Corsa vs Mopar RACE differences

[jessewallace]

sorry, no DYNO to show, but i did yank off my corsa race (the one that deletes the crossover pipe)& slap on the mopar race exhaust. i just didn't think the corsa sounded bada$$ enuff.
here's what i found.

the full mopar race, which removes the cats & replaces them with "straight pipes" weighs about 30lbs LESS than the corsa exhaust + the stock cats. i don't remember exactly how much less the corsa race was than stock, but it seems like it was about 30lbs, so going straight to the mopar race from stock would yield aprox 60 lb weight loss.
that's a plus!

the mopar exhaust, hands down, sounds WAY btr than the corsa. it gives the car a MUCH meaner & aggressive note. you unfortunately do lose the cool corsa backfire popping noises though. the mopar also has a bit more harmony in it than the corsa exhaust. i was very pleased.

that's obviously another plus!

if you REALLY get on it, the mopar exhaust actually shoots fire out the side of your viper. that's cool.

that's a BIG plus! (for me anyways)


hp-wise, i can't tell the difference btween the two.
i did purchase mopar's race controller instead of buying the o2 sensor eliminators. but even w/the purchase of the mopar race controller, the exhaust setup was still a bit LESS than just the corsa setup.


however, here comes the inevitable cons...

the mopar race DOES have drone in it.
it sounds awesome if you're just tooling around & getting on it, but if you're tooling down the interstate on a long trip, it does get a lil annoying.

the mopar obviously DOES have the noxious gas smell to it.
it doesn't bother me & i think it's cool, but still, it will bother most people.

the overall fit & finish isn't anywhere near as nice as the corsa. the tips don't look quite as cool. but that's just a minor nitpik.

bottom line, having installed both the corsa & mopar race, i'd say most would want to stick w/the corsa. i've lost that cool popping sound & picked up the issue of losing my street legalness. all just to sounds a lil cooler. i don't have sniffer tests in my area, so it's not a problem, but many people do.

also, when i installed the mopar race, i didn't put the pipes out far enuff. i left them recessed back into the car a bit b/c i didn't wanna have to worry about people burning themselves on the pipes. however, i didn't anticipate flames shooting out of the pipes at full throttle! whoops! i burnt my sidesills!
oh well. live & learn.

the only mods i've got on my 05 right now are the mopar pipes & the k&n setup. which, bang for the buck, the k&n is hard to beat for anyone who hasn't gotten off their butt & done it.

i hope this is helpful to some. i've waited until i put 1500 miles w/the full mopar to post this. & i hope i didn't ramble too much. it's sudnay & i'm fdrunk.

 

[Kenny]

I also recently installed the Mopar Race exhaust and got rid of some of the drone and lowered the volume level a bit by putting in some of those dynotech exhaust cones prior to the muffler.

Also, how do you adjust the tips further out. I am not entirely happy with my drivers side tip and would like to have it further out like my passenger side. I have messed with it a few times and will eventually get it right, but it is a bit of a pain to mess with.

 

[SylvanSRT]

the flames are a result of removing the cats and the dumping of a little extra fuel when you let off the gas and it(unburned fuel) enter the hot exhaust pipes. the other con of the race controller is that it will not run your A/C unit when the car is at idle(race cars dont have a/c) so you have to shut it off at idle(a/c).

 

[jessewallace]

SylvanSRT: yeah, i understand why it's flaming, but as far as the AC goes, i didn't know that. i had noticed a few times my ac quit running, but hadn't put 2 & 2 together. thanks!

Kenny: you just gotta keep fiddling w/it. that's what i did! & yes, for some reason, the driver's side is MUCH more of a pain in the a$$ to align.

 

[SylvanSRT]

The a/c thing is why i decided not go w/ the mopar race controller and am going to another option. considering 98% of the cars use is on the street. i did not even want to have a minor inconvience with the a/c if i do i will shut it off(manually) or floor the gas(WOT a/c shut-off).

 

[Racer Robbie]

If your car is spitting flames and backfiring then the exhaust is not right or the car is not tuned right. When a race car is set up right there should be no flames and there should never be any backfiring or popping when you get off the gas. We spent a lot of time working these bugs out of our exhaust system. Ours does not ever pop or belch flames. One needs to decide if you want to show off with flames and popping or have all the performance you can get with the proper exhaust system and tuning.

 

[GR8_ASP]

How long have you been working with or owning Vipers? My 1995 had flames and popped and my 2003 does the same. Both with the removal of the cats. Both popping and flames occur during decels. Flames after high rpm WOT and popping during a decel at just about any rpm. It has more to do with decel fuel management and not missing or improper fuel air under acceleration.

It even does it on the dyno during over 650 hp runs (so I doubt poor performance is the cause)!

 

[Racer Robbie]

Sorry my friend but you are mistaken, popping and flames equal loss of optimal horsepower. For years while racing nascar modifieds we would adjust the length of the header exhaust pipe after the collector to tune the engine for the best performasnce for a given track. Shorter tracks require longer pipes and long tracks require shorter pipes. Go to your local circle track and you will notice that the front runners in modifieds have very little popping. As far as how long I have been a tuner, well lets just say for more than 45 years. I also have a engineering degree in race car technology if it matters. And yes I have owned over 8 used vipers along with the new 2003 SRT-10 that I bought new. I have also owned and raced ferrari's and ford gt40's. Have any of you ever wondered why your stock cats are cracked and shot after 15000 to 25000 miles. It is from the raw gas that is exploding in the exhaust system and that makes those pretty flames. Remember the old days when you floored the gas and tured the ignition on and off and blew your muffler off? PS: A real easy cure to get rid of most of the popping and flames is to raise the idle up a little bit. Putting a piece of shim stock between the throttle lever and the throttle stop does wonders. We have also fabricated a secondary return spring which all cars of this performance level should have. This spring makes the throttle close all the way without hanging up, the stock one does not. Try it. Enjoy the ride GR8 ASp and geep the right side off the wall.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Not sure if I understand this. Are you indicating to mechanically open the throttle blade so that he idle is higher than the idle air circuit can adjust it back down? Meaning now idle speed is only controlled by the shim stock, and not by the PCM. That may result in a check engine light. I think what you are finding is that the popping is due to closed throttle lean conditions, causing misfires which ultimately burn in the exhaust.
And I highly doubt popping during engine braking can impact WOT performance.

Also, if you want a little enlightenment take a look at LeMans cars while driving at night. You may see a show of lights from their exhaust. Generally in engine braking decels. but at max power shifts as well (same as I have observed with mine).

Now I gather I lack your experience (I was clearly not working on cars 45 years ago) but I am not exactly ingorant about engines either. A little tongue in cheek but I do not think cars of old are good comparisons as they lacked the use of technology (kind of like todays Nascars).

 

[Racer Robbie]

Popping during WOT has no effect on performance as you state but part throttle does. It causes a hesitation, one that you may not feel but it will show up if you are running a laptop and gathering data. Holding the throttle slightly open will not cause a check engine light condition in any way, it is no different that you holding down the gas pedal slightly.It does do away with the rich fuel condition which causes popping and unburned fuel to ignites in the exhaust system which includes your expensive cats. By the way, we were running fuel injection in our race cars as far back as the 1960's, "I do not think cars of old are good comparisons as they lacked the use of technology (kind of like todays Nascars). ", and also on some of the high performance street cars of that era. It is interesting that you say NASCAR race cars lack modern technology seeing we own a viper as our viper engine is a page, from the past, right out of a NASCAR Modified or Nextal Cup Car. Except for the fuel injection they are both push rod engines of the same design. As it has been said before the viper is the modern day AC Cobra complete with a 1950 push rod engine.
PS: lets not get too carried away here as we are all learning and trying to help each other out. Just try it and decide for yourself. .005-.010 does the trick but like I said before every viper is slightly different. You have to play with it which is half the fun of owning our snakes.