Wooooo hoooooo!!!!!! (first Viper!)

[cmqq]

WOW! Thanks largely to the advice I read from many of you on this board, I came home Tuesday night with my first Viper! I haven't stopped smiling since!

I know it probably doesn't compare to some of your vehicles, but I'm only 25, so it's definately in a league above everything I've ever driven. It's a black 96 RT with silver stripes, 19,000 miles. And God almighty is this thing fast. It really makes my old Mustang look like a wannabe

I do have one question for you guys... I'm still familiarizing myself with this car, but where is the battery? I didn't see it under the hood (no room ). I used the search feature on this board and saw someone talking about it being in the left rear wheel well, but I think that was on a 99. I haven't spent much time looking for it yet, but can anyone tell me offhand where it's located on my 96?

Well I don't have much else to say. But now I know what all the Viper fuss was about. GIDDY UP!!!!

 

[Moundir]

Congrats dude, I got mine 2 months ago, and I'm 25 as well Be prepared to get laid lol oh and battery is behind left wheel well

 

[cmqq]

That's what I like to hear. The salesman I bought the car from told me "if you can't get chicks with this car, you can't get chicks."

 

[Magicboy2]

Battery is in the rear wheel well, which is where it's been since late '93? Mine is a '94 and I know my battery is back there. Owners manual said it's back there to help with weight distribution.

I've only had mine a week, and already I get looks that seem to be wondering what such young folks(fiance and I are 23) are doing in such a car.

Contrats on the new ride- post a pic or two for us... and by that I mean pics of the hotties you pick up.

Welcome!

 

[V10 MOJO]

congrats. LOL, its hilarious when someone posts their reaction to their initial ride, LOL. been there, and even after four yrs its still exhilirating. now all i gotta say is be careful to watch out for that damnn mod virus that seems to plague this board and its inhabitants.

 

[cmqq]

Magicboy... I know what you mean about the looks. The first night I had it, I felt like a celebrity! Every time I stopped, people came to talk to me. Every time I drove, people stared with dropped jaws. It's unreal.

Pics of the hotties should come in due time, but if you are curious about the car, I put a couple of pictures that I snapped up on a web directory...
http://www.superford.org/~cm/viper


rdustman... I had that little "mod" bug with my Mustang, which was one of the things (albeit a small thing) that prompted me to sell it. At this point I can't fathom modding this car, but I suppose like everything else I'll eventually get used to the raw acceleration. What kinds of things do people do to these cars? Do they even MAKE a blower for a Viper? (yikes!)

 

[Magicboy2]

She looks great. The last picture, the engine compartment is spotless; looks right off the showroom floor. A bit TOO spotless actually- get smooth tubes and filters on there NOW!

Do they even MAKE a blower for a Viper? (yikes!)

Oh, you have much to learn, Grasshopper.

By the way Kirk, shoot me an email ([email protected]), what kind of web development do you do?

 

[Viperzilla]

Heffner, Levin, and Roe are the three big names that make the superchargers.
I'll find their websites and post them.
www.heffnersperformance.com
www.douglevinmotorsports.com
www.roeracing.com
Congrats, looks beautiful. Start your mods with "smooth tubes" (intake plenums) and K&N filters (or some other company if you wish). This will keep your snake breathing well.

 

[SUN RA KAT]

Congrats, youse guys!

I drove my first Viper last year checking out a used one for Jeremy Blackwell, who lived out of state and then had to get a Viper for my very own. I picked mine up 7-16-02 (a date that will live in famy) from Bill Pemberton at Woodhouse and I haven't stopped smiling since, and youse guys won't, either.

I did go a bit off the deep end in mods, though...

 

[BlueGTS]

Now I know whey they offered the regular non polished wheels. They go great with a car with silver stripes. Looking good!

 

[Toby]

first mod...an extended warranty. (if you don't have one already)

 

[TZL]

Lol....when i was shoping for vipers, a really ghetto sales person told me verbatim,

" Dude, if you buy this car, lets cruise down El Camino and score some **** Tang..."

lol

That's what I like to hear. The salesman I bought the car from told me "if you can't get chicks with this car, you can't get chicks."

 

[RX VIPER]

I was 25 as well on my first Viper, but had to get married to afford the insurance!!! Now the only chick I pick up is my daughter at daycare. Congrats on the new ride.`

 

[Warren S]

Welcome and congrats on the new ride! I love the color/stripe combo's that came on the '96 RT's. As for mods: supercharging, turbos, NOS, exhaust upgrades...are all available. But don't forget, track sessions to get to know your car's handling is very important too. Have fun!

www.viperdays.com


and about the battery location (I know I'm late in posting this)...

You must be registered for see images

--Warren.

 

[Tiepilot]

I remember my first drive!!! Didn't know what real torque was up to that point after driving a Vette for a few years.

 

[BigCarrot]

I'm 24, and this is my second one. I think I got more looks in my yellow R/T than I have in the Red GTS. Must be something about a convertible that drives the ladies wild! It's a TON of fun! Congrats!

 

[LETHAL GTS]

You'll feel like a celebrity everytime you drive your car.

I bought my 94 RT 7 years ago and people still think it's new.
People just don't seem to get tired of seeing a Viper. Whenever I feel stressed from work or just feel down for whatever reason I go for a blast in one of my beasts and it's like magic, I feel like a million bucks.
Enjoy, just watch out for that snakebite !

 

[SJT97GTS]

Yeah, nothing better then being young and owning cool cars. I bought my first Viper at 20 and I'm now on my second Viper before my 22nd birthday in June.

Enjoy your Viper, you are very fortunate to have one of these, not many people are able to have such a great car!

 

[cmqq]

Wow guys, thanks for all the great comments. I'm more than thrilled to have this car. A few more questions for you experts...

magicboy, I'll send you out an email this afternoon when I get a chance.

As far as mods go, I see "smooth tubes" all the time. Any good pictures of these so I can get an idea what they are? Is this just something like a throttlebody spacer to increase air velocity as it enters the engine? My K&N Filter is already on the way... that's the first thing I do to *ALL* my vehicles

Secondly, where do you guys buy your performance parts from? I'm a former Mustang guy, so I'm used to ordering my parts from Summit Racing and Mustangs Unlimited. The Viper realm is very new to me.

Thirdly, TobyT mentioned getting an extended warranty. Is that possible even if I'm the second owner? Who do I get it from, Dodge? Will it hold if I modify the engine?

Finally, what is the deal with the battery being behind the wheel? Do I really have to take the flippin' tire off to get to the battery? LOL! These cars are the best.



Thanks again everyone! I'm so glad you all share my excitement!!

 

[BACKNBLACK]

Only one guy can't get girls , let me rephrase that..Two guys that can't get the **** poonie..Thats Remster and Bongo man.. Nothing can't help these guys. One has Flipper on the hood, the other got his Viper from K mart....

 

[BigCarrot]

Wow guys, thanks for all the great comments. I'm more than thrilled to have this car. A few more questions for you experts...

magicboy, I'll send you out an email this afternoon when I get a chance.

As far as mods go, I see "smooth tubes" all the time. Any good pictures of these so I can get an idea what they are? Is this just something like a throttlebody spacer to increase air velocity as it enters the engine? My K&N Filter is already on the way... that's the first thing I do to *ALL* my vehicles

Secondly, where do you guys buy your performance parts from? I'm a former Mustang guy, so I'm used to ordering my parts from Summit Racing and Mustangs Unlimited. The Viper realm is very new to me.Thirdly, TobyT mentioned getting an extended warranty. Is that possible even if I'm the second owner? Who do I get it from, Dodge? Will it hold if I modify the engine?

Finally, what is the deal with the battery being behind the wheel? Do I really have to take the flippin' tire off to get to the battery? LOL! These cars are the best.



Thanks again everyone! I'm so glad you all share my excitement!!

Smooth tubes are the tubes that connect the filter box to the throttle bodies. The factory tubes are ribbed and the sort of impede airflow. It's a cheap, easy power gain. Also, you mentioned that your K&N is on the way. You'd better order another one. They have an air filter for each bank. There are several vendors on the site that are outstanding. Jon B at Parts Rack is great, but it all depends on the parts you need. Summit won't help you much anymore. You CAN still get an extended warranty for your car. Call Chuck Tator at Tator's Dodge. He's a great guy, and he gives a 20% discount to VCA members. Mods will void some parts of the warranty. It depends on how extensive they are. The battery IS behind the wheel. Better weight distibution.

 

[LETHAL GTS]

"My K&N Filter is already on the way... that's the first thing I do to *ALL* my vehicles"

Not to nit pick or anything, but you said you are new to this Viper world. Just wanted to point out if you didn't already know. Your beast has TWO filters.

 

[LETHAL GTS]

Ok, so maybe I should read ALL the posts before I post.
Thanks Bigcarrot, I see you got to that before I did.

 

[Buckeye Viper]

!!!!

Awesome!

I'm 25 with a 96 RT/10 Black Silver as well! Congratulations and if you have any questions, be sure to email me.

-J

 

[Tomer]

Welcome to a fellow 96 RT owner!!! 3 cheers

Yes, call the Viper Wizard, Chuck Tator at Tator's Dodge for the warranty...He is awesome...

Re the K&N's, just be warned that some of our cars (my 96 is this way) have trouble with the K&N's
fitting...I removed the air box to do the install of the tube and filters, one screw holds the air box in place,
can remove by hand as it has a large plastic head on it...If the K&N's don't fit properly for you, the result
is the air box clips won't stay clipped...Mine would stay clipped for ~ 5 seconds, then jump off like a grasshopper, literally
springing several feet off of the air box...This does not happen to all Vipers, but many in the 96 and older
do experience this...Do a search for more info...There is an air box mod you can do to allow the K&Ns' to
fit, or you can get the Roe air filters...Also, there is a GM part number for those little clips, as you may already
be missing one or more...Most GM dealers have them in stock and they are cheap...

e-mail me if you want more info on this...Hopefully you won't have any trouble, but just did not want you to
be surprised like I was...What should have been a 30-45 minute no brainer job turned into some serious head scratching
for me (until I got back on the board and figured it out)...

Tomer

 

[Blue Pilot]

Congrats on your new toy from another new Viper owner. What do you mean by your car won't compare with other cars? It is a VIPER!
Enjoy your awsome machine

 

[cmqq]

Sorry guys, I left the word "order" out of my K&N comment. Let me try again:

My K&N Filter order is already on the way.... etc..


20% discount for VCA members, eh? Time to look into joining the VCA! Does anyone have more information about what the extended warranty includes, the price, and how long it goes? Well don't bother, I guess I can just get off my lazy **** and call Chuck. But doesn't it matter that he's in NY and I'm in MN?

Thanks for the tip Tomer, I'll be sure to look you up if I have problems with the filters.


I've just gotta say, I've never been on a forum with such a friendly and enthusiastic bunch of people. I guess you are all feeling the same joy as me right now!

 

[ubnbit]

Welcome my 96' brother! You will love the car more each day you drive it. Have fun and be careful!

 

[BADVENOM]

Congrads,

Let the mods begin

Enjoy and have fun

adam

 

[150shot]

Can I ask how everyone below 30 is affording their Vipers..especially even the newer ones post 2000? I see in the thread alot of new young owners and I want to be one of them. I was close to getting one last year but it was just too much for me to handle and save at the same time, I went with an NSX, but still want a Viper GTS soon...any suggestions?