Viper Myth Thread. What have you heard?
- Thread starter Timnineside
- Start date
As someone who used to officially track wrecked vipers for the VCA I will
attest to this myth - at LEAST 33.3% of all Gen 1 & 2 vipers have been
in a significant crash of some kind by this point. When I stopped tracking
them (better part of 6 years ago now) we had leads on several hundred
cars NOT including those stockpiled by yards like Scharf, and
X2. And those don't include the years before I started, the ones not
declared wrecked, and the race cars that never left the track.
Its one of the reasons I ALWAYS suggest a thorough inspection of the car
and documentation before purchase - rebuilding vipers was a profitable
business a few years back.
If you put the 3.07 gears back in, you will get about 17 in town and 21-22 on the hwy and I feel you will love it a lot more and be a lot happier.. I have always got that mpg in all my Vipers no matter if they were stock or TT or S/C when you drive them like any other car staying out of boost. Change out those gears Rocky.........ha Just teasin.....just teasing.....your FL buddy, Roy 
E=HobokenViper;3147176]Wish that was true for my 2008 vert..... I seem to get less than 15 mph cruising in 6th on the highway at 60-65 as my car has a 3.73 gearing and high flow cats. Is that normal? I swear I have a hole in the gas tank because it really goes down THAT fast!!![/QUOTE]
HobokenViper
Enthusiast
Thanks Roy. So you think it's entirely because of the 3.73 gearing causing the rpm to raise too fast and for 6th gear to be cruising at too high of an rpm at highway speeds? I'm curious what mpg I'm actually getting now, but I can tell you that it's REALLY terrible, worse than I could have ever imagined, and I'm definitely not guilty of driving the car like a maniac either.....
I feel like 3.73 gears actually make the car a lot more dangerous for occasional joyrides and cruising, and is better suited to quarter mile racing. The previous owner said he swapped it out because he hated the drone noise at highway cruising speeds and the fact that 6th gear was hardly usable at 60 mph. Is the original gearing best, or is there a happy compromise? How expensive and difficult is this work to do?
I feel like 3.73 gears actually make the car a lot more dangerous for occasional joyrides and cruising, and is better suited to quarter mile racing. The previous owner said he swapped it out because he hated the drone noise at highway cruising speeds and the fact that 6th gear was hardly usable at 60 mph. Is the original gearing best, or is there a happy compromise? How expensive and difficult is this work to do?
Go back to 3.07...... What it came with when new.....at 70 mph you will only be turnin about 1600rpm in 6 th gear...around town you will usually only be in 4th or 5 th gear........I don't know about drone noise? Pretty quite to me....you can probably buy from someone in the VCA a set of 3.07 gears for your car pretty cheap that someone else probably changed out for some reason....you may have to take it to the dealer and get a Viper Tec to change them for you, but the price will be worth it to make it a great driver for you and your wife to go somewhere in being a lot more pleasurable to drive it. Sell the 3.73s on line and get that money back.
I don't know how much it actually cost because it is not something I have ever considered doing with my Vipers because I love the 3.07 as is. I have had a best of 1.49 60' times with them so it seems in a Viper they prefer the higher gear ratio over a low gear. That's not the case in other Hotrods....a 3.07 gear normally is never used in regular 1/8th mi or 1/4 mi cars.....unless it is a TT or S/C .
Rocky listen to me.......3.07 3.07 3.07 You will thank me....I guarantee it....Just for once, agree with me.....ha
I don't know how much it actually cost because it is not something I have ever considered doing with my Vipers because I love the 3.07 as is. I have had a best of 1.49 60' times with them so it seems in a Viper they prefer the higher gear ratio over a low gear. That's not the case in other Hotrods....a 3.07 gear normally is never used in regular 1/8th mi or 1/4 mi cars.....unless it is a TT or S/C .
Rocky listen to me.......3.07 3.07 3.07 You will thank me....I guarantee it....Just for once, agree with me.....ha
shine
Viper Owner
3.73 gearing will make your RPMs come up sooner. They call it the "poor man's supercharger" for a reason... it'll give you a kick in the pants off the line at the expense of cruise and top speed. Drag racers go with gears like 3.55, 3.73, 4.10 and higher so their usable HP and powerband comes on much quicker.. but they're not driving on the highway with those gears unless they've got a 6-speed and don't mind cruising at 4000 RPMs and only get 10 MPG.
3.07 will definitely tame it and make your mileage go up at cruise speeds, because you'll be running 600 or 700 fewer RPMs to hold the same MPH (under 2000, maybe under 1600 according to Roy). You will have a higher top speed, but you will be slower from a dead stop (not what you want in a 1/4 mile racer).
3.07 will definitely tame it and make your mileage go up at cruise speeds, because you'll be running 600 or 700 fewer RPMs to hold the same MPH (under 2000, maybe under 1600 according to Roy). You will have a higher top speed, but you will be slower from a dead stop (not what you want in a 1/4 mile racer).
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
Are you sure about 15MPGs? I can see the gears affecting your MPGs a couple, but not 7-8MPG. Maybe you have other issues going on.
shine
Viper Owner
I can see going to a 3.73 affecting MPG that much, easy.
My Challenger went from a 3.06 to a 3.55. Cruising on the highway, the RPMs at 60 went from 2000 to about 2600, and MPG went from over 20 to about 16.
RPMs are directly correlated to MPG...when one goes up, the other goes down!
HobokenViper
Enthusiast
If that is the case, then I'm still trying to figure out why the previous owner made the swap of the gears? He said he never tracked it, and just basically took it to and from car shows. As a 4 year old car, it had just 1,900 miles on it and was pristine, so could it be because of the way he said the car sounded at cruising speeds? In all honesty, the 3.73 is too damn fast for my liking and purpose for the car as I feel like if I punch it too hard in the least bit, the rear tires rip loose and the car tries to kill me. Keep in mind, im still a relative rookie Viper owner and have not yet taken high performance driving classes with Skip Barber. Like Roy said, I think it would be a lot better if I had the stock gearing back in place, besides better fuel economy...
Anyone know what the factory 3.07 gearing should cost, both for the actual hardware and the installation by say Tator's garage?
Anyone know what the factory 3.07 gearing should cost, both for the actual hardware and the installation by say Tator's garage?
[QUOT
Me again.......put some M/T street Radials on it and you will not have to worry about the tire spin problem any longer. It will hook up and gone like shot out of a cannon.......that is the only tire I put on the rear of all my Vipers.....30 lbs of air, in rain, dry roads, drag racing...works great for me......they bite the road like they have been sprayed with VHT.......I proved that last year at the TAIL OF THE DRAGON when it rained all day that Friday and I was right there with the pack at any speed on the curves I wanted to go......you will love that tire and be able to make full use of that 600 h.p. When ever you feel like it and with a big smile.......Rocky, I been doing this awhile now....I am passing on some good stuff here.....ha... Did you want those magazines? I sent a PM awhile back.... Roy
E=HobokenViper;3149629]If that is the case, then I'm still trying to figure out why the previous owner made the swap of the gears? He said he never tracked it, and just basically took it to and from car shows. As a 4 year old car, it had just 1,900 miles on it and was pristine, so could it be because of the way he said the car sounded at cruising speeds? In all honesty, the 3.73 is too damn fast for my liking and purpose for the car as I feel like if I punch it too hard in the least bit, the rear tires rip loose and the car tries to kill me. Keep in mind, im still a relative rookie Viper owner and have not yet taken high performance driving classes with Skip Barber. Like Roy said, I think it would be a lot better if I had the stock gearing back in place, besides better fuel economy...
Anyone know what the factory 3.07 gearing should cost, both for the actual hardware and the installation by say Tator's garage?[/QUOTE]
Me again.......put some M/T street Radials on it and you will not have to worry about the tire spin problem any longer. It will hook up and gone like shot out of a cannon.......that is the only tire I put on the rear of all my Vipers.....30 lbs of air, in rain, dry roads, drag racing...works great for me......they bite the road like they have been sprayed with VHT.......I proved that last year at the TAIL OF THE DRAGON when it rained all day that Friday and I was right there with the pack at any speed on the curves I wanted to go......you will love that tire and be able to make full use of that 600 h.p. When ever you feel like it and with a big smile.......Rocky, I been doing this awhile now....I am passing on some good stuff here.....ha... Did you want those magazines? I sent a PM awhile back.... Roy
E=HobokenViper;3149629]If that is the case, then I'm still trying to figure out why the previous owner made the swap of the gears? He said he never tracked it, and just basically took it to and from car shows. As a 4 year old car, it had just 1,900 miles on it and was pristine, so could it be because of the way he said the car sounded at cruising speeds? In all honesty, the 3.73 is too damn fast for my liking and purpose for the car as I feel like if I punch it too hard in the least bit, the rear tires rip loose and the car tries to kill me. Keep in mind, im still a relative rookie Viper owner and have not yet taken high performance driving classes with Skip Barber. Like Roy said, I think it would be a lot better if I had the stock gearing back in place, besides better fuel economy...
Anyone know what the factory 3.07 gearing should cost, both for the actual hardware and the installation by say Tator's garage?[/QUOTE]
Simms
Enthusiast
Nevermind, wrong thread.
HobokenViper
Enthusiast
HobokenViper
Enthusiast
Resent this morning. Did you still not get it? It works when I write back to other people.....
I went from 3.08 to 3.70 in my Vette and the RPM @ 60 went from 1400 to about 1900. The MPG went from 22 down to 16.
What year Challenger? Stick or auto?
shine
Viper Owner
You must be registered for see images attach
I have an 09 SRT not for sale. Love it!!08 SRT, auto. It's for sale
Hey Sybil..........don't you have some dishes to wash or a house to clean or something? just kiddin just kiddin.......always glad to hear the female side from female Viper owners....now do you have anything constructive to add? just kiddin...I know not to get you started, ha.......and you have some really nice HotRods in your garage. 
QUOTE=Sybil TF;3150605]
QUOTE=Sybil TF;3150605]
You must be registered for see images attach
I have an 09 SRT not for sale. Love it!![/QUOTE]Hey Sybil..........don't you have some dishes to wash or a house to clean or something? just kiddin just kiddin.......always glad to hear the female side from female Viper owners....now do you have anything constructive to add? just kiddin...I know not to get you started, ha.......and you have some really nice HotRods in your garage.
Nice CYA there buddy boy.
Ha......they taught us how to CYA when I was in the military, ha
And I bet you that you can't bend over like that and touch your toes, keeping your legs straight and at the same time spell the word RUN as loud as you can.....ha
And I bet you that you can't bend over like that and touch your toes, keeping your legs straight and at the same time spell the word RUN as loud as you can.....ha
Nice CYA there buddy boy.
