Viper Chassis?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Nov. 26, 2009 8:21 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

Chassises? Chassi? Whatever the plural of chassis is. Anyway...

I came across an old thread on Viper Club about its chassis. One faction claiming its flat-out weak (yet somehow also stiff) junk, and the other claiming that it's strong, just thin-walled for weight. I know that the Viper has been touted as having one of the stiffest chassis around, but I've never heard of one destroying its chassis on a pot hole. Or frame "specialists" calling it weak junk. Clearly it's no Ram 3500, but I can't see it being much/any weaker than any other exotic's chassis. Looked into the issue and haven't found any other mention of it having a weak chassis. What's the deal?
Nov. 26, 2009 8:25 p.m. YaNi Reader

lol The plural form of 'chassis' is 'chassis'.

I have a chassis in the garage. I have 10 chassis in the garage.
Nov. 26, 2009 8:39 p.m. DrBoost HalfDork

I would think if it was weak we'd have heard about it by now. And, I'm just not sure how a weak chassis, or chassises can be rigid and weak at the same time. I'm sure those people calling it weak are just vette enthusiasts that can't stand there being another wicked fast american car around.
Nov. 26, 2009 8:43 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

DrBoost wrote:

I would think if it was weak we'd have heard about it by now. And, I'm just not sure how a weak chassis, or chassises can be rigid and weak at the same time.

Exactly what several others on there said. The guys saying it was weak owned Vipers themselves, so I dunno about them hating Vipers
Nov. 26, 2009 8:47 p.m. Stealthtercel Reader

Weak if you do what with it? Roll it? Hit a semi? Twin-turbo the V10, put slicks on it, and dump the clutch?
Nov. 26, 2009 8:50 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

Hit a pothole, have a minor accident. Hearsay. I haven't actually seen anyone produce evidence of someone writing off a Viper that was tapped at a stoplight or such. I'm not convinced, but it did having me searching for more info on it. Worth a shot to check GRM to see what the word on them is.
Nov. 26, 2009 9:11 p.m. Keith PowerDork

I'll bet the price of the bodywork would be far more likely to write one off.

It could simply be changing expectations. When the 1990 Miata appeared, there was much ink used in describing how stiff the car was, despite being a convertible. These days, "flexible flyer" is the usual description for the same car.
Nov. 26, 2009 9:19 p.m. skruffy Dork

Well, the Viper is the dodge of supercars lolz
Nov. 26, 2009 9:27 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

skruffy wrote:

Well, the Viper is the dodge of supercars lolz

If anything, I always hear about how durable, reliable and easy-to-work-on the Viper is compared to other exotics.
Nov. 26, 2009 10:05 p.m. Feedyurhed HalfDork

YaNi wrote:

lol The plural form of 'chassis' is 'chassis'.

I have a chassis in the garage. I have 10 chassis in the garage.

It's a funny looking word too. Your 10 chassis are funny looking.
Nov. 26, 2009 10:09 p.m. NOHOME Reader

Could be a case of "Hard but brittle"? If it is too stiff it will not absorb impacts and could possibly fail due to fatique after a number of miles.
Nov. 26, 2009 10:11 p.m. TJ Dork

JeepinMatt wrote:

If anything, I always hear about how durable, reliable and easy-to-work-on the Viper is compared to other exotics.

Funny, for some reason I do not consider the Viper (or Corvettes, corvetties, corvetteeses, whatever the plural is for corvette to be exotic cars.

Exotic domestic? Rare, expensive, fast, powerful yep, exotic - not in my book.
Nov. 26, 2009 10:11 p.m. DoctorBlade New Reader

Best I know is that the bodywork is hideously expensive. I once heard of one guy getting hit for $20k just to replace the front grill/headlights piece.

I'm not sure on the frame, however. I'd assume it's reasonably rigid.
Nov. 26, 2009 10:25 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

TJ wrote:

JeepinMatt wrote:

If anything, I always hear about how durable, reliable and easy-to-work-on the Viper is compared to other exotics.

Funny, for some reason I do not consider the Viper (or Corvettes, corvetties, corvetteeses, whatever the plural is for corvette to be exotic cars.

Exotic domestic? Rare, expensive, fast, powerful yep, exotic - not in my book.

Interesting that you say so. What makes it not exotic? I feel that as a handbuilt, low-production car of that construction and performance it qualifies as an exotic. I'd say no to a regular Corvette; yes to a Z06 or ZR1 perhaps. I'd lump in the 911 and M1 with the exotics as well. But I don't equate exotic with supercar, though, so I dunno
Nov. 26, 2009 10:26 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

DoctorBlade wrote:

Best I know is that the bodywork is hideously expensive. I once heard of one guy getting hit for $20k just to replace the front grill/headlights piece.

I'm not sure on the frame, however. I'd assume it's reasonably rigid.

I thought you could get whole carbon fiber hoods and such for much cheaper than that. Just gotta find the places that sell it
Nov. 27, 2009 7:37 a.m. TJ Dork

JeepinMatt wrote:

Interesting that you say so. What makes it not exotic? I feel that as a handbuilt, low-production car of that construction and performance it qualifies as an exotic. I'd say no to a regular Corvette; yes to a Z06 or ZR1 perhaps. I'd lump in the 911 and M1 with the exotics as well. But I don't equate exotic with supercar, though, so I dunno

It very well may be an exotic car to everyone but me. I don't think of 911s as exotic either so go figure. I'm sure vipers meet most if not all of the wickets to be called exotic, maybe it's the word Dodge that does it in for me.

I think of them more as a hot rod or a kit car than an exotic. I guess to me they are a Rodney Dangerfield car.
Nov. 27, 2009 7:59 a.m. pres589 Reader

I've got a copy of Hot Rod around here somewhere that shows an early Viper Coupe doing a wheels up launch at a drag strip with slicks. And the body on it's simply twisted, the hood gained a bunch of twist front to back, the side exhaust (which on that car is fake, I believe) is doing the same thing, etc etc. Old Nova's don't do things like that, so what's up here? I believe there was a cage of some sort in it as well as the thing was running in the 10's.
Nov. 27, 2009 8:25 a.m. dansxr2 Reader

I had a friend that was " having fun" with another guys girlfriend that owned a yellow '95 RT/10. The guy caught the Viper out somewhere and literally gave it a good helping of baseball bat... If I do remember correctly the new front end was $7000. The side exhaust is real, just has covers to make it look a little nicer. They are indeed no slouch in performance, and I conside them quasi exotics, no Ferrari or Lambo, and not a Mstang or Camaro.
Nov. 27, 2009 9:09 a.m. pres589 Reader

In reply to dansxr2:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Dodge_Viper_GTS.jpg

We're talking about different Vipers; the "real" side exhausts seem to come and go as the model is examined over time. The one I mentioned in Hot Rod was a yellow coupe & had this sort of side treatment at the sills.
Nov. 27, 2009 9:22 a.m. DoctorBlade New Reader

JeepinMatt wrote:

DoctorBlade wrote:

Best I know is that the bodywork is hideously expensive. I once heard of one guy getting hit for $20k just to replace the front grill/headlights piece.

I'm not sure on the frame, however. I'd assume it's reasonably rigid.

I thought you could get whole carbon fiber hoods and such for much cheaper than that. Just gotta find the places that sell it

Now you probably can. When saw this one, it was one of the early model years, and I don't think anyone had much for it, aftermarketwise. Now? Ebay, no problem. Back then? No Ebay :)
Nov. 27, 2009 2:01 p.m. JeepinMatt Reader

pres589 wrote:

I've got a copy of Hot Rod around here somewhere that shows an early Viper Coupe doing a wheels up launch at a drag strip with slicks. And the body on it's simply twisted, the hood gained a bunch of twist front to back, the side exhaust (which on that car is fake, I believe) is doing the same thing, etc etc. Old Nova's don't do things like that, so what's up here? I believe there was a cage of some sort in it as well as the thing was running in the 10's.

Weird, I'd like to see that. Lots of the Viper guys run their cars on the strip, some nearing (and surpassing) 1000hp. I haven't paid as much attention though, I'm usually more interested on what's going around a track.