We PREFER Belangers because: Working closely w/ Belanger, we helped R+D and tweak the O-2 sensor issue, (and one other issue) that ENSURES that our Belanger headers are NOT throwing Check-lites even on the much more sensitive 2001 and 2002 cars, not even rarely-intermittently.
Belanger has been building cooler, easier-to-install, BEST street-performance headers for 40+ years, and Vipers for many years. Fully coated, with hand built collectors, and NOT off-the-shelf Burns collectors that simply cram the primarys into a shelved part. The hand-built Belanger collector increases available torque and HP at "street speeds" and only gives it up at 4800RPM+ to Long-tube headers and step headers. (Those run VERY HOT, even when/if coated!) And the 5-7 HP some long-tubes claim occurs at 4800+rpm. (Spend much time there?) The much cooler-operating alumanized steel of Belangers lasts 25+ years, and looks great with simple care. The D-port Belangers match the D-ports exhaust on ALL YEARS of Viper motors. ALL YEARS. No square-peg thinking, of placing a round tube over a D-shaped hole. Less turbulence, better flow, NO LITES.
While there are certainly cheaper units on the market, Belangers run COOLER, fit easier, and save install time. No melting / damaging underhood and underfoot components. No shimming up the motor mounts for header tube clearance, either. Available from several vendors here, and our PartsRack VCA price WILL surprise and please you.
FILTERS: A filter has to do more than fit. It has to fit TIGHTLY. It has to stay rigid under heavy suction and at high RPM and high speed, and not deform or collapse. Or puncture. Or fail to perform or stay rigid even when moderately dirty. It also must be SPECIFIED/RATED by the manufacturer (and-Or SAE) for the specific vehicle. ORECA and many race teams used/use only K+N filters for a reason.
If you cannot get a K+N (factory part) to fit the factory airbox, there is some simple operator error at play. K+Ns have a $4-million liability policy, and they have a filter SAE-rated and SPECIFIED for VIPER. If you check the manufacturer of the so-called 'easy fit' filters, they do NOT even claim to make a filter for a Viper or for any V-10 product for that matter. I last checked 10 days ago.
Not Specified? NOT WARRANTEED! Ie if a stone or a screw goes thru, they have NO warrantee (like K+N) on the product. If it collapses under suction while dirty, NO COVERAGE. K and N is warranteed to even operate DIRTY.
And Dodge could even invalidate the warranty, (but likley never would,) because it is NOT specified for the Viper application. So we only use and recommend K+Ns, wherever you choose to buy them.
INTAKES: The suction of a connected NACA duct eliminates most drag and lift. If you DEFEAT the NACA duct you make it a 150 mph bug scoop, pressurizing underhood, and filling the V-10 'valley' with debris and dust and bugs, while creating lift and drag.
If you then hang cone-filters behind a hot radiator, and then move forward, you **** in only hot air...at 190-230 degrees. Ambient NACA-ducted air is almost certainly 50-100 degrees. Which makes more HP? These droop-snoot cones also bend the air 75-80 degrees, Almost a right turn. Straighter-flow is best for more volume and more velocity and less turbulence.
These "Hot Air Induction Systems" only LOOK cool. But looks ARE important.
