Well I'm psyched to finally be able to post to this forum for a reason -- I just picked up my first Viper, a bone-stock '05 roadster, after lusting after these cars for years.
(I was going to post a picture, but apparently I need to post 15 times first...)
I have a few newbie questions. I have searched the forum with some results, but could really use your opinions:
1) I'd like to have Sirius radio, so I'm considering getting an RB1 nav unit to replace the factory AM/FM/CD, and add on the satellite adapter. Does anyone have this combo? Does it work as expected? How bad is it to install (finding space for the satellite box)? I haven't dug into the dash yet, so I'm not sure how much room there will be. Are the ~$700 refurbished units on ebay reasonable?
2) I wouldn't mind having bluetooth / handsfree, and there's a "Uconnect" adapter for that. Anyone use this? Does it sync with an iPhone 4? Is the sound quality reasonable, at least with the top up? Or should I just use my Plantronix earpiece?
3) Any options for heated seats? I'm thinking it might be nice to extend the top-down driving season in early spring and late fall.
Sorry for all the newbie questions, but thanks in advance for any help.
Not to sound like a dick, but most of the questions asked in the first post would be better suited for the VCA forums.
As for basic mods. you could start with headers, hi-flow cats, exhaust, filters, tune, etc.
After that it starts getting a little pricey. My advice as to your first mod: NEW TIRES if you're running those p.o.s. run flats.
Okay, thanks. I didn't realize until now the role of this forum vs. VCA, so thanks for kindly informing me. I'll move those questions to the other forum.
400 to 500 should be the most you pay for a RB1. the price is dropping on ebay latley probably because of the chinese radio on the market now that fits into the factory bezel. gps/tuner/dvd/cd/blue tooth/rear camera/tv/sd card/ it has everything.
you can put serius OR blue tooth. they both occupy the same input in the back of the radio. cant have both. not hard to install.
heated seats? rofl, untill you put some aftermartket heat wrap on the exhaust and get rid of the cross over under the seats heat is not going to be a problem for you.
mods,
unless you want to spend 5 to 8k for exhaust or 10k for a supercharger you will get the most bang for the buck with gears in the rear end. 3.50 to 3.73 will turn your 12 second slug into a 10 second monster. the stock gears suck for the street unless you are on the audobaun. on the other hand you can cruise all day long at 1700 rpms doing 90 with the stock gears.
on a budget:
cat back exhaust by borla less than 1k
gears for the back less than 2k
PCM programmer less than 500 bucks
pcm programmer will also get rid of the annoying skip shift "feature". or you can buy a skip shift elimator for less than 40 bucks at the viper store.
money no option:
supercharger and a bellanger exhaust system. will cost you about 20k by the time you get it on the street.
400 to 500 should be the most you pay for a RB1. the price is dropping on ebay latley probably because of the chinese radio on the market now that fits into the factory bezel. gps/tuner/dvd/cd/blue tooth/rear camera/tv/sd card/ it has everything.
you can put serius OR blue tooth. they both occupy the same input in the back of the radio. cant have both. not hard to install.
heated seats? rofl, untill you put some aftermartket heat wrap on the exhaust and get rid of the cross over under the seats heat is not going to be a problem for you.
mods,
unless you want to spend 5 to 8k for exhaust or 10k for a supercharger you will get the most bang for the buck with gears in the rear end. 3.50 to 3.73 will turn your 12 second slug into a 10 second monster. the stock gears suck for the street unless you are on the audobaun. on the other hand you can cruise all day long at 1700 rpms doing 90 with the stock gears.
on a budget:
cat back exhaust by borla less than 1k
gears for the back less than 2k
PCM programmer less than 500 bucks
pcm programmer will also get rid of the annoying skip shift "feature". or you can buy a skip shift elimator for less than 40 bucks at the viper store.
money no option:
supercharger and a bellanger exhaust system. will cost you about 20k by the time you get it on the street.
Seater heaters? Sound system? You bought the wrong car. Remove mufflers and cats and make music.
X2
As for turbo's, it's better to search for one already done in the 55-80K range depending on the build and what else has been done to the car. I know Roe has TT kits starting around 12-15K I believe with an option to build your motor for 1200+ numbers.
Looking into gears for mine. 3.55's seem to be working well for you? Any regrets not going with 3.73's ?
this monster has a ton of torque. with 3.55s it will bust the tires loose in 1st through 4th if you twitch the wrong way. no traction controll. 3.73s or higher and you would need dry concrete and slicks to get it to actually move in a forward direction instead of sideways.
you want to race it 1/8th or quarter mile go with the lower gears. you want to actualy drive it on the street leave it alone or do not go any further than 3.55. the 3.25s they put in the stock generic corvetts would be perfect for the street.
you want to replace those 1100 dollar for the pair rear tires every OTHER year instead of every year, leave it alone. want to run it at a light accept you are not going to get the jump in first, wind it up to 3000 to 3500 rpms, slam it in second and floor it. very impressive. not much short of a Z06 or another super car is gona be able to hang with it.
personally i have driven significantly quicker cars off the line that were heavier and had less hp. the line is all in the gears. but this monster hits 130 and keeps going where those street light heros start hitting the end of the line.
leave it alone if you are not going to race it.
if you want to race you picked the WRONG car unless you are really wealthy and do not care how much you spend to get there. a vette will get you there for a whole lot less money in parts and repairs. the ONLY after market heads for this car are around 8k dressed out. the cam is close to 1k. you can get a set of merlin heads for a bb chevy and a cam for less than 3k. same hp, same torque, significantly less money.
for what it would cost you for a set of stryker heads, a bellenger exhaust system with a decent cam installed you could buy a 700hp chevy 502 crate motor and get BETTER results.
viper is about style. only the rich and famous and those lacking in common sense...or both...race them. and dodge of coarse.
if you want to race you picked the WRONG car unless you are really wealthy and do not care how much you spend to get there. a vette will get you there for a whole lot less money in parts and repairs. the ONLY after market heads for this car are around 8k dressed out. the cam is close to 1k. you can get a set of merlin heads for a bb chevy and a cam for less than 3k. same hp, same torque, significantly less money.
Really? When it comes to pure speed, last time I checked you could get a Gen2/3/4 Viper into the consistent 10's and even 9's for under 12K if done right. Or search around for a S/C or TT built car capable of low 9's and 8's still street drivable in the range of 45-80K.
Plus the obvious fact that a Viper (even the SRT) turns heads 10X as much as a Vette/F-body/Stang/GT.
Really? When it comes to pure speed, last time I checked you could get a Gen2/3/4 Viper into the consistent 10's and even 9's for under 12K if done right. Or search around for a S/C or TT built car capable of low 9's and 8's still street drivable in the range of 45-80K.
Plus the obvious fact that a Viper (even the SRT) turns heads 10X as much as a Vette/F-body/Stang/GT.
for 12k you can buy a gm 540cid/600hp crate motor and a set of 4.10 gears and get your moms stationwagon in the 10s and even nines.
there is not another american car other than the ford GT that is more expensive to buy/modify/race than a viper.
you can buy a 5 year old generic corvette, drop 8k in the engine(heads,cam,pistons,BLOWER) and SMOKE a viper with anything short of a 30k twin turbo set up. infact you could probably get the car and all the mods done for the 30k you spent on the twin turbos. suspension mods for a corvette are plentiful and cheap.
you want to run in a streight line? anything you can weld a v8 into with slicks, 4.10 gears a set of aftermarket heads, cam, and a 2k whipple supercharger will get you in the low 10s or better for under 10 to 15k. i used to drive them on the street all the time btw.
viper is about style. it is a legend on wheels. it looks awsome and it has enough balls to earn some respect from normal type people. but not from people who actually build race cars. you have to be willing to spend twice as much money to get the same results to drive a viper on the track.
chevy just droped a supercharger on their 6.0 in the corvette for the zr1 motor and wiped out all the performance gains dodge struggled to get to match chevy's Z06 with the vipers 600hp and tranny adjustments on the 2010.
viper is talking about 700hp for the 2013. what do you think will happen if chevy drops that ZR1 supercharger on their Z06 big block motor with no other changes?
only fools with alot of money and dodge race vipers. not saying you cant make them fast, they are, just saying you can get fast for a whole lot less money.
i did not buy mine because it was the fastest car on the street. i passed on a 06 4wd supercharged porsche that would have blown it off the street on the bottom and top end.
i bought mine because it is an awsome car to look at and drive. it looks better than a vette or anything porsche has ever made. its not faster, it just looks better and its fast enough.
get over yourselves people. the viper is an awsome car. but you can match or beat its performence for less money. if someone gave me a ZR1 i would sell it and buy a new viper. the ZR1 is a better built more tech advanced car than even the 2013 viper is going to be, but i would still sell it and buy a viper.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
