MY EXPERIENCE WITH DODGE VIPERS

I think this "Bryan" character is either full of crap, or just starting trouble, or nurturing an inferiority complex!

I've had Vipers too - they are what they are. But I can always tell when people really own the cars and drive them, vs the people who read about them in the magazines.

The heat issue is much talked about in the rags, but I've honestly never had any problems with it. I never noticed the footwells being particularly hot - certainly no more so than any other car I've had. The magazines do often talk about sidesill heat and that is an issue, but it's one that is very easily rectified with a free'er flowing exhaust.

The seating position - again, that's a magazine complaint (along with the seatbelts crossing the other way). It's something you notice when you first get into the car, but after a few miles, it just disappears as an issue. Anyone who'se driven a large tractor trailer for a few days then gotten back into their own car knows what I mean - it feels "weird" for all of 5 minutes.

The suspension in the Viper is great. The car a very stiff chassis and sticks like glue. It's worlds better than many of the cars I've owned/driven, including Corvettes, 550 Maranello, etc, etc. The Viper has so much power and grip that it's a cinch to take it fast. I am a better man, obviously, than the original poster, because I can take it right up to 160+ with ease. At 160, the front end gets a bit light because of the aerodynamics, but a splitter solves that and lets you run to the 190+ top speed with no issues. Anyone who loses their balls at 110 in a Viper is an utter hack, period.

I've also not heard of a major rattling problem with Vipers. Again, they are very solidly build, stiff frame and a well engineered car. Anyone who knows anything about cars can appreciate this machine... jack it up and look at the car. It's very simple but very over-built. It's got a massive rear end, halfshafts, strong tranny and a virtually bulletproof motor. It's a racer or modders dream.

Looks are not all that subjective, because I've never had a car that gets as much looks and wows as the Viper does. To call the Viper a one-trick pony for acceleration is like saying a 430's only exist for dorks to take to shine-and-show events on the weekends while wearing full Ferrari regalia.

Come to think of it, that may be exactly what the OP is looking for

 

This thread is great!

I am hugely biased, having had 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2003 Vipers (still have the 2001). As for build quality, it sure can be spotty, my '03 was bad but my '01 has been a tank with no problems at all in nearly 8 years, and it is supercharged to boot. No squeaks or rattles, either, other than the monoballs on the Koni 2812 shocks I added aftermarket.

You have to have decent car control skills to drive the Viper hard. GOOD!

If you have no skills, get yourself a nannified car, preferably with lower power and pose on.

The new ACR is breathtaking. I drove my student at MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, TX in her ACR and by lap 4 I was running 1:19s, on the stock tires and the 1.7 course CCW (admittedly they are Pilot Sport Cups).

The best thing about the Viper is that it polarizes folks and I am glad for that, it is no Camry.

And as for the other cars "owned," The Porsche is great, but heavy and pushes - perfect for the pinhead that charges into turns well over his head. The 360 is totally overrated from a performance standpoint and was a letdown given its price level. Nice car, but frankly a Lotus Elise has the same performance envelope on track, especially the new Elise SC. The Gallardo destroyed the 360, hence the quantum leap to the 430, a fantastic car that I have yet to drive at speed.

 

While the OP is kind of weird, I'm greatfull for this thread.

I've tried to get 2 other threads going to get some info on ride quality, interior noise level etc and have found some good info here.

Is there a major difference in interior noise between an RT/10 & a GTS?

 

gts is quiter, rt.10 is soft top, older rt 10 has soft windows too, even louder yet.

 

I've spent some time in a '98 FE GTS and it was amazing. The grip was impressive, turn in was sharp and the factory shock valving was nice on the relatively smooth roads I drove it on. There was power oversteer at will but it is so controllable. The steering ratio is perfect!!

The GTS handled better with the solid roof contributing to stiffness and quieter.

Think about how many times the Viper has won Le Mans...if the cars were not engineered, this would not be possible.

Vipers are awesome performers, there is no doubt about that.

LS

 

Hey guys,

I don't come on here often but this thread was brought to my attention.

First cars I have owned in the past: lambo murcielago, lambo diablo roadster, ferrari 360 coupe,ferrari 360 spider, 03 viper stock, serveral porsches, and about 10 hummers. You can see my car colletion thru the years if you'd like - www.pteam.net/cars.html I'm sure some of you know me from talk lambo, viper forums, hummer forums I'm on most of them

I now have a 2005 800 hp supercharged viper, this is my second viper. Last one I kept totally stock, this one I just got supercharged a few months ago. Reasons I like the viper: its very fast, nobody will pull up to you thinking they own you. I never liked the feeling in my ferrari 360 with 395 horsepower knowing that the average corvette selling nowadays had 436 hp and 505 hp for the z06, although I would never own a vette because for me its just too common. Go out on a sunny day and you'll see 50 corvettes and maybe 1 viper and 1 ferrari. Thats what I like about vipers, ferraris, lambos. Although I do like the viper alot because it is a much better investment spending 50k on a 2 year old viper compared to 150k-200k for a 2 year old ferrari or lambo and the viper is just as fast. In fact the 600 hp viper acr set the fastest lap time ever for a stock oem street car at the ring. not ferrari not lambo..

also a few years ago when the new viper came out it was tested to have the best stopping distance for any car under a million dollars, the only car with a shorter distance was the enzo..

With all that aside I will own another ferrari and another lambo. I prefer lambos a little over ferraris because theyre a little more exotic (especially with the doors) and a little faster dollar for dollar, just an opinion. However pure speed is not everything. The viper does have a very exotic appeal to it, not as much as a ferrari or lambo but people do take pictures of you in the viper all the time, for 50% to 25% of the price. I go through stages and whenever I feel like not spending 200k I find myself coming back to the viper. Yes when the market is not down 45% YTD then I might splurge on the lambo or ferrari again.

I do have to set one thing straight to the poster: the viper build quality is BETTER than ferrari and lambo (pause to take a gasping breath of air) in the fact that Ferraris and Lambos have very very expensive repairs all the time! My red 360 hardtop had the radiator go bad and the car only had 10k miles! The repair was something silly like $8,000. My lambos had multiple repairs over the years, they were never cheap, and they were never driver error. From what I read the average clutch on a lambo and lots of ferraris last 10-15k miles only and can cost 10 grand or more. My red viper I had for 2 years, in the shop 1 time ever and was covered under warranty. My current viper with 800 hp, never in the shop (knock on wood). Most vipers are bulletproof and when they do need repair they are WAY cheaper to repair, thousands to tens of thousands cheaper than going to a ferrari or lambo dealer.

So guys I know this is a ferrari forum, Im a previous ferrari owner. Don't defend your car and knock another supercar just because you've never owned one, or you had 1 bad experience with one. I dont knock on ferrari for having a radiator fail within 10k miles, I love ferraris and everytime I seeone I give them a thumbs up and wonder if I should get another one I have owned them all but Vipers are very good cars, especially when you figure you can buy a very low mile 2 year old one for 40-50k and be just as fast and almost as exotic as a ferrari.

Til then, drive on

 

I agree with Pteam.

A Viper is much more better built than a 360. Not only are the parts going to be way less, but it hardley breaks down when you beat on it. Now a Ferrar? beat on it and you got yourself a huge bill.

I think the person who posted this thread is just a shiit talker and whiner. What was the point on coming on here and bashing Vipers? That traction control coment was a classic poser comment! LOL!

But what do I know about Vipers? hmmmm

 

I've owned a 98 and 99 GTS, both had mods. I'm buying a GenIII in a few months. I also had my wifes NSX at the same time. I would hop into the NSX and head to the store for milk or to the Home Depot for a gallon of paint. One hand of the steering wheel, jamming to some tool. The Viper I would plan my day around it's ride. White knuckles, both hands with a death grip on the wheel, radio off and laughing uncontrollably. I drove both hard and the only problem was the jihad they declared on the rear tires.

 

FE was 02'

Few things i've noticed after logging 50k miles in mine and driving a dozen or so vipers, ranging from stock to 1300rwhp TT cars.

If the car feels unstable at speed it's 100% in the alignment and setup. You have an immense amount of rubber on the road, setup is critical. With a good alignment and corner balance these things are dead nuts stable at 160mph. As in, cruising with one hand on the wheel messing with the stereo stable.

Same goes for the front end lift bit, drop the nose down a bit and it all goes away.

Pretty much all the Gen II, and especially the ACR are insanely oversprung stock. Even going to a simple set of eibach springs is a HUGE improvement.

The only "issue" I find annoying is how the windows pop out on the GTS at around 190-200mph. But it's something I can live with.

Seems like all the 'problems' you complain about, are the very vices everyone loves about the car. Grow a pair or stick to a porsche cu*t-mobile. Just don't be upset when a guy in a tt viper laying down 900rwhp on pump gas lays a ghetto ass whoopin on you.

 

A revealling statement.

114,000 miles on my 1998 RT/10 with no major issues.
38,000 miles on my 1997 GTS tracker. Replaced tranny after losing 5th at Sebring in 2005.

They may squeak and rattle more than some prefer but Dodge made a solid car that is probably the most fun and most challenging to drive. And that's what sports cars are supposed to be about.

BTW I haven't posted in a few years so I guess that's why my post count is 1.

 

The Gen I Vipers (RT/10) came with soft tops only, but Gen II RT/10's had a removable hardtop and a soft top. I never used the soft top on mine, but I did use the hard top most of the time.

My Viper was supercharged for a few years and then I went to a twin turbo system. I can tell you that I've driven most exotics out there and they all have strengths and weaknesses and a lot of subjective looks. The Viper is in-your-face and it's a fallacy that it can't make turns. My car made just over 1000 rwhp and I never once felt afraid to push it. Moderation (unless you're racing!) and training are keys to survival in most things in life. My Viper was bulletproof and the gawk factor was extremely high no matter where I took it.

 

Viper's do suck!
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There is no real reason to bash you. Your statements are clearly biased and unfounded. A little analogy to show how your reasoning makes no sense. The analogy will be centered around golf. We will equate the viper to tiger woods, and you will be equated to a golfer in the bottom 5% of the Pro Tour. You decide to do a write up on why Tiger Woods is a horrible golfer, and how he has bad form, etc. You can say whatever you want about him...but the bottom line is he is better than you and the score is there to prove it. Well, from the looks of your sig, you drive a 360. Entry-level Ferrari. You can say all of the negative you want about the dodge viper, but the facts are there. It destroys you and damn near every other car made. The viper was created and evolved around the stigma that a car with its setup could never outperform the world's best. Well, it went to Lemans and raped every last one of you. The only way anything could even compete with the viper was for the league to impose weight penalties, air restriction, and skinnier tires. After 2 years of proving our point, the factory backed team pulled out. Fast forward to now. People still want to discredit the viper. Well guess what. On your beloved nurgburgring the ACR slaughtered nearly every car the rest of the world has ever produced, and it comfortably beat the MC12. Which may I add beat the enzo, zonda, and CGT. So you are trying to tell me that a car that makes a mockery of prior ring records has crappy suspension? You are telling me that a car that can handle 1200+ RWHP RELIABLY and be driven daily is built poorly? So you are telling me that you get more for your money in a ferrari than you do a viper? lmao. You may not like the viper, but you can't deny what it is. It's powerful and it doesn't play by the rules.

Boost your modena up to 1000hp (if you can) and see what happens. Try to take a road trip. See what happens. Ferrari's are beautiful cars but they are true exotics and very finicky. The viper is bulletproof. Blah Blah Blah. What was the point of your write up?

 

+1, had them all... Vipers, Ferrari's, Lambos, M3's, 911tt, etc. Just bought my 9th Viper (06 coupe), can't wait to track it on Saturday. The comment about over 110mph being unstable made me laugh out loud. I honestly thought OP was kidding. Guess not, although it's possible he drove one that had a bad alignment job, bad build, etc. I will admit that all my Vipers rattled a little bit, but then again I consistently drove all of my Vipers faster than the others. Massive torque also twisted the frame a lot easier. Big part of why I keep coming back to Vipers is that I can drive hard and still be covered under factory warranty.

 

I bought a '05 SRT-10 Viper new in May, 2005 and have put 18,000 miles on it. I've owned over 35 cars in my life and this has been the most fun, trouble-free, and least expensive performance car of all. Maintenance has consisted of oil changes every 3,000 miles ($80 doing it myself) and all the fluids and spark plugs changed at 13k not because they need it but because I felt guilty, and a set of tires - that's it! The only problem was a cracked header that Dodge replaced under warranty no-questions-asked.
I've driven it in five Silver States with a 165 MPH Tech Speed (top approved speed based on safety equipment and experience) and the car with a proper alignment is rock steady - more so than this driver at that speed -tracks straight and without front-end lift.
At the recent Viper Owners' Invitational 10 in Detroit we all got a tour of the Conner Avenue assembly plant where the Vipers are made. 110 employees and really only two pieces of automation: a large fixture that drills all the mounting holes in the frame and another that does a front and rear alignment before the wheels are mounted. Everything else is done by hand. Sure things like the panel fit are sometimes not up to exotic car standards, but neither is the price - less than half. Best to think of it as a modern day Shelby Cobra: big (in this case, underrated) engine in a basic chassis, few electronics (no traction or stability control, cruise control, vanity mirror lights - only power windows, locks, mirrors and pedal rack adjustment), a mid-front engine layout - yes the engine sit behind the wheels, and easy to modify for outrageous amounts of HP.

I've been lurking here for some time because I've always wanted a Ferrari and am seriously thinking about a 550 but its going to be hard to give up the Viper's raw performance, simplicity (open the hood or climb underneath and one can see how things actually work) and low maintenance costs.

 

Viper has been called the American exotic....

Just keeping the thead going =)

My personal goal is to get into one this comming season if Uncle Sam goes easy on me in April.

Nearing 40, I'm past the light-light races stage of my life.

I store a friends C5 and driving that for more than 1/2 an hour is almost torture. The squeaks rattles and wind noise is not something I'm interestd in. And just so we understand, I used to drive one of my 66 corvette convrt's on an almost daily basis and multiple times on 5+ hour OW trips, so I know a little something about wind noise and exhaust smell.

I also drove a buddies 07' ZO6 for 2 & 1/2 hrs. The thing was beastly fast, but on any sort of highway made of concrete, we had to yell back and forth just to hear each other...it was truly mind numbing noise.

 

It sounds like Bryanc4 would enjoy lunch with Nick Carter discussing racing strategies.

 

I have had nothing but great experiences with Vipers.

I do hope to make my next car purchase either an early RT-10 or a late GTS hopefully by then I could find one around 30k or so. If not ill build a kitcar.

 

I love mine.I have a 99 RT/10.I have 45K miles on it.They do have issues from time to time but nothing major/expensive, except tires!! I love how loud and rough it is.I think of it as an improved cobra and they were more loud and rough.It beats all in acceleration.Its the easiest car to drive there is.Idle,just ease out on the clutch and it goes.No revs over idle to move it off the line.I tell people it drives like a honda at low speeds and shifts as easy.Mine was very hot in the summer until I replaced the exhaust.Problem solved.I also put in a fan control so it doesnt get really hot anymore.I have had more fun with this car tahn any other.I would llike to step up to a newer true convertible with a supercharger now.I just cant get enough and when you learn how to drive it and control it,its a whole other world.
They dont have "options" because they werent meant to.Its all about the brute power and curves-period. And the smiles per gallon.

 

IMO that is the biggest issue with them. They sound like a big four banger to me. Once you change the exhaust it gets worse. My buddy has a '96 GTS with a Borla. It sounds like poop.

 

I will agree that compared to similar cars the Vipers exhaust sound sucks. Even Mustangs sound better.

 

Oops...it was 6 yrs ago I guess, couldn't remember.

Either way, it was an impressive car to say the least.

Can anyone post up some factory alignment specs on the Gen II?

I'd be interested to know what the toe settings are...and what you Viper guys change them to for track/ORR use.

LS

 

Factory settings for Gen II were crap. If you go to viperclub.com or viperalley.com, you can find different setups for track/street use.