For those who drive HARD, how many have spun their Vipers??

[doctorbob]

I personally like the first hairpin turn on the road course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. At BOTH VOIs in Vegas, I did the same thing.....spin out..once in a GTS and then with the SRT10. I think is called coming in too hot and missing the apex!

 

[slaughterj]

Wow. A post from 2001??? Kinda interesting to see some of the usual suspects and some of those who have moved on.

Yeah, serious blast from the past, 7+ years ago?! What ever happened to VIP / Anthony?

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Yeah, serious blast from the past, 7+ years ago?! What ever happened to VIP / Anthony?

I think he is Viperless and maybe married. I emailed him but didn't hear back.

 

[jcaspar1]

Half spun at Thunderhill. Was just cresting the cyclone when the S2000 in front of me braked really hard. Rear was really light. Half spun left, half spun right, then left again. Never left the track. I looked over at my instructor, expecting a thrashing. He turned to me and calmly said "pass that guy!".
Did spin on track at turn 15 when I did a 2-1 shift accelerating out of the turn.

 

[Ratical2]

Bought the car on a Tuesday and spun it a 3 days later at Buttonwillow with a race instructor as my passenger. After the second spin in the same day I called it quits and have not it spun it since. Neither time did I get much beyond 90 degrees but both times took me off the track.
Probably have it back at Buttonwillow next month for BAMF event the day before Viper Days.

 

[uvbnbit]

I personally like the first hairpin turn on the road course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. At BOTH VOIs in Vegas, I did the same thing.....spin out..once in a GTS and then with the SRT10. I think is called coming in too hot and missing the apex!

I missed an apex on my last session at VOI9. Sliding through the gravel towards the wall is not a pleasant experience. All I could think of was "how am I gonna drive back home to TN if I hit the wall!!". Fortunately, I stopped short. Was a little "gun-shy" after that. A year later, I spun around off the track at Nashville Super Speedway...twice...in the same corner! Instructor said it was my tires. Thanks Stan. But I've never spun around on the street...unintentionally

 

[Viper Scot]

I spun my RT-10 on the road and this was the result...

 

[Knight Viper]

I've done it, how else do you learn where your car holds and what's the point of no return!
Just do it on a track or safe place which I'm sure had been mentioned over and over!

 

[slaughterj]

I spun my RT-10 on the road and this was the result...

Soooo, you were able to just buff it out?

 

[ViperGTS]

You have to.

You will do.

Just a matter of time in a VIPER.

:-(

Unfortunately, it happened to me in 2004 - crashed my 1999 GTS...

And, my dealer(ship) chrashed my 2002 RT/10 in Nov. 2008 spinning out...

 

[TexasPettey]

Best place for a spin is on a turn you know is safe on a closed course. The odds are low of causing injury to yourself and anyone else around you. You also learn what helps recover from it and what amplifies it. Not that I have any personal experience in that area.

I've found that the Gen1 is very sensitive to throttle input near the edge. Little movements generate a lot of reaction. Since I've never driven a Gen2 on a course, I can't comment on the difference. As it pertains to feel and control near the edge of traction, I'd love to hear some opinions on why the Gen2 is more forgiving.

 

[Leslie]

in a comp coupe Viper spun out at Putnam Park, he recovered it and continued driving, was a hoot.

spun out in my Viper on a country road, just drove into it and got the nose pointed the right direction with a little gas, all was good.

this car is a blast to drive that's for sure!

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I've found that the Gen1 is very sensitive to throttle input near the edge. Little movements generate a lot of reaction. Since I've never driven a Gen2 on a course, I can't comment on the difference. As it pertains to feel and control near the edge of traction, I'd love to hear some opinions on why the Gen2 is more forgiving.

I don't know why the GenII is more forgiving than GenI but it is. I've driven a GenI around Sebring and it was a blast. Much more challenging than my GenII and I loved it. To be fair, I've been tracking my GenII for nearly ten years so I've become very comfortable in it. Regardless it would be much easier to move from a GenI to a GenII than from a GenII to a GenI. If you can learn to drive a GenI fast you got something to be proud of.

 

[1994viper]

I think everyone should get some wet and dry track time, and test the cars' limits. I spun my GEN I half a dozen times on the track before getting a grip on a car. I guess run flat tires do not help much ether. The only time I was scared to drive my Viper was a 2-hour drive through the snow, and I didn’t want to test the limits then. I am sure they are very very narrow.

 

[Indiana]

It's bound to happen if your pushing your car to it's limits. Just a little bit of sand can make for a bad day...

 

[slaughterj]

I think everyone should get some wet and dry track time, and test the cars' limits. I spun my GEN I half a dozen times on the track before getting a grip on a car. I guess run flat tires do not help much ether. The only time I was scared to drive my Viper was a 2-hour drive through the snow, and I didn’t want to test the limits then. I am sure they are very very narrow.

Snow-driving is bad, but driving the Viper on ice is really bad! Amazing how ********* still tailgate under those circumstances

 

[Dom426h]

I don't know why the GenII is more forgiving than GenI but it is. I've driven a GenI around Sebring and it was a blast. Much more challenging than my GenII and I loved it. To be fair, I've been tracking my GenII for nearly ten years so I've become very comfortable in it.

It might have something to do with the Redesignd Chassis: Frame/Suspension. Also you could have had diff alignment settings on the two vipers.

Nice being able to compare the two though, whish i could get a Gen1 on a track someday

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

It might have something to do with the Redesignd Chassis: Frame/Suspension.

Certainly. I'm just not sure about the differences. The control arms are completely different but I can't give a scientific explanation as to why it affects driving.

 

[ViperGTS]

For example: unsprung masses.

The GEN-II control arms are lighter than the GEN-I's.

Contact of the tires to the surface of the road is very important.
No contact. No good grip.

If the tires stay planted to the road (GEN-III > GEN-II > GEN-I), the car handles better. Also the geometry of the suspension is a key factor since the forces have to be transmitted and damped by the suspension to keep the tires on the road.

Think e.g. about wheel hop. That's extreme and you cant get the car going fast because you do not have enough contact to the road.

Little "jumps" of the tires prevent a good handling, a high speed cornering etc. because the contact to the road is interrupted.

The wheels/tires itself are important too - stickiness!
Means good contact.

The center of gravity (COG) of the later GEN's has been lowered. Lower COG means less movement of the body of the car and better handling.

...

 

[Grant]

Hmm, I think I've spun my '08 ACR five times and I've had it since October. The first time was at EMP after you'd left, Chuck. I cut one of those curbs a bit too close and unsettled the car while being WOT in 2nd. It was my first time really trying to correct for a lot of oversteer in the car and my hands hit my knees as I counter-steered.

The other four times were at our test track in Gainesville, where you'd have to try to damage your car. The first two were from accidentally setting the right-rear damper much stiffer than the left-rear in bump and then cornering over uneven pavement. The third was due to hydroplaning, and the fourth was just me trying to slide the back end around to get heat into the tires.

The trick is pushing the car where you can afford to go off, and working up slowly everywhere else. Oh, and knowing when to put both feet in.

 

[FrankBarba]

JonB could tell you a story about me spinning my RT several times at PIR (i think), going from Nascar Track to Road Course..Almost hit a wall...my pants were definately stained that day....

 

[Indiana]

Check this out. The spins are at about 1min.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkKsxctt8yE[/media]

 

[DJ'sviper]

First time I took my 93 viper down the 1/8th mile track with my friend in his new charger. A trans-am blew antifreeze out about 3/4 way down. I just hit second had it straight and then was sideways looking at the guard rail about 2 feet in front. Pulled it straight but was about and inch from the rail. Coaxed it away but the car was handling funny in that the front right then rear and front left and back were coming up and down like a cat when you scrathch their back. Car drifted back toward center just as the other car was coming up beside me, so I cut it back so the back end would come around and miss his new car. So I'm sliding down the track sideways again but I was in the middle so I thought it would just do this until I could get it to stop but the force was pushing me into his side and the other guard rail. So I did a cooky to get it to go the other way and stop it. It worked the car stoped but started shaking and with my foot on the brake shimmied back from the force of the direction. The back hit the rail cracked my tail light and scuffed the paint. $2,250 to fix and a new tail light. viper tax I had bought used tires that were supposed to be 3 years old. Since then I bought the gen III tires 18" front 19" back. They hold the car on the road and I can control the fishtail after 2nd at 65 and I race at a different track.

 

[Early93Viper]

In the 4 years of ownership I never spun on the street (KNOCK ON WOOD) but I have spun 4 times on the track. Here is me at Viper days using hard tires. Spinning twice:
Viper Days at MAM Iowa- Video

Here's me Drifting LOL:
Drifting my Viper Obviously on purpose- Video

 

[mopard150]

I too have soun mine. I was making a turn out of the gas station after filling up. I was turning and accelerated. I did not think I hit that hard but guess it does not take much with this torque and horsepower. It was a very wired feeling during the spin. I have learned that in cold weather take it slow and coast in the corners. Its amazing how at 40 degrees it feels like I am on ice sometimes.

 

[wastntim]

Spun several times at the track last year. You ain't pushing it enough if you don't spin once in a while.

 

[Warfang]

Spun it hard once (Think it was well over 360) on an autocross trying to beat a time. When it's gone... it's GONE. BOTH FEET IN and PRAY!

If you HAVE to spin... better it be in a controlled environment.

 

[Ratical2]

Here is pic from my second spin previously mentioned. Does it qualify as a spin if the rear wheels never pass the front? This was the result of a poorly timed unnecessary down shift on hockypucks shaped like tires on the third day of ownership. A comedy of errors so to speak.

 

[vipzilla]

ive spun my gen 1 so manny times i cant count i think i do it on purpose but any way i never crashed it thank god...but that does pose a ??? i have what is the diffrence in suspension from gen 1 to gen 2 and can it be fitted on a gen 1 ???

 

[Tere]

Very first thing I noticed when I got the Viper last November was how skittish it was, particularly accelerating out of corners (took me back to my Vette driving days). Controlling all that low end torque requires pretty precise throttle control and a really good seat of the pants feel for what the rear tires are doing. The stock PSs (poopy tires that they are) seem to give pretty good feedback when they're at the edge. My '03 Z has more hp but less tq and is considerably better behaved coming out of corners fast (I don't use the electronic "driver aids" but the tires are much better).

So far I've only completely spun two of my cars -- both 300ZX TTs. When the turbos kick in the tq shoots up fast and it's pretty easy to make the back end the front end.

It only took wiggling the snake's asp a few times to figure it out.