Gen 5 - any quirks or idiosyncrasies?

[LmeaViper]

Got the wife convinced we are buying a Viper, cash put aside, maisto model on order etc etc... been looking online and locally for a good deal before we jump.

However, I am wondering if any of the Gen 5 owners can please let me know of any quirks or issues that are common? ie. vibrations...rattles...drive shaft clunking...overheating...wheelhop etc??

thanks

[99RT10]

Not a Gen V owner but I am guessing there is a problem. Having too much fun while driving. That is a big problem..........

[ViperSmith]

The Gen V is refined, but it is still a brute.

To me that is part of its appeal. If you want something that is fast and rides like a 750Li, this isn't it.

Can get slightly hot. Minor rattles (lot better in the 2015), but lots of fun

[timberwolf]

Waiting on my car, but here is some info I picked up along the way:
-Some cars will have the brake light come on for a split second on full throttle. Its s switch issue that can be repaired, not sure. Im sure others can chime in.
-Base model cars without the adjustable suspension are prone to wheel hop
-When you wash the car, you get water in the side mirrors that is hard to drain out and drips on the car
-Paint can yellow on the side skirt from heat. Some say to install adhesive insullation on the inside of the panel when doing exhaust mods
-There is some drone even with stock exhaust
-base stereo cant overpower the drone well
-tall torsoed people may need to get a seat lowering kit. 13 year model had a insert that could be removed to give an inch back.

And these are the reasons i cant wait for mine! Im sure ill have other stuff to add later.

[Vprbite]

Quirks with a Viper? That's a new one to me.

[LA STIG]

I've had a 2014 GTS since November. I've put 6,000 miles on it and about six track days here in Southern California. For perspective I previously had a 2008 Z06.

The Viper is a noisier, rougher riding car than the Z06 and even though I've done a couple of 400 mile days on it I can say it never allows you to forget that it's a fairly radical barely street-legal race car. That being said I love it and am thrilled to be driving it.

There have been a couple of glitches but probably less than a new Ferrari or Porsche. It can be a little warm around the sidepipes upon exit but normally the car drives very "normally". Around town mileage is around 10 to 13 and highway is comfortably around 20 mpg.

The car is brilliant on the racetrack and handles amazingly well. If you want more details just ask.

The one thing I WASN'T prepared for is the attention the car receives. By a factor of 100 it is the most attention I have ever received. It is about the 50th car I've owned, and more than a few nice cars in that bunch, and every time I drive it I get a lot of attention. A lot. I wish I'd known that before I bought it. I still would've bought but at least I would've been ready for it.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

[LmeaViper]

Great info thanks.

[Bruce H.]

Nothing subtle about the car at all, but it's extremely well sorted and easy to drive. Outward visibility and ingress/egress is more awkward but you do get used to those. Complete attention whore like most other exotics. Driving it always feels like an event. So rare most aren't sure what it is...but they definitely know they love it! No quirks, rattles or issues of any kind on my '14, and I think you'll find that some earlier issues got sorted. Very enjoyable on multi-day road trips with the suspension modes. Bargain for what it is. 12,000 miles and 14 track days in first 6 months.

[Viktimize]

Squeaks and rattles will probably vary by the owner depending what model they got. GTS has NVH treatments, whereas the other models do not.

[RAY W]

Normally if a car has a squeak or rattle you can't stand, you turn up the radio. In the Viper, you down shift and add throttle. All will be forgotten.

[Rapidrezults]

I am normally a squeaks/rattles and quirks drives me nuts kind of guy, however, with this Viper I can overlook the little things for the fact that it is just an amazing car all around. You will love it.

[Nine Ball]

I've had the base model SRT '13 and now the TA '14. I'm not a fan of the base model non-electronic shocks. The TA (same as GT and GTS) shocks ride better in street mode than the base SRT did. The base model also had more wheelhop when launching hard from a stop. If you do get an SRT, this can be fixed by installing some good MCS coil-overs. All Vipers have blind spot issues in the rear quarter panels, so you'll have to learn to drive with the mirrors set properly. Great cars.

[Rare Snake]

I've only done about 500km so far, but I only have 2 things that get under my skin. One I can live with, and one gets harder to swallow every day.

1. It can be a bit tricky to open the hatch, as you have to get your fingers into the crack because there's really nothing to grab. I'm totally fine with this because the car looks awesome and I wouldn't change a thing.

2. Stupid people insist on mistaking it for a C7, It's already very irritating and I'd like to shake them until they learn. It was bad before with earlier Vipers, but it's 10 times worse now. I think (hope) once both models get seen more often, people will see the differences.

[ViperGeorge]

Many of us Gen 5 owners find the seats uncomfortable because the pivot point is 6 inches off the bottom. This is stupid. I realize that some folks don't mind it but a lot of us use a small cushion for the lower back that fills the "hole" that exists there because of the design. Heck one guy even brought his own cushion to the Viper experience on Monday in Vegas. Other than that, no quirks at all now that software is up to date.

[Vombomb]

Many of us Gen 5 owners find the seats uncomfortable because the pivot point is 6 inches off the bottom. This is stupid. I realize that some folks don't mind it but a lot of us use a small cushion for the lower back that fills the "hole" that exists there because of the design. Heck one guy even brought his own cushion to the Viper experience on Monday in Vegas. Other than that, no quirks at all now that software is up to date.

Same prob in my Gen III, funny they still haven't fixed this issue 12 years later...

[Crotalidae]

I've had the base model SRT '13 and now the TA '14. I'm not a fan of the base model non-electronic shocks. The TA (same as GT and GTS) shocks ride better in street mode than the base SRT did. The base model also had more wheelhop when launching hard from a stop. If you do get an SRT, this can be fixed by installing some good MCS coil-overs. All Vipers have blind spot issues in the rear quarter panels, so you'll have to learn to drive with the mirrors set properly. Great cars.

Agree w/ all of Tony's points above. I came from a Gen I to a base 13 SRT and initially thought the ride was fantastic...I later upgraded to a 14 GT packaged car w/ the adjustable suspension & in street mode the car ride is much better than my old 13. You can also definitely tell the difference in race mode as well. If you buy preowned or an older model make sure it has the back up camera...also, get ready for the paparazzi!!!

[Tomball-Dodge]

Call us or PM your number we have alot of experience with the Gen V cars and the driveability plus we have lots of cars in stock . Viperexchange 800-270-1608 ext.1. Hope to hear from you.

[timberwolf]

+1 for Tomball!

[LmeaViper]

Great feedback guys....I really appreciate all the comments Especially the shocks / base model as I was looking at the base model and had a car in the past that wheel hopped now and then and I hated it.
thanks

[LmeaViper]

Also I could see how the Viper gets tons of attention more than most cars, as I saw a blue with white stripe Viper driving home from work last year and several people around the car while driving were all over the road trying to get a look see. Me included

[Vipercompany]

My '15 TA 2.0 just recently started making a ticking noise in the engine. Very pronounced when the engine is warmed up and driving in 2nd through 5th gears. I had a viper tech go for a ride with me to hear it. He confirmed that it's not normal and once I pick it up from the xpel installer I'm dropping it off to the dealer to get checked out. The car has 1205 Miles which I put on it in a week.

[G37Sam]

Quirks:
1) You can't get enough of driving it, you look for the lamest excuse to do so and it makes you hate driving any other car afterwards.

2) I love music and loved the fact that my GTS came with the 18 speaker Harman Package. Never thought they could be so useless however, I find myself muting the radio and rolling the windows down all the time, even in (30 C) 86 degree weather.

3) She is definitely an attention whore, and this is coming from someone who lives in a city that has the highest number of exotics/sq meter.

4) I am doing my best to not open the modding door because it's a hell of a drug. Browsing this forum is not helping however. Brotherly advice: if you do plan on keeping the car stock, hit the log out button and delete your browsing history!


A few things to mentally prepare for:
1) Cabin heat becomes noticeable especially on long drives. Get ready for sweaty backs after long drives.

2) Drone will become your new best friend. I've become well acquainted.

3) She takes 11L quarts of oil lol

[bluesrt]

Its a badass car in its own group, the gen v is the best car to date..... I love mine!

[GTSnake]

Many of us Gen 5 owners find the seats uncomfortable because the pivot point is 6 inches off the bottom. This is stupid. I realize that some folks don't mind it but a lot of us use a small cushion for the lower back that fills the "hole" that exists there because of the design. Heck one guy even brought his own cushion to the Viper experience on Monday in Vegas. Other than that, no quirks at all now that software is up to date.

It's funny, that's the one thing that I have found to get progressively worse over the years. My GEN1 had the most comfortable seats of any sports car I've driven. My GEN2 is very comfortable but not quite the same as the GEN1. I've driven a GEN3 multiple times and thought it was less comfortable, but tolerable, then the GENV.... simply can't stand the seats, actually starts to hurt my back and my wife's shoulders after 20 min, and I'm 35 with no back problems! They feel like they were a Sabelt design that Ferrari rejected.

Other than the seats, the overall car is one of the best bangs for the buck in this segment.

[Bruce H.]

Try both seats for comfort. We have the TA ballistic nylon seats, we both have lower back issues requiring a well shaped and supported seat back, and both find ours great. Not sure if the padding and leather of the other seats is causing the issues for some.