Just want to say hello and I have a question. I have a 2001 Sapphire Blue over black and was wondering how many were produced in that color option? Have owned Vettes, Porsches, TT RX7's but this car has a "giggle factor" I get every time I drive it! I love it and I look forward to learning about this car on the board! Thanks all! 
Let the madness begin....
Hi HHI, first welcome to the club, as for your question I am assuming that your viper is a GTS so : - 216 Sapphire blue made in 2001 (161 with black interiors)
- Of the 216, 86 came with painted silver stripes
P.S: All this info and much more, can be found in the Viper registry on the home VCA page...
Stephen
Sorry for incomplete info I have an RT/10.HHI Congrats and Welcome!
Chuck...I here from Lee you are the guy with some performance info! We will chat later as I want to do just a few upgrades and will seek some advice from you ans well as others to bump HP up a tad as mine is stock right now! Thanks!!I actually live in Hilton Head. Looke me up if ever down this way!!! Jeff
Thanks for the info!!!!! DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHAT COLOR THEY ARE???? They all rock!Thanks for the warm welcome all!!! I really need to spend some time here and learn about this car! The journey begins here for me!!!
No stripes. RT/10 stock and waiting to upgrade!!! Any input on stuff to get a little more GIDDY UP???
welcome to the club! Fun times ahead for you and onlookers
Fun times ahead is an understaement!!! I have had a few "FUN" cars but this thing is more fun and gets all the attention everywhere unlike any others I have owned!!! I wish I would have bought one ealier! Thanks for the welcoming!!!! Congrats and
"let the madness begin"...You are absolutely RIGHT ON!!!Welcome! Thats a beautiful color combo you got there, one of the best colors ever! Take it to a big parking lot with no poles, and learn to spin it around, gather it up, etc, before you "get jiggy with it" on the "track". Too many stories of new owners wadding their up within a few days or couple months of ownership. Search the forum for pointers on use and maintenance. Glad you could make it!
Here's mine, (before lowering, and SSR rims)-
hope I'm not showing off here, why don't everybody post your saphire photos, so I don't feel so goofy?
I almost did "spin around a couple poles" but not on purpose!!! A buddy of mine has a "07" Vette and we were on an open three lane road at 8AM after Starbucks at a light making a U turn and he had been bugging me to hit it one time so when he took off I took off behind him and I hit second and went sideways!!! The funny thing was is that I was catching him running sideways!!!
I really need to respect the power of this car! After that I had to go home and clean out my "undies" ! LOL
At Viper Days, they said something like 43% of Vipers are totlled within the first three months of ownership. There was a recent story of one guy, who bought a brand new one, headed for home, and totalled it, less than 200 feet from the dealer! Take your time! Go to Viper Days at least a couple of times, to get that Viper-specific instruction. Its not exactly the cheapest way to get seat time, but it is the best, 'specially for new guys.I almost did "spin around a couple poles" but not on purpose!!! A buddy of mine has a "07" Vette and we were on an open three lane road at 8AM after Starbucks at a light making a U turn and he had been bugging me to hit it one time so when he took off I took off behind him and I hit second and went sideways!!! The funny thing was is that I was catching him running sideways!!!
At Viper Days, they said something like 43% of Vipers are totlled within the first three months of ownership. There was a recent story of one guy, who bought a brand new one, headed for home, and totalled it, less than 200 feet from the dealer! Take your time! Go to Viper Days at least a couple of times, to get that Viper-specific instruction. Its not exactly the cheapest way to get seat time, but it is the best, 'specially for new guys.
Check your power steering cap often, if it gets loose, the p/s fluid will get on the exhaust manifold, and a Viper can be reduced to a big charred pile of plastic in a few minutes. Check it often. Also, the p/s cap vent is best routed downward, to a catch can, say, mounted on the aluminum cross member in front of the engine. This can is also uselful for receiving the valve cover vents, which now route into your airbox. Under heavy braking, oil can slosh into your intake, making big blue clouds of smoke, and even knocking. Change p/s fluid to Redline, which has a higher boiling point. Brake fluid should flush and replace with Dot4, like Motul 600. Don't move the front wheels left or right, with the hood cracked open, you can damage the hood. Only time to turn the wheel is with the hood all the way up, or all the way down. If you track it, you will want "trap doors" in your oil pan, modified windage tray, maybe an Accusump, so you don't **** air into the oil pump under heavy G-loads. All this stuff has instuctions and details, which will pop up with a search. This is just to get you started, give you an idea what to look for. There are many more ideas, but I'm not that sharp...
Have you installed
1. "smooth tubes" between the intake plenum, and the filter air box?
2. K+N filters?
3. Removed the water baffle in the air box? (good for .0005 Hp)
4. Headers are a good next step, then
5. Heads, cam, roller rockers,
6. High flow cats, (if you have to keep 'em)(But some people say the exhaust really stinks w/o them)
Some people go the forced route, like a Paxton, or Roe blower. Thats probably the best/most bang for the buck, but you gotta get it tuned just-so, add water/**** to control detonation, especially if you have cast pistons. More power means bigger brakes, better cooling, bigger half shafts, etc, etc. How much do you want to spend?
AgentF1, I'll try to get a pic up today, of the SSRs. I didn't want to show them yet, because the center caps are on backorder, probably on a slow boat from China. They removed 49 pounds of rotational inertia from the car, I know cuz I weighed the old rims and tires before, and after switching to SSRs, (same tires). Not only did I lose mass, but rotating mass at that, and also, unsprung weight. Made a bigger difference than I expected. Feels more like a cat now, light and sure-footed. The tripple-adjustable Penske shocks and Hypercoil springs may have helped this effect along, increasing the benefits of the lighter unsprung mass. IDK!
Thanks for all the input especially on the mods and precautions on existing items! Don't know if I will want to put that much GIDDY UP to her but if it is like all the others I have had, I have put some ponies to them at one point! Would really like to see for now an extra 50-100HP so I guess I will have to research the boards to find the "beginning" formulas. Any input is greatly appreciated!! Had a nice Supercharged BMW that pushed about 360HP but nothing like this car. I am sure that after I get used to the power I will want to put some power to this one as well. I definetly have met my match and look forward to having fun (in the right places) with this car!!! Thanks again and drive safe!!!!!!!!
