Personal Viper performance upgrade experiences

[treynor]

Heh. Since you're in San Jose, and I'm in Redwood City, why don't I give you a spin in my '01 RT, which has pretty much exactly the power adders you list being interested in. You can then decide for yourself how far to go.

Be warned -- I gave SoCal a ride in my car too, and it corrupted him. Power is like that

My personal recommendation:
Stage 1: K&Ns & Tubes, Belanger headers w/modified O2 ****, Parts Rack metal high-flow cats, Belanger 3" cat-back exhaust (if you want it LOUD) or Corsa 3" exhaust (for a more neighbor-friendly note), T&D 1.7 roller rockers, McLeod AL flywheel (numerous sources). Rear gears only if you're not contemplating doing stage II.
Net gain (+/- 5) on a '00+ car: +40 RWHP, +50 RWTQ.

Stage 2: Ported heads (Hennessey did great work for me), extrude-honed & port-matched intake manifold, Valaya racing modified stock throttle bodies, APEX modified airbox.
Net gain over stage I (+/- 5) +65 RWHP, +40 RWTQ

Required extras:
Intrax half-shafts (if you're going drag racing)
Valaya Racing power steering cooler (if you're going road racing)

Bonus points:
BTR Viper NOS/Propane (100-150 shot, BIG fun but you're addicted to the bottle)
Fluidyne radiator and 180 degree thermostat (if you're running hot)

 

[Matt]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ViperOne:

My local Dodge dealer has graciously offered to maintain my factory warranty, if and only if, If I allow them to do all the install work.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Care to share which dealer you're taking your Viper to for warranty work?

Matt

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Ross,

Welcome to The Viperholics of N. CA.

Ben's advice is pretty good advice.

Couple comments:
Warranty-If the engine has a problem it goes back to Team Viper for failure analysis(FA). The engine is shipped back with the exhaust manifolds attached. If you install headers keep the old headers, heat shields and bolts.
If you install roller rockers (keep the old stuff in case it needs to be put back in place) and the engine failure is related to the roller rockers, warranty will be denied, assuming the FA shows that something than other than the stock valve train was used. Extrude hone the intake or cut the heads and say good buy to any engine warranty.

Headers - go with Belanger, CDI, HMS TNT or SVSi for a nice increase in efficiency and if Smog cert is an issue then Borla or Edelbrock are the only options. The cat back selection is more about sound then performance. Stop by the Happy Day's Diner next Wed and you can listen to a couple different systems and likely hitch a ride in a modified Snake.

The best modification to reduce track time is a few Skip Barber Driving Schools (discounted to VCA members).

Larger throttle bodies are a waste of money which produce no performance gain.

The stock rear end gear is great for modified motors.

At the Diner last night there were Vipers with only bolt on mods to one with a motor built by Caldwell with a little modification.

 

[LTHL VPR]

Something to think about:
I find it difficult to believe that a dealer will 'guaranty' to cover you under warranty if they do the work.

Depending upon the problem, if one happens, often times a local Dodge rep may be called upon to evaluate a warranty claim. These reps are from Dodge, not your dealership, and are very strict. I have heard that they can lose their job if they accept a claim that should be denied, and the dealership has no control over this. There are other dealerships in the area that warranty plenty of cars with mods- mild to wild.

Since you prefaced personal experiences, I will tell you one. I had a 1996 Cobra Mustang. The dealership guaranteed to cover me under warrant after they installed a supercharger. Well, my engine let go, and I took it to the dealer. They ended up telling me a long story, and offered their apologizes, but they claimed the local rep denied it and it went in the master system. So I have been that route before, and I know who has and does not have control.

Personally, I would rather have my car worked on by a shop that has experience in upgrading Vipers rather than being a 'guinea pig'.

Call me at 408.562.1000, and I am happy to answer any questions, and tell you more stories like mine. We have tested just about every power adder for the Vipers available, except turbo/super charging.

Good Luck in your quest! Hope we can help!
BTW- We did most of the work on Ben's car, who responded above. His car is quite a beast!

Regards,
Wayne (LTHL VPR)
APEX MOTORSPORTS: DODGE VIPER SPECIALISTS
408.562.1000

 

[Mike Adams]

Belanger Headers and exhaust (GTS model w/o cats - power/sound?). T&Ds (a necessity - heard they are noisy and difficult to install). Roller rockers, lightened flywheel, and different rear gearing (suggested by my local dealer - brands/flywheel weight/streetable gear ratio?). What about half-shafts (that much better than stock?) and throttle bodies (size?). Anyone lower their Viper? My ACR is bouncy enough, but was curious to see how one might obtain that **** appearance of the wheels/tires actually filling up the fender wells. Headwork comes highly recommended by the likes of J. Hennessey, but at what cost and will I feel like I got what I paid for? In other words, performance for the buck, where does it all end?

So what would YOU (based upon personal experience) recommend to ME for my above ride? Already ordered the Belanger Headers Exhaust package, but what else can I do to arrive at a good package?
_________________________________________________________________
Best mods I have found without touching the Heads are
(exhaust recommendation is only because I have not used belanger)

Hennessy Headers, and Custom cat back from B&B cost $3800, a good air box I highly recomment Hennessy, $1200, Mopar race computer $400 (other may say it doesn't work but I have proof it does) , and the Roe Race calibrator $500.I have seen this package net 460-470 rwhp on a GTS and still have CATS. Doing the heads should net you another 35 rwhp and cost with rockers appro $3000 to $4500 depending on how far you want to go

 

[Bob Woodhouse]

Warranty claims are honored from dealers that show a good track record. If the dealer has shown a propensity to lean too far toward the customer in his judgement, ie: submit for warranty when it is some other cause, then he gets assigned to prior approval, then audit, then chargeback. So integrity is still the best way to play the game in the long run.
You said this was an ACR. Sooo, lowering is a piece of cake. You can drop the car about 1" with no side effects. (Spring perches are threaded). Take it to a well known alignment shop as you will need the align and corner weight re-set. Final ride height should be 4 3/8 " at the front of the exhaust sill and 4 5/8th at the rear.
Bob Woodhouse
Woodhouse Chry Dodge Jeep
Blair, NE.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Custom Alignment, 2599 Wyandotte St.Unit A, Mountain View, CA 650 961-5311 have experience with Vipers, corner wt. etc.