Became a viper owner today,few questions.

[TommyG]

One week after picking up the Z06 and going on a test drive with a srt10 vert last Sat I decided to go for it. Just so happened that I was finalizing paperwork with the guy we bought the vette and he tells me a 04 red SRT10 vert will be at auction in DFW area that afternoon. The car had 8k miles and he snagged it up for me for 43k. I just got back from picking her up and it was a fun drive to San Antonio. Huffings Dodge did a ppi for me and said:

1. exhaust to drivers side was welded where normally clamped at some cross point? Bob the viper tech did not see any real harm in this but could not figure why. Opinions?

2. Tech checked to see all the suspention specs and said all was in order but that some wrecked cars or ones that have been smashed against a curb have evidence of trying to get the specs right with some manipulation. Opinions?

3. Tech observed pass side ft/rear new wheels in his opinion b/c they looked cleaner than opposite side.

4. 4 new runflats

5. short shifter

6. Tech felt clutch seemed to be nearing usefull life b/c it engages way up high rather than at mid point. Tech felt this not to be typical for miles.

7. I noticed clutch pedal to be very heavy to push in. Could this be aftermarket? The one I test drove did not feel this heavy.

On the way home it took me some time to get used to the need to concentrate on the hwy at hwy speeds. Roads from dfw to Waco were pretty bad and lane changes really took more effort than I am used to. Keeping the car going straight for first 2/3 of the trip was the same, but when I got on smooth road I let my hands off the wheel for a bit and the car would go straight so I did not think it was allignment issues. Is this just how these cars drive? Towards the last let of my trip I did not notice this as much and it kinda went away. Maybe I just got used to it. I will likely take it to a dealer in/near San Antonio for further evaluation, clutch... allignment....Can anyone make any suggestions on which Dodge store has a steller viper tech?

My buddy I owne the vette with drove it to and said he had difficulty keeping it in a straight line. It's a hot car no doubt and as many mentioned turns tons of heads and started conversations on the road home. I am excited to have one and believe I got a pretty good deal for miles/condition. I just hope the next tech doesn't tell me something like it had been wrecked which the previous tech could not identify.

Tom

 

[NHL2133]

Congrats, and as always...

 

[Venomiss]

Congratulations on your Viper and welcome.
Here's the contact for the south/central Texas Viper club
Ryan Fox
[email protected]
1807 Overcup
Round Rock, TX 78681
Work: 512-626-1972

December 13th Holiday party-meet other Viper owners!
You won't be able to post in there but you can read it and give them a call.
http://forums.viperclub.org/texas-south-central/620832-december-13th-holiday-gathering.html

 

[got one]

CONGRATS!!!!!! Welcome to the group! You really should make it out Saturday..will be a day to remember! Also one of the best oppurtunities during the year to learn about your car. Sent you a PM

Thanks for the posting the info Venomiss!!! My number has changed to 512.565.2094...any idea on how i can change that?

 

[Copernicus]

Congrats.

1 - Possibly a nagging exhaust leak that was remedied with welding rather than trying another clamp. Have you verified stock components in place? If aftermarket, many will weld rather than use clamps to avoid leaks.

2 - RE Two new wheels and four new tires. Could have been curb rash and replaced with new rather than trying to fix existing damage. Jack up car and try to look at the suspension components and compare against opposite side - newer, cleaner - possibly collision replacement? Don't get too hung up on it though until you see visual evidence otherwise. A tech looking over all of this probably would have noted this.

3 - Runflats are awful. If you can swallow the additional cost of PS2's, I would say get them. They absolutely transform the ride. I have driven/ridden the same car with and w/o and it is a world of difference.

The steering concentration I think is a function of responsive steering feedback and what is sometimes referred to as trammeling. The large tires get caught up in road anomalies and it likes to move with them. I believe this is lessened with non runflats. Once you get used to it, it becomes a bit easier to manage as well.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

Welcome Tom! I have added a couple things below for your consideration.

One week after picking up the Z06 and going on a test drive with a srt10 vert last Sat I decided to go for it. Just so happened that I was finalizing paperwork with the guy we bought the veter and he tells me a 04 red SRT10 vert will be at auction in DFW area that afternoon. The car had 8k miles and he snagged it up for me for 43k. I just got back from picking her up and it was a fun drive to San Antonio. Huffings Dodge did a ppi for me and said:

1. exhaust to drivers side was welded where normally clamped at some cross point? Bob the viper tech did not see any real harm in this but could not figure why. Opinions?

Could have been slipping and instead of tacking in place they welded it. This could be a problem if you want to swap it out, but if not I would not worry.

2. Tech checked to see all the suspention specs and said all was in order but that some wrecked cars or ones that have been smashed against a curb have evidence of trying to get the specs right with some manipulation. Opinions?

You should look to see if the eccentric adjusters are similar for each side. If there were a small hit they would try and use these adjustments to even it out instead of fixing the real problem.

3. Tech observed pass side ft/rear new wheels in his opinion b/c they looked cleaner than opposite side.

If there was some curb rash the wheels that look worse could be the ones that were repaired as this process will generally come out less brilliant than the factory finish does. This is why they usually do both wheels on that side so it is less noticeable to most people.

4. 4 new runflats

5. short shifter

6. Tech felt clutch seemed to be nearing usefull life b/c it engages way up high rather than at mid point. Tech felt this not to be typical for miles.

May just need a fluid flush to bring it back to life check the color and level of the reservoir first. this gets hot and there is very little fluid to handle the heat and needs to be change often.

7. I noticed clutch pedal to be very heavy to push in. Could this be aftermarket? The one I test drove did not feel this heavy.

On the way home it took me some time to get used to the need to concentrate on the hwy at hwy speeds. Roads from dfw to Waco were pretty bad and lane changes really took more effort than I am used to. Keeping the car going straight for first 2/3 of the trip was the same, but when I got on smooth road I let my hands off the wheel for a bit and the car would go straight so I did not think it was allignment issues. Is this just how these cars drive? Towards the last let of my trip I did not notice this as much and it kinda went away. Maybe I just got used to it. I will likely take it to a dealer in/near San Antonio for further evaluation, clutch... allignment....Can anyone make any suggestions on which Dodge store has a steller viper tech?

My buddy I owne the vette with drove it to and said he had difficulty keeping it in a straight line. It's a hot car no doubt and as many mentioned turns tons of heads and started conversations on the road home. I am excited to have one and believe I got a pretty good deal for miles/condition. I just hope the next tech doesn't tell me something like it had been wrecked which the previous tech could not identify.

Tom

 

[bluesrt]

One week after picking up the Z06 and going on a test drive with a srt10 vert last Sat I decided to go for it. Just so happened that I was finalizing paperwork with the guy we bought the vette and he tells me a 04 red SRT10 vert will be at auction in DFW area that afternoon. The car had 8k miles and he snagged it up for me for 43k. I just got back from picking her up and it was a fun drive to San Antonio. Huffings Dodge did a ppi for me and said:

1. exhaust to drivers side was welded where normally clamped at some cross point? Bob the viper tech did not see any real harm in this but could not figure why. Opinions?

2. Tech checked to see all the suspention specs and said all was in order but that some wrecked cars or ones that have been smashed against a curb have evidence of trying to get the specs right with some manipulation. Opinions?

3. Tech observed pass side ft/rear new wheels in his opinion b/c they looked cleaner than opposite side.

4. 4 new runflats

5. short shifter

6. Tech felt clutch seemed to be nearing usefull life b/c it engages way up high rather than at mid point. Tech felt this not to be typical for miles.

7. I noticed clutch pedal to be very heavy to push in. Could this be aftermarket? The one I test drove did not feel this heavy.

On the way home it took me some time to get used to the need to concentrate on the hwy at hwy speeds. Roads from dfw to Waco were pretty bad and lane changes really took more effort than I am used to. Keeping the car going straight for first 2/3 of the trip was the same, but when I got on smooth road I let my hands off the wheel for a bit and the car would go straight so I did not think it was allignment issues. Is this just how these cars drive? Towards the last let of my trip I did not notice this as much and it kinda went away. Maybe I just got used to it. I will likely take it to a dealer in/near San Antonio for further evaluation, clutch... allignment....Can anyone make any suggestions on which Dodge store has a steller viper tech?

My buddy I owne the vette with drove it to and said he had difficulty keeping it in a straight line. It's a hot car no doubt and as many mentioned turns tons of heads and started conversations on the road home. I am excited to have one and believe I got a pretty good deal for miles/condition. I just hope the next tech doesn't tell me something like it had been wrecked which the previous tech could not identify.

Tom

put a new clutch in it if it grabs high,it will be night and day differance in feel of the firm pedal after this. as for your jerking all over the road,unless they are super smooth,(the roads)this will happen with those wide tires and type of tread pattern.

 

[Venomiss]

CONGRATS!!!!!! Welcome to the group! You really should make it out Saturday..will be a day to remember! Also one of the best oppurtunities during the year to learn about your car. Sent you a PM

Thanks for the posting the info Venomiss!!! My number has changed to 512.565.2094...any idea on how i can change that?

Yes sir, I will put the word out to the powers that be so it can get changed to the new number on the membership page for you.

 

[slysnake]

Don't know if you need an alignment but I will say that these cars are VERY responsive to the road. Yes, this is not a car you can relax and drink a soda while you drive. Your gonna need to pay attention to it's feed back.

Driving the other night I noticed a *** hole ahead and i just instinctively gave the wheel a slight ****. In the blink of an eye the car transproted it's self to the next lane. I have never experienced such quick reactions from a car before, it was awesome. In the same light, such things have been known to find vipers wraped around trees. So be careful.

 

[Nine Ball]

The steering in the Viper on the highway is a lot different from the Z06. The Z06 drives like any other passenger car, it doesn't really walk or take much effort to keep straight. The Vipers tend to wander if you aren't paying attention, and they like to grab those grooves on the highway and follow them more. You definitely need to pay more attention when driving a Viper.

 

[AZTVR]

On the way home it took me some time to get used to the need to concentrate on the hwy at hwy speeds. Roads from dfw to Waco were pretty bad and lane changes really took more effort than I am used to. Keeping the car going straight for first 2/3 of the trip was the same, but when I got on smooth road I let my hands off the wheel for a bit and the car would go straight so I did not think it was allignment issues. Is this just how these cars drive?

Lot's of posts on this site about this effect. Here's a representative one: http://forums.viperclub.org/srt10-s...s/596447-question-about-steering-pulling.html

If you get a good local recommendation, I'd suggest getting it aligned. If you get new tires that would make tracking the car more fun, the alignment is a good thing to do anyway so that you know for sure that you will be getting optimum performance. Preferably, you want someone that does high performance cars and knows the importance of getting the car right.

 

[TommyG]

Thanks a bunch everyone! I also read the steering pulling thread and it describes exactly what I am feeling. With regards to lifting the car and checking each susp point for somthing that looks altered or manipulated the tech in ft/worth said he did this and did not note anything to be of concern. So first mod is PS2's then allignment and hope for the best and keep learning to drive it. I will say I have not even gone above 80mph b/c it did not feel very safe. Will likely take it to ART in New Braunfels, TX to check clutch and car next week. If you think of anyone else in my area let me know. Thanks much for the feedback. I feel better already.

PS-The car has unusual stainless steal shark fins/splitters under rear that typically are black and plastic? Also in the sides behind ft tires air pass through a high polish stainless or even what looks like mirror separations in gills? Finally the car has some black side skirts that appear to be add ons to the factory rockers. They are matte blk plastic and add some 6 inches to the cars drop look. Getting used to all this as it is not stock looking. I'll get pics up next week after detail but for now does this car sound familiar? I think its a TX car? Thanks again for all your help and feedback

 

[Darbgnik]

Thanks a bunch everyone! I also read the steering pulling thread and it describes exactly what I am feeling. With regards to lifting the car and checking each susp point for somthing that looks altered or manipulated the tech in ft/worth said he did this and did not note anything to be of concern. So first mod is PS2's then allignment and hope for the best and keep learning to drive it. I will say I have not even gone above 80mph b/c it did not feel very safe. Will likely take it to ART in New Braunfels, TX to check clutch and car next week. If you think of anyone else in my area let me know. Thanks much for the feedback. I feel better already.

PS-The car has unusual stainless steal shark fins/splitters under rear that typically are black and plastic? Also in the sides behind ft tires air pass through a high polish stainless or even what looks like mirror separations in gills? Finally the car has some black side skirts that appear to be add ons to the factory rockers. They are matte blk plastic and add some 6 inches to the cars drop look. Getting used to all this as it is not stock looking. I'll get pics up next week after detail but for now does this car sound familiar? I think its a TX car? Thanks again for all your help and feedback

I wouldn't worry about the rims on the passenger side, they are the ones that usually get curb rash, I'd consider myself lucky to get 2 new ones for free when I purchased it. The diffusers under the back of the car are usually flat black but they are metal like the shiny ones you have now. I know exactly what you mean about not feeling safe at speed at first, no other car I owned before was even remotely close to the Viper handling wise, so it took a while to get used to it.

You're gonna love it later!

 

[RevHeat]

I would have DW and the boys at ART look at the car. They are located in Buda, Texas right off I-35.

American Racing Technology, LLC

Rev

 

[Viper X]

On the steering issue, hard to tell if you're just not accustomed to the car yet, if the combination of run flats and bad roads are causing it or if the car needs a proper alignment and bump steer adjustment. Properly "bump steered" with good tires, a Viper can be a one hand on the steering wheel" ride. If not, it can be two hands - all the time.

Few dealers can properly "bump steer" a Viper in my area. I'd replace the tires with new PS2's as above and drive it for a while. If it doesn't improve, I'd check with the local club and see if they know a good suspension guy. I've driven a bunch of Vipers and all of them have bump steer from the factory. Some are just worse than others.

Good luck,

Dan

 

[Tere]

Hey! Another Viper owner in SA! Congrats on your new snake. I'm about to head on out for the meet up in Austin today.

 

[TommyG]

Thanks again for the feedback. I had not heard of "bump steered". I will take the car to ART this week.

Tere-You'll see me in a red vert out on the SA streets. Just got back from Austin was there last night with my wife for her b-day so I'll have to catch up with the next meet.

 

[Tere]

I'll be looking for ya! Mon-Fri I'm on 281S to San Pedro at around 6:30 in the morning and then San Pedro and 281N usually after 6:00 in the evening. You'll see me either in a slate '06 Viper coupe or a dark red '03 350Z (sounds like a turbojet -- FI), and every so often in an dark blue '07 350Z vert or white '91 300ZX TT (currently undergoing a partial engine rework). So if someone in a Z car waves at ya, it might be me -- I confuse Z car drivers when I wave at them from the Viper.

Definitely join VCA! The South-Central Texas VCA chapter is pretty active. We had close to 20 Vipers, 3 Ford GTs (one early model), and a Prowler show up yesterday for dyno and an Austin hill country cruise (a slightly spirited running of the twisties).

Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to get the SA Viper owners to get their Vipers out of their garages. Yesterday's event was gorgeous Viper driving weather!

 

[mike & juli]

Congratulations Tommy~! Now you just gotta forward (private message) your VIN# to the moderators to be UPGRADED TO VIPER OWNER!!!! (moderators are: citysnake/big-n-italian/lee00blacksilvergts) Sounds like you're getting good advice here...always too any questions, you could always call our Viper Wizard, Chuck Tator: 1-914-763-3136...he could possibly answer any that Mark Jorgensen could not address? GOOD LUCK...drive safely and ENJOY~!!! ~juli

 

[TommyG]

I'll get on the vin project and thanks for other info. Very nice folks on this forum indeed, thanks again

Tom