Why so many single car accidents?

[BOTTLEFED]

It seems like there is at least 1 totaled Viper on here per week; it usually only involves the Viper.
I'm sure this has been discussed on here before, and I know that some are going to say the answer is driving schools, but it bothers me that these cars are so difficult to drive.

For example, there was this thread last week:
http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/607521-viper-heaven.html
Why did he spin? He couldn't have been going more than 25mph, yet his car became uncontrollable. Did he do something wrong? Could he have done something to get control back before he left the road?

I just feel unsafe sometimes because the car feels squeamish on acceleration. It doesn't help when everyone I talk to says I'm going to kill myself and then I read all these disaster stories on here.
I have only had my car for less than 3 months and have put 1600mi. on it. I'm still getting used to it. It is very fun, don't get me wrong, I love the feel of the power and the sound and all the attention, but I have this uneasiness when I get on it that I just can't get over

What has been everyone else’s experience with this car?

 

[jpa99acr]

My last ACR was totaled sept. 2nd (not quite 2 months ago), friend couldn't handle the power and rolled when the back end starting fishtailing and he overcorrected- he was probably going near triple the speed limit according to the investigators who examined the tire marks and point of impact. If he had been in a RT instead of GTS they both would have been killed due to the way the car landed.

I owned the car for 5 yrs and put 20k miles on it with no incidents, however I respected the cars power. Not saying accidents don't happen, but you have to take extra care with a car that has 3 times the torque of "regular" cars (not counting the ones with Roes

Makes the ones left more valuable I guess, but it does **** that the already rare Vipers become more rare with each "Viper Heaven" thread.

 

[mad0953]

Well I must admit that my car scares me at times. I thought since I had owned and driven many muscle cars in my past (usually big block Chevys) that I had the skills to drive the Viper in the same way................Wrong!!!!!! It's nothing like a 60's muscle car, far from it. It's a monster and you have to totally respect it or you're in for trouble. I did quite a bit of drag racing back in the day and I had no problem with power shifting thru every gear, but not with this puppy. I had the tail start to come around on me 1 time after I first got my Viper and I brought it back by just lifting off but I know I am going to take a driving class before any more corners like that. Or maybe all of the above is BS and I have just gotten too old and too scared????? I don't know but a driving class or two is in my future.

 

[pocketAA]

I really do not understand this either. I have had my car for almost 2 years and have never gotten the car sideways or lost control (knock on wood). Whenever I do punch it, I make sure I keep the car straight and let off of it going around corners. I have not tried to ever launch the car hard because I know that the thing can turn around a bite you at a moments notice. I have a 99 RT/10 (7700 miles) with original tires on it. The tires do seem a little hard, but I make sure I am very careful with it.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I think most accidents are by people "new" to Vipers. The Viper is very deceiving. IMO, its an easy car to drive, but with all the power, its easy to get overconfident and BAM! The day I bought mine, I KNEW it was a lot of car and I better drive it with extreme care. Three hours into my drive home, I decided to show off for some kids on the side of the street and gunned it and grabbed 2nd under full throttle. The rearend tried to come around on me but thank God I was able to prevent it. Had their been a car in the lane beside me, I would've hit them. Had I lost the rearend, I would've hit the median. I'm not sure my heartbeat dropped below 150bpm the rest of the way home and my speed never got over 70mph the rest of the trip. I KNEW how much power the car had and still ended up getting over confident and almost wrecked it before I made it home. The Viper will bite even the most experienced owner, but newbies are its favorite target.

 

[mike & juli]

Yep, can spin going at ANY speed in a Viper...depends on cold roads/tires/acceleration, etc. LOTS of single-Viper accidents in our area as well...and they ALL have been with young men whose friends 'let' them borrow the Viper...they'd never driven one before. Smashed up Vipers and some dead friends...NO one should drive the Viper unless they respect it...no need to feel uneasy in your car, bottlefed...just respect it. ~juli

 

[Burntrubber]

The car definitly has to be respected, what an amazing amount of grip but once it goes it goes. I have only tries an aggresive launch once and just smoked em. I remember when I had my 2000 mustang GT,(i know, i know) it was so much fun because you could just hammer on the thing but the power was limited so there was no worries of getting in a jam. The Viper makes you fully commit, plus with the fact it is my dream car and I don't want to wreck it I am extra cautious. Full throttle power shifts are still to scary for me.

 

[dave6666]

I've never needed any help doing really stupid things. I can screw up perfectly well by myself thank you.

 

[mike & juli]

I've never needed any help doing really stupid things. I can screw up perfectly well by myself thank you.

Well, we never doubted that, Dave!!! ~juli

 

[Heysie]

Like said, if it goes, it goes. It's very wide rear tires are then the problem.

Somebody on this forum is doing drifting wth his Viper. Some think it's "***' to do that. But I think, if everybody is doing some drifting school with the Viper, then you ain't frightened by it when it goes a little sideways. You know then what to do.
In the beginning of road racing trackdays with the Viper, I was scared to h3ll, when the tail was going sideways. Now I don't bother, let it come a little and just correct it by countersteering and throttle responce.

An other "problem" with the car is how it react by taking a corner. If you go to fast in one, you will have oversteer. Normally a car will have safe understeer.

 

[SquadX]

I'll say good thing it only involves one person (the drive). These cars are scary and bite when not respected. Sh#t happens is putting it in plain english. Ex. getting caught in the rain or some a-hole cutting you off while doing 80+. Carelessness and bad luck.

Every time a viper is wrecked, your stocks go up.

 

[SquadX]

Also, getting the car cornered/balanced helps some.

 

[AFL in NJ]

I've had my ACR for 3 years and have yet to find out "how fast" it is because everytime I sample a little, I back off because the power is so limitless....and traction is VERY limited. I have payments left on the car, so I choose to err on the safe side. I also had the throttle stick a few times.....VERY, VERY SCARY!

Regards,
Aaron

 

[Viper Scot]

I'd had my car for >2.5 years when I totalled it 2 weeks ago. And I wasn't driving hard, just in inappropriate conditions. I drove over the same corner today for the first time since the accident and the memories came flooding back and put a shiver up my spine. Mine just broke free and there was nothing I could do get it back on line before it hit the wall of a bridge. One these babies go, you're not reigning them back in again so be careful!

 

[mike & juli]

I'd had my car for >2.5 years when I totalled it 2 weeks ago. And I wasn't driving hard, just in inappropriate conditions. I drove over the same corner today for the first time since the accident and the memories came flooding back and put a shiver up my spine. Mine just broke free and there was nothing I could do get it back on line before it hit the wall of a bridge. One these babies go, you're not reigning them back in again so be careful!

So sorry to hear about that...as others stated, we ARE careful with these Vipers...don't WANT them coming ass-end around...very very sorry that your Viper was totaled...and can imagine your feelings when you arrived at the same crash area.... ~juli

 

[KenH]

I think a lot of people new to the Viper just don't undertand that they are a different animials. People that say - I had a 500HP mustang, so I know I can handle a Viper are full of crap. The combination of high HP, high TQ, wide tires, short wheelbase and manual transmission make for a very different handling and unforgiving car. The only way to really be safe in a Viper is to drive it like a grandma on sunny days.

My brother-in-law is an avid car guy. He has a hemi pickup and a Audi A4/S4? and has had a Stealth TT, bikes, etc in the past. He hotrods those around, power slides them using the hand brake into driveways, etc. He considers himself quite the performance driver. He has always wanted a Viper, but I have always discouraged him because I figured if he got one, it would be wrecked within a month if he tried to drive it the same way.

I finally took him out for a drive the other day for the first time ever and I think he finally understood where I was coming from. It is possible for the Viper to overpower the road at almost any point in time other than when you are point straight ahead and going over xx miles an hour (depending on your HP level). At no time can you just push the peddle to the metal and expect the tires to start whining to let you know that you need to back off.

I think I actually scared him because he realized that on this tight curvy back country road I took him on there was a fine line between driving the road fast and overpowering the road and crashing. He had never been in a car that could be wrecked if you just gave it a little more throttle than you meant to coming out of a corner which means there is a lot more of a requirement put on the driver to keep it under control. Stab and steer has not place in driving a Viper though you might get away with it in a lesser car.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

So do other high-powered cars (Supras, Ferraris,musclecars) have the same issues as the Viper? Are they always on the verge of losing control?

I guess I'm just not hearing the answers I want to hear.
I don't want to hear, "slow down and you won't crash" or "respect the car and it won't bite."
I don't want to drive this car like my grandma, and I do respect it; I want to enjoy it and have fun and drive fast and feel confident. Why own an incredibly fast car and putt around, never feeling its power?

Is there anyone out there that drives their car "like they stole it?"
Is there anyone who has experienced what I feel and learned to drive it fast without worrying about wrecking it?

I'm not some crazy teenager that wants to tear-up the streets or put everyone around him in danger. What I want is to drive fast safely.

 

[mike & juli]

Bottlefed: Guess we all weren't really clear...yes, respect the Viper...it is as I said, a DRIVERS' car...the DRIVER is in total control of the vehicle at ALL times...and of COURSE we drive it like it was stolen, we spin it, we slam it, we 'street' it...gotta be careful what we say on here...!!! OH YEAHHHHHH, we TOTALLY have fun with the Viper, it's why we GOT IT!!!! This car is NOT babied, not from day ONE....in the rain to boot!! WITH run-flats...it is an utter JOY to drive and have tons of fun with, you sounded very unsure of the Viper, which is why you probably got more hesitant replies from most of us. Respect the power the car has, know your limits, and GO FOR IT!!! HAVE FUN!!! ~juli

 

[Burntrubber]

When I am driving in my Viper I keep in the back of my mind that the car in itself is a better performance vehicle than I am driver. Yes I have gone to driving schools, I also did the SRT track experience thru Dodge and they let us hammer on Vipers. My point in this is you can drive it like you stole, but you will wreck it too. I love going fast, but I love my car more. You should talk to Gary Javo I think he drives fast...lol

 

[FrankBarba]

Its not the Viper, its the Person Driving & what is between their ears...

 

[mike & juli]

Its not the Viper, its the Person Driving & what is between their ears...

Simply put. Always respect the power/torque the Viper has, and it'll reward you with lots of funnnnnnnnnn~~~ ~juli

 

[dave6666]

Simply put. Always respect the power/torque the Viper has, and it'll reward you with lots of funnnnnnnnnn~~~ ~juli

Just mash the pedal, set your beer down and close your eyes.
It's gotta work.

Still breathing aren't I?

 

[mike & juli]

Just mash the pedal, set your beer down and close your eyes.
It's gotta work.
Still breathing aren't I?

And where is YOUR 'cup' holder...hmmm...??? Pedal to the metal...no can do in the Viper...*sigh*...with BEER though, heck yeah!!! (screw-on-top-bottle-beer-only-allowed) Devil-Dave...

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...juli

 

[dave6666]

And where is YOUR 'cup' holder...hmmm...??? Pedal to the metal...no can do in the Viper...*sigh*...with BEER though, heck yeah!!! (screw-on-top-bottle-beer-only-allowed) Devil-Dave...

You must be registered for see images

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...juli

Don't need a cup holder. Just hold beer in big mouth...

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Trick or Treat to you too!

 

[Need1]

If you haven't spun out or had a near accident you aren't trying hard enough.

 

[dave6666]

If you haven't spun out or had a near accident you aren't trying hard enough.

You know Josh, I detect a hint of Redneck on your breath...

 

[mike & juli]

If you haven't spun out or had a near accident you aren't trying hard enough.

Remember, we DO have to be a bit responsible here...not to be a downer...but we do try to promote GOOD Viper driving, especially to those who are fairly *new* to Viper driving.
Just to get DEVIL-DAVE back on track here!~! hee-heeeeeee....juli
AND Need1 too...though he needs a bit of levity after his near-wreck~~!

 

[Venomiss]

I don't know what you're all talking about. We never go over 45.
That's what Doug Levin told us to say.

 

[mike & juli]

I don't know what you're all talking about. We never go over 45.
That's what Doug Levin told us to say.

Well, Doug hasn't told US what to say...but we won't say anyway!!!~~~ ~juli

 

[Need1]

You know Josh, I detect a hint of Redneck on your breath...

Then you're too close.