(yet another) new owner

[MtHam ACR]

and I'm just friggin' delighted -- still can't wipe the smile off.

Biggest surprise: The car is smaller than I expected (5" shorter wheel base than my 99 Cobra), this just seems odd because the proportions look so large.

2nd biggest surprize: The build quality is exceptional -- much higher than any other post-WWII American car I've been in. The paint is amazing, the fit/finish and attention to detail are beyond expectation. Big bonus.

Unexpected - side rear view mirrors are about worthless -- this is unfortunate as I have to reverse out of a long driveway with a BIG oak tree to one side that requires a bit of negotiation. Ugh.

Unexpected #2 - Heat in the door sills. It's December and it was warm inside on a long trip, can't wait for July (not). What do folks recommend here? And I need to make a 90db (yes, quieter than the highway limit) sound limit at Laguna Seca so lets watch those 'bypass' recommendations.

The car is a 2001 ACR Sapphire/Silver built in December 00 and sitting on the second dealer's lot since July. They needed to get out of it, so I think I got a pretty good deal. My brother and I flew to LA to pick it up last Friday and enjoyed the 350mi return trip. It's got a bit over 400 miles on the clock today.

I expected the car's suspension to beat us on the long trip, and was again pleasantly surprised it didn't. I expected something like my buddy's 348 which so tightly sprung it's good for about 70 miles before your kidneys start aching.

I'll use the car as a few-times-a-month driver plus track car. Mods will be limited at this point, exhaust and some track tires/wheels. Any recommendations on wheels? I'm not sure if I'm going to survive the weekly BBS cleanings. Maybe the BBSs get demoted to track wheels . . .

Any other 'must-do' mods? shifter? ecu? cats? what else?

thanks, glad to be here.

Eric
01 ACR
San Jose area

ps, whats with all the 03 excitement? The new skin has about erased all of the big, bulging, curvey Viper character, IMHO.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

CONGRATS! The 2001 ACR is a good unit to have. With the next GEN coupe years away, I expect your ACR will hold its value. Laguna noise limits are tough for Vipers with mods. Some stock side pipe RT trip the meter depending on the weather. A GEN 2 with exhaust mods will not be able to pass the 90 db limit. I hope we get some new noise reduction tech in the 2003 that could help reduce the db on GEN2's.

Stop by Mama Mia's the second Tue in Jan. at 7:00pm. That is the N.CA VCA meeting (held usually on the 1st Tue. but moved because of New Year's)

Welcome to Viperholics!

 

[Viper Wizard]

Congrats and Welcome Eric!

 

[Performin Norman]

Glad you love the car. Enjoy your stay here.

 

[NCVCA]

Welcome!

 

[MaxedGTS]

Welcome to the best sports car ever!
The fun never ends. Good luck.

Max

 

[rgifford]

Welcome..

 

[2charmed]

Sapphire/Silver,

I'm sure I've seen one of those around here some where

Good Choice and welcome to the fourm !

2charmed

 

[King GTS]

Congradulations!!

Welcome to the Board. Let's sees some pics!

 

[MtHam ACR]

Wow, what a welcome. Thanks all, I'm glad to be here and look forward to learning what I can from you guys who've already been through the various schools (of hard knocks). The Viper crowd is certainly not like some of the other boards -- another bonus.

Fred - Thanks for bursting the bubble, dude! No sound at laguna, bummer. The stock exhaust is a little anemic for this car. I will definitely hook-up with the NoCal VCA after the new year.

Photo seekers -- I have some (gee, what a surprise), but I'm new to this message board style, how do you post a photo?

Eric
01ACR

 

[BWoodbury]

Eric,

I can't speak for noise limits, but low restriction cats will keep your sills a lot cooler and MAY still be quite enough. Give JonB at Parts Rack or Sean Roe a call on these.

Before you dump those cool wheels because of the cleaning ask yourself what you are cleaning off them. if it is brake dust try EBC Green brake pads. I have these on the front and get a LOT less dust. Not suitible for the track however. See http://GreatBrakes.com for info here.

You already have smooth tubes and K&Ns and it soundslike you can't do exhaust because of noice limits. So the next step is a new shift knob from George at MGW. Looks better, shifts quicker, what's not to love. Careful though, George's stuff can be habit forming.

One more thing. Give Sal Zanio a call so you can get all the Zanio stuff you will need to keep that beast looing fine.

And yes you are quite right, the 2003 is VERY ordinary looking compared to your ACR. Drive it and enjoy it!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BWoodbury:
I can't speak for noise limits, but low restriction cats will keep your sills a lot cooler and MAY still be quite enough. Give JonB at Parts Rack or Sean Roe a call on these.

Before you dump those cool wheels because of the cleaning ask yourself what you are cleaning off them. if it is brake dust try EBC Green brake pads. I have these on the front and get a LOT less dust. Not suitible for the track however. See http://GreatBrakes.com for info here.

You already have smooth tubes and K&Ns and it sounds like you can't do exhaust because of noice limits. So the next step is a new shift knob from George at MGW. Looks better, shifts quicker, what's not to love. Careful though, George's stuff can be habit forming.

One more thing. Give Sal Zanio a call so you can get all the Zanio stuff you will need to keep that beast looing fine.

And yes you are quite right, the 2003 is VERY ordinary looking compared to your ACR. Drive it and enjoy it!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

All excellent points by Bob and nothing I can think of to add. Well, maybe one thing: If you haven't got floor mats in that beauty yet, turn to your very own Northern California Viper Club for some of the best floor mats around. They even have them specifically with the ACR logo in the color of your choice. Very nice indeed!

I sent you an e-mail on posting pictures and look forward to seeing that beauty soon. Welcome aboard.

Chris

PS. to Bob: New avatar photo? AWESOME shot!

 

[Vic]

Welcome! My son has a 99 Mustang Cobra, and we always have fun puttering around. (Uh-hem)

I've had mine for 4400 miles now, and the engine is loose as a goose. Burns no oil, and screams. Makes clouds of blue tire smoke in 1st, 2nd, and I dont know about third, because I'm usually having to pull it back down by then to avoid a collision.

Its a blast! Enjoy, but stay safe. Dont become a statistic!

 

[Viper99]

Congrats, Welcome, & Happy Holidays!

 

[ElDiablo Viper]

Congrats! This a great color. Can you post some pic's

 

[MtHam ACR]

Photos Up! (thanks Chris, simpler than expected, except for some initial upload probs.)

Bob W - thanks for the tips on pads, you're right it is brake dust. Are you saying these EBC green pads have *no* dust? I mean the wheels are going to need to be cleaned at some point, right?

Eric

(It is clear I need to get some better photos going, sorry for the quality guys. But the center shot really shows the depth of the sapphire color. cool ;-)

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

 

[BWoodbury]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Y2KGTS:
PS. to Bob: New avatar photo? AWESOME shot!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Chris. This one I took myself. My previous one came from Michael Pierce. Once I finally ran a decent time slip my snake was willing to out from hiding!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Wow! That is a seriously gorgeous car. Dang it, maybe I should have waited and gone with that Sapphire Blue after all. Naaah, that black is still OK I guess.

Great shots of a stunning ACR!

Chris

 

[BWoodbury]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MtHam ACR:
Bob W - thanks for the tips on pads, you're right it is brake dust. Are you saying these EBC green pads have *no* dust? I mean the wheels are going to need to be cleaned at some point, right?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I can't say no dust. But I can say that I went 300 miles and 3 weeks without washing the car and the front wheels looked fine. My rears (with EBC reds) now get dirty FASTER than my fronts. Check out the price, you gotta give them a try. Keep the stock pads and you can always change back if not satisfied (but you won't).

 

[ACR Larry]

Welcome and Congratulations Eric,

You willl get that silly grin every time you get withing 200 yards of the beast. My .02 cents for you. Find yourself a good Viper Tech and get your oil changed.

Have fun.

 

[MtHam ACR]

ACR Autopia wrote:

&lt;&lt;Find yourself a good Viper Tech and get your oil changed.&gt;&gt;

ACR Autopia, can I get some detail on the oil here?

Heck, the car uses Mobile1, I was thinking its good for at least 3-4K miles (comfortably say, 1/2 of the 7500 recommended service life). Why would you want to change it so soon?

Question 2, I'm not a great mechanic, but I can do brakes and oil changes. Is access such that I need a mechanic for this simple job?

3: Are you in the SF bay area, who do you recommend in the south bay?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[ACR Larry]

Eric,

It's a good idea to change your oil after the first few hundred miles on your Viper. Check for sediment then change it again after 1000 to 1500 miles. Do some searches on the board for the best procedure for engine break-in period. The folks on the board are super knowledgeable.

I'm in the Southern California South Bay (Palos Verdes). Some may agree, having access to a Viper Tech is great when you start thinking about upgrades. Dave Jenkins (down here) has given me tons of advice. I don't know any Viper technicians in Northern California, but there a number of folks on the board who can help out. By the way, who did you get your ACR from down here?

 

[jwwiii]

Hello and congrats!

I have a beef about the noise thing! How do the Harley guys get away with straight pipes? They come up beside you and they about rupture your spleen!

Nothing against Harley guys/gals... I just wonder how they get away with it. They are MUCH Louder than any Viper street legal even with some good mods. Why can't we do the same?

My 2 cents

Jim

 

[cstegall]

WELCOME....

C Stegall
01 GTS

 

[MtHam ACR]

ACR Autopia:

Thanks for the reply. On the sediment thing, I guess I'm skeptical. I've purchased 4 new cars in the last five years and I have yet to find sediment in my oil/pan/plug with my first oil change. I guess my question was whether there was something inherent to this particular powerplant that would require it, so I throw that question to the broader audience:

Why change the oil in the first 200 miles? Has anyone actually found *metal particles* in their oil?

Ah, Rancho Palos Verdes - beautiful part of the world, you're fortunate, to not only be driving an ACR, but also to take up residence there. Lovely place.

The car was at LaBrea Chrysler since July. Before that it was owned by (I believe he said) Santa Monica Dodge, who went out of business earlier this year. The car was manufactured in Dec 2000, so I was able to get such a good deal based on the extensive flooring costs. I found the car in an Autoweek classified ad.

To the recent welcomers: Thank you all. This is a great forum, attended to by a great bunch of folks who drive the baddest cars on the planet.

Wishing all a great holiday season.

Eric
01ACR

 

[varanus]

Welcome.. as far as a Viper Tech, I would recomend Ted May of Valaya Auto in san jose. His number is 408-448-8811
He has been working on my GTS and recently put on my exhaust system. He is a great guy and if you ask around, you will find he is very highly respected. He was one of the first certified Viper Techs trained by Dodge. Give him a call. He often shows up at the Nor cal monthly meetings at Mama Mias in campbell. Hope to see you there


Kevin

 

[Butch The Snake]

Con Grats you won't find a car with so much excitement.