Brad Manhattan Beach
Viper Owner
Chad:
Welcome to the club. There are some fantastic technical resources on this BB. The only thing that I would recommend is that you put aside some money to get into a perfomance driving school (Fred Kinder should chime in on this one). This car is one of the best driver cars that you can buy. It performs like an animal, and you need to learn to respect it's performance. Too many new owners seriously underestimate this, and end up doing some serious damage to their egos and pocket books in the first 90 days of ownership.
Horsepower alternatives are readily available, but are pretty expensive. I would learn to handle the newfound horsepower (and torque) that you have with the Viper, before you start bolting on more HP. dan Cragin is one of the Viper tech guru's that regularly participates on this BB. He has a Viper hotline, and can be of great assistance (granted that I would hope that if you do utilize his advice, that you try to also buy from him too).
If you plan to take the car on track on a regular basis, you'll find that the Viper's biggest weak link is it's brakes. They tend to overheat very easily (as well as having mediocre stopping distances). The stock brakes will not lock up above 65 mph. There are plenty of alternatives available out there (some get very pricey, and many don't really improve any performance). Do your homework. I have the Stop Tech front brake upgrades, and will be happy to answer any questions for you. Note that the 2001 Vipers all come with ABS (which is well worth the price of admission).
Finally, I would go out and contact and meet the folks in the local chapter of the VCA. They are a great bunch of people (that remind me of the people that used to own AC Cobra's). If you live in Texas, you'll meet a serious bunch of racers.
Good luck and be safe. Happy holidays.
Welcome to the club. There are some fantastic technical resources on this BB. The only thing that I would recommend is that you put aside some money to get into a perfomance driving school (Fred Kinder should chime in on this one). This car is one of the best driver cars that you can buy. It performs like an animal, and you need to learn to respect it's performance. Too many new owners seriously underestimate this, and end up doing some serious damage to their egos and pocket books in the first 90 days of ownership.
Horsepower alternatives are readily available, but are pretty expensive. I would learn to handle the newfound horsepower (and torque) that you have with the Viper, before you start bolting on more HP. dan Cragin is one of the Viper tech guru's that regularly participates on this BB. He has a Viper hotline, and can be of great assistance (granted that I would hope that if you do utilize his advice, that you try to also buy from him too).
If you plan to take the car on track on a regular basis, you'll find that the Viper's biggest weak link is it's brakes. They tend to overheat very easily (as well as having mediocre stopping distances). The stock brakes will not lock up above 65 mph. There are plenty of alternatives available out there (some get very pricey, and many don't really improve any performance). Do your homework. I have the Stop Tech front brake upgrades, and will be happy to answer any questions for you. Note that the 2001 Vipers all come with ABS (which is well worth the price of admission).
Finally, I would go out and contact and meet the folks in the local chapter of the VCA. They are a great bunch of people (that remind me of the people that used to own AC Cobra's). If you live in Texas, you'll meet a serious bunch of racers.
Good luck and be safe. Happy holidays.
