Should I be scared to drive this thing??

[ghayes420]

OK fellas. I got myself a 98 RT/10. Finally a VIPER! I love this thing. I am addicted and my wife is getting annoyed. I took the car to Valaya Racing and got the normal upgrades; smooth-tubes, filters, EBC greens, and the new Borla exhuast. Man this car sounds mean. Here is the deal. Ted is telling me how it is very important to never stab the gas in first or second gear. Before I took it to him, i did this to impress a few friends and I was OK. I was told by other Viper owners to just make sure to keep the car straight if you are going to punch it. I know this is a total rookie question, but how do people get these great 1/4 mile times without stabbing the gas to the floor throughout the shifts. Why don't their rear-ends fly out sideways like I was told will happen. I like to drive fast, more importantly I like to drive quick. But after talking with a couple of people who work on these things I am scared to punch the gas on this thing. If I wreck this car I would freak out. And how can anyone ever beat some corvette if they can't punch the gas in first and second off the line? I know I need track time, seat time and driving school. I respect this car's power. Can bad things really happen when you punch it just going in a straight line? Thanks for your opinions.

 

[Camfab]

Yes bad things can happen, fresh rubber is your best deterrent to major problems. Personally, I would watch out for the speed shift into third gear, this would be the one that will catch you off guard.

 

[plumcrazy]

absolutely NOT. just respect it.

 

[RedEnuf93]

I keep the pedal often nailed to the floor, even with Nitrous... Just get used to it before you try anything radical, this car is known for its bite!

If you are close to a race track, see if NASA or some other group has events you could attend, even cone circling will be a good start, this way you'll learn when the tail is loosing its grip. You definately dont want it to happen first time at 80MPH on 3rd gear.

 

[FrankBarba]

Under no circumstances do not drive this car. Let her sit in your garage with plenty of coats of Zano or the wax of your choice. Only take her for a spin during cold temperatures & cold tires. Then when you punch it you have a greater chance of placing her into a wall, curb, guardrail or even another car.This will help increase the value of my car......

I would suggest a high performance driving school. This will help you learn how to drive your car, & show you the limits of your vehicle.

 

[2001 GTS]

I keep the pedal often nailed to the floor, even with Nitrous... Just get used to it before you try anything radical, this car is known for its bite!

^ditto

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

Throw on some new tires unless the car came with them. Be careful stabbing the gas when its cold out.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Be careful stabbing the gas when its cold out.

So very true. I went out to eat one night and when I came out, I had a group of people around the car. One asked for a ride, so I said sure. We were near where all the ricers hangout, so I went to this straightaway behind a store where they usually do their racing. I didnt think about it being cold and my tires being cold after the car sitting up for a while in cold weather. I nailed it in 1st, and as soon as I grabbed 2nd, we started going sideways straight for a curb (over the curb is nothing but woods). The kid was prob 16 or so, so I doubt I taught him any words he didnt already know (but I def said some of the bad words), but once I got the car straight and not hitting the curb or anything, we had a very slow ride back to the restaurant. When we got back, he called some friend from his cell phone saying "Dude I rode in a Viper! Its so nasty, it spins like crazy in 2nd gear" lol

 

[BlueGTS]

You were being warned not to stab in the middle of a turn. If the front tires are pointed straight, stab away.

 

[SylvanSRT]

the old joke goes "what's the fastest way to turn a viper around?"



"punch the gas!"


I would say not to be scared but i would say repect the power of the tool you are using. just as you would with a gun, power tool or any other dangerous and/or powerful machine.

respect the power and you will be rewarded, abuse or neglect it and it will bite you!

 

[SylvanSRT]

BTW if you are going to do much spirted or high performance driving or track day type stuff loose the EBC's or you'll be buying rotors before you know it.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< Should I be scared to drive this thing?? >>

maybe not necessarily scared, but you need to always respect these things. the second you dont, as the fellas said above, it WILL bite you.

 

[radta7]

Yes.

 

[BADVENOM]

Yes be very afraid..quick run to your garage and cover it..dont even look at it! Do not go into the light!

You must be registered for see images

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

I suggest a Skip Barber Performance driving school to all owners of high performance cars. Skip Barber offers discounts to Viper Club Members which are very nice and will more than pay for one years membership in the VCA.

Skip Barber http://www.skipbarber.com/ has many programs and locations around the country. Our region organizes a one day Viper Club specific program. For the details from this years school see our April "Snake Eyes Newsletter". You can get a copy from Maurice Liang/NORCAL VCA President His e-mail address is: ([email protected])

The information given above to add power when pointed straight is correct same for braking - get it done in a straight line.

The power of the Viper makes things happen alot faster so knowing how to control the Snake is very important to avoid losing control.

 

[93Cobra]

Just get used to the power and soon enough you will want more. But like everyone says, NEVER punch it unless you are going straight.

 

[SylvanSRT]

and that goes double on cold tires and cold days!!

 

[jk]

Much good advice here. There are so many variables to driving the Viper: tire temperature and pressure, street temperature, tire wear/age, road surface adhesion, it all is a big mix and it changes constantly. Since you can't just drive in a straight line all the time, you need to learn how and when to add power (and subtract power by lifting throttle and braking) in all conditions and learn the feedback the Viper gives you. The how of all this is gained by experience and as mentioned you can get this feel over time or accelerate the learning process by investing in a driving school. (And driving school is an investment which pays back!) Only you know where you are in this driving experience curve, and your caution and respect is a reflection of your maturity. Enjoy your Viper!

 

[TomSlick]

Let your tires get warmed up before you punch it. Make sure you have good rubber. What will get you is if it breaks loose when your not expecting it. In the rain you WILL learn how to drive a Viper, and like I always said "you just have to learn how to drive sideways". Be careful and most of all have fun.

 

[ViperJames]

Its really all about getting comforable with it...Start out 1/2 throttle....work your way up slowly, I floor the car from a start quite often...once you get used to it, its quite fun actually! Thats why you bought a Viper remember? Just make sure the environment is safe when you test her out.

 

[ghayes420]

Thanks for all the help fellas. I thought i would be OK to punch it in a straight line but of course never in a turn. My guy made it sound like I should never punch it. He actually called it the "1-2 scare" which is when you slam the gas while relasing the clutch quickly on the 1-2 shift. He said that this was a big no-no. I just don't see how these guys drag race without doing that. I guess I am lucky that I had fresh new Pilot Sports on when I first tried this. You are correct, this is thr reason I bought the Viper to begin with.

 

[Anaconda]

I keep the pedal often nailed to the floor, even with Nitrous...

Are you implying that you sometimes spray nitrous when you aren't at wide open throttle?

 

[Warfang]

Fred's right on this ghayes... go to Skip Barber. It's worth every penny. Your life could very well depend on it. I'm in the east bay too. Been meaning to arrange a get together going with a couple other members here. I'm in Alameda all the time. Is your RT red? Saw one there about a month ago.

 

[Bobpantax]

Hi Ghayes 420.I reccomend that you PM "WANTED' a/k/a Thomas Dickson, who is a frequent poster on this forum, and get his input. His quarter mile times in a basically stock Gen II Viper are phenomenal. He is clearly one of the most, if not the most, talented quater mile Viper drivers that posts on this forum. You also should look at some of the recent posts by "Ranger". There are many helpful tips in his posts even though he is not a Viper driver. However, what WANTED and Ranger both seem to have in common is a sense of professionalism and discipline that leads to the winner's circle. Good luck.

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

Thanks for all the help fellas. I thought i would be OK to punch it in a straight line but of course never in a turn. My guy made it sound like I should never punch it. He actually called it the "1-2 scare" which is when you slam the gas while relasing the clutch quickly on the 1-2 shift. He said that this was a big no-no. I just don't see how these guys drag race without doing that. I guess I am lucky that I had fresh new Pilot Sports on when I first tried this. You are correct, this is thr reason I bought the Viper to begin with.

IMO practice making smooth shifts. You don't have to bang this car through the gearbox to get power and speed out of it. If your not going for a world record drag run you can shift smooth and fast and still be able to real in a lot of kills. You will also save your half shafts and possibly tranny by not banging the sht out of the gears. This will decrease your chances of upsetting the balance of the car and getting it sideways unexpectedly. Smooth shifting gives progressive feedback and saves wear.

 

[DodgeViper01]

absolutely NOT. just respect it.

Well said.

 

[JUCD VPR]

absolutely NOT. just respect it.

Well said.

Exactly. Drag radials help also

 

[DrDJ]

Ted is telling me how it is very important to never stab the gas in first or second gear. Before I took it to him, i did this to impress a few friends and I was OK. I was told by other Viper owners to just make sure to keep the car straight if you are going to punch it.

I agree 100% with Ted. Always "roll" into the throttle. I equate abrupt throttle mashing with snatching your steering wheel while riding down the highway at 60mph. You just don't do it. Stabbing the gas to the floor before being completely off the clutch is also a big no-no. Snatching the car through the gears in asking for trouble. Where other cars will merely "chirp" the tires during such maneuvers, a Viper will spin the tires, often with no sound of burning rubber. If you don't lift off the throttle you could be sideways in no time, even if the car was pointed straight to begin with (all roads have a slant or crown for drainage of rainwater.) You can get away with more aggressive throttle and shifting on warm tires , warm ambient temp, no dew on the roads after the temperature had dropped, etc.

I know this is a total rookie question, but how do people get these great 1/4 mile times without stabbing the gas to the floor throughout the shifts. Why don't their rear-ends fly out sideways like I was told will happen.

Given the same tires, there is a more traction on a drag strip than on the street. A good driver is going to be riding right on the traction edge. The higher horsepower cars are often all over the track and are difficult to keep straight.

Can bad things really happen when you punch it just going in a straight line?

Yes. Go to a big empty parking lot and give it a try.

DrDJ

 

[ghayes420]

Thanks again fellas for the input. I took the beast out today and went to an empty parking lot at the old Naval base. Several times I chirped the tires shifting hard from first to second. I felt the rear end jump out a bit but it held nicely. It was a fairly warm day in the East Bay about 72. Roads was smooth. Did a doughnut or two to warm up the tires and as I mentioned the tires are fairly new Pilots. I usually ride the clutch too much out of caution for now. I am sure I wil burn through one of those puppies quickly. But still getting used to these seemingly long throws. Caught myself dropping a 3-2 at high speeds but caught it in time. That [******] is scary. I think Skip Barber would be a good idea, but spending the money on that now after begging my wife for the car (and secretly adding $4K in mods) may be difficult now.

Warfang, I just got my red RT about a month ago. I think I saw you in Alameda a couple months back on Park St. I think you drive a red GTS with white stripes. Pretty car. Count me in on a Skip Barber event, hopefully we can get a nice VCA/group discount. Al at Valaya racing also offered driving lessons for $350 for the day at a track. Thinking about that.

PS- Failed smog test miserably today at a local Shell station. Stinks. I called Ted at Valaya and he said "let me smog it". Learned my lesson.

 

[ViperJames]

Maybe i need to repeat....Try 1/2 throttle first....then do .625, then .750, etc....The young lad WILL LEARN and safely might I add...It is what it is.