Heavy Clutch Pedal?

[Tusc]

I haven't had the chance to drive a GTS or RT/10 yet, and I may not be able to drive one before I buy..... which is something I am leery of. I would much prefer to drive one and get a feel for it before I test-drive whichever car I might buy - that way I can draw a comparison. But with the winter weather and salty roads out here, I doubt I'll get the chance before Spring. And if I find a deal I can't walk away from I might bite the bullet...

But my question concerns the clutch pedal. I've read and heard rumors, not sure if they were from Viper owners or just folks spreading info they know nothing about ..... but they said that the Vipers have a heavy clutch. Can anyone here with C5 T-56 experience draw a comparison for me?

I ask because on occasion I get stuck in 3 hours of traffic from the GW Bridge to New Haven. I've worn my leg out in 60 miles of stop-and-go traffic in the C5 before. Not killer, but I'd like to know if the Viper clutch is "heavy" or just heavier than a C5. I tend to doubt that it is as bad as it has been made out to be. Otherwise there would be more posts and a general stink about it over here. But I thought I would go straight to the source for this one.

 

[SingleMalt]

Well, just so happens I do. The clutch in every GEN1 I've driven is definately 'heavier' than what you'd find in a 1997-2002 Corvette. I don't know about GEN2 Vipers, but perhaps someone else out there can shed some light.

Hope this helps,

Mike

 

[GCHDEALER]

The Gen I and Gen II are both heavier than C5 clutch pedals. BTW you really need to drive one before you buy. It is a very different experience than any thing most people are used to. Learn respect for it early and really watch the other guy that is watching the Viper and not the road.

 

[Nexus-6]

I honestly think that the clutch pedal is pretty easy (on my Gen2).

It's a relateively easy clutch to modulate - I have driven several C5s and find it comparable myself

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

I've driven GEN 1 and 2 back to back and can compare. There's no huge difference between the weight, feel or engage point. Anyone that says their terribly heavy is a pu$$y . I limped a GEN1 through 2 hrs of traffic and was no more straining than my daily driver.

 

[NJVIPER]

Recently, my friend and I took turns driving each others Vipers (both GTS'). He has a 99 ACR and I have 2001. Big time difference not only with the clutch, but with the gas pedal as well. His 99 ACR was much lighter...

 

[Tusc]

Good replies. Thanks guys.

Yes, I definitely need to test-drive one. I don't know anyone out here, though. And with the roads salted I doubt anyone would be willing to take their Snake out of hibernation for someone to test drive. I talked to a dealership briefly, but they want to sell me their stock of brand new '02 FE cars and used RT/10s. I am DEFINITELY in the market for a used car! I'm lucky enough to be 23 and able to consider a Viper, but I'm not THAT lucky.

They also wanted a $500 deposit on a test drive of a few miles. That's not terrible, and I could see paying it because I am serious. But I'll bet I can rent a Viper for a day for that much and gain a lot more perspective on the car than I would on a test drive with a nervous salesman in the passenger seat.

If there's anyone in the Northeast who would be willing to take some time and talk with me about the cars and offer a 30 minute test-drive if the roads are clean - well, I would consider it a big favor. I've had two offers over the Summer from forum members here, but both dried up because our schedules changed. I'm not looking to take a car out and go WOT - I know very well what the cars are capable of. I am looking for the chance to get familiar with how the car feels. For example; a Corvette has a VERY different feel from a Camaro when you drive both - and they have the same drivetrains.

I've actually found 3 GTS's on the market right now that fit my criteria to a T. This afternoon I am going to go over to a place called F40 Motorsports a few miles from here. They locate and sell a lot of rare and exotic cars. I want to see if they can help me sell my C5 and also find out if they have any GTS's on their list right now. They've always got something interesting on the showroom floor. Not long ago they had an '84 Ferrari GTO. They've also had Viper GT2s, assorted Corvettes, a lot of Porsches, and my personal unique favorite... a pair(one black and one red)of DeTomaso Panteras.

 

[Serpent 97]

I learned to drive standard in my Viper.I also found it to be quite a workout,but in no time at all I got adjusted to it.Now when I do get a chance to drive something with a light clutch,it just doesn't feel quite right.Best of luck to your decision.

 

[Tusc]

Funny - I learned stick mostly on my C5 when I got it. Picked it up quick. Now there's no going back to automatics for me!

 

[BIRD]

Bret I have a 01 GTS you can take for a ride. I'm located about 45 minutes from you. One mile from the Uconn campus in Storrs. If you are interested lets do it asap as I'm going to put it away for the winter this Sunday. Email me if your interested. My car is not for sale and this offer is extended to Bret only.

 

[Tusc]

Bird, you have mail.

 

[TZL]

the clutch in the GTS is way lighter than the 6 puck ACT clutch (for up to 700ft/lbs tq) I have in my supra, I would say its about 30% heavier than a stock z06 clutch, but only about half the effort of my Supra clutch.

It won't be a problem to get used to unless you have real chicken legs, however do make sure to drive a viper before buying one, try renting one for a half day from an exotic car rental company.

Ting

MKIV Supra
02 Audi A4 Avant
01 Audi A6
01 Audi S4
Viper GTS....Soon

 

[ZX1100]

The clutch pedal is heavier on my Viper than it is on my C5 but I don't have a problem with it so it can't be that much of a difference.

 

[Tusc]

Good to hear that coming from some C5 owners. No chicken legs here! Right now I am running an '02 Z06 clutch in my '00 Coupe and, if anything, it feels lighter than stock.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

I happen to have a very beautiful young lady owner, who also happens to be a very determined individual. She rewarded herself after rehabilitation by buying a new Viper. She has always respected the Viper, she often commented on how easy it was to drive, and she said it was a riot racing on a track during a driving school.
Not a overly stiff clutch.


She has one prosthetic leg.

 

[phiebert]

I'm starting to think Gen I's must have had stiffer clutches or a few of them do. Because my clutch is very stiff. I guess I'm a wuss and have chicken legs! To be honest, I don't mind that it is stiff because I find it easier to use for drag racing and autocross, etc than if it was too light and just fell to the floor when you touched it.

But to compare, it is much stiffer than any other car I've driven, including Porsche, Mustang's, etc. When I hop in my jeep after driving the Viper I nearly push the clutch through the floor! The Viper clutch definitely let's you know its there. I just pop the car out of gear if I'm at a long light or in stop and go traffic...I don't want to get a huge hulking left leg and not have it match my right chicken leg!

 

[Nexus-6]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by phiebert:
I just pop the car out of gear if I'm at a long light or in stop and go traffic...I don't want to get a huge hulking left leg and not have it match my right chicken leg!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


That's good advice regardless of how stiff the clutch pedal is for any manual car!

 

[LETHAL GTS]

My experience is as follows:
2002 Z06 easiest
2000 GTS middle
1994 RT/10 takes the most effort
The biggest difference I found was between the Vette and the Vipers, not that big a difference between the Vipers.

 

[Tusc]

Dave, I have to thank you again for letting me risk the roads in the GTS. My questions were all answered in less than 5 minutes behind the wheel - just look out for those crazy holiday drivers pushing their Volvo Cross-Country Turbos through the corners!

My 1st impressions after cruising about 6 miles - nothing near WOT, just cruising and getting used to the feel of the car...

The clutch, although it has a whole different feel to it when it engages compared to the Z clutch on my C5 was not hard at all to operate. It took a few shifts to let my foot adapt to the different travel, but the overall feel was very smooth.

Giving it gas. The throttle was sensitive, and although I did not go wot or even 1/2 throttle I can tell that it is precise and that the torque comes on from idle. I know the gearing is different between my C5 T56 and that in the Viper, but it seemed that 5th gear and presumable 6th gear are much more useful with the V10. For the C5, 5th is a good cruising gear but 6th is useless and I find myself downshifting a lot to make the car move better in traffic... and to listen to the pipes, of course!

Suspension - This one surprised me a bit. I thought that the GTS would be very very stiff; the kind of car that projects every pebble in the road right through your back. My C5 w/ the selectable suspension on Tour doesn't feel as smooth as the Viper. But then, I almost never put it on tour. I'll still wager that the Viper rides ruts in the highway like a railroad track though.

Overall impression - a very well-conceived and executed design. I enjoyed the way the cockpit seems to wrap around you. The simplicity to it is another selling point with me over the C5 because the vette has so many systems that I have never used, but I keep paying to repair them. The GTS was smooth, responsive, and actually quite easy to drive. This almost came as a surprise because I really expected it to be more demanding on the driver. The Viper really does have the look, the feel, the power, and the attitude that I like. I'll just have to pony up the dough and put one in my stable!

Now. Who wants to buy my '00 C5 and my 440hp RS LT1 conversion so I can get my GTS? LOL

 

[Tusc]

One last question... (puts on flame suit) When I get my GTS, where do I put the tow hitch to my parts/tools trailer for the track?

Don't kill me, I'm just kidding!

 

[genXgts]

Awesome that Dave let you take his car out for a ride, that's the Viper spirit coming thru, get used to that.

That said, and I'm sure your lack of throttle giving the situation, why not fly over to Vegas for a weekend and rent a GTS for 4 hours or a day and hit the mountains in the car and explore the car at all stages of throttle?

I did before I bought mine just to make sure I knew what I was getting into.

The rental is $300-400 bucks, about 2 weeks worth of gas in a Viper, well worth it in my book.

take care,

 

[Tusc]

I'm not worried about WOT or how the car takes corners. It is one of the best sports cars in the world, after all. Besides, I don't think that I'd be ready to push 500lb/ft of torque through a hard corner and risk it after only 4 hours

I have a lot of fun with my cars, but I try to do it within certain safety parameters. Still, if I get down to Vegas before I buy it wouldn't be a bad idea to rent one and uncoil it a bit.

I am satisfied with what I have seen from the car so far, and I'm positive that I will be fine with everything else it has to give me.

Edit - and yes, the Viper spirit will be easy to get used to. Not wholly different from the Corvette spirit in many ways. I've enjoyed letting people check the car out, mostly kids. One time I had taken my girlfriend out to breakfast on a Sunday morning close to Easter. We walked out to see a boy around 13 years old oggling the car while his dad stood nearby, waiting. They both looked embarrassed when I walked over to the car, but I smiled and asked if he liked Corvettes. His dad spoke up for him and said they were his favorite American car. Hard to let a comment like that go! So I said "here, hop in and check it out." I let him sit in it for a few minutes and I think his eyes were ready to pop out of his head. Stuff like that is a lot of fun as an owner. But more importantly, every time we do something like this we probably cement another hard-core American car guy and take away from the growing import craze.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Brett,
The rear bumper is fiberglass, so a hitch would either have to be attached to the frame (as Anthony Cinque did) or fabricate a bar to connect the ends of the two frame rails, as I did. It hides behind the fascia, just under the trunk floor. Anthony's could tow your house, mine is very light duty, the tongue pokes through the black-out fake opening under the bumper and is pinned via a hole in the trunk floor. The trailer is 3'x4', carries a jack, 4 tires, and tool box, total under 400 lbs.

Ummm, goes without saying that it's a great tow car, too.