| Author | Message | ||
| Henry D. Chin (Hanknum)
Junior Member Username: Hanknum Post Number: 93 Registered: 2-2002 |
Matt, Too many ways to communicate  | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3933 Registered: 8-2002 |
Henry, Brad is coming on the drive april 27. It starts and ends in Valencia. Can you make it? Matt | ||
| Henry D. Chin (Hanknum)
Junior Member Username: Hanknum Post Number: 91 Registered: 2-2002 |
"I've let several Ferrari owners try my car out and they all came back shaking their heads. henry Chin was one of them." Brad- Let's get one thing straight. As far as "trying" your car out...I RODE in it, but did not DRIVE it I'm still waiting for that, and yes I'm still shaking my head. When are you going to be getting your car out of the shop? Henry | ||
| Jeremy Burr (Jdb)
New member Username: Jdb Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2003 |
Kal, My Viper is a yellow RT/10-- '95 was the last year (before the new body style) with side exhaust. I have to help my girlfriend out or she burns her legs every time! | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 3465 Registered: 8-2002 |
An off-topic thread completely devoid of blaring off-topic bells and whistles... Hmmmmm... | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3913 Registered: 8-2002 |
Brad, April 27th Matt | ||
| Brad Chang (Viper_10)
New member Username: Viper_10 Post Number: 9 Registered: 3-2002 |
When's your next drive guys? I'm getting my GTS out of the body shop very soon and I am itching for a cruise. Brad | ||
| Kal (Suprakal)
New member Username: Suprakal Post Number: 4 Registered: 4-2003 |
Actually the rear exit ones still run the exhaust piping right up against the door sills/sideskirts. I'm sure the side pipe models were even worse. There is a label on the door sill warning you not to touch it..I can assure you if its hot enough to leave a week long red mark on skin its hot enough to cook an egg. Viper is fun to drive tho... only car I have ever driven that you can short shift half way through the rpm band and still have it feel just as fast as if you redlined every gear. The car definately has explosive throttle response which gives it a lot of the fun to drive factor. Kal 97 Supra TT 430rwhp | ||
| Byron (Bmyth)
Member Username: Bmyth Post Number: 554 Registered: 10-2002 |
Are you kidding about the door sills?.. And that's because of the exhaust pipes, I presume... I guess that's why they went to the rear pipes instead of the side ones? I have to say, I've never driven a Viper before, but they do seem like fun cars to really open up. | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 723 Registered: 12-2002 |
Wow! Thats pretty interesting. Couldnt the same be said for any car that has been driven hard in hot weather? | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3853 Registered: 8-2002 |
I think they really did it. | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 721 Registered: 12-2002 |
did they really do it or was it a publicity thing? | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3850 Registered: 8-2002 |
Kal, Did you see the R & T where they boild an egg on the doorsill? Matt | ||
| Kal (Suprakal)
New member Username: Suprakal Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2003 |
Well if there is going to be a Viper then we have to have a Viper killer as well right? (we don't want the viper guys to get too cocky... )Hehehe just kidding . What color is your car Jeremy? RT/10? Definately my favorite American car and one of the top 3 fav sports cars under 100K. I rented a 2001 GTS for a day and had a lot of fun in it, great car..but I did burn my leg (wearing shorts) watch out for that door sill OUCH! Kal 97 Supra TT 430rwhp | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3840 Registered: 8-2002 |
Jeremy, Not at all. We will keep you posted on the upcoming drives. We had one viper on our last drive. I love Vipers. Matt | ||
| Jeremy Burr (Jdb)
New member Username: Jdb Post Number: 1 Registered: 4-2003 |
Do you mind Viper guys tagging along for drives? I have a '95 Viper with 5k miles on it and would love to participate some weekend. | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3584 Registered: 8-2002 |
Any of you Viper guys coming on the drive Sunday? | ||
| Brad Chang (Viper_10)
New member Username: Viper_10 Post Number: 8 Registered: 3-2002 |
Tenney: Ahhhh... the GT2 Porsche. Its a more practical and more comfortable car than a Viper. For the performance, I don't think that it's worth the money. Porsche's are fine machines, and a very neutral and forgiving car to drive on track. Thanks for the clarification. The GT2 Viper is a commemorative white/blue GTS. Sorry for my confusion. Brad | ||
| Tenney (Tenney)
Member Username: Tenney Post Number: 341 Registered: 2-2001 |
Guess I should've been more specific, Brad. The GT2 that I was referencing is the current Porsche model. | ||
| Brad Chang (Viper_10)
New member Username: Viper_10 Post Number: 7 Registered: 3-2002 |
Tenney: I agree with most of what you are saying. The only thing that I must disagree with is your comment about the GT2 (limited edition GTS). The GT2 is nothing but an overpriced ACR with a banana spoiler and dive plans. The only engine modification that they have are smooth intake tubes. I've owned my GTS for over 5 years and have put over 30,000 miles on it as a daily driver. They are radically different cars than Italian bred cars. The biggest difference is torque and power curve. Your Ferrari's traditionally don't hit your orque curves until 3,500 to 4,000 rpm, whereas the 500 ft-lbs of torque that the big block Viper produces comes on at 1,000 rpm and doesn't drop off until 5,400 rpm. This takes away any forgiveness that a higher revving cars have. Handling (in the right hands) is pretty amazing (or intimidating). It is very easy to induce oversteer in Vipers and can pull over 1.0 g's on a skidpad bone stock. The wide power band tends to intimidate most drivers, which is why most Viper owners prefer 1/4 mile racing over road racing. Stock brakes suck, and Stop Tech's improve braking dramatically. On the track, OE brakes tend to fade and overheat very easily. My car was the prototype that Stop Tech used in their early development. Driving position takes getting used to because you are angled slightly to the left side. There is no dead pedal, and the pedals are not set up for heel toe driving. I've let several Ferrari owners try my car out and they all came back shaking their heads. henry Chin was one of them. It is not an easy car to drive at the limits, without a bunch of track time under your belts. The bottom line is that it's a fun car, but it's not for everyone. Driving one demands all of your attention. It is not a cruising car that you drive with one hand on your Expresso. Brad | ||
| Dom Vitarella (Dom)
Junior Member Username: Dom Post Number: 120 Registered: 11-2002 |
Matt, LOL, I once saw a bumper sticker on a pantera that read: "All of the parts you see falling from this car are of the finest Italian quality" Re: Viper. I used to think it was just a very expensive Dodge (i.e., POS), but at an AROSC time trial at buttonwillow last year I met a guy who had one, and he was pretty damn fast (I think he took 2nd fastest time overall, second to a very modified corvette). Of course, I'm sure a big part of it is driving skill, but it gave me a new found respect for the car. Dom | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3525 Registered: 8-2002 |
Andrew, "It is no Ferrari when it comes to craftsmanship or technology" Your joking right? we have to drag a net behind our cars to pick up the parts that fall off | ||
| Robert Ziino (F355bob)
Junior Member Username: F355bob Post Number: 54 Registered: 8-2002 |
I had a 96 Viper Coupe and it was awesome. Had it for three years and 25,000 miles. No problems. The torque in no like any other car. I put headers and cat back exhaust and picked up 50hp and 50ftlb of torque. I had it lowered with Penske shocks and 18" rims and the handling was fantastic. The only downside is the interior is cheap and full of plastic and because the windshield is so sloped, the sun visors are usless because when lowered, you can not see out of the windsheild and they will rest on your forehead. Small price to pay for that performance. Forget Twin Turbo Porsches, the Viper will out do it and a bunch of performance parts available. I sold it for a 88 TR with 4,000mi and now have a 95 F355 and 79 930. | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3523 Registered: 8-2002 |
Andrew, That would be great! Matt | ||
| Andrew M. (Need4speed)
New member Username: Need4speed Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2002 |
I can show you mine at the cruise this weekend, and take you for a ride as well if you like. It is no Ferrari when it comes to craftsmanship or technology, but it will hold its own and then some in every other catagory. | ||
| Jordan Witherspoon (Jordan747_400)
Member Username: Jordan747_400 Post Number: 631 Registered: 12-2002 |
Thinking about getting one instead of a Lamborghini Matt? | ||
| Tenney (Tenney)
Member Username: Tenney Post Number: 338 Registered: 2-2001 |
I've a bit of coupe experience and Hubert summed it up pretty well, I think. They handle better than conventional internet wisdom might imply. Car has enough torque and tire to run with (or past) pretty much anything with a license plate on a track with turns. Steering's very direct and turn-in is excellent. It's pretty much always on the pipe and has loads of grip and so it'll suffer a mistake or two. But, as Hugh mentioned, some finesse with the controls will come in handy when giving it the business. Stock brakes need a bit of help and Stop-techs are a good choice. Stock exhaust is pretty weak, too. Acceleration wise, stock-for-stock it'd take a GT2 (tried one of these once or twice, also) to put any kind of distance on one and even then they're not in separate zip codes. Car is really a throwback content wise, which I like. Very bare bones and frill-free. Quality of build is better than chat room fodder might lead one to believe. Interior materials are average at best. It's all about the drive which is as good as any and better than most, IMO. That something like this somehow emerged from the tightly-puckered structure of a big American corporation has to be worth a point or two on the degree-of-difficulty scale. Cool car with a point of view and a good value for what you get. BTW - The '03's supposed to be a great car but am not sold on the looks. Seems a bit softer and more normal. | ||
| Hubert Otlik (Hugh)
Member Username: Hugh Post Number: 675 Registered: 1-2002 |
I've riden in a few, and can tell you that they are a brutal, brutal car; the acceleration and torque is surreal (to the tune of 500 ft./lbs), and the braking is equally severe (there's a lot of momentum to stop, and you feel it tug on you.) The chassis, however, is quite forgiving and allows for managable recovery of slides, and tail-wagging. Although, you need to be very gentle and feather footed with your inputs, otherwise all that momentum and torque will catch up with you, quickly. I've heard (since all the Vipers I've been in had aftermarkets brakes; i.e. stop-tech, ap racing, etc.) that the stock brakes are a bit weak, and that if you intend to track the car you'd be advised to run some decent brake pads and fluid. | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3518 Registered: 8-2002 |
Anybody own one or have driven one? I'd like more information about what kind of car they are. |