Where in the heck does this ridiculous idea that a Viper cannot handle come from?

[PJ9454]

Fatboy, Man you left that guy looking like a fool when he figures out how to read the record books. LOL Nice job. BTW, drove a turbo porsche a day before I bought my ACR as I was thinking of going that way...2 minutes and I was ready to get out. It felt like I was in a volkswagen. They are not for me.

 

[jwolf]

Let me first say I love my Viper, but I think the Viper takes a very talented driver to make it handle, many other car are far more forgiving.
I have driven my Viper and my Formula Vee on the same course same turns so to compare them.
The Viper is fun but it can be a handful and has no tolerance for mistakes. One mistake and your in the run-off area or facing the wrong way.
The Formula Vee is fun and very forgiving, I can go in to turn loose it, regain control, loose it regain control, loose it and regain control and still be on the track facing the correct direction.
I know I am not the best driver and not as good as most of you, but I will say the viper is fun very fast and capable in the right hand of some great handling. BUT in the hands of a novice there are a lot of easier handling cars out there.

So don't take the statement of poor handling as a put down take it as a complement knowing you are a good enough driver to make it handle.

In my humble opinion the handling issue comes for the over abundance of low end torque and the skill it take to modulate the peddle to control it.
If you floor it in a turn it is like firing a bullet and wanting it back.... TOO LATE.. just hope it doesn't hit anything important.

 

[PJ9454]

Jay you are right a Formula Vee with no downforce and thin tires will slide nicely and can be "drifted" back into the groove. Its a fun car to race and very enjoyable...I raced one for awhile...I felt like Jimmy Clark. Great times for sure and it teaches you how to be gentle with the wheel and feel the car and hear the engine lug when you oversteer. An ACR is like a GT-1 car and can appreciate that driving style even though they are setup for maximum lateral grip (unlike your vee that slides) and has big power...over steering still slows you with big power. You can certainly soften up a Viper to slide like a Vee but then you ruined the car to compensate for a bad driver that can't ride the knifes edge. Thats really the point, the setup it has is fast. Its mediocre drivers that say it *****. Randy Pobst loved the Viper, but then he knows how to drive the beast. The Top Gear America track proved in skilled hands its wicked fast. You drive the car you have: The ACR is a high grip aero dependent car just like a GT-1 or an F1 car. Changing the car to suit a bad driver.... thats not what the Viper is all about. If you can't drive your Viper hard and the edge is too knife like for your skill level, learn how to ride the knife (hit a go kart track...get some skills on a knife edge Kart...then drive a Vee and learn how to be gentle on the wheel and fast...then you can combine those skills and be fast in your Viper...like Jay will be), or just enjoy it at the pace you are skilled at.

 

[jwolf]

One reason I got the Vee was a couple instructors said I should go back to car with less HP and learn how to finesse the track instead of just Killing the track with HP.
Another Plus it is a lot cheaper to run.

 

[mattdillon]

I think you have to go way back to the 60s to settle this handling thing. You roads are Big and wide and in general American cars were made for long distance comfort on Interstates. European cars were made for much narrower roads and the cars set up had to deal with a hell of a lot more bends. European Racing circuits also had a lot of bends. While America went for big banked oval circuits


Clarkson on Top Gear makes fun of American Cars, example being the Corvette " Oooh look it has silly Leaf springs, the Body's made of plastic" etc etc............

So for many Europeans they STILL think American cars Don't handle.

I went to see a friend of mine at his office yesterday, One of his staff was saying to me "yea that cars OK but it wont keep up with a Porsche on the bends"
I really could not be bothered to argue with him, but as I left I suggested he look at the latest Ring records

In general the feeling on American cars over here is they Go well in a straight line with big fuel guzzling engines but don't go round bends!
Just saying

Fatboy, let us know when you go back & what he says about the ring records & WHY the Viper is King!

 

[GRNBGON]

Easy answer, from Vette owner. Like Jack said, " They can't handle the truth"

 

[crazyspeed]

This is funny...they have always said that about a Porsche for 50 years....engine hangs way off the back...only a very few experts can drive a P car....the rear engined design will have you going backwards into the tullies if you try to approach anything near the limit on a curve....ill handling ...yada..

the only difference was the P car had no power..gutless wonder