The sun caught my tire on FIRE! Really!! Pics!!!

[AviP]

Another reason to leave the wheels on the car or clean them less often, IMHO.

 

[Leslie]

So should I bring the rubber for anything then?

yeh let's go burn some

your Viper first, then mine

 

[georgethedog]

There is the "smoking gun (or tire)" needed to prove global warming. Dave, you be able to turn this into $$$$$$

 

[ViperLSS]

If you lived in Detroit, that wouldn't have happened. Then again, you wouldnt have a good football team to cheer for. Oh wait, you live in Texas, you don't anyway

Oh man that's harsh. At least we have a great hockey team, a ok basketball team, and a baseball team that's been to the World Series in the last couple of years. Like it or not the Lions were a perfect team this past year. Ya I know perfect losers. But I am a Detroit sports fan.

 

[JonB]

WATCH where you place those 4 parabolic mirrors that you likely call "rims" or "wheels"...as, since their appearance in 1999, they have a well documented history of causing plastic tool boxes to smoulder, one guy's sock to smoulder, and at lease one case of grass/leaves starting to smoke.

Remember the 1996 GTS's that had holes burned in the rear of both headrests when the sun came thru the rear hatch glass at just the right angle???

"Snakes" have a whole bag of tricks!!

EXACTLY STEVE! Old News. Numerous anecdotes of this. I remember alerting GrailKeeper to this in 1996-97, and again in 1999. 99-02 wheels are the equivalent of an Ant-Burning magnifier. Dodge positioned Vipers at the AZ proving grounds in several attempts to duplicate the "parabolic reflection" of a solar oven, with no smoke.

I remember a guy at a local car show, whose 1999 Pizza-Dish OE wheels focused a sunbeam on a spectators LEG! The guy was hopping around with a leg burn, and we duplicated the effect for about 3 minutes. Then the sun angle was GONE.

 

[Fatboy 18]

That would NEVER happen over here

 

[agentf1]

That's scary. Good thing those bad boys are coming off, and it's a REALLY good thing the sun didn't do that to your significantly more expensive new tires!

Or even worst a spot on your hood or fender. If it could do that to the tire it would bubble the paint with no problem. I have seen chrome air cleaners ruin more peoples hood at car shows when the sun is shining and the hood is up than I would like to. ALWAYS cover your chrome air cleaner with a rag when the sun is shining strong and you are showing your car at a show. It beats on the inside of the open hood and the outside will bubble in the same location. Sun can be very strong especially when magnified.

 

[dave6666]

Or even worst a spot on your hood or fender.

Trust me... The car has been inspected more than once for that. Thought of the same thing.

 

[Neil - UK]

happened to me in 2004, here's the old thread

http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/562279-smokin-not-usual-kind.html

 

[VicTxV10]

He he he... You were behind me. He he he...

Uh, yeah, I've noticed that too on the stripes. Someday I'll fix it.

Well, you know there is that old saying "age before beauty" Then there is the Viper saying that red ones are faster?

Which brings me to the color of my car. On the way home I stopped for gas and was asked what the color is. I said slate pearl..then it hit me. The words Viper and pearl should NOT be used in the same sentence. So now I just say Slate.

I will say this, for those of you that have not ever seen Dave's car in person, it's looks awesome with the work he has done to it.