0-60 mph help....

[ASKYOURWIFE]

Well as most Viper owners the first thing I wanted to do was to see what kinda 0-60 mph time I could pull since theirs no 1/4 mile track close to me..

I pulled out my trusty gtech andf headed out at 1 AM...

Now before I go any farther...let me tell you my bone stock 2004 automatic 2.73 geared C5 vette experience first...

Took the C5 to the same spot were I had ran 100's of passes with my prior supercharged camaro...Within the first 3 runs I clicked off a 0-60 mph run of 5.0 seconds..Later while at the local drag strip ( now closed ) I confirmed this time by pulling a 4.96 0-60 mph...The 1/8 and the mph on the Gtech were 100 % exact with my time slip ( However 1/4 mile et and mph was always a tenth or so and a few mph off) go figure..but the thing is great for 0-60 times. After some modifications and 378 rwhp vrs the bone stock 299 rwhp my 2.73 geared c5 clicked off a best ever of 4.30 with a few other low to mid 4.3's..

Well I traded the Vette for this 99 rt 10 viper. everything I read said that a stock viper could do 0-60 mph in 4.0-4.2 seconds. Not much faster than the vette but when combined with the added looks and rarity of the viper a tenth or two faster for the viper over the modded c5 is pretty good and helped validate my purchase...

So I go to the same spot that I had 100's of runs with the camaros in and over a 100 runs with the vette and prepare to break my current 4.300 vette record..

Start her up and take off to a WHOPPING 5.4 second 0-60...OK...Not too horrible for the first time..Especially since I got side ways through 1st gear...

Go and try again to a much sadder 5.4 ( at this time wondering what to do)..

So i go a third time and only push down the pedal 1 inch through 1st gear and then spin a little through second to a still unimpressive 5.2...I decide to go feel the car completly with gas to put some weight over the tires ( was less than a 1/4 tank during these runs) Go back and pull an now embarrassing 5.3...

decide to pack it in for the night and go again the next day...So tonight comes and I go back to the same spot to the tune of another crappy 5.4..

Without a air guage I guestimate and let out air from both bach tires for around 10 seconds....This time I notice I can get slightly more traction and push the pedal down a little farther through first gear and get a 5.1..

Seeing that this helped slightly I once again let out another 5 seconds of air from each rear tire and go for it again putting the pedal down around 1/2 way through first and then fishtailing through second to a still unimpressive but hopeful 5.0 0-60 mph time....

I here sirens in the distance and decide ive had enough for one night and carefully drive back home...

TO SAY IM DISAPOINTED WOULD BE A HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT...HOW IN THE HELL CAN YOU GET A 4.0 OUT OF ONE OF THESE THINGS????????

Dont get me wrong..it's kinda nice knowing that you can baby the throttle through first gear and then almost spin out through second gear and still pull the same 0-60 mph time as a stock C5 doing everything nearly perfectly..But I want to beat that modified C5 time of 4.3 with the stock viper.

thanks for any help

 

[ViperGTS]

Yeah, it's hard to put down the brute force of a SNAKE ...and going sideways does not help either! Exercise, exercise, exercise! Or go back to a Vette.

 

[ViperRed]

You need drag radials or very soft compound tires. But watch your rear end ( not yours.. the car's )

 

[RevHeat]

I do not know much about the GTECH, however, did you program the weight for your viper? I was thinking maybe you were using your vette weight settings.

Rev

 

[kcobean]

Let me guess....original tires?

 

[Mr Hemi Head]

Let me guess....original tires?

what Kelly said and ignore the tread depth, check the date code.

 

[kcobean]

.

I was leaving a car show the other night and made a left turn from a stop sign under very light throttle and the back end walked around about 45 degrees. The tires were warm because I hadn't been sitting long. These tires are definitely shot despite the fact that they have plenty of tread left.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Probably original tires being quite slick (7 years old!). Also, what engine speed are you shifting at? I believe the best 0-60 times are with no shift.

 

[red98RT10]

When I bought my '98 RT last year it had original tires on it. I bought all new tires and it drove like a brand new car. Unbelievable difference!

 

[Joseph Dell]

tires do make all the difference. and so does added weight. Put 50-100lbs in the trunk and you'll see a huge difference.

or get a passenger. that will help too.

JD

 

[PaViper]

I do not know much about the GTECH, however, did you program the weight for your viper? I was thinking maybe you were using your vette weight settings.

Rev

The weight calibration would only come into play if you were looking for horsepower figures on the Gtech, 0-60 times should not be affected.

 

[RevHeat]

PaViper, Thanks for the information.

Rev

 

[ASKYOURWIFE]

Well guys Im looking for more specific imformation so I can improve these times..

What tire psrussure for a good launch???

What rpm's to shift at???

What rpm to launch at???

Every car has it's secretrs and id appreciate you telling me them..If the mag racers as well as many people on this site can get 12.3 at 117-11.9 at 120 mph from these cars...Then they are defiently capable of running low 4 0-60's..

tell mw what to do and ill go apply your knowledge tonight and hope for the best..THANKS

 

[Randy]

Well guys Im looking for more specific imformation so I can improve these times..

In my experience, 7 year old sport tires are slicker than snot. Pilot Sports, as good as they are, are no different. Since you are obviously putting down enough horsepower to spin the tires, its already been suggested that the tires are the problem. I would wager that, regardless of the wear level of the tires (they could look brand new), that the tires are the problem, and would suggest replacing them with tires with a date code no older than a year in the past (and hopefully newer than six months). I'd stay with Pilot Sports; they're probably the best tire for the car in terms of wear and traction (both wet and dry) - you can get better traction with DOT racing tires (Hoosier's, Kumhos, etc), but, if you're trying to compare to the C5, new normal street tires would level the playing field.

 

[Snakester]

Because of the Viper's huge torque, it's not a simple car to launch well.
Frankly with higher performance cars, 0-60 is not the best test (even though it's a standard) 0-100MPH is a better indicator of usable performance. And your Viper should manage between 8.5 and 9.0 seconds to 100.

But with 0-60 the launch will be key. As mentioned, if you have your original tires they are going to be harder and slicker than a 10 year old rubber eraser. Just swapping out my original tires instantly dropped 2 tenths in the 1/4 mile, and most of that gain would be in the launch.

People don't talk too much about acceleration prep except for drag racing, probably because there is no hard and fast science, and getting practice and a familiarity with your car makes a HUGE difference.

The Viper will always spin it's stock tires in 1st gear, and the key is limiting that as much as possible.
For ballpark numbers, try 25psi in the rear tires. Going too low will cause the tires to just get traction on the outer edges. Try a simple launch from idle RPM and just feed in the gas. And also try to see if you can hit 60MPH in first gear. It depends on the rev limiter, but many Vipers can hit 60 in 1st, and that instantly shaves off 3-5 tenths from the 0-60 time.

Then try raising the revs to 1500 and 2000 RPM respecitively and modulate the launch with the gas and clutch.
Wheelspin is your enemy, and even worse is wheel hop. If you feel bad wheel hop just get right off of the gas.
With the Viper's torque it's not uncommon to break the u-joints on the halfshafts even with stock power combined with bad wheelhop.

Also make sure that you've done simple mods like smooth tubes, K&N filters and fresh plugs, and dyno your Viper.
The combination of being new behind the Viper's wheel, having the car out of tune, and riding on 7 years old tires can all easily conspire to add nearly a full second to your 0-60 (and 1/4 mile) acceleration times.

Good luck, and enjoy your Viper.

 

[angleiron]

What is the top speed one can get in 1st gear?

 

[Snakester]

Between 57MPH and 62MPH with the Viper's stock 3.07 gearing and rev limiter.

 

[Camfab]

Well guys Im looking for more specific imformation so I can improve these times..

What tire psrussure for a good launch???

What rpm's to shift at???

What rpm to launch at???

Every car has it's secretrs and id appreciate you telling me them..If the mag racers as well as many people on this site can get 12.3 at 117-11.9 at 120 mph from these cars...Then they are defiently capable of running low 4 0-60's..

tell mw what to do and ill go apply your knowledge tonight and hope for the best..THANKS

1) Listen

2) Listen

3) Buy some Pilot Sport Cups, note I said Cups, or Kuhmo, or BFG drag radials.

4) I got good but not yet the best results at the track with 26lbs cold on Cups. Note more testing to follow.

5) Put some serious heat in the tires (burnout)

6) I launch at about 3000K.

7) I'm telling you to listen, because your question has been answered by numerous posts and your not paying attention. Tires are critical to the safety of this car and your life. Trust me, I'm a previous Vette/Camaro owner with plenty of drag and street racing experience. Snake bite isn't just a myth.

 

[SYNFULL]

I would like to check to date on my Pilots. Is it simply stamped on them or is it some type of code?
Thanks

 

[AZTVR]

I would like to check to date on my Pilots. Is it simply stamped on them or is it some type of code?
Thanks

Yes, see this post: http://www4.forum.viperclub.org/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=714483&page=0&vc=1#Post714483

 

[utahviper]

I have done many gtech runs and it is all about the launch. I have been to the track many times and you could have a newbie run a 14.0 1/4 time in a stock viper( please realize @4500 ft of elevation any 12 second run is good). As the beginners try to modulate the throttle and slip the clutch off the line they begin to dip into the low 13's.

I would have to agree with everyone here and suggest you look at the tire date code. Slippery old tires are useless.

Also, pretty sure a stock rear end gen1 or gen2 viper with stock sized tires on the rear will not go 60 in first gear at the limiter. I have tried it and it simply will not do it. I have a gen3 and I think it will do it or at least get real close.

Shifting rpm in 1st gear is probably around 5500-5700. The other gears should be shifted at higher rpm.

Here is the bottom line:
If you live at or near sea level, have good tires, the air temperature is 60-75 degrees, and you have 400rwhp or more you should be able to achieve a low 4 second 0-60.

As you get good and feel very comfortable, powershifting between 1st and 2nd will yield a .1-.2 second decrease in 0-60 times. There can be some collateral damage that can occur if you miss a gear so it is not recommended unless you just want to get a number.

 

[ASKYOURWIFE]

Thanks for the help....Their was just a tornado a mile away from my house..so when the weather clears in the next few days ill go try again..

THANKS

 

[cyaford]

Hi my Pilot MMX's say X397 what does that mean?

Thnx

It translates to, "NEED TIRES NOW!!!!"

Those tires are almost 10 years old. They were made sometime during the 3rd week of 1997. I just had a set of Pilot Sport 2s put on in place of 6 year old Duncraps that had plenty of tread left, but the rubber was hard and traction was hard to come by. Handling is now a night and day difference also.

 

[ASKYOURWIFE]

Well the weather turned nice and I went out and tried again with the tire pressure in the rears around 25 psi...

Ranged from 5.3-5.8.....Im beginning to think that my gtech is not reading right..I have the unit that was made by Velco and sold at circuit city..It is suppossed to have 3 suction cups sticking it to the window..but since I let my friend use it ...It now only has two...

interesting enough when we used it to test his 05 manual NSX a month ago it said he ran 0-60 mph in 6.3 and ran a 14.6 1/4 mile..at the time I thought his car was just slow..but now I suspect that the unit is faulty...

Tonight according to the gtech I ran a best of 13.9 at 103 mph..Eighter I cant drive a stick for S$$T..Or im missing around 115 rwhp...But my guess is that the timer is just reading wrong...

wish me luck on the dyno...Cas I need it...

So far since owning this car..

1) I havent gotten the paint job that was paid for a month ago yet..EXCUSES

2) the battery TOTALY died after only 2 weeks of ownership

3) I havent been able to clock anything better than 5.0 0-60 or 13.7 at 107 mph from my gtech

4) yesterday while parked at block buster two a$$ holes backed up into my viper and drove off..Luckily their was a witness who was kind enough to take down their license plate for me..But So far all the police can find on the owner of the hit and run vehicle is a PO BOX...So I may still have to pay the 500 $ deductable to get the rear light and paint fixed

5) if this car dynos anything below 389 rwhp im taking this car to the nearest dodge dealer and trading it in for an SRT 10...

SORRY FOR VENTING...BUT A NICE 400 RWHP DYNO WOULD SURE BE A BREAK FROM ALL THIS BS AND REMIND ME WHY I WANTED A VIPER IN THE FIRST PLACE..

BTW...I tested the car in first gear and was able to achive a maximum speed of 56 mph in first gear..second gear topped out around 82 mph

 

[rcdice]

I think your GTech is off AND, or course, there's those tires.

My 01 very consistently runs 4.4 to 4.5 with a best of 4.23. I use the GTech. Times have always been in the fours, out of 15 runs on 4 different days.

Conditions were not optimal. Rural road in the cool of the morning. Good for hp, bad for traction. Next to a river often with light fog (read that moisture on the pavement). Original, now 5 year old Pilots. Traction has always been a huge issue. I basically try to manage the wheel spin up to about 30 mph or so before it finally completely hooks up.

During the above runs the only mods were tubes, filters, cats, cat back. I wanted a good solid baseline prior to installing 3.33's and heavy duty half shafts which I'm finally getting around to doing in a week or two. My experience shows that the Viper can not get to 60 in 1st gear (unless you let it roll the last few mph). I'm VERY curious to see what the 3.33's do to my times. They will add to the traction problems but do mathematically put more torque to the ground. We'll see.

Bob

 

[ASKYOURWIFE]

So without the mods you would have ran a best of 4.3..Still not stellar..but close enough to the 4.0-4.2 rating to let you know that the car is fine and that eighter your conditions or your driving is not alowing the extra tenth or two..

I went and looked at the date code on my tires...it's x15 01...So the tires are around 5 years old...

Still though..No matter how old the tires or my driving or weather conditions i should ATLEASTE be in the high 4's..

My dyno shop has a car on the rack tody so I wont be able to go have it done tody..Hopefully sometime this week.

 

[GTS Bruce]

UMmm its 10/06 now.Same as mine.They feel noticibly slippery to me right now.Gonna get PS2's.Michelin recommends dumping them after 5 years. GTS Bruce

 

[Joseph Dell]

Still though..No matter how old the tires or my driving or weather conditions i should ATLEASTE be in the high 4's..

Who was it that said [earlier in a post] that you need to listen?!?

Nom it should NOT be "at least" in the high 4's. tires aren't like dead bodies that slowly start to stink... when the rubber is hard, fo'get about it.

quit b*ching and start tire shopping!

JD

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

When racers are looking for the most from their tires even with 1/2 the power you are talking about we will not use a tire that has more than a couple dozen heat cycles. In an autocrossing situation a fresh set of tires is worth about 1-2 seconds on a 50 second run.
I don't care how great of a driver you are, when the tires are HARD they stop working. If I could I would have Viper owners replace the tires at least every two years for the best performance and safety. There are lot of Vipers out there with the original rubber on them but after a couple of years they just will not wear out, the worst thing you can do is trust them. (snake bite)

Mark Jorgensen

 

[Randy]

If I could I would have Viper owners replace the tires at least every two years for the best performance and safety. There are lot of Vipers out there with the original rubber on them but after a couple of years they just will not wear out, the worst thing you can do is trust them.

Agreed. One way to think about it is: which is cheaper, a hood or other bodywork, or a set of tires? (Trust me, the tires are cheaper).