Took The Plunge...it's going to be a Very Viper X-Mass

[Bobby DMX]

Well, I did it. Picked up the 05' SRT-10 Copperhead in Ct. 13k very nice shape, only a few scratches under the nose and a couple minor ones on the inside sills from getting in/out. Had a local detailer (that came very highly recomended) look at it and though they could be polished out as they did not reach the paint. Had a nice 160 mile ride home in temps around 60. I love it! no surprises, exactly what I expected. Firm ride, accurate steering, brute power. On smooth roads it was very comfortable, bumpy ones...well you know. Engine and exhaust was quieter than I expected the wind noise is more pronounced than my Crossfire. The ergonomics are perfect for me, 5'-8" 165#. Visibility is better , mirror/rear view window than my X-fire. I often complained that I started driving just at the onset of the "smog motor" that produced no power. My first performance car was a 1977 Camero Rally Sport. had the high output 350...yeah 185HP..WOW. Always wanted a car with some real power...I think I may have over-shot my mark. I was thinking this may be a little over the top, even for me .......but..I'll be OK!! I was thinking that I can't believe they sell these to the general public. Just in my limited joy rides this week was all I needed to understand just how quickly you can get yourself into trouble if you get cockey. I was having some trouble with my "traction control" on the ride home. Seems as though my thigh was cramping up from trying to keep my right foot from pushing the gas pedal farther to the floor than was sane! The run flats have to go! But I do enjoy getting use to the feeling of wheel spin.

Oh...that phantom hand that forces you to shift from 1 to 4 is creepy. I find it odd that with all the raw performance that the Viper embodies that it would have a skip-shift. Is that for fuel economy? By the way, I got 22 mpg adv. on my ride home, mostly highway.The Viper as said is very much a drivers car...reminds me of riding a high performance motorcycle where you are activily engaged in piloting it.

Thanks again to all the forum members for their feedback and advice, especially..Big-n-Italian and Georgethedog....

Bob D.

 

[01sapphirebob]

Congrats on the new to you ride!!! Yes the 1-4 skip is a fuel economy thing. Definately ditch the run flats ASAP. Welcome to viper ownership!!!

 

[SkyBob]

You can avoid the 1-4 skip by bringing the revs above 2000 while in 1st. That was not a pain to do and you quickly get used to it.

 

[AbsolutHank]

Congrats...what a great color

 

[HyperViper]

Merry Christmas to you. Congrats!

 

[C.Hermsen]

Camero

....really?

Congrats on the Viper, Copperhead is my favorite color.

 

[SFViper]

Congrat's, the Copperhead is a fantastic color! Look forward to seeing some photos.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Welcome to the ViperNation.

Enjoy your special Copperhead.

 

[AZTVR]

Oh...that phantom hand that forces you to shift from 1 to 4 is creepy.

If you don't want to change your driving style to accomodate the Environmental Protection Agency, you can unplug the connector from the solenoid on the transmission and add a resistor to the harness plug to keep the computer from throwing up an error code. Search for CAGS or skip shift. You can either buy the resistor and some electrical tape od heat shrink and tie-wraps at Radio Shack, or buy a plug-and-play connectorized version from Partsrack or other vendors. (Reports are that the very cheap ones on eBay often don't last long because they are soldered using match sticks and used wheel weights found by the side of the road in western Pakistan.)

 

[Slithr]

Merry Christmas to you Welcome to the club .... enjoy in good health

Oh and ...

 

[Bobby DMX]

I've tried to post pic.s and I keep getting an error message that the upload failed. I'll keep trying to post pic.s thanks to all.

Bob

 

[JonB]

WELCOME! The Skip-Shift annoyance will be less-annoying as you learn the car. But its a cheap-fix to turn off.
I always worry about new, enthusastic owners and "traction control" on your run-crap tires.

With FULL CREDIT to WILDASP in SC, here is one of the BEST Newbee-Tips I have ever read:

There are only a few things I can add to the advice you've already gotten here. The Viper IS really an easy car to drive, and an easy car to drive fast. However, the learning curve is steep, and a little fear is a healthy thing as it will keep you alive and your Snake in one piece. Some tips:

(1) Go to a good driving school (preferably before you get your Viper, but in any case, GO!) You will learn a lot of very important skills, and have a much better understanding of vehicle dynamics as a result; that will make your driving experience with a Viper both safer and more fun.

(2) Tires, Tires, TIRES! If you get a used Viper, it may very well have older or mismatched tires. No matter how good the tread looks, DO NOT DRIVE ON OLD OR MISMATCHED TIRES, EVER! You can check the age of a tire by the tire identification number (the one that begins with"DOT". (Tire Rack's web site has the info on how to do this) . If the tires are more than 3 years old, CHANGE THEM. If the tread wear looks uneven, CHANGE THEM. If They are not all the same type, CHANGE THEM. If they are runflats, CHANGE THEM. If you are not sure, CHANGE THEM. You should budget the cost of a new, properly matched set of tires into what you plan to spend on the car. If this seems excessively cautious, just remember that those four contact patches, (smaller than your own feet and hands), are the only thing holding your Viper, (and you), to the road. If they don't stick, bad things happen. Seriously! BTW, I DO NOT sell tires, or work for anyone who does, so this ain't about money, it's about your safety, and that of others. Read it and believe it!

(3) In conjunction with (2) above, make sure your tires are warmed up, before doing anything enthusiastic with the throttle. This will take longer in cooler weather. Also note that most of the excellent tires we have for the Viper are NOT recommended below 40F. The compound gets harder and slicker in cold temperatures. Either change to a tire rated for colder temps, or park it! Most of us do the latter. Know the outside temp before you drive, AND the expected temp for your return. When in doubt, drive something else!

(4) FOCUS! A Viper demands your full attention, both on the track, and on the street. Do not talk on a cell phone, eat, or smoke, while driving. Be aware that because of those massive front tires, a Viper will bump steer and follow grooves on rough pavement. This is not ordinarily a serious problem, IF you are paying attention.

(5) Do NOT play in a Viper on public roads! It may not seem that way, but the street is a far more dangerous environment than the track! There are simply too many variables you cannot control, many of which come up with little to no warning. Adjust your driving accordingly. The place to explore the limits (yours and the car's) is in a closed, controlled environment.

(6) In conjunction with that last comment, the last place, THE VERY LAST PLACE, for any sort of showing off, is in the cockpit of a Viper! When you get in and shut the door, make sure your brain is engaged, and your ego parked outside the car, before you buckle up and push the red button. Certain other drivers (read idiots!) do nutty things around a Viper. DO NOT respond to this with anything more with a rev and a wave, EVER! The risks are NOT worth it; it's not worth your life (or someone else's), not worth losing your license, not worth wrecking your Snake! Our car has NOTHING to prove, to anyone! WE have nothing to prove, to anyone, except that we can drive it safely and smoothly! If you feel YOU have something to prove (to yourself or anyone else), take it to a sanctioned competitive venue: the track, the drag strip, or the autocross course.

(7) We are all proud of our cars. Don't let this lead you to act like a ****. Do NOT antagonize other drivers on the street. Don't tempt idiots into doing something rash (they will do enough of that without any help from you!). If you're going to be part of the VIPER Nation, be an ambassador for it. Be courteous, be friendly, be safe. Acknowledge the other guy's ride (he's proud of it too, even though it's not a Viper). This does not say you're a ninnie; what it says is that you have the skills, the self control, the self-confidence and the maturity to be responsible with 500-600hp.

With that in mind, ...drive safely and enjoy it WILDASP​

 

[3whitevipers]

Well said JonB--I still take a minute and relax before I take off--I have nothing to prove as the car says it all. I rather enjoy that---Dave

 

[SkyBob]

(2) Tires, Tires, TIRES! If you get a used Viper, it may very well have older or mismatched tires. No matter how good the tread looks, DO NOT DRIVE ON OLD OR MISMATCHED TIRES, EVER! You can check the age of a tire by the tire identification number (the one that begins with"DOT". (Tire Rack's web site has the info on how to do this) . If the tires are more than 3 years old, CHANGE THEM. If the tread wear looks uneven, CHANGE THEM. If They are not all the same type, CHANGE THEM. If they are runflats, CHANGE THEM. If you are not sure, CHANGE THEM. You should budget the cost of a new, properly matched set of tires into what you plan to spend on the car. If this seems excessively cautious, just remember that those four contact patches, (smaller than your own feet and hands), are the only thing holding your Viper, (and you), to the road. If they don't stick, bad things happen. Seriously! BTW, I DO NOT sell tires, or work for anyone who does, so this ain't about money, it's about your safety, and that of others. Read it and believe it!

I wish I had heeded this advice before I slammed my '03 into a guard rail. The runflat tires had less than 4,000 miles on them and looked perfect.

 

[JonB]

Please note WILD ASP should be credited with this re-post of an excellent newbee primer.... I have authored many similar tire epistles over the years, but NOT the above...

 

[flatblack]

JonB, thanks for posting that from WILDASP. I just purchased a 2000 model RT10, and that was deffinately helpful. I receive the car on the 27th, and am nervous but cautious about driving a car like this.

 

[JustinB]

Congrat's & welcome to VCA!

 

[TowDawg]

Congrats!

An even better way to eliminate the skip-shift is to buy a SCT and tune from one of our vendors. You get rid of skip-shift, get better drivability, and more power! If you take the cats off, it will get rid of the check engine light as well. Just tell the vendor what you have done and what features you want changed in the tune. Don;t worry if you don't know. The tuners know what to recommend.

 

[sliverstripeacr]

Congrats, where's the pictures?

 

[georgethedog]

Congrats Bobby! Sounds like a much nicer car than the one in Peoria. Big-n-Italian and I were happy to help though!

The crap of it is that it is now time to put it in the garage for 3 months... I just put mine away a couple weeks ago.

Can't wait to see the pictures. Be safe and have fun.

 

[JPUConn]

Nice purchase. I was looking to buy that car from Cromwell but it sold before the owner and I could coordinate schedules. Glad it is in good hands!

 

[Bobby DMX]

I'll post some pics.had the car detailed and it looks fantastic. They pulled the wheels and did a nice job inside the wheels & wells, shocks, etc. I noticed that a couple of hex screws that secure the bottom of the sills to the chassis are missing. I got two new ones from Dodge and they are different than ones that are there. The "correct" ones are a metric hex head, slightly longer, w/ finer threads. I have a work order from a Dodge dealer who had the car in to check an "exhaust Rattle" under Warranty. I'm wondering if they were accidentally or intentionally switched? I checked the two missing screw holes and they do not appear to be stripped.Any thoughts?

I saw this car on eBay @ 1:00am and wondered how I had missed it earlier that day. I emailed the owner that night and asked to see it that day. I got up early, still hadn't heard from him so I just got in my car and headed for Ct. I got an email from him about 30mi from Cromwell. I called him and told him I was only minutes away. Ge did say he had someone coming by that afternoon, but I really thought he was just trying to create a demand for the car. I must have looked at it for an hour before we even took it for a ride. I gave him a deposit before I left. I guess he wasn't pulling my leg about a buyer from Ct wanting to see it

 

[2005 SRT-10]

Congrats on the new car... I just picked one up myself and I live right down the Northway from you.

 

[Pythonpete]

Congrats and welcome, the ny/ct club is a great club. Hope to see you out in 2012. If you listen to ANY advice, JonB's advice on the tires must be heeded. Dont buy new run flats, get new ps2's or preferably pss'. Also be VERY VERY careful driving in this weather. Cold tires=NO TRACTION. Enjoy in good health. Pete.