Red arrow .... Tell the Truth, no fibbing!

[Slithr]

OK, I've owned the car for 1 year now and have put a little over 5k on her. I have seen the red arrow flash at me four times, 3 times while shifting and once the fuel seemed to shut down (frankly, I wasn't paying attention to the tach like I should as my eyes were being pushed back into my head).

I'll be the first to say I'm a noob at this, and have been a dumb *ss more than once in my life on my way to 49 years of age. So if you want to call me a dumb *ss I'm cool with that as I've been called worse.

My question is, is this a normal part of learning to drive the car? How much damage do these mistakes cause? How many of you have seen the dreaded red arrow in your first year of ownership, and how many times have you seen it? The yellow arrow doesn't seem to be causing me any trouble

 

[Slithr]

I thought I would help out with the first reply ..... You Dumb *SS

 

[georgethedog]

I have not seen the red light, but I have pushed it a couple times where the rev limiter took over... Ouch... I probably just did not see it.

 

[FLATOUT]

The shift light? Should be fine Alan, the rev limiter will keep you from doing any damage as long as you don't consistently bang the crap out of it. Your biggest concern honestly should be a forced over rev by missing a shift. Hitting 2nd when trying to grab 4th is not good.


You should be fine.

 

[Paul Hawker]

The red arrow is simply a shift light, advising you to shift before hitting the rev limiter.

No damage is done by lighting the red arrow, in fact it may be a badge of courage, on the other hand the yellow light is just a federal nanny.

 

[cubican]

You will be fine, some things that can help; motor mounts,MGW shifter. The Vipers transmissions are not the best for speed shifting (genIII). With my GT 500 I never had any problems missin or selecting gears. After some track time you will find the sweet spot on your tranny and the shifting feels more natural, then you can pay more atention to the tach.

 

[hou99gts]

Alan,

Yellow means shift, red means shift NOW!, fuel cutoff means your a dumb *ss and SLITHR took over for your right foot.....

No damage if you don't do it much. I have experienced all 3 before trying to go faster....

 

[JonB]

The RED ARROW is a bit of an insider secret. I think there is a bronze statue to its creator. I do NOT believe it is discussed in the owners manual...... is it? Dont think so.....

But in fact it IS a performance SHIFT LIGHT as some draggers install to a) shift for max torque retention and/or b) not over-rev. The fuel cutoff is just ABOVE the red-light.

NOTE: The amber up-light is Federally mandated. It says "Shift Up To Save Fuel" (and lose all your torque.) The Red-Lite is an Anti-Fed poke. What a Company!

 

[FrgMstr]

Hehe, I see that red bastard all the time, right along with everyone else in my rear view mirror.

 

[TrackAire]

Slithr,

If you see the red arrow light up when in fifth gear, make sure you have the video camera rolling

Once the car is warmed up and you're in a wide open area, don't be afraid to see the "red arrow light" more often...it's good for the soul.

Enjoy the car,
George

 

[Slithr]

Thanks Guys, I was just checking to see if I'm being too rough on the car, glad to hear the red light is 'before' damage occurs, it sure is fun when your retina's are starting to detach prior to shifting. I don't street race but brief runs when in Mexico can be fun. As long a seeing the shift light once a quarter isn't abusing the car, I should be fine. This first year of ownership has been a blast (literally) and I wanted to make sure I wasn't hurting the beast.

Fortunately, when I have missed a shift things didn't feel right and I was able to get the clutch back in!


Thanks Eric, that sums it up nicely
Yellow means shift, red means shift NOW!, fuel cutoff means your a dumb *ss and SLITHR took over for your right foot.....

Thanks George, this gives me more to look forward too
If you see the red arrow light up when in fifth gear, make sure you have the video camera rolling

Once the car is warmed up and you're in a wide open area, don't be afraid to see the "red arrow light" more often...it's good for the soul.

 

[SRT8&10]

Apperently, I have not been having as much fun as I could be, because I have not seen the red arrow, just the stupid skip shift one.

 

[FrgMstr]

Apperently, I have not been having as much fun as I could be, because I have not seen the red arrow, just the stupid skip shift one.

You have not been having near as much fun as you could have been. Wait, scratch that, as much fun as you SHOULD have been.

 

[gilly6993]

I love the looking at the red arrow from time to time....

 

[Shandon]

On track I use the RED arrow as my shift light. I try to be in the middle of my shift or at least I have it down now that my hand hits the knob just as the light comes on. Idea is to shift up there so you end up in the highest power (rpm) band on the next gear that you can. I have not heard of anyone having an issue on OEM engines doing that. You should be fine IMO.

 

[345s-bspinnin]

The shift light is rather dim. Has anyone changed it to a brighter LED?

Alan, if you pay close attention, you can see the shift light in action in my Texas Mile video. Watch the video full screen and in HD. You will see the light in the "Helmet Cam" portion of the video starting at about 1:50s.


To view in HD:

Click on the embedded video below, change setting from 360p to 1080p HD (click on the 360p or 480p on lower right hand part of video), and forward to 1:50. View in Full Screen and you will be able to see that shift light:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsEEiVnHv64&hd=1&t=1m49s

 

[georgethedog]

I had a hard time getting used to the difference from the 3 other Vipers I owned to my current Gen 3 because the others all had the stock rear end and my Gen 3 has 3:33, so I have to shift a little quicker.

I am starting to get used to it, but since it is not a daily driver I still leave it in gear a little longer than I should. I had the others timed just right with the stock gearing.

I could not imagine what I would do if I got 3:55 gears... I've yet to miss a gear, which is good. Although, sometimes downshifting can be a guess with this transmission.

 

[eucharistos]

....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsEEiVnHv64&hd=1&t=1m49s

fine vid, watched it twice,

thanks for posting it

 

[PAvenomRT/10]

Would not make much sense to have the red arrow light up after you have damaged the car. I have had the red light come on a couple of times at the track, both when being pushed from behind by a would be overtaking car. Once i hit the rev limiter as the fuel pump shut off temporarily. no damage done on either occasion.
PAVenomRT/10
09 ACR

 

[Slithr]

It's good to hear from the Viper veterans and track rats! I thought the red arrow was equivalent to red lining the car vs. a shift light. I've only seen it in 1st or 2nd, and frankly just wasn't paying attention to the tach as close as I should've, but as a rookie things are happening pretty fast and between looking at the road ahead and the tach, it's easy to mess up. Time for some driving instruction and more practice, practice, practice

 

[Jance GTS]

Ok don't hate on me for asking this either... lol

I have 3.55 gears in my 2000 GTS. I usually try to shift around 2,000+ rpm for better mileage when I'm just cruising around town. My friend was riding with me and he said I was lugging it at that rpm? He said i should wait and shift until around 3,000-3,500 rpm? I usually cruise at 40 mph in 4th. This is my first manual transmission vehicle and since it has different gears, I'm just trying to find my comfort zone. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Sonoman]

I have 3.55 gears in my 2000 GTS. I usually try to shift around 2,000+ rpm for better mileage when I'm just cruising around town. My friend was riding with me and he said I was lugging it at that rpm? He said i should wait and shift until around 3,000-3,500 rpm? I usually cruise at 40 mph in 4th. This is my first manual transmission vehicle and since it has different gears, I'm just trying to find my comfort zone. Any thoughts? Thanks!

If you are looking for better mileage I would continue doing what you are doing (shift around 2000 rpm). The Viper V10 has a lot in common with truck motors and is designed for low RPM torque, so you aren't really "lugging it". Small displacement engines need to be rev'd, not so the Viper (see Skip Shift threads; later versions actually force a low RPM shift from 1st to 4th).

Obviously, if you want more performance out of the car, hold off your upshifts until higher RPMs (best acceleration is achieved by shifting just as the torque peak is passed). Most first-timers to the drag strip shift way too early and see seconds fall off their ETs by holding off shifting to near redline.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Well done Alan and its a great question with some good replies here too. Hey, red car, red arrow. Its all good and Morgan will not have to see your car for repair !! I do suggest getting a column mounted shift light that I had on my old GTS if you plan on hammering it much. They are inexpensive and worth their weight in gold. Morgan can install it too. A bright amber light flashes when you reach YOUR desired shift point or RPM. The unit even comes with several RPM setting chips that simply snap right into the unit that sets the light off at the desired RPM. Your max HP and torque curve is a little less than the red arrow anyway which prevents waisted RPMs, time and fuel burn.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

http://www.jegs.com/i/Auto-Meter/105/5340/10002/-1?parentProductId=745859 This is the one I had and there are smaller units available too.

 

[1buddyc]

Wondered what that was, at the top of 2nd gear!

 

[Jance GTS]

If you are looking for better mileage I would continue doing what you are doing (shift around 2000 rpm). The Viper V10 has a lot in common with truck motors and is designed for low RPM torque, so you aren't really "lugging it". Small displacement engines need to be rev'd, not so the Viper (see Skip Shift threads; later versions actually force a low RPM shift from 1st to 4th).

Obviously, if you want more performance out of the car, hold off your upshifts until higher RPMs (best acceleration is achieved by shifting just as the torque peak is passed). Most first-timers to the drag strip shift way too early and see seconds fall off their ETs by holding off shifting to near redline.

Thanks I'm glad I'm not lugging it! I don't see the point to shifting at a higher rpm when I'm just cruising through town. If I wait until 3,500 rpm the engine is screaming at me to shift at low speeds! I've had the yellow shift light come on before too

I'm still new at downshifting, but I'll get it eventually. Just have to spend more time behind the wheel

My friend told me I should downshift into 1st gear at low speeds, but I've heard you should never downshift to first?

 

[Slithr]

If I wait until 3,500 rpm the engine is screaming at me to shift at low speeds!

My friend told me I should downshift into 1st gear at low speeds, but I've heard you should never downshift to first?

Is that screaming or... The Sound of Music Downshifting into first shouldn't be a problem with the Vipers fully synchronized transmission (when done properly).