How Idiots Wreck Dodge Vipers 

I drove a viper when I was 25 years old. I loved being behind the wheel of that machine but I knew I wasn't experienced enough to push that car to it's limit so I was careful. I had an amazing time without being stupid. It's been 20 years since then and I know I'm still not enough of a driver to touch that car's potential. Treat a viper with respect and you'll have a great time no matter what.

It Always Hurts My Heart When A Viper Gets Totaled By Idiots..

This video resonates so much with me. I have a first gen '95 RT/10 and if I had a dollar for every dude who told a story about how "unpredictable" and "impossible to drive" vipers are from people who had the story of, "I had one and spun it out at like 20mph and sold it!" then I could probably afford a gen 5. I've never had such an experience in my first gen viper. It's like people forget that the throttle doesn't have 2 settings of just off and WOT lol. All I can do is laugh every time I see those stories. It's just cringy and makes me immediately assume that person has no self control and doesn't take their cars to a safe place to push limits, so they learn to FEAR the car, not respect the car. Then they get a wild hair at a light and decide they've got mario andretti skills and don't. My dad was terrified when I told him I bought one and said, "oh my friend so and so had one and sold it in a week. He was so scared of it and spun out in it and said he couldn't drive it safely." and all I could think was, "Does he just go driving wide open throttle everywhere?" I mean it's possible to modulate the throttle and make good choices, but sure, okay. Sure enough one day his friend is visiting and tells me I should sell my viper because "they're just so dangerous" and I said, "Uh, I mean I haven't wrecked it driving like a normal person yet. And any stretching of its legs happens at the track so, I think I'm fine." When I got my viper the previous owner said "It handles really scary!" - the tires on the back were a year old, ok cool, that's perfectly good. The tires on the front were from 2008. YEAH, I imagine it does handle a little weird there broski, maybe because you're trying to steer with uhhhhhh hockey pucks? All these guys go buy a viper with old shitty tires, cold tires, have no idea what they're doing and somehow think that having a viper makes them a better viper and then get humbled, fast. It's possible to drive them like a normal person. And it's easiest to push the limits at the track. Better to kill some cones or end up in the sand than become famous on instagram for being a complete idiot. *Crashes viper into light pole "Oh the viper bit!" No no no, you bit yourself. My car has 80k miles on it so far, and looking forward to many more miles on and off the track. Vipers deserve much better. Make good choices.

That cable story is 100% true. I was driving my 96’ rt/10 on sawmill rd in Columbus OH and caught the attention of that deceased gentleman’s father who then walked up to me in a parking lot. We spoke for a bit and he showed me the pictures of his son’s totaled viper after the cable cut through the windshield and into the driver’s seat, blood stains and all. Being in my 30s I believe he felt the need to share his story as a warning to me …. Small world…. I Never figured that story would end up on your channel……. Give me a wave if you see me in Columbus…. You’ll know it’s me because my red viper has those infamous yellow wheels. Haha.

First sports car I ever drove was a 99 GTS. Still the fastest I've ever been in a car. I was lucky I didn't crash it, looking back. The owner, our next door neighbor, put me in the driver's seat and told me to "really drive the car". I had turned my first car, a 2WD Toyota Pickup, into an autocross vehicle, so I wasn't totally inexperienced with performance driving, but going from a heavily modified turbo four banger to a Viper is still quite a step. We hit 170 mph on a rural farm road with no driveways and a fresh surface. It was the fastest the owner had been in the car to that point too. He did tell me, a 20 year old, to "really drive the car". He still has the Viper and still recalls when I drove it with no regrets.

"I'm putting this down don't look at my junk, and by junk I meant I need to sweep the floor." Thanks for the clarification 😂

What's up people! It was time to make this video after the stupid Viper wreck recently. What was the most interesting part to you? Or funniest? :)

Glad someone said it right! Also glad this video was also shared in the Viper Club of America group! It won’t stop someone with an overinflated ego and tons of testosterone pumping through them from wrecking another one but at least it explains who is to blame and it has nothing to do with the car itself. The real heroes are those who are rebuilding these after wrecks and keeping them alive.

Those old Vipers look fantastic from every angle!

Casey, it is so frustrating seeing people drive Vipers on tires that are either cold or old. As an owner I’m very aware of my tires age and expect others to think similarly. It’s insane.

Bought a 2005 last year and the tires were from 2007. In cold weather there was no grip whatsoever. Really dangerous! Now I have new tires all round and man, what a difference. Never cheep out on tires boys!

Great video and absolutely love these Vipers!!! One of the very few truly Elite vehicles ever made with no autotragic trans option, and one that will always hold a special place in my heart. I cannot wait for an opportunity to drive one of these beasts! I miss the days of real driver skill, 3 pedals, raw power, and no traction control driver-aid BS!

That camera work which recorded the Viper crash was truly epic. The videographer is a real pro. The middle aged Dodge Viper driver looked totally deflated. 📹

Love your videos, I bought a viper and I’ll keep you posted on when my tires are coming in.

Great video Casey! When I got my 2001 sapphire rt10 last year it had tires from 2008 on it. IT was night and day when I put new tires on it.

Anime Porn....lol, word you were looking for is Hentai. Lol, hilarious rant as always Casey.

Guess I should've been expecting Casey to comment on this incident. I've been hearing about it in the local circles.

When i got my Black 2000 RT/10 last year it still had its original tires on it. They were terribly cracked, one had actually blew out sitting, so i had to use its spare tire to get it on to the trailer. I got it from its original owner with 16k miles on it, an the original owner was a woman.

Great video and great advice. As a motorcycle rider I'm very aware about what you say about tires, because traction is a life or death thing there.

Great clip - thanks for uploading. Love my 2000 RT10 - that clip w/ the Integra hit home, don't want to be that guy!

Bang bang bang fart can toy 🤣🤣🤣 Most accurate description of those cars that I've ever heard!

Great points made here. I've owned 4 early Vipers (2 in my garage now); one must always treat them with respect.

Casey calling out everyone on Vinwiki one video at a time😂

On the old tires I mentioned on your video about that subject my RX-8 when I bought it late 2020 was on the original Bridgestones from when it left the factory in 2008. They made it really easy to wag the tail. It got a new set of Michelins a couple days after I bought it. As for "dad of the car world" count it as practice ;)

I started watching because i saw your blue viper, my ultimate dream car. So i started warching. Keep up the good work!

I love it! Bought my 96 RT in 99, White, white wheels, by the time 2015 arrived had over 650 horse power, EVERYTHING was done to make it faster from ROE supercharger, 125 of nitrous. Tranny upgrade, half shafts etc. Raced it constantly never slide it or wrecked it. We go to the Viper club race at Houston speedway, The safety guy sits beside me and shows, tells me how to drive on the banked track. He gets upset the way Im driving and from the passenger seat grabs my wheel (doing over a hundred on the high bank right before the start and finish line, causes the car to spin around, Looks at me and says to get off the track! I looked at him and said " I told you, you couldn't do that with my lower geared rear end. His arrogance almost crashed me on the high wall. Casey like you said "know your car and its limitations'. and also know some yoyo professional driver sitting in the passenger side might end your Vipers day. Owned the car for 15 years, I miss it, sold it to a guy in the Dakotas.

Modern day real life marty mcfly right here. Comes and goes as he wants

Vipers are good to learn to drive on because it'd have enough torque to probably make it harder to stall. Flipside is, in Europe learning in tiny engines, it's a bit more common to stall a lot more. Then again, I'd love to drive a Viper lol EDIT: I just saw the video...in the 90s it was a bonafide supercar, what MORE do you have to prove!

That moment when you realize the Integra could destroy most cars when built right

old tires destroy so many rare cars every year

I had dodge viper 1st gen model car since I was like 10, which is around -95. Now 29 years later I bought real one. Exactly same red 1st gen, it's waiting in another country for me to pick it up next week. Man this video gives me excitement 🎉

Had one of those "I'm hot stuff in my Civic with a fart can" kids pull up along side me once. He was just revving that little lawn mower for all it was worth. I was just minding my own business in my old 86 C4 Vette (ngl, it was kinda worn out... missing a muffler at the time too). He just kept hammering that throttle over and over again. I just laughed to myself, popped into neutral, and revved that 5.7 ONCE. Only the one time. Sounded like a busted race car lol. (Was in the prosses of fixing her up, but didn't have another car at the time.) But it stopped the kid from revving the Civic. He looked over at my car, color kinda draining from his face as he did. Light turned green and I just put it back in gear and pulled away, smooth and steady... lol.

It's amazing how tires and brakes and driving ability are some of the most overlooked to do mod wise especially if your car is a RWD, Vipers are my (realistic) dream cars and I've always heard that they were uncontrollable monsters but I always knew that was horse pucky as most cars with RWD and decent torque and HP have the ability to get _frisky_ you just have to not be an idiot and learn to drive and upgrade those tires lol

Genius Garage exactly ! My fav is still that yellow Widebody C4 ! But for a daily I would also pick the red 92 Viper

You can hear the guy in the video hits 2nd gear and the tires were spinning immediately. (It was hopping a bit) He didn’t lift at all and kept it WOT. Unfortunately it was inexperience and that sucks.

I have a 94 RT 10 - After about two years of ownership when I got it with the old tires from the previous owner I got new tires and six months later I wrecked it while making a right turn. It was a little bit too much throttle on the second gear. with the new tires I somehow lost respect for the car as it was handling so much better than with the old crappy hard tires. Moral of the story never lose respect for a car like the viper.

Keep up the videos man! Love the humor and always enjoy admiring your vipers

I would say this video and the statement it makes applies to all modern muscle/sports cars. Know the risk of driving high hp cars like your on a race track when your on the open road. (anything over 300-350 hp is a lot of hp for an average driver in my eyes)

I understand completely. I have the Nissan guys trying to race me in my BMW Z4 almost every time I drive around. 😮

Bravo 👏👏 what is it with people that don't buy tires for their cars and then go out in the spring and can't figure out why they curb their car instantaneously Tires are the weakest link besides the pea brain that some people have. This video was so needed to be done!

Couple years ago a fella at work got a used STI. Of course he was excited and I was checking it out. I said, hey man you need to get tires especially before winter hits cuz these things are dry rotted. I'll let your imagination finish the story...

Viper GTS is my childhood favorite car

I saw several guys spin one as they shifted into 2nd gear at the Car and Driver 50th Anniversary party held at IRP in 2005. They were SCCA style parking lot pylon course racing the cars as well as a new Mustang and a new Mercedes SLK.

My Uncle has had a 1st Gen from New, and always told me that once the rears light, it's hard to bring it back under control. Always keep that in mind when I'm driving it. Much different vehicle than my Z06's.

You have to give old tires an Italian tune up in an open parking lot before swapping 😆

I subscribed for the Viper content, stayed here because you seem like you could be one of my friends. My ‘03 Viper I got last year still had its original tires dated ‘02/‘03. Good riddance to those.

You didn't say it outright around the talk of "Did'ya think I was gonna' race that asshole?", but I think you are alluding to how being able to enjoy something to it doesn't mean you need to take it near its limits. I personally would treat some unusual compact car that catches my fancy, a classic car, and a rather quick car all the same way, get use out of it, but make it last.

It's a forgotten attribute having torque in a real sports car to always pull you through any gear. It's such a shame cars like yours are being wrecked. It's such a lovely car all vipers.

3/12/22 i Brought my 1st gen 3 2005 Dodge Viper 🐍 SRT10 Roadster & i love it. it's 1 of 2 of my dream cars....

i own a 2000 and i have change the tires for the same reason ,big difference !! i drive my viper with respect every time. great video

My next car is going to be the upcoming Honda Civic Type R. I am still subscribed to your channel :)

I'll take red one. You remind me of Joel Zimmerman a little. Glad to see someone like you with my favorite car. I own like 15 as a kid but just a lot smaller.

9:07 the Rabbit reference is good

That happened in Michigan in 2013. A Chrysler engineer was given a Viper for personal use. He got on it, entering a highway entrance ramp, and lost control. Chrysler stopped letting employees take a Viper home.

Something tells me you have done a tiny little bit more street racing than you are willing to admit now that you're OLD!! BTW I'm as old as you! Thanks for the reminder not to be an idiot lol. But let's both admit it...beating a guy in a fart can car is a hell of a lot of fun!! Lol

That’s why I bought a viper, love the fact that you can easily loose it and it’s on you to control that animal!

Ya-know, some 303 and a thick piece of glass and those back tires might make a nice coffee table for the man cave. Recycle/Reuse. (inconsequential post to help with the algos)

*cough*RobPitts*cough* 🤣🤣🤣 I may have just started one of Rob's videos after finishing Casey's LOL

Saw that video. Glad it made it to him. Thought about Casey when I saw it. Another one gone.

I owned a '94 back in '96 and loved it. It was very hard car to drive remotely hard if you had wet tires. i.e. just washed or light rain. Once it started coming around only better drivers than I can catch it. Thanks for the video!

The intro was perfection 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I think only guy that can drive this car to it fullest will be the legendary Ken Miles.

I love Dodge Viper, I remember that there's an idiot who sends a Viper to a car crusher, I forgot why, but it's such waste though. I really how most of these idiots blame Vipers for the accident. Thanks for the video.

Good video, love your RT. Many people love the gen 2, but that gen 1 is pure 90s nostalgia.

Viper guy here, 97 GTS. Very entertaining video, brother! Tires is a big issue with these cars, most people have no clue about how rubber hardens over age. Climate-controlled environment doesn't mean shit, get new tires and enjoy your car without totalling it haha.

i got to debute the second gen. i miss those days. tearing around rented air strips and football stadium parking lots.

Casey! How old is too old for tires? My Viper has rears from 2018 and fronts from 2016. Hope to see you at some Viper meets in MI sometime!

I've have a gen 3 viper, early one morning I took freeway interchange where the highway went from asphalt to cement, I was not not pushing the car but the grip went away and the backend walked out. Luckily I was able to save it. Totally agree, good rubber and respect of the power and be smart!

I used to have a stupid front wheel drive acura integra but it looked a certain way that attracted a lot of attention. People wanted to race me light to light all the time. I would make noise, act like I was going to race them. Then putt away slowly. Meanwhile they're spinning tires getting pulled over by the cop they didn't see in the gas station parking lot.

You're right about those cable barriers, I hate how many we have in ohio. Also, I was at this meet, the viper he wrecked was late enough to have airbags thankfully for him. He was fine.

Absolutely wonderful rant Casey I may have hurt myself I laughed so hard great job bye-bye

That’s what they said contributed to the Paul walker crash. The carerra Gt had original tires which were as hard as hockey pucks

Kool bro love vipers first saw my first one in the flesh in new Zealand 1996 at the launch of Chrysler and dodge Jeep Cherokees

Cheers to all the viper collectors out there, garaging them, keeping them “nice” for the next guy to enjoy. This guy actually enjoys his cars. (Earned my subscription💪).

"Old and hard" not a saying you hear often

He’s back in the lab!! Great video, Casey.

This was awesome! I think young guys need to hear someone like you tell them what's up. You can't reason with them you have to call them out. Well done.

Beautiful Red Viper!

It always pisses me off when I see people online saying how dangerous Vipers are and how terribly they handle. These people have no clue. I've owned a TT Viper for well over a decade, that car is admittedly a handful due to the extreme power and lack of traction. I have another gen 2 GTS which I have road raced, and it handles excellent. I don't care what people say, these cars are only as dangerous as the driver. If the car has hard old tires on it, or the driver can't handle all the torque without nannies, well that's on the driver, not the car!

that rt/10 is my top car, every since the viper tv series.

Honda guy here, subbed

Those tires are older than I am, only by a couple of months tho, hopefully I'll own a viper someday! We'll have to see where this 944 takes me first

AS SOOOOOON as i saw this in my feed i was like oh he probably saw the video lmaooo

Next video: Casey crashes his viper and it’s not his fault

Im about a month away from buying a gen 1 Viper. Your gen 1 is beautiful, Im jealous.

That viper is at Copart as you speak, seen it yesterday

Damn,this cat has some badass toys in his shop! Is that a BeeDee jet hanging from the roof? What about that Bertone looking silver wedge in the back corner? I'm drooling brother,I'm drooling!

My dad owns a viper and every time he sees one get wrecked on the internet all he can say is "Mine just keeps going up in value" lol

great show and very well explained thank you ( Nick from Sydney Australia

I do the same while driving my '87 Turbo Buick...no need to race when I've already won. Good advice.

I had 10 year old tires on my 2003 Mustang GT. Not the fastest car, but it would spin so easy and the tires had maybe 3,000 miles on them. No rot and a ton of tread. Night and day difference with new tires on each corner

Thanks for another informative and helpful video 👍🏻

That the one that was in Rossford? It looks to be

Spitting truth.

I think that people don't change the tires on their early Vipers is because it's really hard to find the right size or they don't make this size anymore. 😔

How often should I change my tires? Every 5 years?

Thumbed through the top few comments but something I wanted to note about the car in that crash is that was wearing R888s all the way around - shown pretty easily in the later auction images and public cell phone sharing. Not sure on the age of the tire or the outside temp however. IMO tires aside the bigger killer is the end links and associated deflection in these cars. They get downright unpredictable when loose, which isn't helped by the generally leaking Konis or whatever garbage alignment the car is wearing. I'll find my own getting rather darty and was even worse when it had junk rubber and shot end links. As noted you have be REALLY tuned in to feeling wheelspin as it can happen without you realizing and even with newer rubber. This is especially evident in a turn under load where the cars are generating silly amounts of tq very low in the rev range and the car gets awkwardly loaded up on itself vs just breaking away smoothly. I've enjoyed it more on a racetrack where there's room for slip angle and you can really feel the limits out safely. Its a blast to drive but respect is paramount.

Thanks for the great video Casey! My Corolla daily has 185/65 R14 tyres on, and they're worn out. How do I find tyre in a compatible size that has nice handling characteristics without replacing the rims? The obvious option like Michelin PilotSport 4S's are not available for my rim size. I'm not expecting the best in the world, but I would love to find a stickier compound than my current budget Firestone tyres. Thanks!

That crash was in Dayton, Ohio

Why would I "UNSUBSCRIBE"? Too much great content and projects!