Good handling / bad handling

[wormdoggy]

I've been a Viper owner now for a little over two months and I absolutely love everthing about the car.

Although I am not mechanically proficient, well at least, not as proficient as I would like to be..... I have often wondered about the technology behind the Viper steering.

People that I have talked to who have owned or currently own a Viper have ranged considerably in their opinions of the handling. Some say.." the handling is precise and very responsive"..., while others have said that "it is too responsive and rough. You feel too many road imperfections and the steering is dragged into these imperfections rather quickly ".

One of the things about buying a Viper, that I learned all to quickly ..... is learning to drive all over again. Where I was able to keep one hand on the steering wheel with my other cars because of the technology that compensates for road imperfections, this is not so of the Viper..... which brings me to my question.

Why is the Viper steering so responsive to the road and not as forgiving as say Pcars or BMW/ Mercedes or perhaps even Vettes? Why do you feel all the road imperfections and is this important to have in a sports car? Is the Viper really just meant to be on the track and not the road?

I hope I asked the question correctly .
Cheers and thanks
Patrick

 

[Paul Hawker]

Huge tires are one of the main reasons.

The suspension is very firm to resist rolling in turns. Keeps those huge tires flat on the road instead of rolling over onto their sides.

I agree. My Viper is the most driver engaging vehicle I have ever owned. I think it is what appeals most to me. I really feel like I am driving the car, and not just along for the ride.

 

[Herc]

I have owned 10 P-cars, from 1979 to 1997, and they all
tracked with the imperfections of the road, the Turbos with
their wide tires more so. My 97 Turbo was not much
different than my current SRT 10, except the SRT is flatter
in the corners, fits better and sounds a whole lot better.

Herc

 

[Gforce]

Nice to hear the TT v SRT comparison. I seriously considered an 3 year old twin-turbo before deciding on the SRT. I drove a TT and just loved it but it had a lot more miles (30K) than a new SRT and looked a lot like other porches (to the uninitiated eye). Just need more room in my garage and the TT would be right there. Actually, might be a GT3 but who knows.

j

 

[Early93Viper]

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=7&article_id=2489&page_number=5

Road and Track on the Viper SRT-10 handling:
"It boasts a quarter-mile time better than cars costing twice as much, yet it corners nearly as well as the Lotus Elise."

I drove the SRT-10 in autocross at Southwest Zone and have to agree it is a great handling car.

 

[Kai SRT10]

The good news is that the Viper handles amazingly well.

The bad news is that you really have to get a fair amount of time in the car to get comfortable with extracting that handling.

You are right in that you really do need to learn how to drive all over again in the Viper. Once you learn to control the car, however, you will find that it will handle extremely well. After a while, you will learn to process that "roughness" you feel as information.

The "tracking" on road grooves from the big tires is a pain, but after a while, controlling it becomes instinctive. The Viper is definitely a "two hands on the steering wheel" kind of vehicle, but with practice and familiarity, it will reward you will amazing handling.

 

[Nader]

Funny I has the same amount of tire tracking in road groves in my 911.

 

[Viperfreak2]

Earlier 911's with no power steering were the ultimate in road feel. Most girls would say 'the steering is so jumpy!' 'I don't like it, why can't it be smoother?'

That about says it all. Drive a race car without any road feel through the steering and you'll crash on lap 1.

 

[wormdoggy]

The good news is that the Viper handles amazingly well.

The bad news is that you really have to get a fair amount of time in the car to get comfortable with extracting that handling.

You are right in that you really do need to learn how to drive all over again in the Viper. Once you learn to control the car, however, you will find that it will handle extremely well. After a while, you will learn to process that "roughness" you feel as information.

The "tracking" on road grooves from the big tires is a pain, but after a while, controlling it becomes instinctive. The Viper is definitely a "two hands on the steering wheel" kind of vehicle, but with practice and familiarity, it will reward you will amazing handling.

I totally agree with the analysis you all have mentioned . I was wondering what technology is incorporated in other vehicles that allows the tires the ability to track road grooves without any play in the steering? Obviously this technology is missing from the Viper ?

I'm just trying to understand why some cars are so smooth to road grooves while others are not as smooth.

Thanks
PATRICK