass deflector on my lawn mower (still wasn't used to how long the nose was).
So... I think I pretty much did every no-no on my first day of ownership. Ya'll can take Copperhead #265 off your "to buy" lists now as I plan on driving it to the grave... what was that saying from the other thread?? Something about not sleeping with your girlfriend to save her for the next guy? LOL!
So... I think I pretty much did every no-no on my first day of ownership. Ya'll can take Copperhead #265 off your "to buy" lists now as I plan on driving it to the grave... what was that saying from the other thread?? Something about not sleeping with your girlfriend to save her for the next guy? LOL!
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