Results of the Brake upgrade quest.

[Andrew2KRT10]

I'm Staying Stock. I only do a few events a year. It is obvious that the set-up for street and track don't mix, but it seems to me that the guys who built this car had me in mind. I'm a street / track guy and I need the best of both worlds. That's what I have in Stock parts. Some of you out there who nearly live on the track need more sophisticated components. I can appreciate that. Maybe some day I'll have a second Viper and I'll devote it to the track. Until then, Stock is good for me. Sure, maybe I'll use better brake fluid, and I'll watch to change my pads more often. Maybe I'll even go with slightly harder pads, but the blue ones that Archer put on my car at Watkins were too much for the stock rotors to handle. I did best with the green pads from Archer (forgive me if I don't know the exact name of them), and stock rotors. These were installed in VOI6 1.5 years ago, and held up great. With the "P" air deflectors I have,
and better attention to my driving, I'm set. I'll keep using my Hoosiers, only not to wear down my street tires and to maybe get a better grip.

If anyone is interested, final decision came about after careful reading of all the posts, and a short discussion with Chuck Tator (Tator Dodge, South Salem).

Thanks everyone!

Andrew

 

[John ACR]

Andrew,
From one bone stock (Tatorized) ACR I agree.

 

[Jim Hodel]

I don't think you can go wring with that decision. You can go plenty fast in a Viper with only a pad upgrade. I guess some of us are interested in increasing braking performance like others are interested in increasing power. Does the car 'need' it? Not really, but it's fun to tinker and test.

Jim

 

[Andrew2KRT10]

Yeah, it is fun to tinker and test. But what I have learned the hard way from past cars and what I want to avoid now with my Viper which is way more expensive, is that when the tinkering and testing approach starts to teach you more about the weak link senario, the bucks start to add up and then it's not as much fun anymore. Then you end up with near-new parts that are laying around the garage floor. I'm glad I listened to everyone, read all the posts, and then Tator-refined my choice.

Andrew