How do you keep the rear end at the rear?
- Thread starter CarGo
- Start date
RichieSRT10
Enthusiast
I have 9,000 miles on my 09 Viper. Incredible car that needs more power. Easy to control, slide or make quick adjustments when entering high speed turns. The Viper is a solid car that requires an experienced pilot if you want to keep the pedal to the metal. High speed stablity is excellent. Recently running the Florida Mile event I was able to reach 172mph running into a 20mph headwind on a hot and humid day. The only problem I had was the lack of power above 100mph. Now if Doug Levin would stop screwing around with his Lambos long enough to set me up with another Paxton then I could have some real power & fun again.
Shandon
Enthusiast
Practice, Install Quaife, Practice! enough said
eucharistos
Enthusiast
why the issue with the 2nd to 3rd shift, i feel like i just entered "the safe zone" once i'm out of 2nd under hard accel on the mexican highway
Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
Running a viper down a 1/4 mile track is pretty easy when compared to surviving riding superbikes for 20 years. I think this problem might just be in your head man.
Engage brain before clutch?
adamlotus
Enthusiast
well said i know most of us have been bite or bitten.
why the issue with the 2nd to 3rd shift, i feel like i just entered "the safe zone" once i'm out of 2nd under hard accel on the mexican highway
I agree I feel this way as well...Just the other night i did 15 or so 1/4 runs in my high 400's rwhp srt10..
Third gear is where I feel I finally have traction...But that third gear has bit me twice...Now I...
-ride out first gear giving gas as needed
-shift to second and give half gas till 3500 rpm or so
-shift to third and give 3/4 gas till 3000 rpm or so
JUST TO BE SAFE
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After 100k safe miles in 4 Vipers, including 30k miles in one over 900 rwhp, about 20K track miles in GTS and SRT ACR, and more than a few drag runs, re-read what Chuck said:
1- Learn to drive (get a good start with your local Viper club)
2- Don't be stupid
I'll add two:
3 - Pay attention at all times while driving.
4 - Use smooooth inputs to gas, brakes, steering, clutch, trans at all times.
Also, what Treesnake said - these mods will help you take it to the next level:
-Quaiffe diff., (huge difference) - will help keep the car straight when haulin'.
-Motons (get aligned and counter-balanced) - best suspension going and a great mod.
-Tires - keep them fresh, properly inflated and choose the right tires for the event.
-Poly eng./trans mts. - helps you shift into the gear you want, a must for Gen I, II and III.
-Woodhouse shifter - short shifters like MGW, etc. help too.
Good luck with your new Viper,
Dan
1- Learn to drive (get a good start with your local Viper club)
2- Don't be stupid
I'll add two:
3 - Pay attention at all times while driving.
4 - Use smooooth inputs to gas, brakes, steering, clutch, trans at all times.
Also, what Treesnake said - these mods will help you take it to the next level:
-Quaiffe diff., (huge difference) - will help keep the car straight when haulin'.
-Motons (get aligned and counter-balanced) - best suspension going and a great mod.
-Tires - keep them fresh, properly inflated and choose the right tires for the event.
-Poly eng./trans mts. - helps you shift into the gear you want, a must for Gen I, II and III.
-Woodhouse shifter - short shifters like MGW, etc. help too.
Good luck with your new Viper,
Dan
viperbilliam
Enthusiast
From someone who has actually experienced the snake bite more than once: Quaife is the second best solution but a must. The first one is to make sure your tires are warm and the outside temp above 60. Third best is good tires - old runflats, regardless of treadwear, will slip around more easily.
Jersey Jeff
Enthusiast
I have 2 vettes in the garage, one is an 2008 Z06 (427 Limited edition Wil Cooksey signed/numbered) and the Z06 is a beast compared to standard 02 coupe. Now last June I got my 09 Viper roadster and I am here to tell you it is two different creatures. One is a brunette and the other a fiery redhead. The Viper is one HELL of a lot of fun to drive. My Vettes pretty much sat this summer while I cruised my Viper, the beast waiting to be enjoyed WITH RESPECT. Night and day difference my friend. I still love cruising my vettes, but for sheer pleasure and excitement, DODGE has stolen my heart.
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bushido
Viper Owner
X2, with a Tru-Trac diff..
Have to echo the comments, but would say the main reasons are the factory rear diff., bad tires, 4th to 5th shift (into 3rd) but mostly bad drivers. People think that just because their SUV or whatever pick-up or daily driver car comes stock with 400+ hp, they can handle 400HP, 450HP, 505HP or 600 HP in the Vipers. Different power, though the HP numbers are the same.
My personal experience with the Viper is the factory rear diffs are the main headache. A car with power and throttle characteristics like this, requires a Quafe type of diff. Everything to both wheels.
Tires; the Run-Flats on 03' to 06' are very poor tire. The rubber is just too hard, hence traction is way down, PS2s are noticably better. Tranny, I don't know what it is about that 4th to 5th shift but I personally have to get my body in the same position and tighten my arm like a falcrum to shft from my shoulder, if I am trying to shift aggressively otherwise if I pull it slightly, then I am in 3rd gear. Learned to just make sure I do not dump the clutch after that shift because if you ease out on the clutch and hear and feel it really winding up on RPMs, you can quickly push it back in and reshift it again, slowly into 5th.
Lastly, hark back to the days when you were 16 years old and your parents did not want you to have a Sports car with lots of power because they feared you would "wrap it around a telephone pole". Same principle here, as the car and the power have to be respected and the only way to do that is to ease into it a little more each time and learn the car and learn about yourself.
I have owned mine for over 4 years now and while I am much more comfortable with my skills and the car now, I know my limits. When I first got it new, it scared the daylights out of me and I had been driving 600 HP Saleens, 550+ HP Custom Trucks, supercharged Mustangs and muscle cars of yore. Viper is different, but like Arby's says "Different is good".
Well worth the patience though.
My personal experience with the Viper is the factory rear diffs are the main headache. A car with power and throttle characteristics like this, requires a Quafe type of diff. Everything to both wheels.
Tires; the Run-Flats on 03' to 06' are very poor tire. The rubber is just too hard, hence traction is way down, PS2s are noticably better. Tranny, I don't know what it is about that 4th to 5th shift but I personally have to get my body in the same position and tighten my arm like a falcrum to shft from my shoulder, if I am trying to shift aggressively otherwise if I pull it slightly, then I am in 3rd gear. Learned to just make sure I do not dump the clutch after that shift because if you ease out on the clutch and hear and feel it really winding up on RPMs, you can quickly push it back in and reshift it again, slowly into 5th.
Lastly, hark back to the days when you were 16 years old and your parents did not want you to have a Sports car with lots of power because they feared you would "wrap it around a telephone pole". Same principle here, as the car and the power have to be respected and the only way to do that is to ease into it a little more each time and learn the car and learn about yourself.
I have owned mine for over 4 years now and while I am much more comfortable with my skills and the car now, I know my limits. When I first got it new, it scared the daylights out of me and I had been driving 600 HP Saleens, 550+ HP Custom Trucks, supercharged Mustangs and muscle cars of yore. Viper is different, but like Arby's says "Different is good".
Well worth the patience though.
I want the Diff., Poly Mts., and Shifter. I have a new trailer on order and when it gets here I need to decide if I'm hauling it 330 mi. to Woodhouse or 110 to Roanoke.-Quaiffe diff., (huge difference)
-Motons (get aligned and counter-balanced)
-Tires
-Poly eng./trans mts.
-Woodhouse shifter
Mark Jorgensen can fix you up...
CarGo
Enthusiast
That's what I'm expecting, and I have a question for you ( or anybody else who cares to answer )
Quite a few comments in this post about accidentally hitting 3rd gear with the Viper, So I take it to mean the Viper shifter lacks the pretty much foolproof spring loaded guidance 3rd & 4th gear on the Z06 has??
ViperGTS
Enthusiast
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by turning 360°? 
or 720° ...
or
or 720° ...
or
MTGTS
Enthusiast
Common sense and some PS2's
mjorgensen Woodhouse
Enthusiast
You realize I can have it hauled back on an empty run for free right? We could do whatever you need and you could either come and pick it up or for a small fee have it delivered back. I have a couple others in eastern IA. Waiting to come in and one in Indy shortly.
ROCKET62
Has Left the Room!
Jim,
How you surviving the winter? Curious why you want to change your rear end as I am under the impression that the new rear end is close to the performance of the quaiffe? Gears possibly?
PS - what's going to be the going rate to rent your trailer?
John
How you surviving the winter? Curious why you want to change your rear end as I am under the impression that the new rear end is close to the performance of the quaiffe? Gears possibly?
PS - what's going to be the going rate to rent your trailer
?John
mjorgensen Woodhouse
Enthusiast
The stock diff is absolutely nothing like a Quaife and the performance of the Quaife is dramaticly better.
Jim,
How you surviving the winter? Curious why you want to change your rear end as I am under the impression that the new rear end is close to the performance of the quaiffe? Gears possibly?
PS - what's going to be the going rate to rent your trailer
John
mjorgensen Woodhouse
Enthusiast
The Quaife is nothing like the stock diff. The. Quaife helps steer the car by constantly moving power back and forth to steer like a twin engine boat. The stock diffs basically lock up when spin occurs. This is why the rear end drifts side to side.
The Quaife is worth it and if you ask anyone that has used both they will tell you the same.
The Quaife is worth it and if you ask anyone that has used both they will tell you the same.
Blainne
Viper Owner
What about Racelogic traction control? Anyone have this on their Viper and does it work to keep the rear end to the rear?
There is an 06 Coupe for sale I saw with this on it.
There is an 06 Coupe for sale I saw with this on it.
mjorgensen Woodhouse
Enthusiast
The Race Logic works very well on cars prior to 08'. It has not proven compatable to the Gen4 Viper though.
ROCKET62
Has Left the Room!
Mark, how does the diff in the Gen 4 compare to the diff in the Gen 3. I'm sure that the quaife is better, and have been under the impression that the Gen 4 diff does a pretty decent job.
mjorgensen Woodhouse
Enthusiast
The Gen4 is a stout unit compared to the 3, but it still acts like a locker under hard acceleration. I feel that this is a inferior way to put down the power anywhere but at a strip, but it is also more cost effective for the factory. It works better and much smoother than the 3.
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OE Gen I, II, III & IV diffs = direction change or sideways under heavy throttle.
Quaife = straight line under heavy throttle.
Huge difference. Should be OE installed - would save many, many cars with over-aggressive drivers from crashing.
On the Racelogic traction control, one of our guys had one installed in 2009 and has never been able to get it to work correctly, it's still in the shop 4 months later.
Get the Quaife, it's a proven mechanical device.
Quaife = straight line under heavy throttle.
Huge difference. Should be OE installed - would save many, many cars with over-aggressive drivers from crashing.
On the Racelogic traction control, one of our guys had one installed in 2009 and has never been able to get it to work correctly, it's still in the shop 4 months later.
Get the Quaife, it's a proven mechanical device.
Nine Ball
Enthusiast
As with any car, crashes are mostly a result of inexperience or lack of respect. Viper is no different, it just comes with more power than most cars and requires more respect. You can throw all the money at good parts, but that doesn't improve your driving skill or experience. I've seen novice drivers at the track getting sideways and not lifting the throttle, usually tagging a wall is the result. If you can safely drive a Z06, you will be just fine in the Viper.
j-rho
Enthusiast
The Gen III OE diff is a piece of crap for sure but I don't think it's as bad as everyone says. It can even work ok when driving hard with the right fluid in it. The Gen 2 (and Gen 1 I'm guessing) diff is a basic clutch type which is perfectly fine.
Anybody pushing their car hard enough on the street for the diff to even be a factor, is a *****.
Anybody pushing their car hard enough on the street for the diff to even be a factor, is a *****.
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