1997 Dodge Viper
The moment I sat down is the hulking beast of a car I hated it.
I thought to myself: “Could it be any harder to get into?
The plastics look cheap, the interior is cramped as hell…the
driving position is ok but the pedal placement…what the?
What’s with these pedals? The car rumbles and shakes a bit…look
at that hood! It’s huge! Man this thing is crazy!” I
put my foot into the massive clutch pedal after getting situated
and the other over the gas…lift clutch gently, apply a little
bit of gas and presto…it begins to move. “There sure
is a lot of clatter form the drivetrain…and boy, this car
feels rickety as I go over these little lines in the asphalt…”
I think. “It turns pretty easy getting out of this parking
lot…but let’s see how it turns while moving more than
2 MPH…Hmmm, doing a U under this bridge seems that is turns
pretty crisply for such a huge thing…well, here’s the
on ramp…let’s see how it accelerates…”
I calmly select second with a blip
of the throttle so as to not get the clutch grabbing to slow the
car more than 35 MPH, then as soon as I check all directions for
merging traffic I put my foot into it and see if this snake is
poisonous or harmless. As soon as my brain gets the signal to
my foot to depress the pedal some, the big blue hulk squats a
bit and blasts off towards the end of the highway onramp with
a sudden fury and rage that I am startled from the sudden rush
of internal organs meeting my spine. “WHOA!!! Good Lord!!!”
my brain screams…accompanied by a huger than life smile.
The seatbelt tensioners grab hold as if I had been plowed into
from behind while I am forced back into the seat with such force
that my butt begins to slide forward as the weight of my upper
torso is rushed as far aft as the seat cushion will depress. (If
you’ve ever pushed yourself insanely fast on a merry go round
and tried to pull yourself in, this is similar to the effect.)
When the needle of the tach reaches the red mark I stab the clutch
into the floor, grab third, and get my eyes moving to assess the
scenery for other motorists. In the millisecond it takes to determine
the path is clear, and get the next gear the car stops accelerating
long enough for me to be choked by the seatbelt as I rock back
forward briefly. But, as the gas pedal goes down again, the seat’s
ability to hold me still is challenged once more by the awesome
forces of physics and an 8.0 liter V10 wailing in front of me.
I glance down long enough to see that legal limits have been passed
and I realize it would be wise to get off the gas. Once the car
settles into a light trot and I select sixth gear to conserve
some fuel, I try to wiggle my rear back towards it’s original
position, but I have to momentarily release the seat belt, because
the force of acceleration was so great that the tensioners had
gripped like I had been in an accident and the belts were cutting
off blood flow through my chest. I take a moment to breathe and
get re-situated in the seat and I reflect on the past few seconds
of pure adrenaline while my body gets a calm warm feeling all
over as if I had just survived some death-defying feat. “Ok,
let’s do that again!!!”
First impressions…what did
I know? I won’t bore you with HP, and Torque numbers or talking
more about how awesomely capable this thing is on a spec sheet.
I’m writing this article to let people know about what they
might expect as a first time driver in a slightly used but perfectly
adequate super performance car. If you’re reading this you
are more than likely familiar with all of the outstanding skidpad,
acceleration, and 1/4 mile times the Viper can lay down, so I’m
going to take stab at the idea of being able to live with and
drive a Viper for those who have yearned to own one since it’s
introduction in the early 1990’s. Since the early to mid
90’s Vipers are becoming more affordable as some of us get
older, you may want to know what’s in store for you if you
are looking for a new toy car, track monster, or chick magnet.
Here’s my take on it:
I don't know about 10/10ths but
5/10/ths is scary in this sucker. The early to almost the latest
produced in the first generation Dodge Vipers offer No ABS and
No traction control aid of any kind. Combined with a V10 engine
putting out over 400 HP and over 400 ft lbs of torque this makes
for one very tricky machine to master. What are they trying to
do here...make us better drivers?
As a daily driver/street car the
Viper is really only good on a dry day and on nicely paved roads.
The ride isn't bad at all...as the dampening is actually very
soft for my expectations while its seats are fairly comfortable
for long stints. However the absence of a dead pedal leaves a
lot to be desired at first and the actual pedal positioning absurdly
hints that the driver may be flexible or able to bend in strange
ways for long periods of time. The pedals shoot off to the left
of the foot well, and your right foot while on the brake, is lined
up with where your left legs shoots out from your hip. As for
the no dead pedal issue...you can either float your foot above
the clutch...which gets very tiring...or put it under the pedal
and rest it on the floor...which can be dangerous in panic mode
or during aggressive driving on a track, auto X, or back road.
There is a small dial hidden under the steering column that I
was finally able to find after talking to a friend, which is used
to move the whole pedal set fore and aft. This feature does come
in extremely handy, and without it that car would be impossible
to live with for me.
The interior ergonomics are decent
but you are forced to have your arm either on the wheel, leaning
on the center console, or holding the shift stock (which is only
good for looks and wearing out the shift forks). There is very
little headroom and placing a radar detector such as a Valentine
One in the car makes it almost unreadable. If you have it on your
side of the rear view mirror it's on your forehead and if mounted
on the passenger side you have to shift your whole neck to get
a glimpse of the readout, which can be very distracting at times.
Also at first glance...you think "where the heck is the gas
gauge!?" Only when found it’s mixed in with the other
array of useful gauges laid across the center console and shows
that your heavy right foot garners crud for fuel efficiency. Or
could it be 8.0 liters of V10 guzzling gas like no other production
car out there?
There is no real way to get out
of the car in a smooth manner...just get it over with and people
will only notice the car. Try to make it smooth and the car's
ergonomics only amplify your pathetic attempts to be cool and
limber as you and your wife/girlfriend squirm while you burn on
the super hot doorsills, which still house the exhaust route even
though the tips are found center back on the GTS coupe.
Driving is another matter. At 45
mph the engine pulls at 900 RPM in 6th...and there is STILL torque
to move the car. Crazy! The car turns a WHOLE lot better than
you expect while piddling around town...and at times you get conflicting
sensations about the grip, which seems like the giant tires are
inadequate and the car could go sideways into a hard object at
the slightest hint of gravel or less than perfect asphalt. However,
as you turn up the heat a little you are reassured as the grip
level starts to exceed your expectations. It does feel somewhat
uncommunicative...BUT I think it's really not that the car isn't
communicating what's going on...it's more that YOU are not speaking
it's language. I will be first to admit...I don't speak Viper...but
I did get a small lesson on the intricate vocabulary and I started
to understand what it meant, if not what it said. For the inexperienced
driver...I/you/whoever, will never reach the limits of the car
as inherently built in, but will more than likely create a limit
for ourselves and overstep it through a miscommunication with
the beast. At the same time an experienced driver will more than
likely sweat while turning fast lap times in it on a track. I
think from my limited experience so far, that even though the
Viper is a super capable supercar it is a bear to handle at the
3/4s of the limit. Even though my idea of the outer edge is only
5-7/10ths of some of the seasoned enthusiasts out there.
The brakes...are scary. Under what
I thought was normal braking for a red light...no drama...the
wheels locked and the car slid about a foot while I noticed a
small cloud of white smoke waft past the driver’s side mirror.
I first started driving in a manual transmission car with RWD
and NO ABS brakes (‘81 Corolla) and I never felt that I could
not feel the brakes as I did with this thing. They are very deceptive
in their bite versus feel and I think that a car like this would
benefit greatly from ABS. The purists may scoff... but for a road
car like the crude Viper that the owner might track from time
to time I think it's a must. Granted you could learn a lot from
having no ABS...the Viper is not a car where most owners are in
tune with and will have the time to figure out all it's quirks
on a fast circuit or in panic mode on normal streets. Maybe that's
why "most of their owners are in over their heads as soon
as they turn the key. " as someone once said, of course that
is coupled with it's other personality traits.
As for the engine, hit the throttle
and things get blurry in a hurry! The pull from the motor is immense
and by far about the fastest thing this side of 100K$ I might
even say better than the 930 Turbo I drove once...but that is
another story. The gearbox is big and throws aren't the best or
tightest, but better than the commonly compared to Chevy Z06 Corvette.
Clutch pedal effort is high but if my little wife can handle it...I
would think anyone who may be able to walk can too. In plain and
simple terms the Viper pulls like crazy! I took a few people for
brief rides and a couple of them just couldn't stop laughing at
how absurdly fast the huge blue and white beast was! By far some
of the best memories for me were those people's first reactions
of "HOLY (insert expletive of choice here)!!!" Classic!
I can't deny that I would LOVE
to have a Viper someday. The big snake from Detroit is VERY VERY
addicting...and after not having it to drive now...I truly miss
it. Something especially amusing was the fact that whether you
like attention or not...you will get it in this car. To put it
more accurately...the CAR will get a lot of attention...as you
are just the weenie along for the ride. I never thought of wanting
or owning cars as attention getters but having such a positive
response to a car is fun. I'm more of an advocate of driving the
car and I never really cared about what people thought, but the
camaraderie that the Viper creates is unique. People looked my
way just to see if they hated me enough...however when that big
snake mouth kind of smiles to all, they soon are overcome with
delight instead of disgruntlement. And in America this car gets
an odd respect from just about everyone regardless of age, creed,
race, color, or party preference. It's a mix of respect, curiosity
and communicable admiration for a crude and outlandishly styled
super machine called the Dodge Viper every time it's presence
is near. I have not experienced a common joy from onlookers as
for this rolling monument to excess in any other supercar. Even
grandmas and grandpas can't ignore its ugly little smile. In addition
it's funny how many kids will pop out of windows for a thumbs
up...and as you mash the throttle you see how their faces light
up and they jump in their seats for joy...while their mothers
shake their heads. They know they’ve been bitten and there
is no anti-venom.
Overall I had a very love/hate
relationship with the big snake during my brief time with it.
It made itself comfy in my garage, and was more than happy to
eat cash for fuel. I would recommend to anyone who is seriously
thinking about buying a new or used Viper to consider that its
shortcomings are many and to do your research. Go sit in one to
make sure you can comfortably survive its confines and be sure
to take one on a leisurely drive. (as you laugh at the word “leisurely”)
As a drivers car it is extremely rewarding when driven well, as
I have seen many people decimate the competition at track events.
On the flipside I have witnessed and read all too many stories
about overzealous owners getting in far over their heads in the
big snake and being bitten something fierce. The newer Gen 1 Vipers
starting from MY 2001-2002 (I think) offer ABS brakes finally
and are improved throughout over the older models, but the older
mid 1990’s Vipers offer a performance level hard to reach
in the price range. From reading and talking to some people I
am lead to believe reliability is only so-so and maintenance can
be very expensive despite being put together with plenty of parts
from the Chrysler bins. Like any sports car do your research,
and take heed of the warnings and knowledge. The Viper isn’t
for everyone, but everyone sure knows it is one heck of a machine
and will change your life forever after driving one. Be careful
in one though…we want that to be a good change.
Would I buy one? Follow this
link to find out how I think the Viper stacks up to the leading
contender in bargain supercars…the Honda/Acura NSX.
