KaiPL
Enthusiast
Just making a list of things that should be changed, from my own experience, and borrowing a couple of suggestions from ViperX's post in the Coupe Poll thread.
Must haves:
1: Oil pan. The car needs the Comp Coupe oil pan. A Viper that can't be driven at the track without changing your oil pan is a disgrace.
2: Roll Bar. Put a real roll bar on this car at the factory. The convertible needs a substantial bar, and the Coupe needs a substantial roll structure built into it, and also room under the liner to install a roll cage.
3: Height adjustable seats. I'm only 5'10", and I had to get a seat lowering kit, both to fit in the car with my helmet, and also to see out without the top sill intersecting my vision.
4: Quaife differential. Stronger, better handling, and not a whole lot more expensive than the differential that currently comes with the car.
5: Emergency brake needs to be relocated to allow for running 18" wheels in the back
6: Crank case ventilation needs improvement. (this is ViperX's point.) I personally have not encountered any issues with this (once I bored out my K&N housing.)
7: Tire pressure monitors that can store codes for at least 16 wheels. Additionally the monitor alarm thresholds need to be able to be adjusted by the driver, so you can run your drag radials at 16psi without being assaulted by the constant ding, ding ding of the low pressure alarm, and run your race tires at 40psi.
8: Closer ratios between 4th, 5th, and 6th gear. Accelerating between 140 and 190 takes too long because the gearing of the car is screwed up. 6th gear is basically useless, which means that 5th gear has to cover way too much ground. Yes, 6th gear is nice for high-gas mileage cruising, but I would gladly trade a few mpg for a 6th gear that is usable for high speed acceleration.
I know many feel that 1st through 4th are also too tall. I'm not one of those people. I love the 1st through 4th ratios. However, once you put the car into 5th, it bogs badly. Lowering the top 2 gears would do a lot for the car's acceleration at the upper end of the speed range.
Good to have:
1: More power. I'm not making this a "must have" because the car does have 500hp already. Yes, other cars have more, but some car will always have more. I will be adding horsepower to my car sometime in the future, but honestly, there have been very few times when I have said to myself "I wish this car had more power." Also, I like the fact that this car is naturally aspirated and is not very "high strung." A relatively simple, low comression engine that can be run all day long at the track without complaint, overheating, or any issues at all is a good thing in my book. If they could keep it simple and reliable, I would welcome more horsepower. I just don't want to be one of the guys who can't run consecutive track sessions because his engine is getting too hot, detonating, or whatever else.
2: Adjustable shocks. From the factory, the SRT-10 has an almost perfect set-up for a smooth track. However, on regular roads, the car bump steers and gets unsettled. At speeds above 140, this issue become more noticable and more serious. Adjustable shocks would address this.
3: Cabin heat. From recent posts, this seems to have been mostly addressed in the 2005 cars. This is a good thing.
4: Lighter wheels and tires. The stock rims and tires are unbelievably heavy. That's a lot of unsprung weight.
5: Overall lighter weight. Not sure how they can accomplish this on the current Gen III platform Significant weight savings would probably require a pretty serious redesign, similar to what Chevy has done with the new Z06. Certainly, if there is a Gen IV Viper, it needs to go on a serious diet.
Must haves:
1: Oil pan. The car needs the Comp Coupe oil pan. A Viper that can't be driven at the track without changing your oil pan is a disgrace.
2: Roll Bar. Put a real roll bar on this car at the factory. The convertible needs a substantial bar, and the Coupe needs a substantial roll structure built into it, and also room under the liner to install a roll cage.
3: Height adjustable seats. I'm only 5'10", and I had to get a seat lowering kit, both to fit in the car with my helmet, and also to see out without the top sill intersecting my vision.
4: Quaife differential. Stronger, better handling, and not a whole lot more expensive than the differential that currently comes with the car.
5: Emergency brake needs to be relocated to allow for running 18" wheels in the back
6: Crank case ventilation needs improvement. (this is ViperX's point.) I personally have not encountered any issues with this (once I bored out my K&N housing.)
7: Tire pressure monitors that can store codes for at least 16 wheels. Additionally the monitor alarm thresholds need to be able to be adjusted by the driver, so you can run your drag radials at 16psi without being assaulted by the constant ding, ding ding of the low pressure alarm, and run your race tires at 40psi.
8: Closer ratios between 4th, 5th, and 6th gear. Accelerating between 140 and 190 takes too long because the gearing of the car is screwed up. 6th gear is basically useless, which means that 5th gear has to cover way too much ground. Yes, 6th gear is nice for high-gas mileage cruising, but I would gladly trade a few mpg for a 6th gear that is usable for high speed acceleration.
I know many feel that 1st through 4th are also too tall. I'm not one of those people. I love the 1st through 4th ratios. However, once you put the car into 5th, it bogs badly. Lowering the top 2 gears would do a lot for the car's acceleration at the upper end of the speed range.
Good to have:
1: More power. I'm not making this a "must have" because the car does have 500hp already. Yes, other cars have more, but some car will always have more. I will be adding horsepower to my car sometime in the future, but honestly, there have been very few times when I have said to myself "I wish this car had more power." Also, I like the fact that this car is naturally aspirated and is not very "high strung." A relatively simple, low comression engine that can be run all day long at the track without complaint, overheating, or any issues at all is a good thing in my book. If they could keep it simple and reliable, I would welcome more horsepower. I just don't want to be one of the guys who can't run consecutive track sessions because his engine is getting too hot, detonating, or whatever else.
2: Adjustable shocks. From the factory, the SRT-10 has an almost perfect set-up for a smooth track. However, on regular roads, the car bump steers and gets unsettled. At speeds above 140, this issue become more noticable and more serious. Adjustable shocks would address this.
3: Cabin heat. From recent posts, this seems to have been mostly addressed in the 2005 cars. This is a good thing.
4: Lighter wheels and tires. The stock rims and tires are unbelievably heavy. That's a lot of unsprung weight.
5: Overall lighter weight. Not sure how they can accomplish this on the current Gen III platform Significant weight savings would probably require a pretty serious redesign, similar to what Chevy has done with the new Z06. Certainly, if there is a Gen IV Viper, it needs to go on a serious diet.
