To buy or not to buy??

[ZoTurbo]

Hey gang,

I have been an 'observing' member of the boards since 2008 when I bought my first Viper. It was a 2005 Mamba edition (sigh) that I wish I didn't have to sell. Unfortunately, the economy forced me into selling it just 18 months after purchase and I have been heartbroken ever since.

BUT!... the time has arrived to consider buying another one. I haven't been able to find a reasonably priced low mileage 03-05 Mamba Edition (sentimental perhaps) so I have my sights set on a 2008. I was able to find all kinds of info about every model before 2008, and all of the different models like ******** and final editions. But unfortunately I wasn't able to find much out about the base 08 and its options.

Can you guys please help me understand some of the key differences between an '05 and an '08? I swear it's not laziness!!!... my internet searches just keep coming up short

I'm well aware of the bigger engine, increased torque, and different hood, but aside from that I'm kinda clueless.

I've seen some vipers on ebay and there is a little air pump looking thing in the rear driver's side trunk area. What the heck is that? Is it standard or an option?

Does anything come with the navigation upgrade (like better speakers for example) or is it only the head unit?

Do two tone interiors also come with two tone stitching in the seats? I.e., if you find a red & black interior will "VIPER" in the seats be red?

I'm 6'4 so I was hoping for a convertible, but the one I'm looking at is a coupe. Will I have comfort issues?... more than if it were a convertible?

Anything 2008 owners can share that I need to look out for? I'm seriously considering buying one in the coming days but it is a friend of a friend's so I can't post a link or anything :-/

Thanks in advance for any info!!
Dave

 

[pdub]

Not sure if you already saw this 2010 convert with the Mamba look to it (silver with red interior).


Also an actual 2005 Mamba on there but says it has had 1 accident.


MODERATOR EDIT: You can't post links t non site supporting vendors.

 

[Allan]

The 'air pump' is the tire inflation kit if you have a flat. 08 and later comes with regular tires instead of runflats, so you get a compressor with the car. The seating and interior is the same on both cars, if you fit in your vert with the top on, you'll fit in the coupe. -and you won't have to listen to the top making noise when you are over 150mph.

 

[Steve M]

While the 2008 did get a slight engine displacement increase, it is more than that - a cam-in-cam variable valve timing system is probably the most significant, and is what accounts for a good portion of the HP increase over the Gen III (2003-2006) Vipers. The rev limit has been bumped from 6,250 to 6,400 RPMs, the heads were revised with better flowing intake and exhaust ports, a revised intake manifold with dual throttle bodies (which are drive-by-wire instead of cable driven), and the oil pump/pan configuration was modified with a swinging pick-up tube to eliminate oil starvation in long sweepers. The exhaust on the Gen III had a cross-over pipe that connected the two sides - on the Gen IV, that is gone. This along with some better heat shielding helps keep the cabin cooler. Cooling fans were hydraulically operated on the Gen III, and are electric on the Gen IV. The valve covers and PCV system have been altered as well, and the covers now incorporate the ignition coils onto the covers themselves. The suspension is largely unchanged, outside of some minor tweaks to the spring rates (and maybe a slight valving change to the shocks, not sure on that one though). As stated, run-flats are no longer the OEM tire, thus the tire inflation kit in the trunk. The transmission is now a TR-6060 instead of the T-56...the TR-6060 is a much beefier unit with thicker gears and better synchros that make shifting smoother. The differential is now a GKN Visco-Lok instead of the Hydra-Lok...the Visco-Lok doesn't seem to be as highly regarded as some of the other differentials out there (OS Giken, Wave-trac, etc.), but also doesn't seem to be as problematic as the early Hydra-Loks were. The clutch is a twin disk unit instead of a single to handle the extra HP/TQ. I think that covers the major stuff.

The Gen IV (2008-2010) Vipers are not very mod friendly, and that is largely due to the lack of aftermarket support for tuning. The only option to "tune" the car is the Mopar PCM, and it only make minor tweaks, including relaxing the emissions checks so that it won't set codes for things like headers/high flow cats. There is no other way to tune the Gen IV Vipers outside of Motec and Pectel (and possibly an AEM system coming out), and those are $10k-$20k depending on options from what I've seen. Now, that said, the Mopar PCM can adjust for headers, high flow or no cats, ported intake manifold, and ported heads without a problem. I've seen power numbers from 600-630ish RWHP with those mods using only the Mopar PCM for tuning. Another complaint is the laggy throttle response from the drive-by-wire system...there are a couple of band-aid fixes, but nothing truly addresses this problem since it is all tied to the computer.

 

[Steve M]

Oh, and I almost forgot...I'm 6'4", and fit in my coupe just fine, but I do have to slouch a little to see everything out of the front windshield. I fixed that to an extent by modifying the factory slider...you can lower only the rear of the seat by grinding off a couple welds and flipping that part of the bracket over.

It really depends on how you are proportioned...I'm pretty even torso vs. leg length, so if you have a longer torso, your head might hit the roof pretty easily (I don't know if I can even wear a helmet since I don't have one to try), and if you have longer legs, the pedals might not adjust far enough back for you. My pedals aren't all the way toward the firewall, but the seat is as far back as it can go, and like I said, lowered about 1" just in the back. There is a 2" seat lower kit available, but you lose all ability to adjust the seat forward/back with that kit, plus you have to relocate a module under the driver's seat because it will no longer fit. I want my wife to still be able to drive the car if need be (she's 5'4"), so the 2" lowering kit was a no-go for me.

 

[ZoTurbo]

Thanks for your help guys! I'm pulling the trigger on an '08 this week!

Any notorious engine/tranny or other issues I should look out for?

 

[Steve M]

Transmissions on average are solid...I rarely read about any complaints on here, and mine has been great. It shifts way better than the T-56 I had in my old Camaro.

Engine-wise, I'd just look at the oil cooler lines...they tend to develop a slow leak over time due to a poor design. Both lines on mine were leaking at the block, but in different locations (one was at the crimp, the other at the fitting going into the block). The engine also tends to ingest a little oil in the intake due to the PCV design...chances are, if you pull the air box and accordian tubes off, you'll likely see some oil trails coming out of the throttle bodies. Not a huge deal, but it can reduce power a bit (it makes the engine more prone to knock, and the PCM will pull timing).

I've not had any major issues out of my '08, aside from the oil cooler lines, and I'd hardly consider that major. Replacing them was a major PITA since I chose not to drop the oil pan, so I brought that one on myself.