Missed shift

[Black00gts]

I usaly drive my viper pretty nice until a guy with a ram srt 10 asked me if i wanted to do a roll on the higeway,sadly i said yes and manage to hit 2 gear instead of 4th at about 6000 rpm in 3rd!any one else done that?i almost gave my self a heart attack!i know bent valves&pushrods are comon on a "money shift"like that,the car runs fine tho but i'm wondering how many rpm did i hit when i put it in 2 gear?im still shaking..

[SA Heat]

At leeest9000 mabe 10000..

[Fatboy 18]

OK the shifting in the viper takes some getting used to. the gate between gears is quite narrow.

Try this technique, for 1st and second gear hold the shifter with your thumb on top of the shifter Forward for 1st gear, pull back for 2nd.
Now the important bit, for 3rd rotate your hand so that your thumb slides around the shift knob to the underside and your palm is tilted away from you. (an easy way to do this is to lift your elbow which will automatically rotate your palm).

Use this for all other gears 3rd to 6th. Should help.

[Camfab]

More common than most will admit. It has a lot to do with the positioning of your hand on the shifter. If you have the stock, softball shift knob, it actually tends to promote poor technique in my opinion. Practice your technique somewhere safe, before your next street race. I'm guessing the Ram driver has video of your fail slathered all over the net.

[Black00gts]

OK the shifting in the viper takes some getting used to. the gate between gears is quite narrow.

Try this technique, for 1st and second gear hold the shifter with your thumb on top of the shifter Forward for 1st gear, pull back for 2nd.
Now the important bit, for 3rd rotate your hand so that your thumb slides around the shift knob to the underside and your palm is tilted away from you. (an easy way to do this is to lift your elbow which will automatically rotate your palm).

Use this for all other gears 3rd to 6th. Should help.

Thanks!,i will try that👍!

[Black00gts]

I sure felt like an idiot!at first i thougt my engine was toast but it ran fine all day after,guess i was having some luck..😊
Need some practice for sure!

[Fatboy 18]

This is the main reason there were so many different options for aftermarket shifters for the Viper.

There was the stock shifter shaft and knob, then some prefered to shorten it. Then there was different shifter knobs such as the "First strike" knob, then came different shifter mechanisms, MGW used to make one, Hurst also made one (which I have fitted) and now there is one made by Mark at Ipsco.
I tried messing about with the shaft lengths and shift knobs, but THE main thing was rotating your palm away from you which made all the difference.

[dave6666]

Act like a man and get over it. If you need hugs after you screw up go to a nursing home.

[Black00gts]

Act like a man and get over it. If you need hugs after you screw up go to a nursing home.

Saw that coming😂

[Purple Haze]

Good data thanks....

This is the main reason there were so many different options for aftermarket shifters for the Viper.

There was the stock shifter shaft and knob, then some prefered to shorten it. Then there was different shifter knobs such as the "First strike" knob, then came different shifter mechanisms, MGW used to make one, Hurst also made one (which I have fitted) and now there is one made by Mark at Ipsco.
I tried messing about with the shaft lengths and shift knobs, but THE main thing was rotating your palm away from you which made all the difference.

[ZZ SRT]

When I switched to the TR6060 it was a night and day difference in shifting confidence.

Part of it may be due to the IPSCO short shifter I added at the same time, but on my old T56 with stock shifter I would miss shifts all time. Now it doesn't even seem possible.

[Black00gts]

When I switched to the TR6060 it was a night and day difference in shifting confidence.

Part of it may be due to the IPSCO short shifter I added at the same time, but on my old T56 with stock shifter I would miss shifts all time. Now it doesn't even seem possible.

Nice👍😊

[Boosted Motorsports]

I'm with ZZSRT on the IPSCO short shifter. Made a world of a difference on my car and having more precise shifts. Motor & Trans mounts can play a huge role in your shifting also as worn or old mounts can cause the shifter to move considerably under load between shifts.

[Fatboy 18]

100% Agree on changing out the engine and transmission mounts. All the above helps with better shifting.

[1BADV10]

I sure felt like an idiot!at first i thougt my engine was toast but it ran fine all day after,guess i was having some luck..��
Need some practice for sure!

I'm thinking you got lucky in so many ways.....the back tires could have locked up losing control and crashing on top of puffing the motor. I have worried about doing this but have not missed yet, at least not at high rpms yet. Good thread for all of us to learn from. I kick my elbow out for 3rd on up like suggested on this thread and it works well.

[Leslie]

I pull towards me for 2nd, flat palm facing nose of car for 3rd, then rotate my wrist so palm is facing back of car and use 4 fingers for 4th.

[Black00gts]

I'm thinking you got lucky in so many ways.....the back tires could have locked up losing control and crashing on top of puffing the motor. I have worried about doing this but have not missed yet, at least not at high rpms yet. Good thread for all of us to learn from. I kick my elbow out for 3rd on up like suggested on this thread and it works well.

Yes It could have ended up in a crash!it was very scary..when it comes to the engine i will do a compression test,if the valves or pushrods are bent i guess i would have noticed...dont be a idiot like i was ,take your time shifting even if it cost's you the win😊

[99RT10]

Were you winning prior to the bad shift?

[Black00gts]

Were you winning prior to the bad shift?

Yes👍😁

[Fatboy 18]

Were you winning prior to the bad shift?

I forgot to ask that question

[ViperGTS]

6000 rpm in 3rd is some speed - on the autobahn no problem, however, ...oh, well...going into 2nd at such a speed - usually - is a spin out and the 'end of the story'?

[MISSEDSHIFT09]

3rd to 2nd coming out of the "esses" at Watkins. Bad day..

[Boosted Motorsports]

3rd to 2nd coming out of the "esses" at Watkins. Bad day..

Did you do this in 2009? LOL

[cburke996]

You are really lucky nothing happened! I wasn't so lucky, I crashed and totaled my '99 ACR the very fist time I drove it, just about a year ago now in exactly this way. I made it about 3 miles, got onto a familiar stretch of road and gradually rolled into the throttle, taking it to the top of 3rd and then went to shift into 4th. The car was spinning out of control before I knew it, went through some shrubbery backwards, took out two mail boxes and whacked a curb which spun it another 180 degrees before it finally came to a stop. I was devastated, but luckily nobody was hurt. I learned to really familiarize yourself with a new car, especially a Viper, before ever even think about going fast. I now have a nearly identical ACR, though it is an '00 not a sweet forged '99. It had the same, odd non-centering shifter the first one had. I guess that is how they come, which I find crazy. The very first thing I did was add an Ipsco shifter which made a world of a difference. I honestly think a missed 3-4 shift is probably the cause of an overwhelming amount of Gen1 and 2 crashes. Be careful and respect the car always!

[Black00gts]

You are really lucky nothing happened! I wasn't so lucky, I crashed and totaled my '99 ACR the very fist time I drove it, just about a year ago now in exactly this way. I made it about 3 miles, got onto a familiar stretch of road and gradually rolled into the throttle, taking it to the top of 3rd and then went to shift into 4th. The car was spinning out of control before I knew it, went through some shrubbery backwards, took out two mail boxes and whacked a curb which spun it another 180 degrees before it finally came to a stop. I was devastated, but luckily nobody was hurt. I learned to really familiarize yourself with a new car, especially a Viper, before ever even think about going fast. I now have a nearly identical ACR, though it is an '00 not a sweet forged '99. It had the same, odd non-centering shifter the first one had. I guess that is how they come, which I find crazy. The very first thing I did was add an Ipsco shifter which made a world of a difference. I honestly think a missed 3-4 shift is probably the cause of an overwhelming amount of Gen1 and 2 crashes. Be careful and respect the car always!

Thats a sad story!!glad your okey!👍. Reading thru the threads i understand i was very lucky,i will not repeat that episode in the future!