Cost of a Supercharger setup vs buying a viper already supercharged

[Darth Menace]

Hey guys...just have some questions concerning a supercharger setup. If a person were to buy a Viper, would it be more cost effective to buy a Viper already supercharged? or buy a relatively stock Viper and supercharge it? The only problem I see with buying one already supercharged is that they aren't that common so shopping for one would take forever (especially if a person is going to be picky about it being on a GTS instead of a rt 10), and not being able to know what additional parts have been put on the car to make it more dependable being supercharged.

Just wondering what you guys would think

 

[Ricketts]

Much cheaper to buy a already supercharged car.

 

[ViperGeorge]

You could step up to an SRT 10. Mine's for sale. First Edition (Blue/White Stripe) with Paxton. Engine just rebuilt with forged internals. Has traction control, swing oil pickup, and a lot of other good stuff. Car is in the classifieds. Trust me you couldn't build this car for the money I'm selling it for.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Hard to beat the cost of this Roe S/C:

96-02 Polished Roe Racing Supercharger Package - ViperClub Classifieds

Damn good deal and will be less of a hassle to buy another car then sell yours. just bolt it on yourself if you already have a car.

 

[Darth Menace]

Hard to beat the cost of this Roe S/C:

96-02 Polished Roe Racing Supercharger Package - ViperClub Classifieds

Damn good deal and will be less of a hassle to buy another car then sell yours. just bolt it on yourself if you already have a car.

The thing is, is I don't have a viper to sell, which kind of leaves me more options. I don't think I want to drop money on a n/a viper then drop more money on a s/c and labour which might come up more money then buying the already supercharged viper. But when it comes time to pulling the trigger to buy one it really kills the options if I'm looking for a supercharged only.

 

[Darth Menace]

You could step up to an SRT 10. Mine's for sale. First Edition (Blue/White Stripe) with Paxton. Engine just rebuilt with forged internals. Has traction control, swing oil pickup, and a lot of other good stuff. Car is in the classifieds. Trust me you couldn't build this car for the money I'm selling it for.

I know I could, but I am sort of set on the look of GTS, and the price goes way up for a SRT10 vs a GTS. Kind of personal preference I guess

 

[Darth Menace]

Hard to beat the cost of this Roe S/C:

96-02 Polished Roe Racing Supercharger Package - ViperClub Classifieds

Damn good deal and will be less of a hassle to buy another car then sell yours. just bolt it on yourself if you already have a car.

wouldn't that supercharger mean you have to change the internals of the motor?

 

[Darth Menace]

You could step up to an SRT 10. Mine's for sale. First Edition (Blue/White Stripe) with Paxton. Engine just rebuilt with forged internals. Has traction control, swing oil pickup, and a lot of other good stuff. Car is in the classifieds. Trust me you couldn't build this car for the money I'm selling it for.

actually I have to admit after looking it over, I do love the srt10 as much as the GTS. I think it's the srt10 convertible model that I don't appreciate the look as much as the gts. no offence to anyone intended..just a matter of personal taste

 

[fqberful]

If you step up to a GenIII Coupe you have a Roe twin turbo option as well. With all the Roe systems, if you stay low boost, you can run stock internals.

--FQB

 

[Danino]

i would suggest driving the GTS and see how the power feels, because it's plenty for an car from the 90's. if you feel it isn't enough, crunch some numbers and see which one is more to your liking. the way i feel is if it stock(ish) and you boost it yourself, you know what's in it and that for the most part that it hasn't been abused.

 

[97snk]

It will be much much much much cheaper to buy one already supercharged...believe me I know...

 

[Darth Menace]

If you step up to a GenIII Coupe you have a Roe twin turbo option as well. With all the Roe systems, if you stay low boost, you can run stock internals.

--FQB

But aftermarket turbo systems don't really pass emissions. Im planning to move back to south-western ontario which has pretty dumb emissions. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pretending to know everything...just going by what I "know" from studying up. Plus the Gen III is significantly more than the GTS's are for the most part

 

[KNG SNKE]

It is much cheaper to buy a premodded car but the downside is you don't get to do the install yourself therefore your knowledge of the system is less then what it would be if you do your own install. The Roe setup is extremely easy to install and you get really familiar with all the moving parts and how they come together. I could have bought a fully decked out viper but really enjoyed doing the install and I know the Roe system like the back of my hand now to the point where I could help someone else troubleshoot an issue. Food for thought.

 

[Darth Menace]

the way i feel is if it stock(ish) and you boost it yourself, you know what's in it and that for the most part that it hasn't been abused.

Ya I agree. I guess that is a harsh tradeoff from buying already done supercharged Vipers vs getting it done after purchase and paying more.

Really, I am not planning on crazy huge HP like some Vipers out there. I'd be happy with the 600 that Gen 4's have. It just looks lame in my opinion that the Gen 4's have another 3rd the HP then the GTS's do, and supercharging seems like the cheapest way to get a car do that

 

[KNG SNKE]

Its not lame, its technology.

 

[Darth Menace]

Its not lame, its technology.

Ya, I agree. It's the same as most sports cars. Mustangs, camaros, corvettes are significantly more powerful than their 90's versions. The snag is that the prices are up significantly then they were in the 90's...even taking inflation into consideration.

I didn't mean the lame comment as an insult. I just meant the performance difference is huge, which is why buying a modded viper vs stock seems way more appealing to me

 

[plumcrazy]

what are your hp goals ?
what kind of driving do you plan on doing ?

 

[JohnnyViper]

have you driven a viper yet? if not you may be very happy with the power and not want a sc, also you can do gears to get the feeling in your butt, they are know as the poor mans super charger

 

[99 R/T 10]

wouldn't that supercharger mean you have to change the internals of the motor?

Nope, just bolt-on, tune and you're ready to go. If you have a 96-99(forged motor), you can use anything from a 5lbs up to 10lbs pulley. If you have a 2000-2002(creampuff pistons), it's best to use the 5-6.5 lbs pulley. Water/**** is great thing on a Roe.

 

[Darth Menace]

have you driven a viper yet? if not you may be very happy with the power and not want a sc, also you can do gears to get the feeling in your butt, they are know as the poor mans super charger

No, I honestly haven't driven a Viper. I am from the Mustang world..and since I sold my Mustang I am looking for a change. That being said I know the stang isn't the power that the Viper is.

I do know my addictive performance personality though. When I had the stang I was always putting on performance parts and never happy. Buying a way more ball-sy Viper than a Mustang should fill the void. It just comes down to my deciding what model, year, mods on the Viper for when the time comes to pull the trigger.

 

[Darth Menace]

what are your hp goals ?
what kind of driving do you plan on doing ?

hopeing to buy a high 500's, low 600's viper. They seem relatively common enough and not too bad priced depending on the age.

My driving would just be cruising the town/highway and to the track a few times a year.

 

[Darth Menace]

Nope, just bolt-on, tune and you're ready to go. If you have a 96-99(forged motor), you can use anything from a 5lbs up to 10lbs pulley. If you have a 2000-2002(creampuff pistons), it's best to use the 5-6.5 lbs pulley. Water/**** is great thing on a Roe.

that's honestly kind of cool. I didn't think supercharging was safely possible except for a complete teardown/rebuild.

The 1996-1999 and plunking on a supercharger seems like the best bang for your buck. And I guess if it failed emissions horribly the s/c could be taken off until it passes, and put back on type thing.

Sorry if I sound like I know very little about Vipers, it's because I don't. I've always liked them, but just new in the shopping Vipers world, and it's better to learn before buying instead of buying and learning after

 

[Camfab]

If emissions are an issue, then it seems only the Paxton unit would be viable for you. Though I really don't even know if that meets Canadian emission laws. The Paxton unit meets California law and has an E.O. # which makes it legal here. The Roe blown cars do not meet emissions requirements in California. That being said, I really think you should drive a stock Viper and compare it to a Paxton blown car before you pull the trigger. Paxton cars can produce big numbers, but generally speaking, may not have the bottom end response of a Roots blown or naturally aspirated car. Look long and hard before you pull the trigger. Here's my general rule to buying any modded car, if you can't afford to buy the car and pay for all those mods outright, your out of your league. You might find offense to this, but it's not meant to be offensive. The wiser approach would be to find the cleanest lowest mileage and most importantly perfectly maintained stock car. Get your feet wet, fix what ever issues come up, and no matter what you think issues will come up. Once you understand the driving dynamics of the GTS, you can then think about getting it blown. Search the forum to see how many people crash thier cars in the first three months of ownership. Good Luck

 

[Darth Menace]

If emissions are an issue, then it seems only the Paxton unit would be viable for you. Though I really don't even know if that meets Canadian emission laws. The Paxton unit meets California law and has an E.O. # which makes it legal here. The Roe blown cars do not meet emissions requirements in California. That being said, I really think you should drive a stock Viper and compare it to a Paxton blown car before you pull the trigger. Paxton cars can produce big numbers, but generally speaking, may not have the bottom end response of a Roots blown or naturally aspirated car. Look long and hard before you pull the trigger. Here's my general rule to buying any modded car, if you can't afford to buy the car and pay for all those mods outright, your out of your league. You might find offense to this, but it's not meant to be offensive. The wiser approach would be to find the cleanest lowest mileage and most importantly perfectly maintained stock car. Get your feet wet, fix what ever issues come up, and no matter what you think issues will come up. Once you understand the driving dynamics of the GTS, you can then think about getting it blown. Search the forum to see how many people crash thier cars in the first three months of ownership. Good Luck

Ya I do agree with you. I even went through the learning to drive with more power when I had the stang. That is why after talking on here the 96-99 viper seems like it would fit me best. I see some lower mileage 96-99 viper GTS's (just a tad over $30,000) on different sites. Then when the time comes it would also make it easier/more cost effective to put on the supercharger then with the later models. Buying a Viper first, then supercharger later would not only be better to learn to drive, but also give time to make a few car payments before buying a supercharger.

What initially bothered me into wanting to buy a supercharged viper right away is the thought of having to replace the internals if I bought it N/A and wanted to supercharge later. But if the 96-99's can take the s/c safely without a teardown then that looks like the way to go.

 

[Ghoust]

I bought mine already s/ced. Just make sure that the motor is healthy by having your trusted mechanic inspect it. When I bought mine, I purchased the car for MSRP....there was no markup for the supercharger. I love driving it every chance i get and this weekend was at the drag strip with it....no issues. Besides, I am more of a driver then a tuner. Let someone else work on the car and dial her in and enjoy the benefits!

 

[Darth Menace]

double post

 

[Darth Menace]

That's cool. You seem to have snagged up a good deal. Any supercharged Vipers I have seen are significantly more then the same in the N/A versions.

The unfortunate part is that I can't have mine inspected by my trusted mechanic. I will likely have to travel hundreds and thousands of miles to get the Viper

 

[plumcrazy]

depending on where the car is located, there is probably a trusted viper tech on this site to help out.

if buying a boosted car you need a leakdown test

 

[Danino]

you could go full exhaust and gears, from what I understand this combo is awesome. once the finances allow me to, that's what I'm doing. If i lived in germany where the autobahn was around for top speed I would leave the gears as they are. but since I'll never pass 140ish anyways, might as well bring the power down low. cheaper than s/c.

 

[Darth Menace]

Ya, would heads be the best bang for your buck for hp gain while still being safe on a motor?