Test drove first Viper today...

[SuperSaiks]

Hey Santo

I am gonna be importing a rt/10 anytime now, and since the one you bought was a import from Florida/US, is the speedometer been changed to KM or is it still orignal in MPH. Or was it left alone during the Cdn spec conversion.

thanks

 

[santo]

Hello SuperSaiks,

My Viper has a speedo in MPH. I have been brought up in kilometers and it was a rough couple of days but I find that I don't really look at the speedometer unless I see a cop or think I'm on a road that may have a cop on it but there's no one around for me to judge how fast I'm going. I find it hard to judge how fast you are going because pressing the accelerator makes cars behind you look small in a hurry even though you don't think you pressed too hard. I have not had the opportunity to "test it out" yet as it's been less then a week of ownership but that will come on the weekend. Another thing to note is that you will only use 1/3 of the speedo in the city, if that.

I believe the only difference between a US car and a Canadian car is the module or programming of the CPU to get the daytime running lights to work. My car was already a Canadian inspected car by the time I got it.

Hope this helps,
Santo

 

[revived_gearhead]

Nice ride. Sorry you have to put it up for the "WINTER". That's why I made the move from upstate N.Y., and headed to the Sunny state of North Carolina. By the way, although it is rumored that red and yellow Vipers are the fastest, the truth is emerald green is by far the quickest. Just think, how many have you actually seen! Theres the proof! So fast, you never realized it flew by. HA! Ha!

 

[santo]

I thought I'd follow up since I've now driven my Viper for a couple of days. To sum it up, "It rocks!".

First night, I got a ticket for no front plate. The next evening, I fashioned "McGiver style" two aluminum braces and created my own front plate holder because I couldn't wait to drive it and I wasn't going to get another ticket. I do thank JonB for his quick quote but I think my "hacking" will do. It's crooked because I made one side longer then the other and I had to offset it a bit because of the front hood latch but it works.

I work at two different college campuses and I drove it to one each day (as I move around a lot). It was funny because those I talked to knew it was mine even though I did not tell anyone. I parked in my usual spot and the Stealth was not there. It was a big hit but I'm still a little shy because I'm not really an attention freak, oddly enough.

Driving it is great. The shifting is excellent and I got used to the shifter in short order. I'm used to the "over the top" technique for shifting where I know use the "slot machine" technique to shirt. The shifter is still long but I got used to it. I moved around the pedals and adjusted the seat and I think I almost have it right. I gotta reach a little to depress the clutch fully for first gear but it's not bad. I still have to get used to reverse being where it is but that won't take long.

I scrape the front fascia regularly when going into our driveway. We live in a new neighbourhood and the final road is not done do the curbs are higher then they should be. I only scrape the very bottom and have lost some paint down there so I am trying to find some sort of plastic/rubber strip moulding for the bottom that will protect that little lip that is the lowest part of the facia. JonB quoted on a three finger module but I don't think it will help because I know it will scrape anyway. I'm going to talk to the builder to see if they have any temporary solutions until it gets done. They definitely know I have a Viper

I didn't get a 2001 RT/10 owners manual for the car but I will purchase one and a shop manual soon. The stock stero is pretty bad. What is that center speaker supposed to be? It's defintitely not a subwoofer and the system begs for bass. My old Stealth had an 8" Bazooka tube that I'm going to try to install somewhere. I was thinking behind the passenger seat but in doing searches, it looks like in front of the passenger seat is the normal place for one. I'll have to try it over the winter. I also want to replace the head unit because I need to plug in an iPod.

Anyway, that's where I am at this point. What a ride!
Santo

 

[Inferno]

You got a front plate ticket here, the cops are not even giving out tickets right now, due to the work to rule! I have got one so far after a year, I refuse to put a front plate on. I got off the one ticket, by showing up to court with a picture of the car, with the plate photo-chopped on. I'll pay the $100 every couple years if I have to, what a stupid ***'in law.

 

[santo]

I live in York Region. They are working and ruling... bastages! I just don't need any extra reasons to get pulled over. I also did call my insurance and they said that this ticket is not a moving violation and it shouldn't count in regards to insurance. I just paid it and forgot it.

Santo

 

[SuperSaiks]

Inferno

Thats classic man u photo-chopped the pic. I am gonna be buying a viper any day now, and shipping it back to Ottawa, I too don't want to put the front plate on, but I am sure I will get pulled over. Got pulled over for driving with a back clear plastic cover on my plate and he cop gave me a ticket.

 

[Inferno]

Again, what a stupid ***'in law. Like their going to read your front plate from their rear-view mirror. The cop you dealt with sounds like a bored ****, that's right up there with J-walking.

 

[AJT]

Look behind & under the seats for the owners manual, sometimes they are hidden there.