New Owner - Sizing the car

[Kmrumedy]

Hi,

New Viper owner (1997 B/W GTS) , I'll post the details when the car arrives in April.

I respect the car and its power. I keep reading about how 30 - 50% of crashes happen in first month of ownership. Makes me wary and I don't want to become a statistic. I am taking a drivers course this Spring so that should help.

Question - When I sat in the GTS for the first time I had a hard time getting a feel for the size of the car. How did you guys get comfortable in this car when you first bought it? We're you nervous? Was it intuitive or does it just take time? Any suggestions when I first drive the car for the first few months?

Would like to learn from your experience.

No bravado here. I plan on taking it very easy. Big car enthusiast but I consider myself just a regular guy/driver.

Thanks.

 

[YouWish]

Your no longer a "regular" guy when your in your GTS your a rock-star!!! Welcome to the club,all I can say is take it easy while your getting use to your snake.

 

[kcobean]

I was a tad nervous even though I had just come from a 400+ WHP car. You have to respect the torque of the Viper.

The car is very simple, no bells or whistles, so yeah, it's pretty intuitive. Just take it easy in the corners for the first while and only get liberal with the right pedal when the wheel is pointed straight. That'll give you an opportunity to find out what the traction limits are without lateral forces at play.

I can't stress strongly enough that if your car has old (5 years or more) tires on it, you NEED to replace them. I have new rubber sitting in my garage waiting to go on the car and the difference in the "softness" is absolutely amazing. With this much torque, dried out tires, even if they still have tread left, are down-right dangerous unless you're drifting or doing burnouts.

Most of all, enjoy that beast!

 

[mad0953]

The only car I ever drove that comes close to the way the Viper assaults all of your senses was a 68 Hemi Satelite. Point it straight and hammer it and hold on!!!! And it had a torqueflite. It's a beast............respect it and it will reward you with a driving experience you have not experienced ever before. I have actually caught myself laughing as I bang a couple of gears getting away from a stoplight because it's such a joy to drive and it's like nothing available out there in the car world today. It will thrill you and beat you to hell at the same time....like one of my ex-wives!!!! Enjoy.

 

[Falconeer]

Regarding the size..
I had my GTS for almost 2 years and I kept on parking the front half a meter from the curb every time I tried to park it. That front is just so long and low that it is impossible to judge the distance.
Even though I'm 6'4" I always felt comfortable in the car.. also on long road trips.

Enjoy it! Respect it!
Erik

 

[viprvenm]

I bought my Viper in Oct 2005. Two months later I drove it myself to Roe Racing. I got the car back in Dec 2005 with 707rwhp 736rwtq. The most powerful car I had driven before was my 1999 Camaro SS that put 320 to the rear wheels. Knock on wood, but I have never lost control of my Viper or has any type of incident in it. You MUST use common sense when driving it. With stock power or any increase you have to constantly assess the conditions in which you are driving. Know the roads and power... don't go flooring it around corners and all that crazy stuff. Get to know the car and you will enjoy it like a good daydream!

Best of luck to ya man!

Jason

P.S. The time to be most careful is when you are giving people rides... you have a tendency to go faster and quicker to show them ALL the power. Keep her under control. Be true to yourself and your car... don't let her down!

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Have somebody or something positioned around the car so you can get a perspective.

Or you can scrape curbs like most of us have.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

The only Viper I had driven before buying my 96' was a 94'. When I got in the 96' for the 1st time to test drive it, for some reason, I just imagined it spinning out of control as soon as I put it in 1st. I guess it was just "I'M BUYING A VIPER!!!" jitters. The test drive ended up going smooth as could be (I only got on the gas hard one time) and I ended up driving it home the same day I did find out what "snakebite" was about 3 hours later when I hammered it and grabbed 2nd without having it completely straight

 

[GTS Bruce]

Check the dating on the tire sidewall.If 5 yrs or older they are hard and slippery.Might be time for a new set. GTS Bruce

 

[agentf1]

Is this your first 400+ HP car?

Only hit the gas when you are pointed straight and don't grab second hard unless you have a free lane on both sides.

 

[Shelby3]

I'm always surprised how small the GTS is as compared to other cars. Here's a pic from an eBay auction demonstrating the scale.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Is this your first 400+ HP car?

Only hit the gas when you are pointed straight and don't grab second hard unless you have a free lane on both sides.

Having a free lane is the ONLY thing that saved me on my 1st day! If a car had been in the left lane, I would've been a "wrecked Viper on day 1" statistic

 

[InjectTheVenom]

I'm always surprised how small the GTS is as compared to other cars.

That was my first thought as well when I saw one in real life for the first time, having looked at pictures I thought it would be bigger

 

[RoadiJeff]

How did you guys get comfortable in this car when you first bought it?

I rented one for three days in Vegas before I bought mine. The people at Rent-a-Vette had me quite nervous about even driving it off the lot. They said that if I touched the gas pedal at all when going around a corner in 1st or 2nd gear the rear end would spin completely around. That, plus the fact that immediately off the lot I would be stuck in Las Vegas rush hour traffic on the strip. Everything went smoothly and I didn't cause any snake bites.

One thing you have to be careful of is how far the nose sticks out in front when you pull into a parking space and they have those concrete curbs. Until you get used to it stop when you think you're still several feet away from the curb. When you get out and look you'll probably be surprised at how much closer you really are to it. The previous owner saved mine from several nose scrapes by warning me about this the day I picked it up.

As far as tires, according to the DOT label three of mine are nine years old. Plenty of tread left and I am aware of the hockey puck aging factor. Since I don't drive it aggressively there's no immediate need to replace them. Maybe next year.

 

[agentf1]

I'm always surprised how small the GTS is as compared to other cars. Here's a pic from an eBay auction demonstrating the scale.

Yes, but it appears big when you are next to it or in it for some reason. JMHO.

 

[Kmrumedy]

The people at Rent-a-Vette had me quite nervous about even driving it off the lot. They said that if I touched the gas pedal at all when going around a corner in 1st or 2nd gear the rear end would spin completely around.

Same with me. A lot of people and comments like above (mostly from people that don't own one) got me nervous. I am planning on taking it REAL easy. Some comments are making it sound like it corners on bananas no matter how careful you drive.

Yes...My first 450HP car.

 

[kcobean]

The people at Rent-a-Vette had me quite nervous about even driving it off the lot. They said that if I touched the gas pedal at all when going around a corner in 1st or 2nd gear the rear end would spin completely around.

Same with me. A lot of people and comments like above (mostly from people that don't own one) got me nervous. I am planning on taking it REAL easy. Some comments are making it sound like it corners on bananas no matter how careful you drive.

Yes...My first 450HP car.

The Viper has over 400 ft-lbs of torque at 3000 RPM. No car with that much power that early in the power band is going to tolerate a heavy or snappy right foot under heavy lateral load. It's not that the Viper corners on Bananas (quite the opposite actually), you just need to find out where the limit is, and nobody wants you to do that where cars or other solid, Viper eating objects might be involved.

 

[AJT]

Chin Guard is a good investment

http://www.snakeoylproducts.com/product.php?productid=17487&cat=288&page=1

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

A fun size comparison--Viper RT/10 vs. Rolls Royce Phantom:

 

[Freddog11]

Take this with a grain of salt from the newest of new guys here. I feel lucky that I made the decision to drive my "new" car home from half way across the country. It gave me some time to get used to it and get comfortable. Inside its one of the most comfortable cars I've been in, I'm 6'4" and about 210. Even with the hardtop on, plenty of room. Outside, it didn't take long to get used to the dimensions, although I'm still pretty careful backing it into the garage. As far as the power, still careful, I've always been a truck guy and my daily driver is a Hummer, so I'm definitely not used to having any power. Still taking my time getting settled in but I feel very comfortable in the car now.

By the way, pay attention to what everyone says about the tires. This was my biggest concern driving across country. Before I picked it up, I asked the guy if the tires were good enough to make it home. He must be a little more adventurous than I am. When I got home I went to Costco and put new tires on it. When they took the old ones off, they were down to the wear bars and the date on them was from 1998. They were hard as rocks and spun out on every corner without leaving a mark. The new PS2s are a huge improvement.

Enjoy the new car when it comes in, I'm driving every day and still getting used to it. Best car I've ever driven, if I was rich I'd have ten of them in the garage.

 

[EllowViper]

Be careful agressively shifting from 3-4 if you have the stock shifter (until you get the shift gates figured out) or you'll do the always exciting 3rd to 2nd underwear dirtying, heart pounding, engine screaming routine I experience my first month of ownership.

 

[sdaddy]

New tires that are cold are as dangerous as old tires. Never put the hammer down until you have driven enough to warm up the tires.

I try to park 3 feet from a parking block to avoid scraping the front. It is embarassing to get your front end over a parking block and then have to have ask two people to lift the front end as you back up to avoid ripping off the front facia. I am amazed how many times I think I left 3 feet and then get out to find I am 6 inches from the parking block. The front view is really deceptive.

 

[kcobean]

A fun size comparison--Viper RT/10 vs. Rolls Royce Phantom:

The Viper does feel like a "big sports car" to me, but these pictures did get me looking at my own....Check out the Viper next to a more 'average' car than the Rolls. The Viper really is a pretty small car in the grand scheme....

You must be registered for see images

 

[Paul Hawker]

An easy way to make your interior feel much more spacious is to remove the visors. They really do not work very well for sun control.

It is a 5 minute job to take them out, and it really opens up the interior.

Enjoy your new Viper. Blue/White is spectacular.

 

[CROM]

Congratulations on the new Viper! You're going to love it.

I somewhat disagree with the "big sports car" opinions. Compared to a corvette, camaro or firebird the Viper feels small. Those cars make you feel like you are in the back seat driving. I compare it more to driving a Toyota Supra.

Use your brain and don't drive like a 16 year old kid. I really don't understand how people constantly wreck their vipers. I don't drive like a grandpa and I've never gotten myself in trouble before. Learn the car and how it performs. It will reward you with neck snapping shifts and gut wrenching handling up twisty mountain roads.

 

[mbccenter]

Get in. Sit down. Shut up. And give her HELL!!!!

 

[Zan186]

Yep I just bought a 02 FE, and I am having the same feelings. I plan to just take it slow and resist the urge to "see what it can do". Once I get the feel for it, I might drive it fast on some deserted open roads to explore it's capabilities a bit.
I am used to being weary of low lipped driveways with the 81 vette that has a really really low front spoiler. Hopefully I will never scrape the front.

 

[Mopar488]

Make sure you warm the tires up 10-15 miles prior to getting into it at all. Someone gave me that advice, but I had to learn the hard way. I almost put my first Viper over a 40' bank just by flooring it after I already shifted to 2nd when the ties were cold. With the same Viper I slammed 2nd gear and was shocked when it changed lanes. Be careful and take the advice of others with this type of experience. Enjoy your new toy!