Shameful: I Wrecked My Viper

[dave6666]

I bought my car in Tulsa, and drove through OK City twice to get it done.

So sorry to hear about your loss, but if parts come available, give me a jingle.

 

[Asp Man]

I hate these posts.
Another one bites the dust. Sorry for your loss, and glad you and your passenger are OK. Obviously it could have been many times worse, though I'm sure the loss of your car is keenly felt.
A nice example of the breed becomes the next parts car. I'm glad you had the nerve to post about it, though.
A cautionary tale for those with (posssibly, possibly not) old, cold tires on cool (or perhaps cold) pavement, with (probably) low experience levels.
Hope that doesn't sound too harsh, it's not meant to.

 

[Ken Lally]

I SPEAK TO A LOT OF OWNERS who have wrecked their cars. The largest (phenominal) percentage begin their story with these words:

"I WAS GETTING ON THE EXPRESSWAY, GETTING ON THE GAS............"

The next most heard: "I WAS CHANGING LANES QUICKLY TO GO AROUND or AVOID _______"

The # 2 almost took me out, one chilly morning my first year of ownership, was lucky to recover- these statements should be posted in a sticky for noobs.....

T.C.z. sorry about your loss, it was a cherry car- I hate these posts, but they are important, each time reminding us about how quickly you can loose the car.

Good luck w/ your insurance and GET ANOTHER!

 

[slaughterj]

That's too bad, might be from what we see every year, starts to cool down outside and cars get loose easier, leading to accidents...

 

[Viper4Christ]

Ack...sorry to hear about your loss but considering the type of accident it could have been alot worse. What car are you planning to get in the future?

 

[CaptainDavid]

I know how sick it makes me when I see these photos, I can only imagine how you must feel.......
Glad you and your buddy are ok...

 

[MarkRx]

Welcome to the club!

So sorry to hear of your loss. I know exactly what you feeling as I wreaked my own 01 about 2 weeks ago. Glad to hear you and your passenger are ok.

 

[JonB]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but two sets of tires made on the same day can be considerably different in their drivability over 6-8 years depending on the environment they were exposed to... right?

Is there a test for hardness due to time/conditions, or do you just ditch in 6 years regardless?

Correct... mild, unpoluted climates, less sun, no salt, tires last longer.

A hand-held hardnesss tester called a DUROMETER is about $350-$400. You have to buy one specifically calibrated for rubber.

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

Correct... mild, unpoluted climates, less sun, no salt, tires last longer.

A hand-held hardnesss tester called a DUROMETER is about $350-$400. You have to buy one specifically calibrated for rubber.

If not mentioned, heat cycles can harden the tire quicker.

Not sure what the big deal is, if you have hard tires, learn how to drive on them regardless. Heck in the mud in a rallye car, you deal with it. Just think how much of a better driver those could be regardless of the best traction tire available..

Too much complaining here about tires and not enough about driving ability and acknowledging your limits. It's not the tires in these type of accidents of losing traction, it's the inexperienced driver behind the wheel that is (other than a blowout etc..).

I won't argue that new tires will slow you down quicker, and less chance to slide in a braking or accellerating in a corner, etc.. yet if you know what shoes you are wearing, adjust your driving antics and always prepare to lose traction when you push a peddle to the floor.

 

[mike & juli]

If not mentioned, heat cycles can harden the tire quicker.
Not sure what the big deal is, if you have hard tires, learn how to drive on them regardless. Heck in the mud in a rallye car, you deal with it. Just think how much of a better driver those could be regardless of the best traction tire available..
Too much complaining here about tires and not enough about driving ability and acknowledging your limits. It's not the tires in these type of accidents of losing traction, it's the inexperienced driver behind the wheel that is (other than a blowout etc..).
I won't argue that new tires will slow you down quicker, and less chance to slide in a braking or accellerating in a corner, etc.. yet if you know what shoes you are wearing, adjust your driving antics and always prepare to lose traction when you push a peddle to the floor.

Yepper...agreed most of the one-Viper accidents can be attributed to driver error...which is why one needs to acknowledge your limits AND what the cold roads/tires contribute to driving ability...you are correct, Mike. ~juli

 

[JonB]

...........Not sure what the big deal is, if you have hard tires, learn how to drive on them regardless..........Too much complaining here about tires and not enough about driving ability and acknowledging your limits. It's not the tires in these type of accidents of losing traction, it's the inexperienced driver behind the wheel that is (other than a blowout etc..)...........

I disagree.

The best driver in the world has more control and performance on newer tires.
The WORST driver in the world has more control and peformance AVAILABLE on newer tires.

SO: The worse your skills, the MORE you need good tires to help you stay in control and alive....

[ I have ridden with Tommy Archer, on cords-out used up slicks, at speeds that made us SKATE around the track as tho on his ice-lake races back home. AMAZING. If I had that same tire+car+speed Id have crashed. With new slicks Id have almost kept up.....but not crashed in any case....]

 

[Solid Red 98]

I must reiterate that the condition of your tires is extremely important to the handling charachteristics of any machine, especially a mega-high performance one that spends more time sampling the limits of traction like our Vipers. Excellent warm tires, give us a wider margin for the variables that are encountered off the track. Look at how much necessary fuss is made over tires' conditon, inflation, and type on a road course. All that having been said, try to know your Viper well by somewhat regularly driving it. Getting the happies with the gas pedal while rusty can be a recipe for trouble. O.K. off my soapbox now....

 

[okloneranger]

sorry to read about your loss. On the positive side you are ok and will be able to replace your viper. Also a tremendous learning experience for all of us, never can be too careful. best wishes.

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

I disagree.

The best driver in the world has more control and performance on newer tires.
The WORST driver in the world has more control and peformance AVAILABLE on newer tires.

SO: The worse your skills, the MORE you need good tires to help you stay in control and alive....

[ I have ridden with Tommy Archer, on cords-out used up slicks, at speeds that made us SKATE around the track as tho on his ice-lake races back home. AMAZING. If I had that same tire+car+speed Id have crashed. With new slicks Id have almost kept up.....but not crashed in any case....]

Ya, I know what you're saying, won't argue that point, my point was just that you need to know what the limits are.. I still have hard tires on my car, and slide around, but I know when I go for an aggressive pass, take it easy..

It ***** to learn the hard way and toss the car into a roll..

I would say, if you don't mind.. to buy some new tires from JonB if you need them.