Driving in the rain

goldcup

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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!
 

NoVaViper

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This is the most hilarious thread I've read on this site, while at the same time, very useful. You Viper owners amaze me with your ability to multitask :) Can't wait to be one!
 

Tom F&L GoR

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For those with roadsters ... do they leak?

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.)
 

got one

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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...
 

dave6666

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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.
 

got one

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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.

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

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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.
 

got one

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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.


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 :rolaugh:

Too much.... just wash, wax and take good general care of your car and it will last longer than if you didn't :2tu:
 

DLTARNU

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I heard a guy got caught out in the rain in his Viper and the whole thing exploded. Blew his legs off and everything.
 

Tom F&L GoR

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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.
 

BlackSnake99

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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]
 

SYNFULL

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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.
 

RoadiJeff

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Does anyone Drive their Viper in the rain. I try to avoid it and got caught in the rain just a few min ago and was wondering if there really is anything bad with driving it in the rain. will the rain water mess up the paint for example or what. please let me know. thanks

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

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Soon there will be a thread about "do you drive your Viper in the daytime?" :omg:

Ans: "No, only when the UV count is below 5, and even then I use Meguiar's sunblocker wax." :headbang:

Me, I can't wait for the 6 digit odometer reading.
 

CPPRHD265

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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!
 
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