2nd Gen. Supercharged Q's

[viper_gts_SC]

Hi guys,

I'm looking at a 1997 Viper GTS Sean Roe Supercharged.

The owner claim it made 700 or so to the wheel, and the current mileage is 30k or so.
My question is when looking at the car, is there something Special I'm suppose to look for?
-He said he has these cards that have different tuning on it?
-My other question is what oil brand would you guys recommend fir the car!? I plan on using Redline or Royal Purple.
-Are there any questions I should asked the owner when looking at it? Sorry I'm a complete noob when comes to Supercharged and turbo.

Anyways I plan on doing a compression test and leak down on the car...

Thanks Guys,.!

 

[Roffle Waffle]

I'd definitely check that the car has fresh tires, and good brakes to back up that power as a starting point

 

[CitySnake]

You should find who did the SC install. The cards are used for the piggy back controller (VEC 2) and yes, they are programmed with all the AF ratios for different usage.

If it wasn't a DIY install, you should speak with the installer/tuner and/or Sean and get some history on the car. 30,000 miles is NOT a lot of mileage, with proper tuning. If there was a great deal of daily detonation in those miles, you may have some serious costs lurking. 700 RWHP is close to the upper range for a Roe SC. What internals were upgraded?

Make sure to do your homework. Is the owner a VCA member?

 

[RTTTTed]

I'd recommend a dyno sheet. Take the car to a Viper tech that knows superchargers and Vipers for the inspection. Then he could drive the car and give you a heads up on the performance/hp. 5, 6, 8 or 10psi pulley?

700rwhp with a Roe would mean pistons, cam headers, exhaust, rockers, cam, TBs etc. (like my 2001 GTS). The 700rwhp with a Roe means a 9 second car. mid to low 10 sec on street tires.

You should post the car and ask for knowledge on it. Area may indicate who built the car. Different club regions may offer you their expertise. I would call the VCA pres for that area and ask him about the car. I'd also speak to the builder and the Viper tech that worked on the car.

Here's a link to my Paxton ACR if you're interested. It's built by Macedo Motorsports in Florida. 802rwhp (on dyno sheet). Paxton is easy to drive unless you turn on the Nitrous. Maintenance was done by Eddie Martin for the last several years. Martin S. (nat. vice pres.) phoned me when I landed in Phoenix and gave me all the knowledge he had on this ACR.

Ted

I won't sell my Roe Sapphire GTS. I have modified nearly everything and much prefer the Roe sc.

 

[Smokin' 2]

I have a Roe supercharged 97. There are many members that have more knowledge than I do pertaining to this topic. Sean sends out 3 base tune cards to run the VEC (Viper Engine Contoller) which is a piggyback for the stock ECM unit to modify injectors and timing.

Some questions to ask:
Who tuned the car? What are the 3 cards tuned for? When was the last time it was tuned?
What fuel system are you using (additional pump? replacement pump? Boost a pump on stock pump?)
What injectors?
Which version of the VEC is on the car. The latest is the VEC 3.
Which pulley? (I would guess 10 or 8 with a good fuel system and possibly methanol).
How old is the belt?
Exhaust upgrades are likely at that power level. What are they?

I run an upgraded radiator, a wideband O2, and would highly recommend upgraded brakes with that much power. My first upgrade was brakes because I found them extremely lacking.

I could think of a dozen more if I wasn't posting while working. Good luck. I enjoy the system I have. There are lots of Roe owners on this site and I'm sure they will add to the list.

 

[viper_gts_SC]

Well the guy mention he has put no more than 4,000 miles on the car with the supercharger installed. I'll find out more on who did the installed. He said it runs excellent and is crazy fast that's about it. I don't know what PSI pulley is on the car. Well asked him that later.
and what's a DIY.? sorry.

 

[plumcrazy]

talk to the tuner who built it and tuned it
get a leakdown test !!! (not just compression) this tells more than anybody can see or hear.
get it to a trusted VIPER tuner to inspect.

where do you live, where is the car located ?
more info is needed to help.

 

[AFL in NJ]

DIY = Do it Yourself

Regards,
Aaron

 

[white out]

talk to the tuner
get a leakdown test (not just compression)

+1

Also, check the s/c to make sure that it wasn't starved of oil.

Nick

 

[RTTTTed]

Sorry forgot to paste the link to my ACR (in case your Roe doesn't work out). ACR, Paxton supercharged NOS = 802rwhp - ViperClub Classifieds

I agree with Plum and had a leakdown test done on my ACR. It's pretty much the only way to check the inside of the engine for condition without taking it apart. My injectors are lime green tops for my 700+ roe

There are a few threads if you'd like to search and switch to one of the better diesel oils. Vipers all came with Mobile1 full synthetic. I always used Mobile1 until recently. Now that Exxon has bought out Mobile1 most of the Mobile1 oils are no longer full synthetic and the "blends" don't say if they have 1 drop or 50% synthetic blend so I don't buy Mobile1 any longer. Exxon sells group 3 (rerefined Group2oil) under the TITLE of full synthetic so the only guaranteed oil I know to be full actual synthetic oil now is Amsoil. I suppose the Group 3 oil tests as good as an actual synthetic ... I just don't like getting ripped off paying a lot more than what it's worth. Group 3 oils aren't as expensive to produce as real man made oils. If it's cheaper shouldn't the name and price of the oil reflect that?

Ted

 

[viper_gts_SC]

Sorry forgot to paste the link to my ACR (in case your Roe doesn't work out). ACR, Paxton supercharged NOS = 802rwhp - ViperClub Classifieds

Ted

Your car is located in Canada right?

hmmm. I hate to leave the car at the border for verification and all that. I hear it takes up to 24 hours before I can even bring it over?

 

[viper_gts_SC]

talk to the tuner who built it and tuned it
get a leakdown test !!! (not just compression) this tells more than anybody can see or hear.
get it to a trusted VIPER tuner to inspect.

where do you live, where is the car located ?
more info is needed to help.

The car was originally built in Las Vegas, NV. Any Viper tuner in that area you guys heard of?

 

[viper_gts_SC]

+1

Also, check the s/c to make sure that it wasn't starved of oil.

Nick

how do you check that? is there a line or catch can I can just visually looked at and find out? or do I have to basically open it apart.?

 

[plumcrazy]

anyone know where garths shop is ? isnt he from vegas ?

contact the vegas VCA president, see who he would suggest

and search "sagev" on the other board. hes from vegas, maybe he can point you to a local tuner who knows what theyre doing ?

 

[Smokin' 2]

how do you check that? is there a line or catch can I can just visually looked at and find out? or do I have to basically open it apart.?

There's a round allen wrenched plug at the front of the blower housing. I believe it's closer to the passenger side on the top of the housing. You'll need to create a dip stick if the owner doesn't have one. A search should pull up how to make one. I have one at home and can check it tonight.

I would be surprised if there's a problem with oil level assuming 4,000 miles is accurate.

I concur on the leakdown test. Do it....you might be sorry if you don't. It's a great system if you like low end "almost NA" power but make sure you have a healthy car there. I have seen some really bad tunes on Roe's in the last few years.

 

[Vipuronr]

And, if it hasn't been mentioned above, GET THE CAR CHECKED OUT BY A KNOWN VIPER TECH. Not sure what area you are in, so I would ask the club who they would recommend for your area.

 

[RTTTTed]

I had to wait from friday to Thursday for 'verification' to export the car from the US, but it's completed the Federal inspoection here and hasn't been registered in Canada so probably take the signed clear title and drive home with it. I have the arizona title, temp plate and Arizona insurance until Jun 16th. Then I'll probably just park the car and drive my other one. Being an ACR it has collector value and I don't want to add much to the miles. When I get back from Jasper with it week after next, it'll have 25,000 miles on it. Highway miles don't count for much. Most Vipers have quarter mile at a time low miles ... not driving 60 mph down the highway like 99% of mine are.

Ted

 

[viper_gts_SC]

Thanks for all the replied thus far...

Anyways would any of you guys feel comfortable driving the vehicle long distant assuming that everything turn out good? Said 400-600 miles?

 

[viper_gts_SC]

And, if it hasn't been mentioned above, GET THE CAR CHECKED OUT BY A KNOWN VIPER TECH. Not sure what area you are in, so I would ask the club who they would recommend for your area.

Yeah I called the Dodge Dealership in his area. Idaho..

I talked to a Viper Tech there and he claimed he has over 15 years in Dodge Viper and is familiar with the car. The car was there at his dealership a few times for normal mainteance.

He also stated in his opinion the car is clean and is fast...

 

[plumcrazy]

ive driven my SC'd car from NJ to FL a couple of times. no problems at all. just respect the car and use your head. but that goes for a stock one too

 

[RTTTTed]

The shortest drive from my house to a village (>20,000 people) and back is 400miles. Nearly every trip I make is over a 1,000 miles. My Sapphire GTS got the Roe supercharger kit before it was broken in, then before 10,000 miles - pistons, aluminium flywheel, TBs etc and now in a couple years I have the mileage at 50,000. I had a head gasket start to seep year before last so I pulled the heads, ported them, installed new gaskets from JonB and we went to VOI X and back (6,000 miles). I just bought the Paxton supercharged ACR, flew down to Phoenix, got tires etc, then drove the car to California, Laughlin, Vegas, Seattle and finally home to Nimpo Lake, BC.

The Roe sc goes 20mpg us up to 100mph and the Paxton car (fault of the Venom wing) gets 18.4-19.6 mpg us. Supercharged is best! Highway miles driving and that car will probably last you for 200,000 miles. Sean Roe recomends that every 50,000 miles you change the oil in the nose of the sc and he recomends rebuilding the blower every 100,000 miles. I've driven 3 supercharged Viper cross-continent (if Phonenix counts) 5 times. I've spent 23 hours in the driver's seat and loved it every second.

Idaho? My in-laws have a place near Sandpoint.

Ted

 

[viper_gts_SC]

I checked the regional section. There's really no Viper Tech, Tuner in the Idaho area. Idaho is part of the Washington, Oregon people. So the state of Idaho is basically useless. The car was built in Las Vegas, Nevada. I guess I'll just have to depend on the Viper Tech at that Dodge Dealership. I'll just do compression/ leak down test. Quoted me $750.00... Plus the tech seems familiar with the car already.

 

[plumcrazy]

maybe someone on this site can vouch for this "viper tech" ? i dont trust to many of them working in dealers. id bet they have no idea how to inspect this type of car. maybe im wrong but id research it more

and maybe there is a vca member that can help in the inspection ? start a thread asking maybe ?

 

[plumcrazy]

you should contact bottlefed, he has a roe car and would be able to point you in the right direction. he's pretty knowledgeable too so bribe him with a beer or lunch, maybe you can get his opinion on the car.

maybe he knows a place to get it inspected ?

http://forums.viperclub.org/members/bottlefed.html

 

[Tagoo]

Exactly where in Idaho is the car? Although there are a couple of viper techs in Boise, they don't seem very good (e.g. none has ever done a frame recall - nor did they want to). There is a pretty good viper tech in Twin Falls, Idaho (about 150 miles from Boise). The dealership where he works used to sell a lot of new and used vipers on a nationwide basis - Eric Lee ran that part of the biz.

I can confirm that there are no Viper Tuners in the Boise area. Botlfed might be able to tell you whether there is a viper tuner in Pocatello or Idaho Falls (250-300 miles from Boise). I doubt it, though.

I can't tell you much about Northern Idaho. The towns are all pretty small in that part of the state. Probably no viper techs or tuners.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Yeah, there are no Viper techs or tuners here or idaho falls.
I would say the nearest Viper tuner I would trust is DC performance in socal (almost 1000mi away).
I wouldn't really even trust a tech in boise since there are so few in this state. There is a pretty good tech in UT that I've heard of.
Its about a 3hr drive for me to go to boise, so not something I could just hop over and check out.
This is why I do all my own work and tuning

 

[viper_gts_SC]

Yeah, there are no Viper techs or tuners here or idaho falls.
I would say the nearest Viper tuner I would trust is DC performance in socal (almost 1000mi away).
I wouldn't really even trust a tech in boise since there are so few in this state. There is a pretty good tech in UT that I've heard of.
Its about a 3hr drive for me to go to boise, so not something I could just hop over and check out.
This is why I do all my own work and tuning

Oh boy, I seriously wish you were closer. I prefer paying someone with knowledge to look at the car than someone that doesn't. But the Viper Tech from that dealership claim he has 15 years in working with Vipers.? I guess I'm just worry about the engine and the Blower at this time. A compression/ leak down test shouldn't be anything no one can't do I assumed.
As long as those two main component turns out good, I will probably have DC or Valaya Racing looked over the car and have them tune it.

Oh yeah I replied to your email Tim... Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.

 

[Venomiss]

I sent you the contact for the Nevada region in a PM. He may know the car and the tuner possibly. If it was AZ I'd say contact Eddie Martin.
Good luck with your search.
Ted's car is very nice.In case you look elsewhere.

 

[viper_gts_SC]

I sent you the contact for the Nevada region in a PM. He may know the car and the tuner possibly. If it was AZ I'd say contact Eddie Martin.
Good luck with your search.
Ted's car is very nice.In case you look elsewhere.

Got IT. Hahaha... Ted's car is too nice for my budget... If only I have $15grand more then I would of been all over it. :lol:

Thanks

 

[viper_gts_SC]

would you be scare if the hood sits a little bit under the front bumper?