I've been really enjoying going Vipering these last few weeks in between late winter snow storms with various friends as passengers. aaaaaaaah - my cat, Spark Plug typed the series of "a" and I added the "h" at the end. She likes to help me at the computer.
The friends usually ask why they need to go to the restroom before they can go for a ride. Then they hear my Viper start right up and they think they know why at that point. The exhaust noise and the shaking from the Underground Racing spec cam causes them to break out into gigantic smiles. I point out that the idle speed is 1,000 RPM. Then after seat belts are fastened we back down the driveway and onto the street...they can't believe how smooth the car runs and how gentle it drives. I tell them we have to warm all the fluids to operating temperature and driving the speed limit around 2,000 RPM is how I do it. They keep expecting some scary acceleration to happen but we drive along so smooth and gentle shifting without any hint of whiplash through the gears.
Then several miles out in the country I do a light part throttle acceleration up to 3,000 RPM with shifting quickly now that the transmission has its fluids warm. They turn white and their eyes go wide open - they don't even crack a smile until I tell them "It's OK, I won't be doing anything that scares me."
A few miles later the transmission fluid is fully warm and shifts very easily. We then gently get on a "private closed course" and accelerate moderately until we get part way through 2nd gear and then I go to 2/3 throttle and a quick shift into 3rd gear and nail it by rolling quickly into the throttle. They turn white with fear as they are slammed back into the seat. Then I let off the throttle and they realize how strong the acceleration really was. They are no longer in mortal fear, but they can't smile yet. Once again I tell them "It's OK, I won't be doing anything that scares me." (My heart is racing at this point and we haven't even gone to 5,000 RPM yet.)
I drive at the speed limit in 5th and 6th gear for a while and tell them I got 19.5 MPG driving back to Ohio from Charlotte, North Carolina driving like this, except a little faster to keep up with the rest of the traffic. Again my car drives so smoothly even at part throttle acceleration in 6th gear pulling with authority from idle (50 MPH) to a more normal speed.
Then we turn around and I break the mood by accelerating somewhat faster than moderately...1st...2nd...3rd...4th...
...and then back to legal speeds as we leave the "private closed course".
Thank you Kevin & KC for building my dream car better than I ever imagined it would be!
My heart is racing and I feel exhilarated and so is my passenger. I tell them my wife used to say that my driving didn't scare her unless I told her how fast we were going, but now she asks me not to scare her when we go out together.
Yeah, it's that good.
BTW - I didn't scare myself and there is still a lot more power left to explore safely in the near future - I never set off my shift light and I have it set at 5,200 RPM.
__________________ Kenny's Viper built and tuned right by Underground Racing 1,021 rwHP and 955 rwTorque using catalytic converters and 93 octane pump gas - 20.0 MPG HWY and a whole lot less driven normally!
Awesome!!!!! Shakes the house at idle. What all did you have done?
Glad to see another happy Underground Racing customer!!! Enjoy.
I had Underground Racing find and fix all the many mistakes Macedo had done to the engine, fuel system, exhaust system, etc. I left some of the interior panels that had gouges in them from being at Macedo Motorsports untouched so people can see with their own eyes some of what Macedo No Limit Performance really means.
Underground Racing had to completely go through everything in my car and had to replace almost everything that Macedo had done to my car to make the engine safe to run - right length spark plugs, right length push rods, roller rockers adjusted correctly, connecting rod bolts torqued correctly, head bolts torqued correctly, air/fuel tuned to an acceptable level, etc., etc., etc.
Then UGR rebuilt my car using what Larry Macedo had originally promised me - "at least the high 700's in power and possibly the low to mid 800's" and running smooth and running right on the street and track as the goal. Obviously they overachieved the power part, but with the Jeff Morys Striker heads it would be hard to lower the power of the Paxton to Macedo's promise. (The Roe supercharger can only flow enough air to get into the low 700's normally. Putting the David Weaver crank pulley and a 12 pound supercharger pulley together as Macedo did still won't flow enough air to make the high 700's in power, especially since Macedo did not seal the supercharger intake manifold properly and air leaked out the back. However, using both pulleys together will overspin the Roe supercharger and damage the bearings. I had to pay $850 to have the supercharger rebuilt because I won't sell what Macedo had returned to me July 1, 2006 in the condition he returned it to me. My Roe supercharger system is still for sale now with a lower price of $5,280 includes shiping and insurance.)
Underground Racing took only a few months to inspect, document, and repair everything (Macedo Motorsports took almost a year and a half - November 2005-February 2006 - and never came close to getting it to run right even with a second chance.)
Underground made sure I had the right parts installed in the engine and installed their own fuel system, which did not run inches away from the driveshaft, nor have twisted O-rings that leaked fuel from the gas tank, etc.
KC set up the tuning so the air/fuel ratio was safe and my car ran smoothly at all RPMs from idle to the 6,000 RPM red line. Right now I have my shift light set for 5,200 RPM.
It's your basic heads, cam, forged pistons, fuel system, and tuning (I already had the supercharger, hi flow cats, and cat back) system that should be easy to do by any competent tuner. Underground Racing is a whole lot more than competent - they had to find everything that was not done right and correct what they found wrong. Considering how much had been done wrong, it takes a lot of talent to catch everything mechanical, electrical, bad installation, and bad design that they found.
Plus Underground Racing's customer service during the build never had me feel like my car was being held hostage waiting for me to pay an unexpected $4,500 for things I was not told I would need at the start. I ended up feeling like all the people at Underground Racing are like family and some of my best friends.
Kenny, I'm glad you are having a great time in that beast, you deserve it! You still coming down? Stay safe and talk to you soon!
Looking very much to driving down soon and seeing all of you again!
I just moved 400 pounds of winter traction control (bags of cat litter) out of the bed of my truck - I hope the snow days are over up here. Spring is almost here! (Spring doesn't start until the snow stops.)
Last edited by SUN RA KAT : March 30th, 2008 at 08:58 AM.
Thank you Underground Racing
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