1st impressions driving the LETHAL 650...played with a Diablo

[LTHL VPR]

Yeeeehawwww!

Now I feel like I have a true SUPERCAR!

After putting some miles on my LETHAL 650, I thought I would share some initial impressions and general comments that some of you might find helpful.

The car is amazing now (and it passes the sniffer for emissions)! It's like having a new car. It has incredibly smooth acceleration, and offers PLENTY of PULL all the way up to fuel shutoff (doesn't poop out around 5200 rpms like stock). Driveability and idle is like stock; once I step on the gas the car drives like it has been launched from a canon! Really sinks you in your seat, but is completely manageable. Was even a breeze to drive in traffic (it took me over 1 1/2 hours to make it 40 miles to the Nor Cal dinner last night...ARGHHHH!)

I can tell you one thing. I have had cars with nitrous, superchargers, and turbochargers, and NOTHING compares to the feel of naturally aspirated power under the hood. It offers the greatest reliability, longevity, and predictability. It's easier to manage and control, and you don't have to worry about filling bottles, sudden bursts of speed that unsettle and unbalance your car, overheating problems, uncontrollable tirespin, and there are less things to worry about that can fail...the POWER IS ON TAP and AVAILABLE ALL THE TIME!

My first day after the installation, I was literally playing with a Diablo. Kept the rpms between 3500-5800 for about 15+ minutes and the car temp never got over 180 with the cooling improvements. The car is a BLAST!

Personally, I would not want a Viper with more power. With street tires, I think more power would be a waste of $$$. With over 650hp (567 rwhp) and 650tq (578 rwhp), I am giving the tires all they can handle. With more power, you would likely end up spinning the tires too much, and spend so much worrying about feathering the clutch and proper throttle that it would probably be slower from 0-100 mph. Now the car feels like it accelerates from 60-120mph as fast as it does from 0-60mph. I think it's the perfect amount of usable power for the street, road course, and the strip. I would only consider more power if I were building a drag car running w/slicks.

Stay tuned for pictures!

 

[GO 4LO]

Do you offer the cooling goodies as a stand-alone item, or must those be purchased only as part of the Lethal 650 upgrade? Thanks.
Chris

 

[LTHL VPR]

There are 2 kits we offer for cooling upgrades:
1) Radiator, hoses, thermostat, Manual Fan Switch. We offer this kti as a stand alone.
2) Stay Cool cockpit kit- We offer this as an option to the LETHAL 650 kit because you need to have the engine and tranny out of the car. However, I can tell you that the interior stays cool now. Very little/No more heat rushing in the passenger saide and my feet aren't burning up while I sit in traffic. The interior is MUCH cooler ALL THE TIME!.

Call me at 408.562.1000 with any questions and we'll get you squared away.
Thanks for your interest.
-Wayne (LTHL VPR)

 

[Gerald]

Congradulations on your package. Sounds mean!

I would disagree with a few points..

N.A. is much harder on the engine. It's pounding away at itself,even at idle..
Longevity is another arguement (see above)

And personally you wouldn't want another Viper with more power?
..you must be kidding..

And you don't like uncontrollable tirespin?
.. Did we hear that correctly?

I guess I know where to take my viper when I don't want wheelspin or power..!! hehe, just takin' jab at ya'..


Again, congradulations..

Gerald

 

[LTHL VPR]

Gerald-
Thanks for your support....he he
We are really pleased with the results. As for wheelspin....believe me, if you want some with the LETHAL 650, there's plenty of torque to satisfy anyone's needs!

The point I was making is that many of our customers want to have fast accelerating street cars while using street tires. We built a 800hp Cobra Mustang for a customer who, despite our words of caution, demanded a dyno queen. Once we were done, he drove the car about a week and sold it. Why? The car was undrivable, and would probably lose to a stock Cobra Mustang in a 0-80mph race because he could never hook up and give it full throttle in the first four gears. He was wasting hp he couldn't use. He learned a valuable lesson: Depending on your goals....there is such a thing as too much horsepower.

Thanks again.
-Wayne (LTHL VPR)

 

[LTHL VPR]

Thanks Dan and John! We are very happy with the results. I like to see 'inter-tuner' support like this. In the end our knowledge and results can help us keep happy Viper customers and build even better parts and packages.

We look forward to working together to ensure Viper owner's cravings for performance enhancements are met!

Take care.
-Wayne