Viper, one of the most dangerous cars to drive?

elanderholm

Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 14, 2002
Posts
423
Reaction score
0
Location
Foster City, CA
I've never had a car with more then 300whp and I have an 08 acr. Other then driving in the rain on old pilot sport cups the car hasn't tried to kill me...yet. I think where you get in trouble is just being an idiot overall, or something like trying to pull out in front of someone who is close to you and having to goose it. In my evo I could give it a ton of gas with the wheels turned, in this thing that is a good way to crash. You won't kill yourself, but you would **** the car up badly. You just have to be a little more careful. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to accel quickly with the wheels turned at all you can get yourself in a bad way.
 

Eduardo

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Posts
36
Reaction score
0
Location
North West UK
I think to sum the post and as everyone mostly said it is all about who is behind the wheel and the training and experience you have.

If you give your car to an old granny she will probably take it to the supermarket all year without crashing it.

Give it to a young guy with hight testosterone, he might not even make it to the petrol station.

I do remenber when i was younger and living in France that the 205 GTI 1.9 was the hotest thing. Only 130 bhp but so many young rich kids crashed them and got killed. They were like go karts but at the wheel you felt like Alain Prost but without the Skill.

I got mine at 24 and came close to few scares, but probably won't have been here if would have got it at 18.

So 500 bhp+ or 130 is the same. Trying to be a racing driver at the wheel and no skill = 999

I would advise rear whell drive car training on track first if you are going to try to get out a bit more of your car and then keep it to the track :)

Eduardo.
 

jckrieger

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Posts
143
Reaction score
0
The Viper is the safest car I will ever own. It has perfectly tuned suspension, unbelievable lateral grip, excellent acceleration, braking, and steering response. The car does absolutely everything I want it to do, when I want it to do it. Just don't drive like an idiot, especially in the rain!


Anyone know how dangerous the viper is to drive compared to other cars? Is there any statistics of how many accident the viper have been involved in? In Sweden where I live there is about 100 vipers, and what I know of at least 2 have been killed in one. 2% risk of getting killed sounds kind of high to me!
 

aviatorone

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Posts
231
Reaction score
0
Location
*******, GA
Vipers really don't need to be sold with more than 450-500 hp, let the car owner boost them up. Which I'm cool with. A lot of times, when a new driver gets behind the wheel of a viper, they think and drive it like they're on a track....and most of those driver really have No experience. But they think they do. lo l
 

DeceptioN

Viper Owner
Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Posts
338
Reaction score
1
Location
Spring Hill, FL
I believe there should be a special certification needed on a driver's license for driving a car with more than 400 or 500 horse power. Just because you can drive a 4 ****** with 135 horses doesn't mean you are qualified to drive a V10 with 500 IMHO.
 
Last edited:

aviatorone

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Posts
231
Reaction score
0
Location
*******, GA
I believe there should be a special certification needed on a driver's license for driving a car with more than 400 or 500 horse power. Just because you can drive a 5 ****** with 135 horses doesn't mean you are qualified to drive a V10 with 500 IMHO.

Yeah!!

In aviation, you have to prove you can fly certain type aircraft! So.......
 

TR930

Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Posts
126
Reaction score
0
Location
Denver
Hard braking through a turn is the kiss of death. You need to keep weight bias on the rear tires. I learned this and escaped a bad situation on a canyon road. Commit to the grip in the turns.
 

Chuck 98 RT/10

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 15, 2000
Posts
17,923
Reaction score
0
Location
tampa, fl USA
Just a litle tyre temperature display then please :( :)

Eduardo.

Oh Gawd. We already have that stupid government mandated TPMS that every week there's thread about the stupid idiot light, now you're suggesting a tire temp sensor too? Everything the car needs to communicate to the driver can be felt in the driver's butt. If you can't feel it then you're not cut out to be a fast driver. Get a car with training wheels...like a Vette.
 

FLATOUT

Viper Owner
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Posts
2,276
Reaction score
0
Just use your brain, it shouldn't be that difficult.

The Viper does seem to **** out the pretenders.
 

viperbilliam

Enthusiast
Joined
May 17, 2005
Posts
1,061
Reaction score
1
Location
Richland, WA
It could be the most dangerous car which is why some of us (or maybe most of us?) buy it!

Take it out on a very large wide open parking lot some quiet Sunday morning with no one and nothing to hit. Try to do some crazy things like stab the throttle while turned and see what it does.
 

BigBadViper

Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 6, 2008
Posts
418
Reaction score
0
Location
Raleigh, NC
I am going to take the different approach on this. I do think they are more dangerous than a regular car.

Yes, they can be very safe when driven by a highly skilled operator who is always paying attention. However driving on the street is not always that way. How many "other" drivers pull up to you and are staring at your car, not paying attention to what they are doing. On the older Vipers, there is no Antilock, no traction control, and not alot of other creature comforts. If you are talking about a regular car for normal day to day driving, there isn't even a darn cup holder. Of course you can either not drink it or do what I have seen several morons do and just put it between their legs while they try to shift and brake. Also it is easy to get distracted while driving, you aren't driving a toyota Corolla, and my old self has been flashed at least a couple of times while driving the car, pretty sure that wouldn't happen in a volvo and that could cause you to lose focus.

Anyone who is going to seriously say that driving a 600HP car is safer than driving a 200HP car is just wrong. It is like the motorcycle guys that say they have been riding for 30 years and riding without a helmet is safer. It isn't.

The question is really, are you going to be safe in your Viper. I can tell you I don't drive my car in the rain, I don't get on it at all going around corners. And I generally try to be a very safe and concious driver. I have 1600+HP in my Viper so things happen much quicker than a 600HP Viper.
 

Chuck 98 RT/10

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 15, 2000
Posts
17,923
Reaction score
0
Location
tampa, fl USA
Anyone who is going to seriously say that driving a 600HP car is safer than driving a 200HP car is just wrong.

Oh really?

smarted1ed.jpg
 

Eduardo

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Posts
36
Reaction score
0
Location
North West UK
Oh Gawd. We already have that stupid government mandated TPMS that every week there's thread about the stupid idiot light, now you're suggesting a tire temp sensor too? Everything the car needs to communicate to the driver can be felt in the driver's butt. If you can't feel it then you're not cut out to be a fast driver. Get a car with training wheels...like a Vette.

I guess that's why lots of track and race cars have that tyre temperature sensors fitted on the wheels . All beginner racing drivers i suppose or insensitive butts :)

With no disrespect to your comment, i am not a fan off all traction controls and they make the cars much slower. I was teaching someone on a 430 F1 on track yesterday and when i took the car for few fast laps i had to turn the car to Race mode to be able to get any power out of almost any bends. But to be honest i was please to have the car on Wet mode when the student had it on the pourring rain in the afternoon.

The main problem is that lots of Vipers are still on run flats and in winter trying to get heat on those tyres is very difficult and i think it would help lots of drivers to know that the tyres are in correct temperature to be able for them to enjoy the car.

We are not all racing drivers and don't have to be to own a Viper :)

Only my thoughts

Eduardo.
 
Last edited:

Chuck 98 RT/10

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 15, 2000
Posts
17,923
Reaction score
0
Location
tampa, fl USA
I guess that's why lots of track and race cars have that tyre temperature sensors fitted on the wheels .

If you're gonna use race cars to compare to then lets remove the TC and ABS 'cause as you might know neither of the two largest racing venues, F1 and NASCAR, have them.

But to me this is more about freedom than anything. If Dodge chose to put the nannies on then I'd be able to accept it. But they didn't choose to, they have been forced to by our oppressive American government. And it is appalling that when virtually every other sports car is equipped with all the nannies the girlymen could ever want (even before the mandates mind you), a manufacturer is not allowed to build one single car, not even ONE for the purist market and the masses of asses have no problem with that. They sure as hell aren't descendants of the Revolution.

I'll be hanging onto my GenIIs forever. If I get anything newer it'll be a Cobra kit. Maybe I'll be able to have a few fun years with that before the ******* all show up and ruin things for that market too.
 

Eduardo

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Posts
36
Reaction score
0
Location
North West UK
If you're gonna use race cars to compare to then lets remove the TC and ABS 'cause as you might know neither of the two largest racing venues, F1 and NASCAR, have them.

But to me this is more about freedom than anything. If Dodge chose to put the nannies on then I'd be able to accept it. But they didn't choose to, they have been forced to by our oppressive American government. And it is appalling that when virtually every other sports car is equipped with all the nannies the girlymen could ever want (even before the mandates mind you), a manufacturer is not allowed to build one single car, not even ONE for the purist market and the masses of asses have no problem with that. They sure as hell aren't descendants of the Revolution.

I'll be hanging onto my GenIIs forever. If I get anything newer it'll be a Cobra kit. Maybe I'll be able to have a few fun years with that before the ******* all show up and ruin things for that market too.

I am still with you there. I like my cars row. And as for freedom, we all are free to switch all control off on most cars for the ******** drivers and then they are all ready to bite.

Why don't you want a tyre temperature indicator ( i like those :) ) , just like a oil temp indicator or water temp .

Only joking !!!

I like your web sites thought :)

Eduardo.
 

Chuck 98 RT/10

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 15, 2000
Posts
17,923
Reaction score
0
Location
tampa, fl USA
And as for freedom, we all are free to switch all control off

But we aren't free from purchasing it and manufacturers are not free from including it. Therefore everyone is forced, there is no freedom. And as for safety, when it comes to sports cars it won't save any more lives or accidents. WreckedExotics .com will continue its growth pace.

And just wait until mandatory rearview cameras.

I maintain my own cars and I prefer simplicity or ROI. Technology can cross my line of what I consider a good return on investment. Tire temp sensors cross that line for me.

Glad you like the sites. Just a place to mess around.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
153,609
Posts
1,684,960
Members
18,179
Latest member
Luigi93
Top