Road trip driving advice needed

[JimJoeBob]

Hey guys. I'm gonna be picking up my first Viper soon. I was going to tow it from the purchasing location to my home but it seems it won't work out that way. Instead I will be driving the car the 500 mile distance home. I'll be getting driven up to the car to ensure I'm well rested and ready for the drive. SO my question to you gentlemen are tips for a long haul in the car? 96 GTS for reference. Also to note any driving advice for a car of this caliber? Prior powerful machines I've operated where 1,000cc sport bikes and a 5.3L tuned mustang. Of course those are different beasts than a Viper, however I am disciplined enough to know the machine is very powerful and to respect it and keep my foot out of it while I'm learning it's quirks. Don't want to crash a new baby.

[98RedGTS]

The viper is a very easy car to drive as long as you aren't stupid. Don't floor it on the street when going through a corner and if you feel the tires spin just let off.

For a new car purchase their are a handful of things:
- Depending on your location. If it's going to be snow or ice I wouldn't drive it. Rain is fine if you just are smart with the throttle.
- If you've never driven a viper the seating position is a bit different. Your legs are turned to the right a little and this position (for me) starts to get a little uncomfortable for me after a couple hundred miles. I would just pull over and rest my legs periodically (no cruise control in them)
- Blind spots aren't to bad but in the earlier cars with the manual mirrors it can be hard to cover everything you may want with your side mirrors. I'm on the smaller size and this is an issue for me. Just have to pay more attention when passing/changing lanes
- tires. Are they original? The older the tire the harder they become with less traction. If they are 5 years or older I would be extra careful with the throttle. If they are original then I honestly wouldn't attempt a 500 mile road trip on them.
- Check the coolant overflow (on the right side of the inner fender). Make sure it is at least half full. If the hoses are original then I'd pay extra attention to the temp.
- Obviously check for any major leaks.

Since we don't know about the car it's hard to know if it's been driven or was a garage queen. If it's been driven and checks out then I'd have zero concerns. A garage queen may need more help to make a long road trip.

Have fun and congrats. I personally have found the Viper to be a very easy to drive car so don't sweat it.

[JimJoeBob]

The viper is a very easy car to drive as long as you aren't stupid. Don't floor it on the street when going through a corner and if you feel the tires spin just let off.

For a new car purchase their are a handful of things:
- Depending on your location. If it's going to be snow or ice I wouldn't drive it. Rain is fine if you just are smart with the throttle.
- If you've never driven a viper the seating position is a bit different. Your legs are turned to the right a little and this position (for me) starts to get a little uncomfortable for me after a couple hundred miles. I would just pull over and rest my legs periodically (no cruise control in them)
- Blind spots aren't to bad but in the earlier cars with the manual mirrors it can be hard to cover everything you may want with your side mirrors. I'm on the smaller size and this is an issue for me. Just have to pay more attention when passing/changing lanes
- tires. Are they original? The older the tire the harder they become with less traction. If they are 5 years or older I would be extra careful with the throttle. If they are original then I honestly wouldn't attempt a 500 mile road trip on them.
- Check the coolant overflow (on the right side of the inner fender). Make sure it is at least half full. If the hoses are original then I'd pay extra attention to the temp.
- Obviously check for any major leaks.

Since we don't know about the car it's hard to know if it's been driven or was a garage queen. If it's been driven and checks out then I'd have zero concerns. A garage queen may need more help to make a long road trip.

Have fun and congrats. I personally have found the Viper to be a very easy to drive car so don't sweat it.

Hey thanks for the info. I'll be driving the car from a little north to the south. I'll be making the trip end of March or early April so I'm hoping to avoid snow. We'll see. I'll plan my trip accordingly though. the car has modern and recent tires thank goodness. I'll make sure to pay attention to the radiator.

[Jeremyb]

She'll be fine. Just make sure to monitor everything. Look the car over when you stop for gas. I bought my first Viper in Ft. Lauderdale and drove it back to Knoxville, TN.

[BrianACR]

Having done 600 mile road trips, I second the 'make sure you take breaks!!' comment. Also, keep an eye on the speedometer. It's quite easy to exceed posted speed limits in a viper cuz it doesn't feel like you're going that fast.
Don't be tempted to show off for every body that wants you to walk on it for their entertainment...
Oh, almost forgot, prepare to have your picture taken, have people come up and talk to you at gas stations etc. Enjoy your drive!

[98RedGTS]

Two things I forgot to mention.

- Luggage. The hatch is fairly roomy but don't cover up the vents on the sides. That is where the pressure vents are located at and if you drive with the windows down it can build up pressure and make the hatch come unglued. More an issue with 97 and 98 cars but something to be aware of (not to stress over). just don't stuff those sides full.

- The front bumper. The Viper actually has fairly good ground clearance compared to a lot of other sports cars I've driven. The only exception to that would be the front lip of the front bumper. This is worse on a lowered car but even at factory ride height it's pretty low. I try to avoid speed bumps and sudden changes in height going in and out of parking lots (think driveway to street interchanges for instance). If they can't e avoided go slow and at an angle and you'll be fine. Center and rear ground clearance isn't something I worry about even in my lowered 98.

[Blue96GTS]

Welcome and congrats!

Drove my '96 from Denver to New Orleans and back a couple of years ago for NVE2 - 3127 miles door to door, about 20 mpg. The only problem I had was resolved with a wire nut that I found in the bottom of my tool bag. If she's maintained, you'll be just fine. Sounds like you've enough sense to keep your foot out of it until you become familiar with the car. Remember, it's just a car with a pushrod V8, plus a couple more cylinders.

Depending on how she's been maintained, you may be in for a few upgrades/repairs. Mine wouldn't have made it all that way when I first picked her up, but some TLC will go a long way. Pay particular attention to your temp gauge, and know that the temp indicator will wander up/down on you, even in "normal" driving. If you start wandering too close to 250, you have an issue, otherwise don't fret. Check the date code (and wear) on your tires - if they are pretty old be ultra respectful... Check your oil along the way, see if your A/C works or not, kick the tires and otherwise - Have a fun trip! You'll love your new car, so will everyone else on the road. Good luck!!

[BrianACR]

Yes, that 'wondering' temp gauge is something that takes getting used to. It threw me off at first, but you'll get used to watching it go up and down constantly.

[JimJoeBob]

Thanks guys. Fortunately quite a few members here on the forum I've had good contact with since I've joined so I'm gonna be giving the car about as detailed a check over as I can. Bringing a checklist and all lol. I didn't know about the wandering gauge however so I'll keep an eye on it. The car has 26K on her and a catback exhaust so at least I'll have some music on the way home, also has billet pump and pulley so that gives me ease of mind. Question though for you guys who are tuning smart, is running the car on catbacks without a tune a real bad idea? Coming from sportbikes it doesn't cause harm but you won't see any increase for power either.

[Blue96GTS]

Yeah, back to that front bumper...

Be careful, man! Especially those gas station entrances where you're trying to look up at which pump is empty. Also, get used to BACKING into any parking space you encounter that you cannot pull thru. Don't be tempted to pull in forward, just don't do it.

[Blue96GTS]

Oh yeah, one more thing:

Watch out for wildlife...

30862

[JimJoeBob]

Oh yeah, one more thing:

Watch out for wildlife...

30862

How'd you fix that???? That hurts my soul to see the car that way.

[Blue96GTS]

The first step was removing the front license plate. The local club has a recommended policy of no front plates that I ignored my first time on an outing.

From there, just time/money/insurance. Lots of things were bent up and needed replacing, but nothing too major. Did the repairs myself, with the assistance of the good members and vendors on this site. Got to do a bit of welding to fix a minor bracket which had been knocked loose. Hood was OK. Left the front splitter on the car - now I'm no longer as worried if I hear that painful scraping sound. I fiberglass repaired the splitter damage where the coyote hit, and left a tuft of his hair sticking out to ward off other would-be-assassins. Sure, it's a bit whacky, but it's worked so far...

[uvbnbit]

expect 18-25mpg. depends on your foot. just don't do anything to "show off". save that for later. like leaving a C & C with cold tires....j/k.
we've done plenty of 600-700 mile days in ours, 10 day trips. you'll have plenty of room for luggage for that trip. COngrats on purchase. and take care of that baby.

[Mr. Acoustics]

Agree with what has been said. I drove my car about 400 miles home the day I bought it last year and even managed 21mpg with the occasional throttle blast.

Since you mention the car has a cat back, I would recommend some ear plugs. The aftermarket exhaust sound is great for the first hour or two, but after that it can be very tiring and ear plugs can provide some relief.

[AviP]

I drove my Viper 6500 miles across the US on a visit to VOI5 in Vegas many eons ago. It's a blast as long as you know the car. So as soon as you get it, first drive to a local empty parking lot and spin the sucker around so that you understand it's torque and get the hang of counter-steering the beast. Second, practice hard braking at stop signs to figure out the dynamics of a car without ABS. If you figure out both, you are good to go.

If not, a gentle accelerator or an aggressive accelerator with the steering dead straight should keep you on the road. Take stops to enjoy the scenery because the car demands your full attention.

[1BADV10]

Take stops to enjoy the scenery because the car demands your full attention.[/QUOTE]

No kidding here^^^The Viper definitely demands your full attention. Just one other small thing to keep in mind on a road trip is don't let the gas run too low, if your in a remote area it may take a couple of stops to find 90+ octane gas. I would walk before putting 87 in the tank.

[ducatithunder]

Two words ... Shift Interlock. I found mine about 300 miles away and drove it home. I had no issues except it took me a while to figure out the shift interlock. I had to drive 15-20 miles in traffic before I got to I95 headed back to MD. Kept wondering why I couldn’t shift to 2nd then I saw the little arrow light on the dash and refered to the owners manual. Lol

[JimJoeBob]

Two words ... Shift Interlock. I found mine about 300 miles away and drove it home. I had no issues except it took me a while to figure out the shift interlock. I had to drive 15-20 miles in traffic before I got to I95 headed back to MD. Kept wondering why I couldn’t shift to 2nd then I saw the little arrow light on the dash and refered to the owners manual. Lol

Lol yea I've dealt with this pesky feature before. Should be a simple few revs fix to pop it in second.

[BrianACR]

Lol yea I've dealt with this pesky feature before. Should be a simple few revs fix to pop it in second.

Lol yup I believe it's over 2k RPM it will go into 2nd for you. Watch you don't get caught in ruts. The wide tires will tend to make the car wander back and forth in the lane due to the small indentations left by heavy trucks driving on the roads.

[JimJoeBob]

Lol yup I believe it's over 2k RPM it will go into 2nd for you. Watch you don't get caught in ruts. The wide tires will tend to make the car wander back and forth in the lane due to the small indentations left by heavy trucks driving on the roads.

I've had experience with this before on motorcycles. Especially when I was new at riding I really noticed it. The worst is when they use the damn black top paste in the cracks. That stuff will damn near pull you off the road. Didn't know it'd do it in a car though so I'll be mindful of this.

[Scuderia47]

I also drove mine about 1000 miles after picking it up and put about 6000 miles on the car per year. It's been very reliable with some simple preventative maintenance. As other have said, watch the front clearance when pulling into parking spaces. The hood and front lip seem to extend forever and it's very hard to tell where the front lip is when looking out over the hood. When I go on a long trip I bring some tools; the car is very mechanical, so there's a chance you can fix a problem if it arises on the road.

Also if the head unit is stock, look into getting a radio bluetooth adaptor for the cigarette lighter...let's you play music from your phone and they are very inexpensive.

Have fun.

[JimJoeBob]

I also drove mine about 1000 miles after picking it up and put about 6000 miles on the car per year. It's been very reliable with some simple preventative maintenance. As other have said, watch the front clearance when pulling into parking spaces. The hood and front lip seem to extend forever and it's very hard to tell where the front lip is when looking out over the hood. When I go on a long trip I bring some tools; the car is very mechanical, so there's a chance you can fix a problem if it arises on the road.

Also if the head unit is stock, look into getting a radio bluetooth adaptor for the cigarette lighter...let's you play music from your phone and they are very inexpensive.

Have fun.

So you happen to have a recommendation for one? I've seen a ton of adapters but I've heard varying results.

[Scuderia47]

This is the one I use:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075N2WG7Q/ref=asc_df_B075N2WG7Q5368424/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B075N2WG7Q&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198092121793&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14472760991927594311&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010518&hvtargid=pla-378007532113

The only complaint I have is there's sometimes a small amount of static background noise, but that could probably be improved if I spent more time selecting a different station to broadcast to. I like the device because it's small. Cheap price too, so hard to lose. Hearing static in the background maintains that 90's feel anyway.