Somone help me with my list of simple mods for my new car. Need some approval

[Invasivore]

Car is a bone stock 98 GTS with Corsa exhaust (not sure about the cats). I haven't taken shipment yet, but I want to plan ahead for some basic mods. Anyone please chime in your opinions. Also, is this car equipped with the skip shift?

New tires (Kumho Ecsta XS)
Air filters in stock box (K&N, green filter, or S&B???)
Roe Racing smooth tubes
Vipair (does this actually work?)
B&M shifter
high flow cats or no cats????(don't have emissions here)
Should i get it tuned???(Doug Levin's shop is 1 minute from my house)
Are throttle bodies a waste of time?? (these are the only mods that will be done to the car, no FI, no head work;maybe intake manifold if that is even worth it on these cars)

Any input is appreciated.

 

[eucharistos]

congrats,

your list looks good so far

re: cats - if the smell is no issue, catless, if smell will bother you (or your significant passenger) metal hiflows

 

[NVMYVPR]

Invasivore, I will be relocating to Miami here in about 60 days. I have a 96 RT-10. I am planning on similar build with a few additions. I am doing manifold upgrade with 65mmTB's, Gen II injectors, Belanger headers, full race exhaust cats deleted and a few other bits here and there. Probably going with Greg Goode for the headwork with an econo-port(super helpful and I haven't even used his services yet) but DLM is going to put everything together me. Still playing with the idea of a custom tune, as I will likely need one, but may just put together what I have and then see where I am in the quest for 500rwhp on my Gen I. We will have to meet up for sure. Are you doing local events down there now with the VCA?

 

[Invasivore]

I haven't got my car yet . But it will be here next Friday and I can't wait. I will probably join the VCA and go to the events. I emailed the South Florida chapter president, but didn't get a response yet. Definitely have to meet up. There is a car show at Tower Shops Plaza in Davie right next to where I live. It is every Friday with a variety of race cars, classics, and imports.

 

[FastZilla]

(Doug Levin's shop is 1 minute from my house)

If that is the case, you mod list will probably multiply by 5 in the next 12 months. With any modified/tuned car (external tuner equipt) I highly recomend having it tuned to your new local conditions. Also a darn good idea to know what tune is in there (possible the previous tune has the car running 13:1, who knows). You will have hot thick/wet air in FL - of the car cam from a cool high altitude climate, etc.

 

[Invasivore]

I think besides maintenance I don't think I will mod it much more than listed. I had supercharged cars before and don't want to deal with it. I just want a nice clean driver

 

[Tail lights]

Larger throttle bodies are a big mistake, They don't make even 1 more horsepower than stock Throttle bodies. And between 2,500 and 3,000 rpm they create a big lean hole, What I would recommend is a set a harlan and sharp 1.7 rocker arms( Get them on ebay). I just got my engine off an engine dyno And I had a chance to play around with rocker arms and throttle bodies excetera. Also put some gear is in that thing. go to the parts rack website and read jon's corner.

 

[Invasivore]

What can I expect from the rockers?

 

[plumcrazy]

always listen to doug levin !!! you cannot go wrong having him tune your car. if you are this close to him, go there and talk to him about all this. he wont steer you wrong

 

[ViperTony]

Funny, I look at the list of your mods and it is pretty much what I did when I first got my Viper except for the TB's. K&N Filters, Smooth Tubes, Vipair, High Flow Cats...then came Belanger headers and catback...then came SCT Tuning...then came heads and cam from Greg Good...now intake porting. It never ends. It's an sickness.

I wouldn't bother with the intake or throttle bodies unless you're planning on doing head and cam work...perhaps boosted down the road. Larger throttle bodies on a stock Viper robs power/torque in the low to mid RPM range and moves it to the higher RPM range. Even with my upcoming ported intake I'm not planning on the larger TB's. Some of the boosted crowd with head/intake porting work utilize the larger TB's.

If you really want a pucker vortex experience at a fair cost consider 3:55 gears. Inexpensive (relatively speaking) but feels like you've added power. Viper Parts of America has Mopar 3:55 gears on their website and I believe JackB is selling his Mopar 3:33 gears in the classifieds.

But I would first check your tires. If they're old, get rid of them. Be safe.

 

[ivanrho]

Hi! This is Ivan. Please resend me your email to [email protected]

I've seen all my emails and didn't see one that was never responded to.

Looking forward to meeting you.

 

[FastZilla]

Try this thread going on now:
http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/651617-Roe-Racing-710-Camshaft-Anyone-Have-This-Mod

 

[dave6666]

The Vipair is a great mod or do the full intake from JMB Performance. Idiots will post they don't work but us smart people reply got a dyno in a wind tunnel?

 

[Invasivore]

Do you have dyno sheets?

 

[mattdillon]

I think besides maintenance I don't think I will mod it much more than listed. I had supercharged cars before and don't want to deal with it. I just want a nice clean driver

Well you bought the right car (Viper). You really don't have to do much to these cars, as they're usually plenty fast for most us Regular drivers. To me it seems like you have all best basic mods listed & the Vipair thingy, I think that argument has went on since the first post about it (I've thought about getting one too cause I like the way they look but I don't think they really help as for as any extra hp) . Forgot to add, WELCOME! jmo

 

[AZTVR]

Also, is this car equipped with the skip shift?.

Yes it is. Some folks drive around it without issue. I hate having the car tell me where I have to shift to even if it is an infrequent occurrence, so I bypassed it.

 

[Invasivore]

Who makes the bypass kit for that?

 

[Knight Viper]

The best money spent on a Viper is a break kit and driving school

MODERATOR EDIT: No Links please

 

[azvipermike]

i did the cat delete on my 01. I had my local shop cut the cats out and weld in new pipes. The roe simulators took care of the check engine light. Smooth tubes and k&N drop in filters are perfect.

Tires!!! I went with PS2 tires as a buddy has kumos and they are kind of loud but they work well.
Before you go with a short shifter i found a shorter shaft that just screws right in and it feels a lot better than the truck shifter in the car stock!

 

[Invasivore]

Moderator Edit: Link Removed

What kind of brake mods?

 

[azvipermike]

you can upgrade to SRT fronts

 

[Invasivore]

what is the difference in specs? im assuming i will have to run aftermarket wheels

 

[99 R/T 10]

Hi! This is Ivan. Please resend me your email to [email protected]

I've seen all my emails and didn't see one that was never responded to.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Ivan,
you must be the last person using AOL! Dude, dude....................................

 

[aloushi]

Ivan,
you must be the last person using AOL! Dude, dude....................................

LOL, you mean ONLY person using AOL...haha...I completely forgot it even exists...

 

[MADMAX]

You've also got the rain baffle in the stock air box that allegedly restricts air flow.
Agree with night viper on improving brakes - you can make huge improvements in this area by simply fitting lighter weight and performance rotors and better pads but I guess that all depends on what you want to do with the car. What do you want to do with the car? Look at it, talk about how wonderful the dyno results are, drive it to the shops and back or track it............
If you're gonna track it hard, think about improvements to overcome issues like lub oil starvation, poor cooling, gearbox oil, suspension set up, aerokit dadadadadada the list is endless - depends what you want.
Doug's on your doorstep (wish I was that lucky) so go talk to him...
Of course, some of the improvements are easier than others and you'll find chapter & verse on all of them if you search the VCA website.
Even something as simple as performance wheels is an improvement.......
Welcome to Viper ownership BTW - you're gonna love it!!!

 

[dave6666]

The best money spent on a Viper is a break kit and driving school

What kit make your car break? That sounds like one to avoid.

In other news, brake upgrades should be considered.

 

[CEJ]

Car is a bone stock 98 GTS with Corsa exhaust (not sure about the cats). I haven't taken shipment yet, but I want to plan ahead for some basic mods. Anyone please chime in your opinions...
tires (Kumho Ecsta XS)
Air filters in stock box (K&N)
get it tuned???(Doug Levin's shop is 1 minute from my house)
... input is appreciated.

Tires, yes. K&N, yes. Take your GTS to Doug and talk with him. Live with your GTS for a bit before modifying it, buy a factory service manual, meet a lot of great folks, have fun, and remember to check your engine & tranny mounts.

 

[AZTVR]

Who makes the bypass kit for that?

That was a DIY for me. Radio Shack resistor and some heat shrink (could use electrical tape) and some tie-wraps. No soldering. There are "kits" which consist of the resistor installed into a mating connector and then you just plug that into the harness connector, quick and simple. (I can't remember if you would have to take off the belly pan to install a pre-made connector type. You probably can reach up there with it in place; but, would have to take it off to install the resistor yourself and insulate the connectors. I am sure Jon at partsrack could fix you up with one. Be careful of eBay ones being made up by peasants that don't have cars or electricity and never saw a resistor before. This is the same thing that is sold for C5/C6 Corvettes since it is the same basic transmission.