Observations on a long road trip in the Viper

[dirk989]

I packed up my 8 year-old son last week to go visit my father.
My father has a winter house 908 miles from my door. When I
picked up my son, he said, "Why can't we drive the Viper?" Why
indeed?

I've seen a number of posts from all of the weekend and fair
weather only drivers on here. I've seen countless posts about
how the car is hot, loud, uncomfortable, impractical etc. None
of these dissuaded me at all.

Of course it was loud. Of course it rode a little more harshly
than some big cushy Granny Boat-mobile. Of course I was the
car singled out from a long line of speeders in Clarksville TN.

The gas mileage was another story. When you get out on a
long run between fill-ups and get to use that ridiculously tall
6th gear, the mileage is pretty impressive. My rough estimate
is about 22mph at a steady 80mph cruise. (After the ticket, I
settled in at 80mph and stayed there)

The ride, again ignoring the noise, was very comfortable. There
was plenty of legroom for me. I'm 6'2" but never really felt
cramped.

On the 908 mile return trip, the first 200+ miles was with the
top down. The sun was nice, but wind noise added to engine noise
will result in a scrambled brain. Severe thunderstorms made
it necessary to put the top back up. I passed many wrecks, but
never once worried about the sure-footedness of the Viper. As
I've said, as long as you respect the enormous amount of available
torque this is a very safe ride. Even through about 6 hours of
horrible weather.

Any trip in the Viper attracts a ton of attention. All of the
thumbs up, waves, people taking pictures and even movies can
get a bit distracting. That isn't really my thing, but my son
loved it.

So to all of you who think the Viper is not something that can
really be driven, I disagree.


Hope you all had a safe and happy Easter.

Dirk

 

[Finally got it !]

Come on now . What was the ticket for?? Fess up mileage boy!!!! Settling in at 80mph must have been a good one!!!!

 

[TedK]

Dirk:

Are your seats at stock height?? Just picked up my car and am already considerig the 2" drop, I'm 6'3" myself.

Thanks
Ted

 

[SRTRICKY]

I feel the Viper gets uncomfortable and I'm just comparing that with the Vette (c5). Compared with the Navigator I feel I get beaten up.

 

[redsrt03]

I'm thinking about taking a 2050 mile road trip im my Viper (in spite of the mechanical problems I've had so far) this summer.

My biggest concerns this at time involve getting caught in a hail storm and leaving the car in hotel parking lots overnight.

Did you stay at a hotel or did you drive straight through?

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Of course I was the
car singled out from a long line of speeders in Clarksville TN.

Isn't that some brilliant traffic cop work? You're driving one of the best handling and safest performance cars in the World, amongst a bunch of soccer mom, cell phone yacking, SUV death traps and the idiot cops pick out the sports car. Pure genius law enforcement.

 

[dirk989]

1. Ticket was for 89 mph. Yes, the other 5 cars in that line were also going 89 and yes all 5 were suv's travelling well beyond what was safe for them. The officer was not very professional either. After telling me he was writing a ticket for no insurance [Yes, I have insurance] I pointed out that he hadn't even asked about insurance. I then showed him that insurance information is on the registration here in Indiana and also that I had an insurance card from my company. He said, "Oh I didn't see that on the registration and thought I had asked you. Just send it in and they will dismiss it." What unprofessionalism and laziness. I guess I was lucky that the suv's had held me up at 89 mph just before the Trooper ambush.

2. Yes, the seats are stock. There is a little less headroom than would be ideal and they could stand to be lowered if it wouldn't affect visibility. However, there is plenty of legroom.

3. Yes, less comfortable than a loungechair like a Navigator. I don't think anyone who buys a Viper compares the ride comfort to a Navigator or any of the other disguised mini-Winnebagos out there. Personally I like the ride better than a C5. On poor quality roads, the Viper will be a little darty and harsh riding. Still, for all but the softest of us, it's comfortable enough to get you there well rested.

4. I got a late start on the trip down and stayed at a hotel. I got to park right in front of the room, so didn't worry too much. Insurance and the alarm are enough to make me feel secure. I wouldn't park in a dark, secluded corner though.

Dirk

 

[moltrs]

Glad you enjoyed your trip. My 21 year old son and I drove a 95 viper with hard top from Lake City Florida to Las Vegas in three days. I recall it to be about a 2600 mile trip. No tickets but our top speed was only 80mph and we used an ****** radar detector. It was a bit noisy and rough riding but we had a lot more fun than if we had drove our RX300! I now own a 2004 SRT10 and it is a bit quieter but rides about the same as the 95. Drive those vipers! My 2004 has over 15,000 miles on it and rides and drives like new and still has the original tires. Remember the cost per mile reduces proportionately as the number of miles increase. These cars are too expensive to collect dust. Enjoy it.

 

[Randy]

Three 3500 mile Viper road trips from northern California to the Dallas, TX, and Oklahoma City, OK, area and back again, total of around 11,000 miles, averaged between 22.2 and 23.2 mpg, in sixth gear prob 80% of the time. Overall average between 74.2 mph and 76.3 mph on each of the trips. No tickets.

Its around 1700 miles and 23 hours of driving each way. Typically 16 hours (counting stops) the first day, then less than 10 hours the second day on the first two trips, when I was solo. Last trip to VOI8 was three days each way, since I had a passenger.

First two solo trips done in a 1995 RT/10 (first trip in the rain most of the way), last/third trip done in my current '00 RT/10, and I put a cruise control on it for the trip.

 

[AG98RT10]

While I haven't taken any cross-country trips, my son and I took a 300 mile hop to Wilmington last year and back the same day. Aside from resisting all the F bodies and Rustangs that wanted to race (well I did blow one or two away) it was uneventful and really pretty comfortable. I thought my leg would cramp up for lack of cruise control, but I kind of propped my foot against the tunnel and it was fine.
Great road car, IMO!

 

[BigCarrot]

Funny.... I don't get anywhere NEAR that gas mileage!

 

[SRTRICKY]

Funny.... I don't get anywhere NEAR that gas mileage!

You can't get that kind of gas millage with your foot too the floor all the time man

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Nice story, and there aren't many things in life better than a road trip with your 8 year old son. Something tells me , he will remember this trip with dad long into the future, and his grandkids will probably still hear the story when he is old and gray.

Appreciate the time you took to tell your tale.

 

[doctorbob]

Great trip....not to hijack the post but last year I took three trips of over two thousand miles and with the top down, I really do not think it is that loud. I drove from Arizona to Kansas last year with the top down and had a wonderful time. The more you travel in the viper, the more memories you and your son will have....it is not a drive but the experience with the car.

 

[MAVERICK]

Congrats on a great trip....