What am I not getting here on the Viper/Vette comfort issue?

[Paul Fischer]

After spending some time in a C5 lately after first getting familiar with Vipers of various vintages and configuartions I don't understand the comments relating to the superiority of the Vette for comfort vs. the Chapter II car.. I am 6'1", 43 years old and in reasonably good shape and find comments from those with egress/ingress difficulties amusing at best. The Viper seating and adjustable pedals are exemplary (for a front engined car with a huge block and tranny to match they did a hell of a job, this is no front wheel drive turbo-*******), the shift column and instrumentation purposefully laid out and the suspension compliant and predictable over a surprising wide range of driving. No question that the glove box in a GTS is best accessed while stopped and I love the C5's head's up display and driver visability but as for driving comfort I prefer the Viper. The C5 lulls me to sleep, the experience is more smooth Toyota (another fine car, great build quality and dead reliable) than hot rod. The run flats transmit a very heavy feel and there is no sense of drama to the car after having 10 large up front. I'm certainly not slamming the Vette and have never had the pleasure of driving a Z06 but after so many observations to the contrary on this item I had to wave my flag. Would I drive a Vette? Heck yes, and do whenever she'll let me. But I'm shopping for another Viper.

 

[Matt M PA]

I don't get it either. A good friend of mine is a car wholesaler and recently got a C-5. (It's okay folks..he also has a '69 GTX convertible) Anyhow, he had me drive me the Vette, and while it is a very nice car....it's just a car. Frankly, for daily use, I'd rather drive my 2000 Maxima SE. Again, the C-5 is a great car, probably the best Vette ever, but despite all the bells and whistles like heads up displays, etc...the car has "no soul." Of course, this is just my own opinion...and please guys...no flames

 

[dtittle]

Hey Guys,

I agree with you about a regular C5 especially one with runflats but the Z06 certainly isn't boring. It's not a Viper but there are alot of things that a Vette is that a Viper isn't. I think we all need both a Z06 and a Viper. Then there's no wondering.

CYa, Tittle

 

[AviP]

Nobody can beat the compliment I got.

I took my Mom on a 6500 mile national park hopping trip as a gift (yeah right) across the US in my '97 GTS. She's in her mid 50s.

After the trip, I asked her how she felt about the ride. And to quote her, "It's so much more comfortable than the Jeep". That was in reference to my other ride which was a Grand Cherokee 5.9.

That was the best compliment I ever got on the Viper. And to think Edmunds.com says that it has a kidney jarring ride. Think again.

-Avi

 

[Y2K5SRT]

I can't say that I have had the pleasure of riding in a newer Vette. However, I will add this: In reading the magazines over the years I, like Paul, have been confused why so many journalists pan the Viper as being uncomfortable for any extended length of time. Quite honestly, I was pretty nervous when I originally picked mine up at the factory, figuring I would be pretty sore or uncomfortable before I made it out of Michigan, much less all the way back to Kansas City (via all the relatives along the way).

What I found was nothing further from the truth. The seating position was excellent with good drivability and easy access to the controls. Leg room was fine and I didn't feel the slightest bit cramped. Most importantly, the car had seats which seemed to be designed to fit me just right. Very comfortable indeed. I drove 932 miles back from the factory and was ready to pass Kansas City and see what the Pac Highway had to offer, but the wife wouldn't let me. How comfortable is the Viper for me? Well, let's just say that I spend 14 hours a day in the driver's seat: I have a Viper seat (the genuine article) set up as an home/office chair and use it every minute of the day (writing this from said chair). When I am not using it my two boys fight over it while they play on the computers. Anybody got a Vette seat at home?

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Chris

 

[GaryA]

Well, it looks like there's a consensus here. I have a 2000 RT/10 and am a large guy. I was somewhat anxious about how comfortable this car would be when I bought it. I feel it is quite comfortable and am even surprised about the headroom (with the hardtop on).

Like some of you, the true test was if my 70 year old mother could get in and out reasonably well. The unsolicited comment that she made over and over (besides how incredibly fast it was, thanks HMS!) was how comfortable it was to ride in.

 

[Charlie]

I owned a C-5 before my first Viper and there is not doubt in my mind that given a choice which one I would take on a 1000 mile trip. For that I would take the C-5 hands down. It's not that the Viper is uncomfortable but to me it's apples and oranges. Am I ready to give up the Viper for a Z0-6? Not is this lifetime.

 

[Jim Hodel]

I don't know about a C5, but my 99 GTS is more comfortable for extended driving then the 98 BMW M3 I traded in on the Viper. The M3 was geared so short that 75 to 80 mph crusing got tiring after only a couple hundred miles. I guess I'll find out about the Corvette because my wife and I have ordered a Z06 as her car.

Jim

 

[GTS Dean]

Speaking of driving position - have you ever tried to heel-and-toe a C5? It stinks. (Love the exhaust note though.)

My biggest complaint about long trips in the Viper is the lack of cruise control. It takes huge amounts of self-control to stay legal. However, it does keep you focused on the driving - and that's not really a bad deal anyway.

 

[Roland L-Ocala FL]

We drove down to Cincinnati to pick up our '94 two years ago last November. I remember the drive home well, as I "borrowed" a plate from one of our other cars, just to have one on the car to drive it home with. It was 325 miles of fun, even at night, but I watched the speed limit very carefully that night. I am 5'-8", so the seating is not a problem for me, and I just do not remember being uncomfortable after the trip at all. (I too remember reading all the crap about how uncomfortable the Viper is and how rough it rides.) However, I found it to be totally untrue, the car is very comfortable. I got to drive a
C-5 last summer (a friend at work handed me the keys and said let's go for a ride), and it is a very comfortable car, full of gizmos and readouts, but I noticed that the Viper's ride was very similar, and I think the Viper handles better. Don't know about a Z06, but I will be getting a ride in one next month. Our big test was the drive this past summer to VOI-6, 535 miles each way, and we were not tired or uncomfortable after that ride at all! Very good seating, inflateable lumbar support, not power seats, but lots of adjustability for longer trips. I really think the articles in the magazines rate the ride based also on the huge amounts of heat released by the massive V-10 that eventually find their way into the cockpit area, and that is what they are most irritated by. However, that is what the A/C is for, although most of the articles about the Viper's ride are from older Vipers, and most of the first ones did not have A/C.

 

[SCS]

I find the Viper to be quite comfortable myself...

My previous car was a 911 Turbo that had a "bone jarring" ride that everyone that rode in it commented on or complained about...The car before that was a Ferrari that had the pedals skewed so far to the side that I never got used to driving the car and was certainly never comfortable in it...Actually one of the happiest days of my life was the day I sold it...

I think Dodge did a great job in making the Viper a car that you can live with on a daily basis...My GTS is by far my favorite sports car that I've owned...

I also make an awful lot of those trips to the store that seem to take considerably longer than when my wife goes...Lucky for me my wife understands...I'm usually greeted with a smirk and a comment like...They must really be busy over there...

Yes dear they are...he he he..

 

[Tom and Vipers]

I'm suprised no-one mentioned the lack of a dead pedal spot for the left foot. Between that and no cruise control ... I think my feet have become permanently deformed

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since I have been touring the dickens out of my 00 GTS.

The seat is fine.

 

[99t1]

You long trip Viper Lovers need to DRINK MORE MILK!!!

Your bones must be like rubber.

I'm 6'1" and after the first 4 hours of driving my new GTS home in 96 my left leg was sore since it had NOWHERE TO GO!!!

Have you tried to tilt the seat back for a nap?

I don't know if the Vette has a left foot rest but that alone would make it MUUUCH better on a long trip...even though it WOULD BE BORING!!! because your not in an exciting but painful Viper!

 

[Venom Lover]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GTS Dean:
Speaking of driving position - have you ever tried to heel-and-toe a C5? It stinks. (Love the exhaust note though.)

My biggest complaint about long trips in the Viper is the lack of cruise control. It takes huge amounts of self-control to stay legal. However, it does keep you focused on the driving - and that's not really a bad deal anyway.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, I have, in my Z06, and I find heel-and-toe to be equally easy in the Z06 and the GTS. Perhaps the Z06 has different pedal positions than the C5 you drove?

I find my Viper to be less comfortable than my Z06 on long trips for 3 basic reasons:
(1) No dead pedal (as noted by Tom above)
(2) Borla exhaust causing deafness and ringing in the head (though it sure is fun in shorter bursts!)
(3) Heat

That being said, when my Chapter III car arrives, I'm selling the Z06. My GTS Viper is a keeper!

 

[venemous]

The funny thing about this topic.Over and over this is discussed. Guys,go back and look into the archives. These cars are worlds apart!! The answer to this is .... if you have the 70k buy the viper. If you dont have it buy the half price C5.

As far comparing them, when i compared getting a Viper to a Ferrari 355 It was quit simple.

You cant compare them !"JUST GO WITH THE ONE YOU LOVE MOST"

Those are my last words on this subject forever
John

 

[pj]

I've owned three Vipers ('97, '98 & '00) and one '01 Vette. Here's my input:

The Viper is something I own to enjoy on nice days - but I would never drive it in the rain, snow or anything other than a perfect day (with my Roadster I never even put the hardtop on it!). The thought of a bug being splat on the front end drives me crazy as does the horrible sound of my front lip hitting a speed bump. I keep it clean with multiple coats of Zaino with a very gentle cleaning with Z6 spray between each coat and each wash (hand washed mine you). I never have more than a little bit of dust on it. Comfortable? Sure. (Except I always seem to have my left knee in an awkward position that doesnt let me move it much.)

The Vette is an everyday driver that I don't mind if it is raining, snowing (well, not much anyways) or whatever. I dont mind it a layer of dirt is on it for weeks at a time until I can get it though the soft-cloth wash. I still put Zaino on the Vette, but I'm not nearly as an*l about it. On nice days I can take the roof off and enjoy the wind. But it will never be a Viper. Comfortable - heck yeah.

Which would I drive on a long trip? Depends on who I wanted to impress and weather I thought it would get trashed on the way.

I bought the Vette as an everyday driver and the Viper as my "fun" car.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mike Brunton]

One of the BIGGEST reasons I sold my C4 and got a Viper was because the C4 was so uncomfortable. The parking brake would dig into my left thigh THROUGH the seat making it literally painful to drive for more than 30 minutes at a time. I liked the car, hated the comfort.

I test drove a bunch of C5's, and did it back to back with a Viper. I found the Viper and C5 to be pretty close in terms of comfort. The dead pedal thing was an issue at first, but I got used to it really quick and it doesn't bother me much anymore. I am 6'3" and 230lbs, and I fit very well into the Viper - MUCH better than in my C4.

Mako,

No flames, BUT, storage space has nothing to do with comfort. The Viper has a good amount of storage - but it's not a cargo car. Who cares about storage in a sports car? If I wanted a lot of room, I'd get an M5 or an ML55 or something. As for the Vette being more open, yes it is, but that also doesn't make it more comfortable. All of the interior dimensions of the Viper/Vette are virtually identical. In the Viper, the dash is "closer" to you, and it does make the car feel smaller inside, but to me that's not a comfort issue. If I were claustrophobic, maybe it would be an issue, but I'm not, so it's not. As for the in-and-out issue, I don't see why this is important either. Maybe it's because I'm a young guy, but I'd rather have a well styled car than one that makes it easy to get into. I love how I just fall into the seats in the Viper - just like my C4 in that respect. As for driving position, I disagree, but that's a personal thing.

The difference in comfort between a Vette and Viper is just like Mike Pierce said... the Viper is a fun car that you don't want to drive everyday in all weather, even though you could. The Vette is a car you can drive every day, and not care if it's raining, etc. Which is a better everyday car? Definitely the Vette. Which one provides the better thrill? No question - the Viper.