Our First Week with our First Viper

vincy

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Our first 2008 Venom Red coupe Viper with Motons was delivered about 5 days ago, it came from Woodhouse, a great company that gives great service. The also put in 5 points and tow hooks, and had a clear bra put on the front. Bill Pemberton helped us change colors before delivery. He recommended the standard 5 spoke wheels. We didn’t like them in the pictures but now, after seeing them in person, think they are a great choice. And they are easy to clean with only a few surfaces. Yes, I’m a little lazy and prefer to drive rather than clean.

We are no strangers to fast cars, had a Lingenfelter Vet, had a Doug Rippie Vet and a 997 Twin Turbo increased to 570 HP. My wife maryc6 and I do many track days, she drives a Vet C6. We didn’t expect to be too impressed with the Viper power, only 600 hp, we had cars near that. Hence we were already making plans to get some more power in the Viper. Here are our first impressions. Before you all get upset, we love the car.

Holy S*%^, the thing is a monster. It was delivered at night but we took it out for a spin. Leaving our street I turned onto the connecting street and the rear end kicked out, almost hit by the oncoming car. That would have been a record for us, dented in 30 seconds. I didn’t try to kick out the rear, I guess I didn’t know the torque and have gotten used to traction control. We continued and had no traction, every time I touched the gas the wheels spun and got a little sideways. Now I know you have to be on a straight path when you spin the wheels, again something I forgot after getting used to traction control. We should have realized it was 30 deg where the PS2s turn into stone, but we forgot

The car is loud and rough. One of our first comments was, with our other cars, it took many trips to the speed shop to make them this bad. This one came bad right from the factory. We figure we saved money because we won’t have to go right to the speed shop to make it loud and rough.

With the terrible handling we sort of decided we made a mistake. When we got up the next morning maryc6 said “Hey Vincy, what do you want to do today?” I said lets sell the Viper.

We went out the next day and the one after and did a couple hundred miles. Now we love the car. It was warmer, the tires and the tires got warmer. We had some traction and the car is really fast. It pulls really hard in 3rd and 4th. It will be great on long stretches at the track.

We noticed some other things.

1. Where is the new car smell? Have you noticed a Viper does not have a new car smell?
2. The tranny and/or drive train clunks and we didn’t have to pay extra to make this happen.
3. The driver window leaks air. Who cares? The engine drowns it out.
4. When you stop the exhaust comes in the car. We thought something was burning. If its not the exhaust then something is burning.
5. The Owners Manual is the shortest we have seen because there is nothing to learn with few options in the car. My wife is still looking for the heated seats. And she wants to know what the button on the door is? It doesn’t do anything.
6. Whoever positioned the window buttons must be a wombat. You need really short arms to reach the switch.
7. What is the shortest life span of the rear tires? We may try to break the record.
8. Where can we get a license plate frame painted Venom Red?
9. What is the little screwdriver-type thing with and orange metal handle?

Don’t get mad at us. We love the car. It everything we wanted and more. Its as loud and rough as our modded Vets, and we didn’t have to spend money to get it this way. The Viper is a car for people who like cars, not for people who want all the stuff in a BWM and still have a high HP rating.

We like the simplicity of the car. We were used to traction control and the other stuff. Now it feels great to have a car you can just drive and it does what you ask.

Since we got to drive with some traction we realize we could use more power. It took us less than 12 hours to move from thinking the car is too much as a beast to thinking it needs to be more of a beast.

Does anyone have video or sound tracks of the 08 with stock, cat back and/or with headers. Bill Pemberton and Mark at Woodhouse say headers and stuff add about 70 HP. That’s hard to leave on the table. Are there issues with the headers? Codes?

My wife likes the car so much she wants to keep it as a garage queen. I need all of you to convince her we can take it to the track. I think she is worried the Viper will pass her Vet.

Until a couple months ago I did not plan on getting a Viper. The only reason we got the Viper is because my wife wanted to get it. No, you can’t have her, she is mine. I wanted the new ZR1, but after seeing the ZR1 not a track car I don’t want it any more. My wife drive a Vet but still thinks a vet is a vet but a Viper is a VIPER. Now she want stripes on the car to make it look more mean.

Well, we wanted to introduce ourselves to you all. Vipers are great!
 

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SylvanSRT

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BTW all Vipers have traction control, the drivers right foot. I am guessing the little orange tool is probably for your motons, i may be wrong.I think you may have changed your mind about the "terrible handling" get that beast out on a track and you will change your mind. The SRT-10 is one of the best handling sports cars you can buy right out of the box. the acceeleration will will be at least as good as any of your previous tuner cars and the brakes will more than likely be better than the brakes on your TT Porsche(know for great brakes)as you have quickly figured out the Viper is a very special car with very high limits and capabilities and your driving habits will need to adjust to them. Again welcome to the club and enjoy !
 
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vincy

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BTW all Vipers have traction control, the drivers right foot. I am guessing the little orange tool is probably for your motons, i may be wrong.I think you may have changed your mind about the "terrible handling" get that beast out on a track and you will change your mind. The SRT-10 is one of the best handling sports cars you can buy right out of the box. the acceeleration will will be at least as good as any of your previous tuner cars and the brakes will more than likely be better than the brakes on your TT Porsche(know for great brakes)as you have quickly figured out the Viper is a very special car with very high limits and capabilities and your driving habits will need to adjust to them. Again welcome to the club and enjoy !

We have changed our minds about being rough. That's the way a Viper should be.
 

ROCKET62

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Looks GREAT! Woodhouse could add the Racelogic TC system if desired. Tool is to adjust the rebound on the top of motons and you can also adjust the compression by turning the knob on the canister to fine tune the ride to your liking for the street and track.

Hate to ask an insignificant question, but can you show a close up picture of the tow hook?

Welcome to the club!
 

dragon rider

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That color looks great. Take care of her, and she'll take care of you.
Once the temps reach 80 deg. you can really have some fun.
 

unreelviper

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Vincy, let me be the first Va/Md club member to officially welcome you to the best car club in the U.S.A!!!!!Reading your post kind of reminds me when I first bought my 94 viper rt/10. I too was a vette lover having owned 4 different vettes( c3,c4,c4,c5). Like you, I was use to tracking control that the corvette offered, however, I drove my first viper in 1996 and traction control or not , the torque was absolutely nothing like the corvette, so I purchased the car. Once the GTS came on the scene in 1996,I fell in love with the coupe so I graduated to a 1998 GTS with a roe supercharger attached. I loved the car,however, I still had a love for corvettes so I sold the 1998 GTS and went back to a corvette. This time I wanted a corvette that was just as powerful as the viper so I bought a 1999 C5 Doug Rippie 383 Stroker Coupe Corvette. Vincy, the car was awesome but I learned quickly that ,although, the car was fast, it did not have that "knockout wow power" that the viper had. I even had people tell me that they love the car but it could not compare to the last two vipers that I had in "knockout wow power". I'm telling you this to say that ,for me, I loved my corvettes, however, I truly missed the Viper Club. I can't speak for the corvette club however I've been to a lot of their events, but I know that you won't find a better car club in the U.S.A.(IMHO). This club , truly, has good caring people who will help you with anything that you need. So needless to say, I bought a 2004 Viper Srt-10 White Mamba"Paxton Supercharged" 2 years ago and have not looked back........If you have any questions about our club, please contact our President Lee Stubberfield and he will guide you in the right direction. Good Luck with the car and hopefully we will see you at some of the awesome events that we have throughout the year!!!
 
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triblk6spd

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What a great car! The 08's are simply amazing from a looksAND performance standpoint. I can't get into the wine red yet, maybe it'll grow on me.
 

Kenneth Krieger

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Vincy....welcome to the wonderful world of Viper!! You'll get to love the car more as you drive it more!! As far as after market exhaust, there is only one that will not throw a check engine light on a 2008 and that's Belangers. I know Lou personally, and know his work, and it's top notch. If you have any questions from Lou Blenager, he will talk with you personally, and give you great insight on the world of headers and exhaust.
I have an 05 Commemorative Edition with a Paxton S/C and 3:55's and I know the feeling of GREAT power. Be careful until you know the car better. Have it pointed straight when you hit the throttle, and DON'T let anyone drive the car except YOU. My 94 S/C'd RT-10 was totaled last year by a tech with no high hp car driving experience, and just yesterday, a good friend's Ford GT was totaled by the Ford tech at a local Ford dealer! He put it sideways, and did a 4 wheel power slide into a high curb and literally tore the right side wheels off the car, and the monolithic structure of the car was bent!
Again, welcome to the Viper world, and have fun and be safe!
 

Fast1

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The button on the door is the door lock/unlock toggle switch. It does work, it just does not make the noise of the door unlocking because everything is electronic due to the auto windows when the door closes and the space confines for mechanicals in the door. There is no metal rod engaging the door lock as with other cars. I thought the same thing when I got my '06. I can never remember which way to move the switch and end up looking like a fool whenever I try to unlock the doors. I usually just reach over and open the door.
 
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vincy

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Vincy, let me be the first Va/Md club member to officially welcome you to the best car club in the U.S.A!!!!!Reading your post kind of reminds me when I first bought my 94 viper rt/10. I too was a vette lover having owned 4 different vettes( c3,c4,c4,c5). Like you, I was use to tracking control that the corvette offered, however, I drove my first viper in 1996 and traction control or not , the torque was absolutely nothing like the corvette, so I purchased the car. Once the GTS came on the scene in 1996,I fell in love with the coupe so I graduated to a 1998 GTS with a roe supercharger attached. I loved the car,however, I still had a love for corvettes so I sold the 1998 GTS and went back to a corvette. This time I wanted a corvette that was just as powerful as the viper so I bought a 1999 C5 Doug Rippie 383 Stroker Coupe Corvette. Vincy, the car was awesome but I learned quickly that ,although, the car was fast, it did not have that "knockout wow power" that the viper had. I even had people tell me that they love the car but it could not compare to the last two vipers that I had in "knockout wow power". I'm telling you this to say that ,for me, I loved my corvettes, however, I truly missed the Viper Club. I can't speak for the corvette club however I've been to a lot of their events, but I know that you won't find a better car club in the U.S.A.(IMHO). This club , truly, has good caring people who will help you with anything that you need. So needless to say, I bought a 2004 Viper Srt-10 White Mamba"Paxton Supercharged" 2 years ago and have not looked back........If you have any questions about our club, please contact our President Lee Stubberfield and he will guide you in the right direction. Good Luck with the car and hopefully we will see you at some of the awesome events that we have throughout the year!!!

That might be the Rippie we have, C500 RSR, as you know its a 383 stroker with everything possible for handling, cage, racing seats, race tires, etc. I can tell the Viper has more power than the 500 HP rated Rippie. As for handling I don't know yet, I don't know how to drive the Viper yet and it has not been to the track. I do know that the 997 TT is faster and handles better than the Rippie, but the TT is 4 wheel drive. Actually we still have the Rippie bacause I'm planning on taking some friends to track days to drive themselves, then we will sell the Rippie.
 
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vincy

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What a great car! The 08's are simply amazing from a looksAND performance standpoint. I can't get into the wine red yet, maybe it'll grow on me.

We had a black on order with a dark silver stripe. The wife wanted black. Then she got a back car and after one day she realized how hard it is to keep clean. We called Bill Pemberton and he had this one coming in so we took it. I agree, black looks better but its too much work for me.
 
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vincy

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Looks GREAT! Woodhouse could add the Racelogic TC system if desired. Tool is to adjust the rebound on the top of motons and you can also adjust the compression by turning the knob on the canister to fine tune the ride to your liking for the street and track.

Hate to ask an insignificant question, but can you show a close up picture of the tow hook?

Welcome to the club!

Here are pictures of the tow hooks, front and back. They are suppose to be removable but I haven't tried. I like the idea of a nylon extension, less scratches on the car. First time I saw this type.
 

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CaptainDavid

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Congratulations, I too am a Viper/Vette owner, and as you see they are completely differant cars. The Viper is a racing car street legal, The Vette is a Street car with racing parts.
ALWAYS BE AWARE OF THE FAMOUS CTS (Cold Tire Syndrome). I f you study this forum, you will see all of the CTS snake bites..

Happy Brutal Fast motoring

:drive:
 
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Venomiss

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Congratulations on your new Viper! Meet some other members in your area and have good time. Someone can probably give you ideas on who to see about your window.
Guessing it's an easy fix under warranty. Please tell your wife she is welcome here also! :2tu:



1152d1205584589-our-first-week-our-first-viper-img_3478.jpg
 

Bobpantax

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"That would have been a record for us, dented in 30 seconds."

Congratulations on your new snake. Keep in mind that Vipers do not dent. They chip and/or crack. As to the driving, as stated above, never, ever drive a Viper in a spirited way with cold tires. If you do, the ass around syndrome can not only occur on take off but it can also occur at the first to second and second to third shift points. You also have to be more sensitive to road surface conditions since, as also stated above, there is no nanny tech to bail out the driver. The door lock/unlock has a visual display on the dashboard. It shows when the doors are unlocked.

Have attentive fun!

Bob
 

Hamrhead

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Beautiful Car! Love the color too!

And I gotta say, the 5 spokes are still the best-looking factory wheel!!!:headbang:
 

HI-NOS-Viper

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and depending on your roads, skid plates for sure to keep that underneath in tip top shape. Awesome Viper, I love that color. Go for some black stripes. :)
 

Lee00blacksilverGTS

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Welcome! I feel a special bond with you, your delivery driver was at my house the next morning to take my 06 back to Woodhouse. He said your car was beautiful. I have all your information and will be sending you some stuff on events on Monday. You should add your vin to your profile here, I already set you up as a VCA member as Bill let me know about you. That Pemberton service ncludes letting the Regional President know a new guy is coming, amazing ain't he? You can call 800.998.1110 and get them to assign you a VCA number, let me know if you have any problem with that and I can run some interference. No worries about the number though, it will come eventually and just start showing up for events. Bill tells me you are a track guy so hold Memorial Day weekend including Monday open for The Zone Rendezvous at Pocono. Also check the Viperdays Viper Days Driving School *** www.ViperDays.com *** - Home : Chicago Commercial schedule for VIR. If you plan to mod the car with exhaust and stripes you might think about sending it back to Bill when my 08 comes next month. Woodhouse does better stripes than the factory and they love those two way hauls.
 

ViperGal

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Congrats. We were once into Vettes as well. I remember when we got our 2004 someone said with Vettes you trade every year - with Vipers it is once a generation. Now you have to be a great husband and get your wife one too! (Sorry but us women need to stick up for others.:D)

Drive on and enjoy.

BTW: if you add a quaife to your car it will put an end to the rear end unexpectedly kicking out plus its a great opportunity to change out the 3.07s if you wish.
 

ViperDude

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It's going to smell like something's burning for about 3,000 miles.

Also yes the exhaust comes in the car, quite often. If you or anyone ever figures out way(s) to minizmize the exhaust coming in the car, please post.

Maybe it can't be completely eliminated, but any reduction would be nice.
 
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vincy

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The sills were coated, the mirrors and some places behind the rear wheels. Now we put clear bras on all our cars.
 
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vincy

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We are thinking to put black on the hood scope, sort of like the old 427 Sting Rays. We hope to find metallic black vinyl to better match the paint.
 
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vincy

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Congrats. We were once into Vettes as well. I remember when we got our 2004 someone said with Vettes you trade every year - with Vipers it is once a generation. Now you have to be a great husband and get your wife one too! (Sorry but us women need to stick up for others.:D)

Drive on and enjoy.

BTW: if you add a quaife to your car it will put an end to the rear end unexpectedly kicking out plus its a great opportunity to change out the 3.07s if you wish.

What is a quaife? Sorry if we don't know the stuff. Is a 3.07 higher> or lower< than stock? Now that we are getting to know the car we wouldn't mind faster acceleration.
 
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vincy

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Welcome! I feel a special bond with you, your delivery driver was at my house the next morning to take my 06 back to Woodhouse. He said your car was beautiful. I have all your information and will be sending you some stuff on events on Monday. You should add your vin to your profile here, I already set you up as a VCA member as Bill let me know about you. That Pemberton service ncludes letting the Regional President know a new guy is coming, amazing ain't he? You can call 800.998.1110 and get them to assign you a VCA number, let me know if you have any problem with that and I can run some interference. No worries about the number though, it will come eventually and just start showing up for events. Bill tells me you are a track guy so hold Memorial Day weekend including Monday open for The Zone Rendezvous at Pocono. Also check the Viperdays Viper Days Driving School *** www.ViperDays.com *** - Home : Chicago Commercial schedule for VIR. If you plan to mod the car with exhaust and stripes you might think about sending it back to Bill when my 08 comes next month. Woodhouse does better stripes than the factory and they love those two way hauls.


Hi, we knew the truck was going to pick up another car to take back. For stripes at Woodhouse do you mean painted or vinyl? What is the story on exhaust and/or headers? Has anyone posted dyno and sound clips? We got the 7 year warrenty. Will the dealer honor this if there is an exhaust and/or headers on the car? Are the headers causing codes? What is the HP increase? And sound increase?

We probably locked ourselves out of Viper Days. Bill P told me I would have to sit on the belts for 6 points, so we got 5 points, which is ok at Summit Point. Do you go to Summit Point?Is there a way to run at Pocono with 5 points? Thanks
 

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