My Viper is almost finished!

[SUN RA KAT]

I've been Viperless since early November when a Viper friend drove my Viper down to Larry Macedo Motorsports in Orlando, Florida from where I live in Ohio. I'm having a lot of major improvements done to it to ensure super daily driver reliablity...and some serious improvements to power. I expect around the mid-800's rear wheel HP and torque. The engine went back in on Thursday and hopefully roll bars can be fabricated for it this week. It should run low 10's and high 140's on street tires, possibly even high 9's and low 150's.

[BillyBob]

Not having your favorite ride can be a little annoying, but with the winter weather it is a great time to get major work done. Now that spring is here I'm sure you're starting to get a bit antsy to get back on the road with it. Good luck & be careful my friend!

[Maxwedge]

what sort of chassis mods did you do?

[1973Swinger]

Must be nice to have a viper as a daily driver.

[whirlyone]

Sun ra kat, with 800+ r.w. h.p. wouldn't that sweet reality of yours do some really nice wheel-spinning with street tires. I was just thinking with bad wheelspin, high 9s would be quite a task. Now with good hook-up, i'm sure not a prob. But i'm not familiar with how vipers handle. Feel free to eduacate me. And i hope you so enjoy that newly improved ride. Drive safe.

[Moparjimbo]

Vipers handle very well IMO, despite what many seem to think. People run 9's even 8's with VERY few suspension or drivetrain mods, easily. I dynoed 740 RWHP with mine, run it with stock clutch, trans, rear end - only drivetrain upgrade is Unitrex halfshafts. I run Nitto drag radials, ran 1.5x 60 foots, 10.59@138 and the car has a lot left I am not the best driver/fastest shifter, and haven't gotten used to the car and all the bugs worked out of it yet. Car launchs well and goes straight, hooks decent enough. Could be better obviously, but damn nice for a stock suspensioned and "street" radial car. I hear the newer drag radials are even better!

So, your targets/expectations seem right on the money! Let us know how it turns out!

[Maxwedge]

I never mentioned handling and I have never heard of anyone complaining about that perspective.
I HAVE seen 1200hp vipers that couldnt break 10s because a IRS is nearly impossible to hook up with that much power. Also most guys who build 600hp+ Viper are simply making Dyno queens.
if that is 10.59 and thats a real number then your combo is impressive and unusual considering what most do with those HP numbers and a stock chassis...different shocks and tires arnt that significant of a change...

[Moparjimbo]

Videos, timeslips at my site: www.milwaukeemopar.com

[Moparjimbo]

My comments were more in reply to Whirly, Max...he asked to educated lol. As you said though, you have heard and seen complaints about IRS cars in general, including 1200HP Vipers... many people claim they handle poorly, squirrelly, too much power to put to the ground, etc. Personally, as I've said I don't find it any more challenging than an old big block musclecar, any moderately skilled driver accustomed to a big torque big HP car would probably find a Viper surprising easy to handle and keep going straight.

[whirlyone]

FYI Moparjimbo, i wasn't complaining. And nice ride.

[Moparjimbo]

NP I didn't take your commetns as complaints, the mention of complaints about Viper handling was more of a general one. I have heard and read many many times comments on how "hard it is to control" them, but yeah not any moreso than any other street tired powerful car lol.

[68Coronet_PE]

I think when people (car magazines) complain about the way vipers handle, it is in comparsion to other equally priced modern sports cars (porsche). If you can handle driving a 500 hp B/E body on the street I imagine the viper is well within your abilities. I think the car magazine writers are spoiled by so called " refined " German cars. I, personaly, think the best part of driving a high performance Mopar is driving sideways. (Right on the edge of out-of-control)