View Full Version : EX1s Viper GTS
When I bought my Z06 back in 2009, I wrote a multi-piece blog/thread on the Vette board. It was fun to share my experiences with the community of building a 1,200hp beast and I hope to do the same with my new Viper, although I have no plans to go as crazy as I did with my Z06. I have seen that @SneakySnake has his chronicles on here which I very much enjoyed reading. I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you......
I told myself that when I graduated college, I would buy my dream car as a reward for sticking through it. I had always wanted a Viper for as long as I can remember. In the past I had owned Roush and Shelby Mustangs as well as a 2009 Z06 that I drove off the showroom new. While I loved each of these cars in their own way, it was never a Viper. The uniqueness and exclusivity of the Viper just cannot be beat. Long story short, I did graduate college, I did start my career, and I did meet my fiance, but alas, no Viper. A series of layoffs and the birth of my son eventually made my Viper a lower priority. Fast forward six years and here I am finally! Somehow I just expected that the day I could afford a Viper, it would be easy for me to find. I was dead wrong. I wanted my dream car to be just that, MY dream car. I missed out on the 1-of-1 program so finding my perfect car was going to be a challenge. I was surprised at how a lot of these cars were optioned, but then again, everyone's taste is different. After shopping around for almost half a year, I stumbled across an ad on Autotrader.
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I had gotten used to scrolling through listings pretty quickly over the past months. Usually just seeing the same cars over and over. This one however, had an interior picture that had caught my eye. The photos on the ad were terrible quality, but it looked like the car was a GTS with the Laguna interior with that elusive carbon trim I had a hard time finding. The listing was for an SRT Coupe though? No mention of GTS anywhere and the car even had the SRT 6 vent hood. Was this a dealer error or did somebody sink a ton of money into a base model? The asking price led me to believe it was an SRT as well.
I grabbed the VIN off the site and went to see if I could find the window sticker. After a little searching I found it.
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It was in fact a GTS with the factory carbon aero, carbon interior, laguna,18 speakers, sidewinders, SRT hood, basically everything I wanted in my Gen V! The price the dealer was asking still had me scratching my head. Maybe all the listings I was used to seeing were just too high? I had not seen a car optioned as well as this one, for the amount they were asking. Was the car wrecked once? Was it a buy back from FCA? Everything checked out so I made the call to the dealership. The car was still available, but it was over 5 1/2 hours from where I lived. Although I was unable to physically see the car, I wanted to get more information about it which proved to be very difficult. Nobody at this dealer knew anything about the car or Vipers in general. I was positive the car wasn't going to last given the options and price, so I went to the bank to grab a cashier's check. That way I could go and see the car without being locked into a deal. If everything checked out, I could hand the check over. If I didn't like what I saw, I could return the check to the bank. Easy right? Little did I know, this would turn into one of the most stressful 48 hours of my life.
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I visited my bank the following day. It was Thursday and the local branch did not close until 7pm. I arrived just before 5:30 to start the process. Every hour the sales man was texting and/or calling me trying to force a commitment out of me (shocker). It was like pulling teeth to try and get the deal sheet we had worked out sent to the bank for processing. Come to find out, banks want actual electronic copies of deal sheets, not a cell phone picture that the sales manager sends to the banker (facepalm).
Everything then started going smoothly. We had a deal on the table and I was looking forward to my road trip. I was assured by my banker, Erin, that the funds would be at my disposal by tomorrow morning (Friday). I informed the dealer that I would be there later that day to check out the car. At 8:30 that evening I received a call from the sales man. Another party was interested in the car which caused me to panic a little. Was someone else actually there, or was the dealer about to try and squeeze another couple grand out of the deal? I quickly asked about placing a refundable deposit on the car to hold it until I could arrive tomorrow afternoon. The sales manager declined and told me that they do not accept deposits on vehicles. I was shocked to say the least. They went on to tell me about the amount of fraud they had had to deal with recently and as a result, they wouldn't accept deposits to hold cars. Aggravated, I asked them what I was supposed to do. They wanted proof of my intention to buy the car in the form of a check made out to them. When I informed them that I would be unable to do so until the bank reopened, they pretty much told me "oh well". At this point, had it been any of car purchase, I would of gladly taken my business elsewhere. This car though was optioned exactly how I wanted and for the price, I could take a little flak from the sales manager. I went to bed with the intention of being at the bank's front door first thing in the morning.
Now it is Friday morning and I contact my sales rep at the dealer. I am told that the Viper is still available, phew! I calm down a little, stop speeding, and make it to the bank. I met with my personal banker again and by the look on her face I know she has bad news. I sit down and I am told that Wells Fargo is having a nationwide system outage. I honestly thought she was playing a terrible joke at first until I glanced over at the teller lines and noticed that every pod was empty. How in the world did I pick the day to buy my dream car on the day Wells Fargo would have a national blackout? :mad: After spending hours on the phone with different departments, I was told that I would be unable to have a check issued to me until they were back up and running. I called my sales rep in an attempt to explain why I would be late to see the car today. I could tell by his tone that he didn't believe a word that I said. I was expecting to have my check in 2 hours according to what the bank had told me. Fast forward to 7pm that same day, I still had no check and the bank was closing for the weekend.
I was fuming. I begged the sales manager to let me put a deposit down to hold the car. Again, I was told no. The only way he would agree to hold the car was if I had a check issued to the dealer with picture proof, which of course was not currently possible. I was reminded that another party was negotiating a deal, but nothing had been finalized. Salt was also poured into the wound knowing that I would be in that area this coming weekend for a close friend's birthday shindig. My banker made one more call to their tech supportand they planned to have the issue resolved by tomorrow morning (Saturday). It was at this point that the first light appeared at the end of the tunnel. My banker told me that she used to work at a different branch that was open on Saturday mornings. It was a branch were she had worked for 8 years and could ask the manager to let her come in on her day off to finalize my paper work. I was blown away by her kindness and couldn't thank her enough. The rest of the night was very stressful for me so I tried not to think about it much... which was impossible.
Morning finally arrived and I get the go ahead to come into the bank. I am told I should be good to go in about 20 minutes. It is then I get another call from the dealer, they are ready to move on the car if I don't commit right then. I explain the current situation and at this point, I am willing to eat a $500 NON-refundable deposit if they just hold-on for a few hours. I tell the sales manager I will wire the funds to them since I could get that done instantly. After a brief silence, he refuses. He will only accept a picture of a check, I put the phone down and check with my banker to see what the progress is. Although everything seemed operational in the bank, the huge backlog of work caused their check processing system to crash multiple times. By noon that day I had drank almost an entire pot of coffee which only made my nerves worse. Finally at 12:30, I had my check in hand and sent a picture of the check to the sales manager. Relieved I started my drive home to pick up my enclosed trailer and to pack a bag for the weekend. I didn't even make it halfway home before my sales rep calls informing me that the sales manager only intends to hold the car until 2pm, giving me two hours to hook up my trailer and make what normally is a 5 1/2 drive down to them. I vividly remember bouncing my forehead off the top of my truck's steering wheel in disbelief. Not being able to convince them to hold the car any longer, I hung up and started the agonizing drive down there hoping the car would still be there when I arrived. I chose to drive my Focus RS down there with the intent of also taking the tax incentive on trading it in. If I was to buy the Viper, I would have to get rid of one of my toys. This however, meant I would have to drive the Viper all the way back home. Here is a quick VLOG of pickup day.
https://youtu.be/Zxkv6QQvDRY
Two friends of mine were at the dealer, both as meticulous about cars as I am. We looked over every inch of the car. To my surprise, the previous owner had already had the front bumper, hood, mirrors, side sills, and roof wrapped in XPEL. Going off my past experiences, this was easily a 4-5k wrap job. The cuts and contours were smooth, I didn't even notice the wrap on most of the panels until i touched the car and felt the wrap. To make things even better, a hard wired power cable had been installed just slightly above the dash that fit my Passport Radar perfectly. Talk about some welcome, unforeseen upgrades! Before I signed the papers, I also confirmed with the dealer that the car had the R28 and R29 recalls completed and that the car had the 10/yr 100k mile powertrain warranty. The car is covered until June of 2025!
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From the dealer I drove straight to my friend's house which was only about 25 minutes away. The Viper would be stored in his garage for the night next to his ZR1 that is currently in the process of a heads/cam swap. At this point the reality of what I had done hit me. I was overwhelmed that the day had finally come. The car was tucked in and I enjoyed a night of great food and drinks with friends.
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We happened to find a bar that encouraged intoxicated guests to partake in American Gladiator style activities. No that isn't me on the stump, I let the birthday boy and another friend beat each other up for my entertainment. Later that night once everyone had passed out from the party, I snuck into the garage to stare at her for a while. I was anxious for my drive home tomorrow. The idea of having to drive it back on the highway not protected inside my enclosed trailer was starting to eat away at me. I am very grateful for the XPEL wrap.
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The drive home was very stressful and it was during this time that I got my first taste of Viper ownership. People all down the highway were holding their phones out of the window to snap pictures and videos of the car. At first it made me chuckle, but soon became a small annoyance when cars that were pacing in the lane next to me wouldn't let me change lanes or take exits when I needed to. First world problems right?
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Now that the car is home, I plan on taking it in for a full ceramic coating, UV tint on the windshield, and possibly paint correction. A new custom plate should be here in the next day or two as well.
bassplayrr
08-28-2018, 03:58 PM
Congrats on the new addition!
esm_viper
08-28-2018, 04:09 PM
That was an awesome story! I still stare at mine in the garage everyday, wish I could drive it more. Do you have plans or tracking it? That's been the best part of owning a Viper for me.
Bryan Savage
08-28-2018, 04:19 PM
Congratulations on the car and you're a trooper for going through all that.
I'm the most accommodating person in the cosmos, but I would have told that dealership to go F itself after being strung around for the first 30 minutes. There's a good reason everybody universally loathes buying cars from any place but the most reputable stores. I hope you got a good deal on it and I hope that dealer took a huge bath on it.
Dr.Ron
08-28-2018, 04:54 PM
Nice ride! The dealer may have just been pressuring you to buy it with the "other buyer" story too.
Glad it worked out, but all the bumps you encountered sounded like something out of a movie!
Ron
1ststrike
08-28-2018, 05:20 PM
Nice story. Have fun with your new ride!
All the right options.. thanks for sharing!
mikesax
08-28-2018, 05:39 PM
Congrats-optioned beautifully! Enjoy !
swexlin
08-28-2018, 06:00 PM
Great story, and awesome car. That dealer sounds like a prick. Period.
As an aside, I "think" the 2-piece StopTechs were standard on GTS starting in 2014 (I could be wrong). I know they were an option in 2013.
outnumbered
08-28-2018, 06:08 PM
Congrats! Nice find.
ssjcreeper
08-28-2018, 06:12 PM
Congrats! It's been nearly ten years since I bought my first Viper and it's still my dream car... that feeling never goes away.
SRT_BluByU
08-28-2018, 07:25 PM
what dealership did ya get it at? from the video it looks like meador dodge in tx?
so glad you got your dream car.. it sounds and looks wonderful!
Fourtrax250r
08-28-2018, 08:28 PM
Beautiful and congrats!!!
Teneck83
08-28-2018, 08:34 PM
Awesome story. Black on these vipers looks mean
serpent
08-28-2018, 08:50 PM
Op, I swear I’ve seen your username before was it on corvetteforum or svtp or....?
98intrigue
08-28-2018, 10:13 PM
Congrats on the purchase! That spec is rare and perfect IMO. Looking forward to reading another build thread around here.
imzoomintoo
08-28-2018, 10:21 PM
I would have to agree with Teneck83 the black on these cars looks great but a PITA to keep clean. Have fun with your new toy I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
dirtyboot
08-29-2018, 09:08 AM
Great story, and awesome car. That dealer sounds like a prick. Period.
As an aside, I "think" the 2-piece StopTechs were standard on GTS starting in 2014 (I could be wrong). I know they were an option in 2013.
+1, I haven't seen a GTS that was built without them, and they aren't an added cost in the stickers I've seen.
cubeman
08-29-2018, 09:28 AM
Sweet looking Viper, Leave wells fargo. Horrible bank, The technical issues just make me laugh.
Thank you all! It looks and feels like there is a great community around here.
That was an awesome story! I still stare at mine in the garage everyday, wish I could drive it more. Do you have plans or tracking it? That's been the best part of owning a Viper for me.
Thank you and yes I do plan on tracking it. Funny thing is, the only car I have ever tracked was the RS. The Z06 was strictly a 1/2 mile and runway car. I'm sure I have my work cut out for me on my first day. No tracks anywhere near me so I will only be able to participate when I can afford to take a trip.
Congratulations on the car and you're a trooper for going through all that.
I'm the most accommodating person in the cosmos, but I would have told that dealership to go F itself after being strung around for the first 30 minutes. There's a good reason everybody universally loathes buying cars from any place but the most reputable stores. I hope you got a good deal on it and I hope that dealer took a huge bath on it.
I hear you on that! I have never put up with so much s*** from a dealer before. I was held hostage by my love for the car and most importantly the price. In my eyes the deal was unbeatable. The car sold for what I see most base no option SRTs sell for.
Nice ride! The dealer may have just been pressuring you to buy it with the "other buyer" story too.
Glad it worked out, but all the bumps you encountered sounded like something out of a movie!
Ron
Thank you. I had a feeling that was the case. They met every used car salesman stereotype out there.
what dealership did ya get it at? from the video it looks like meador dodge in tx?
so glad you got your dream car.. it sounds and looks wonderful!
I appreciate that! Correct, it was from Meador. By the looks of their inventory when I was there, if you aren't interested in a Wrangler with 15k worth of dealer addons, don't bother going.
Op, I swear I’ve seen your username before was it on corvetteforum or svtp or....?
Both actually!
Sweet looking Viper, Leave wells fargo. Horrible bank, The technical issues just make me laugh.
This has been my only issue with them so far. I'm not sure why, but I have always gotten my best rates with them. Everything from my cars to my home is with them.
+1, I haven't seen a GTS that was built without them, and they aren't an added cost in the stickers I've seen.
Great story, and awesome car. That dealer sounds like a prick. Period.
As an aside, I "think" the 2-piece StopTechs were standard on GTS starting in 2014 (I could be wrong). I know they were an option in 2013.
Thank you both for clarifying that for me. I thought they were an option in 13' and part of 14'. Still learning!
GTS21
08-29-2018, 10:06 AM
Great post, and great story! Enjoy the car, it's a beauty.
Murpowa
08-29-2018, 10:15 AM
Congrats. Nice find
dirtyboot
08-29-2018, 10:17 AM
Thank you both for clarifying that for me. I thought they were an option in 13' and part of 14'. Still learning!
We all are, the genV build went through the FCA jigsaw and every owner seems to have gotten a different piece of the puzzle. Sharing our experiences here as a knowledge base here is the only reason some of these intricacies are known. Makes sense to me that the '13 would've had it as part of the track pack option. I never looked into builds before '14 so I can't speak to that end of it.
Welcome and Congrats on the dream! You didn't happen to be looking at the black gts' in VE beginning of July did you?
Thanks guys!
We all are, the genV build went through the FCA jigsaw and every owner seems to have gotten a different piece of the puzzle. Sharing our experiences here as a knowledge base here is the only reason some of these intricacies are known. Makes sense to me that the '13 would've had it as part of the track pack option. I never looked into builds before '14 so I can't speak to that end of it.
Welcome and Congrats on the dream! You didn't happen to be looking at the black gts' in VE beginning of July did you?
IIRC, they had two black GTSs around the time I was ready to buy. I studied their listings for a long time, but never ended up contacting them. I was hoping to buy my Viper there because I plan on one of their H/C kits eventually. The deal on this car was way below what they wanted for the GTSs they had and this car had more options.
ViperGeorge
08-29-2018, 10:35 AM
Dealer was clearly a tool. Why do dealers behave this way? Do they really expect that this behavior will generate life long customers? Nicely optioned car by the way. As others have said, black looks great on a Viper when it is all shiny but it is a pain to keep clean and dust free. Good luck with the car. Where are you by the way? There are tracks in a lot of places and taking a several hour drive to get to one is definitely worth it if you get to drive a Viper on track.
Dealer was clearly a tool. Why do dealers behave this way? Do they really expect that this behavior will generate life long customers? Nicely optioned car by the way. As others have said, black looks great on a Viper when it is all shiny but it is a pain to keep clean and dust free. Good luck with the car. Where are you by the way? There are tracks in a lot of places and taking a several hour drive to get to one is definitely worth it if you get to drive a Viper on track.
I guess they know they can get away with it due to their volume? A lot of dealers have pretty fast employee turnover as well so that probably has a lot to do with it.
Thanks. Black was not on the top of my list, especially after having owned three black cars. I have high hopes that the soon to be applied ceramic coating will make this color easier to maintain. We'll see I guess.
I am in Lubbock, TX so I normally have to drive down to central Texas to do anything relating to autosports.
dirtyboot
08-29-2018, 10:50 AM
I don't think you can go wrong with that, especially with the car you've got! There's been a little bit of speculation on here in the past as to whether the last 4 vents help with cooling on a stock setup, but I know you'll be happy you have them if you throw headers on.
I don't think you can go wrong with that, especially with the car you've got! There's been a little bit of speculation on here in the past as to whether the last 4 vents help with cooling on a stock setup, but I know you'll be happy you have them if you throw headers on.
I know ARH longtubes are in my future, but I need to make sure everything is shielded and wrapped up it looks like. Fuse box, vent tube, spark plug wires and boots, etc. I would like to go ahead and buy a exhaust with hi-flow cats to reduce side sill heat, but I can't seem to get a definitive answer on whether or not I will get a CEL. I've seen some people say they haven't had issues while others have gotten a CEL pretty quick.
ViperGeorge
08-29-2018, 11:03 AM
I know ARH longtubes are in my future, but I need to make sure everything is shielded and wrapped up it looks like. Fuse box, vent tube, spark plug wires and boots, etc. I would like to go ahead and buy a exhaust with hi-flow cats to reduce side sill heat, but I can't seem to get a definitive answer on whether or not I will get a CEL. I've seen some people say they haven't had issues while others have gotten a CEL pretty quick.
I had Bellangers with high flow cats on my 15 TA 2.0. No CEL but melting stuff was an issue. EVERYTHING near the headers needs to be shielded including coolant lines and radiator plastic tank. Also the plastic vent line that runs from the driver's side firewall under the fuse box. It melts even on stock cars. If it melts closed you can't put gas in the car. Don't forget the ABS lines that run along frame rail on driver's side. This is why I have not put headers on my ARC-E and why I haven't done a 9.0L upgrade since it requires headers.
dirtyboot
08-29-2018, 11:17 AM
Maybe Andy or Scot will chime in here. My understanding is they do the insulating necessary for these problems as part of the h&c/9l(X) build process.
SSGNRDZ_28
08-29-2018, 11:27 AM
Sorry for the undue stress caused by thr dealer but glad you found the car you wanted and it worked out in the end. welcome!
ViperGeorge
08-29-2018, 01:06 PM
Maybe Andy or Scot will chime in here. My understanding is they do the insulating necessary for these problems as part of the h&c/9l(X) build process.
I know Andy does insulate things but I'm still skeptical given how bloody hot the headers get. I insulated everything on my TA and under the hood looked like a science experiment.
jns681186
08-29-2018, 01:14 PM
EX1, I am in Lubbock as well..... Have gen 5 too.
Arizona Vipers
08-29-2018, 01:20 PM
Great post you are passionate about your cars that's great! You will be an asset here, congrats on the car!
Thanks guys!
EX1, I am in Lubbock as well..... Have gen 5 too.
I think I have seen you a couple times. I love the red Gen Vs with the body color rear applique. Beautiful car.
Vegaskid
08-29-2018, 02:44 PM
Congratulations on the snake. Looks really nice.
Get it coated ASAP to help with keeping it vlean
Vipes
08-29-2018, 05:20 PM
Beautiful car, congrats! Enjoy it and that 18 speaker stereo most of us don't have.
Crotalidae
08-29-2018, 09:14 PM
Welcome to the snake pit...great find!!!
Congratulations on the snake. Looks really nice.
Get it coated ASAP to help with keeping it vlean
I plan on having it down as fast I can. Looks like I will need some pretty heavy paint correction beforehand.
Beautiful car, congrats! Enjoy it and that 18 speaker stereo most of us don't have.
One of the best options for the Gen V, without it, the car easily overpowers your music. The 4 sub-woofers are also very punchy, I love them.
Welcome to the snake pit...great find!!!
Thanks!
Since I brought the car home, it has sat in the garage pretty much the whole time. I just haven't had a lot of free time as of late. I got around to washing it the first time and I have to say, I am not very pleased. While I was washing the car, I could of swore I saw the car doors changing color. I dried the car and pulled it in under some shop lights. The clear coat on the doors is in such bad shape that they look like a different shade of black compared to the rest of the car. Every part of the car that was not wrapped in XPEL needs some serious love. Either the previous owner ran it through the auto car wash every week, or washed it with beach towels. How do people do this?! The good news is that it is fixable, it will just take a lot of time. The paint under the bra looks flawless, so I won't need tackle the entire car. I have an appointment set for Sept 17 for full paint correction, application of Ceramic Pro 9h, interior reconditioning, and to have a UV tint film applied to the windshield to keep the interior protected. I'm excited to see how she turns out!
He are some pictures of the neglect :(. First picture is of the driver's side door and the second is of the top of the rear trunk lid. You can see how faded the paint on the door is compared to the trunk.
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Congrats! It's been nearly ten years since I bought my first Viper and it's still my dream car... that feeling never goes away.
It's been almost 18 years since I bought my first Viper. The feeling only gets better! As for the people taking pictures, gawking and giving thumbs up it NEVER gets old for me! The best by far is when children want to check it out, I let them sit in the drivers seat and have the parents take pictures. I was one of those kids when I was younger and I feel very lucky to be able to own such an awesome car!!
ViperGeorge
08-31-2018, 03:34 PM
It's been almost 18 years since I bought my first Viper. The feeling only gets better! As for the people taking pictures, gawking and giving thumbs up NEVER gets old for me! The best by far is when children want to check it out, I let them sit in and have the parents take pictures. I was one of those kids when I was younger and I feel very lucky to be able to own such an awesome car!!
Ditto.
I agree! I was just stressed in heavy traffic.
Now that it is home I enjoy the random run ins with people at the gas pump and in parking lots.
Matt Dillon
08-31-2018, 10:45 PM
I agree! I was just stressed in heavy traffic.
Now that it is home I enjoy the random run ins with people at the gas pump and in parking lots.
Congrats & Welcome on a Great looking car! But, be careful on what mods you do to the car, from what I've heard hear lately the Warranties are Very Strick on what you can or can not do to the car! IF they're anything like my Homeowners insurance, they will Nit Pick about Anything you do to it to Void your contract! jmo
Congrats & Welcome on a Great looking car! But, be careful on what mods you do to the car, from what I've heard hear lately the Warranties are Very Strick on what you can or can not do to the car! IF they're anything like my Homeowners insurance, they will Nit Pick about Anything you do to it to Void your contract! jmo
Most simple bolt on mods should keep your warranty intact. it seems the general consensus is any type of tune will void your warranty.
Most simple bolt on mods should keep your warranty intact. it seems the general consensus is any type of tune will void your warranty.
I would like to get the Belanger hi-flow cat exhaust to get the side sill heat down and to get a little more noise out of the exhaust. Having a CEL is a deal breaker for me though. Seems like some people have had issues while others have not.
Took the car out to a local Coffee & Cars meet here. Was happy to see a local ACR out. The same guy owns both of these Vipers and tracks them very regularly. He competes in the Optima Street car events and has done quite well as of late. No pictures of my car though. I am too embarrassed of the clear coat. The sun really brought out the swirl marks and trash. Thirteen days until the paint correction appointment.
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Congrats on your find, it is a beautiful car! I'm just beginning the "research - building up funds - actually going to fulfill a dream phase" and was also bummed to see the 1 of 1 program go so soon (for now?).
Your car is specced exactly how I want and is one of my 3 color choices, I'm totally jealous! I'm hitting the Dallas cars and coffee next month, hoping to see some 5th gens and ACRs there!
Woke up bright and early for my paint correction appointment. I knew that the clear coat on my Viper was absolutely trashed due to the negligence of the previous owner, but I had no idea just how bad it was....
Backed into the shop and ready for cosmetic surgery.
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Decontamination spray to remove iron deposits and other metals hiding on the surface of the car.
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Foam bath and used every size brush imaginable to get into every vent and crease of the car.
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This will be the first time I have seen the car 100% clean. I was very nervous to see the car under the shop lights. The shop owner hired a video crew to make a compilation video of the paint correction and ceramic coating process for my car. Hopefully I can share it with you all soon.
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Official Diagnosis: *face palm*
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I wasn't sure the paint could be saved after seeing this. How can someone completely trash a car's clear coat like this? Both doors looked the same but luckily the hatch, rear bumper, and rear quarter panels were not as bad as these. You can see the difference between the paint from the lower sills which are clear bra wrapped, and the unwrapped door panels.
Here is a shot of the clear on top of the rear hatch and on the rear bumper, not as bad, but that isn't saying much.
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The clear bra itself was going to need some restoration. Lots of water etchings and scuffs.
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Prep for a long day of paint correction and restoration.
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What followed next was testing out different combinations of compounds and pads. With how damaged the doors were, we started at a 1200 grit with a wool pad *cringe*.
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Slowly worked up to a 3200 grit before moving to a micropolishing compound. Half a dozen pads later we started to see a little progress.
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SUCCESS!
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This section of the door came back to life! Still needs a bit of micropolishing, but I was relieved to say the least. The doors needed a five and sometimes six step correction to bring the gloss back. After trying different cuts on the hatch, we found the perfect combo, allowing most of the rear to be done in one or two stages.
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Once we had a clear path set for the paint, we started on making the clear bra.......clear. The entire hood, front bumper, side mirrors, and top half of the roof are wrapped, so the majority of the car just needs a micropolish.
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I should have another update later this week. Right now we are shooting to have the paint correction done by tomorrow and to have the ceramic coating applied in the next two days.
Dr.Ron
09-18-2018, 03:38 PM
Oh my God, the paint looked horrible!
Obviously, the previous owner had no clue and maybe used bathroom towels to dry the car, I F he/she even ever washed it.
It will look great when she is done!
I recently had this done to my car and the detailer said it was one of the best black cars he has worked on...and it STILL looked MUCH better afterwards.
Ron
Whiskey
09-18-2018, 03:45 PM
Much Gooder!!!
Wow, what improvement. Even with incorrect washing methods I wonder how the doors got that bad. Unbelievable!
ViperSRT
09-18-2018, 07:18 PM
Wow, the original paint quality was awful. But, based on what I have seen with people cleaning their cars during long events using California dusters, towels, etc when the cars are covered in abrasive dirt it doesn’t surprise me.
Snakebit10
09-19-2018, 06:50 AM
Crazy how some people take care of higher end vehicles. Glad things are looking great after the correction.
The yellow tape looks good against the black paint......
Oh my God, the paint looked horrible!
Obviously, the previous owner had no clue and maybe used bathroom towels to dry the car, I F he/she even ever washed it.
It will look great when she is done!
I recently had this done to my car and the detailer said it was one of the best black cars he has worked on...and it STILL looked MUCH better afterwards.
Ron
I was thinking sand covered beach towels....
I am excited to see how it looks when we are done!
Much Gooder!!!
Very gooder!
Wow, what improvement. Even with incorrect washing methods I wonder how the doors got that bad. Unbelievable!
Just judging by the patterns in the clear, and given how the doors were the worst part, I am pretty sure that the car used to be ran through a tunnel wash every week.
Wow, the original paint quality was awful. But, based on what I have seen with people cleaning their cars during long events using California dusters, towels, etc when the cars are covered in abrasive dirt it doesn’t surprise me.
I made that mistake on my last black car with a duster. If only it was that easy to remove that dust layer off a black car. Hopefully I am impressed with the ceramic coating's ability to repel that stuff.
Crazy how some people take care of higher end vehicles. Glad things are looking great after the correction.
The yellow tape looks good against the black paint......
The clear bra wrap has been resurrected after some polishing! We were joking about how the car looked like a Trans-am with the accents around the hood vents haha.
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Dr.Ron
09-19-2018, 02:26 PM
Looking good!
What did they use to polish the paint protection film?
I would like to get the Belanger hi-flow cat exhaust to get the side sill heat down and to get a little more noise out of the exhaust. Having a CEL is a deal breaker for me though. Seems like some people have had issues while others have not.
Even me with my last Gen V I had a CEL but put $15 spacers on the O2's and it went away but now with my new Gen V with Belanger high flows and stock muffler I have a CEL that I can't get rid of! I've tried a bunch of things and I have talked to Lou several times in which he denies that it is due to his Cats, he said it must be my 2500 mile car. I took it to our great Viper tech here in AZ for some maintenance and asked him, he said it isn't a problem with the car. It is due to the Cats, luckily with Classic Car Ins here in Az I don't need to have emissions testing but it is annoying as hell! I was told by another long time Viper owner that Gen V's are just very sensitive, some have CEL's while some don't. It's just frustrating because I was told by Lou there would be NO CEL's with his Cats, which is just wrong! I've been told by several members Lou can get angry and will always deny it's his product causing the CEL. Don't get me wrong I love the reduced heat and the sound with the stock muffler is perfect IMO for the street.
Looking good!
What did they use to polish the paint protection film?
I agree looks so much better! And I'm curious about Dr. Ron's question too.
pony23
09-19-2018, 09:06 PM
Looks soooooo much better. Black is such a hard color to keep looking great. But when it’s clean, it looks mean!!!!
Voice of Reason
09-19-2018, 09:28 PM
Even me with my last Gen V I had a CEL but put $15 spacers on the O2's and it went away but now with my new Gen V with Belanger high flows and stock muffler I have a CEL that I can't get rid of! I've tried a bunch of things and I have talked to Lou several times in which he denies that it is due to his Cats, he said it must be my 2500 mile car. I took it to our great Viper tech here in AZ for some maintenance and asked him, he said it isn't a problem with the car. It is due to the Cats, luckily with Classic Car Ins here in Az I don't need to have emissions testing but it is annoying as hell! I was told by another long time Viper owner that Gen V's are just very sensitive, some have CEL's while some don't. It's just frustrating because I was told by Lou there would be NO CEL's with his Cats, which is just wrong! I've been told by several members Lou can get angry and will always deny it's his product causing the CEL. Don't get me wrong I love the reduced heat and the sound with the stock muffler is perfect IMO for the street.
Or it could be Lou has a bin full of cats from different makers, some that will cause a CEL because they’re true high flows and others that won’t because they’re like factory clean cats. And maybe he gets confused which ones are being sold to which owners.
If you don’t have emissions to worry about get the Arrow pcm and call it a day and be thankful you got the good cats.
Or it could be Lou has a bin full of cats from different makers, some that will cause a CEL because they’re true high flows and others that won’t because they’re like factory clean cats. And maybe he gets confused which ones are being sold to which owners.
If you don’t have emissions to worry about get the Arrow pcm and call it a day and be thankful you got the good cats.
I had the exact same porcelain cats for both cars. I've also though seen ones pictured that are made by Magnaflow and they have a heat shield on them maybe those don't throw codes. But why argue with me if he knows exactly what he sold me because I picked it up from his house here in AZ both times?
I am happy but I won't get the PCM while I have the factory and extended warranty. I'm just making sure a possible customer knows what he is might be getting into.
Snakebit10
09-20-2018, 06:51 AM
I was thinking sand covered beach towels....
I am excited to see how it looks when we are done!
Very gooder!
Just judging by the patterns in the clear, and given how the doors were the worst part, I am pretty sure that the car used to be ran through a tunnel wash every week.
I made that mistake on my last black car with a duster. If only it was that easy to remove that dust layer off a black car. Hopefully I am impressed with the ceramic coating's ability to repel that stuff.
The clear bra wrap has been resurrected after some polishing! We were joking about how the car looked like a Trans-am with the accents around the hood vents haha.
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LOL. The screaming chicken lives.
Looking good!
What did they use to polish the paint protection film?
I agree looks so much better! And I'm curious about Dr. Ron's question too.
I don't remember off the top of my head, but I can find out.
Even me with my last Gen V I had a CEL but put $15 spacers on the O2's and it went away but now with my new Gen V with Belanger high flows and stock muffler I have a CEL that I can't get rid of! I've tried a bunch of things and I have talked to Lou several times in which he denies that it is due to his Cats, he said it must be my 2500 mile car. I took it to our great Viper tech here in AZ for some maintenance and asked him, he said it isn't a problem with the car. It is due to the Cats, luckily with Classic Car Ins here in Az I don't need to have emissions testing but it is annoying as hell! I was told by another long time Viper owner that Gen V's are just very sensitive, some have CEL's while some don't. It's just frustrating because I was told by Lou there would be NO CEL's with his Cats, which is just wrong! I've been told by several members Lou can get angry and will always deny it's his product causing the CEL. Don't get me wrong I love the reduced heat and the sound with the stock muffler is perfect IMO for the street.
The CEL would bug the hell out of me. I'll probably still order a set and cross my fingers. I mainly want more exhaust rumble to drown out the sewing machine sound of the injectors and valve train under light throttle. Have you only had the stock mufflers with that setup, or did you try out the Belanger mufflers as well?
LOL. The screaming chicken lives.
haha
Voice of Reason
09-20-2018, 10:59 AM
The CEL would bug the hell out of me. I'll probably still order a set and cross my fingers. I mainly want more exhaust rumble to drown out the sewing machine sound of the injectors and valve train under light throttle. Have you only had the stock mufflers with that setup, or did you try out the Belanger mufflers as well?
Change your oil to Mobil 1 15w50 and the sewing machine will be greatly reduced. I switched from 0w40 when I was doing more racing a couple years ago and haven't gone back, street driving is much quieter and there's no ill effects.
And I never thought about the screaming chicken look but totally see it now, maybe that's why I like the 6 vent hood so much!
Change your oil to Mobil 1 15w50 and the sewing machine will be greatly reduced. I switched from 0w40 when I was doing more racing a couple years ago and haven't gone back, street driving is much quieter and there's no ill effects.
And I never thought about the screaming chicken look but totally see it now, maybe that's why I like the 6 vent hood so much!
The dealer did a fresh change for me when I bought the car in June, so I was going to run this 0w40 for now. I already have cases of thicker 5W50 AMSOIL in my garage waiting for the first oil change.
I don't remember off the top of my head, but I can find out.
The CEL would bug the hell out of me. I'll probably still order a set and cross my fingers. I mainly want more exhaust rumble to drown out the sewing machine sound of the injectors and valve train under light throttle. Have you only had the stock mufflers with that setup, or did you try out the Belanger mufflers as well?
haha
No this new Gen V or new to me had the belanger catback on it. I didn't really like the sound, the tone is just weird to me, I guess maybe just because my last Gen V I did cats and stock mufflers and it was awesome! So I sold them to a friend, we switched them at his house and compared the two. We both agreed high flow cats and stock mufflers sounds great for the street!
Big Turkey
09-25-2018, 12:23 AM
EX1, what other cars have you owned? Your SN does seem familiar.
I am getting ARH headers installed no cats right now. CEL would only be car efficiency it would not affect performance. Although I tuning with HPT but it’ll be a later date. Maybe when I spray it.
Beautiful car. Seeing yours I need to get that TA spoiler.. not sold on front splitter yet though.
I had a C7Z/V3 CTSV every option available and I didn’t use 85% of those options. Biggest decision for me was the dual mode suspension. But.. thinking back I always drove in sport mode in both cars and never utilized track modes. It was only cool to show off to people. My CF interior was only cool to me the first few days and my alcantara wheel got dirty and the feel become abrasive in spots. I tried a few cleaners I could never get it soft again. I’ve modded the crap out of all my cars.. I prefer to pick and choose the options.. although Viper is just expensive and limited selection lol.
No this new Gen V or new to me had the belanger catback on it. I didn't really like the sound, the tone is just weird to me, I guess maybe just because my last Gen V I did cats and stock mufflers and it was awesome! So I sold them to a friend, we switched them at his house and compared the two. We both agreed high flow cats and stock mufflers sounds great for the street!
Thanks for the info. High flow cats and stock mufflers are likely in my future.
EX1, what other cars have you owned? Your SN does seem familiar.
I am getting ARH headers installed no cats right now. CEL would only be car efficiency it would not affect performance. Although I tuning with HPT but it’ll be a later date. Maybe when I spray it.
Beautiful car. Seeing yours I need to get that TA spoiler.. not sold on front splitter yet though.
I had a C7Z/V3 CTSV every option available and I didn’t use 85% of those options. Biggest decision for me was the dual mode suspension. But.. thinking back I always drove in sport mode in both cars and never utilized track modes. It was only cool to show off to people. My CF interior was only cool to me the first few days and my alcantara wheel got dirty and the feel become abrasive in spots. I tried a few cleaners I could never get it soft again. I’ve modded the crap out of all my cars.. I prefer to pick and choose the options.. although Viper is just expensive and limited selection lol.
I am on SVT peformance and Corvette Forum. Had a GT500, S197 Roush, and my Z06. I think we have talked on the Vette board before?
Had the side badges done in a satin black. Those chrome ones were way too loud for me and broke up the flow of the hood and side sill.
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Been having a lot of rain around here, so haven't been taking the Viper out. The car needs a couple weeks for the ceramic coating to cure without getting wet or contaminated. The coating process was a bit of a pain. We had originally planned to do the entire car in Ceramic Pro with one layer of their 9H followed by one layer of their Light coating. I am not sure if it was because of how soft the clear coat was on the Viper, but we had some leveling issues and haziness with the Ceramic Pro 9H on my car. The shop does plenty of cars with Ceramic Pro products so the crew was a bit perplexed. Contacted Ceramic Pro and they wanted us to try a different bottle (maybe a bad batch), but the shop owner was recently accredited by another company, Gtechniq, so we opted to try their products. After removing the Ceramic Pro 9H from the car, one coat of Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light was applied and then topped with a layer of their EXO. The coatings were then finished with a layer of their C2V3 sealant. We did leave the Ceramic Pro Wheel & Tire on the Sidewinders and those came out really well. When the weather clears up and my schedule allows, I will attempt a photoshoot and review of this coating.
I snapped another picture of the side emblems and of the hood to show how glossy and deep the paint is now. Tried tinting the side markers, and although I do think it looks better than stock, I think I am just going to pull them and have them painted body color.
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Dr.Ron
10-01-2018, 10:52 AM
Any update on the product they used to polish the PPF?
Any update on the product they used to polish the PPF?
Yes, sorry! We used a very fine finishing polish from Menzerna. Doesn't take much considering how soft the bra is compared to clear coat.
https://www.menzerna.com/products/polishes/car-polishes/finish/super-finish-plus-3800/
Dr.Ron
10-01-2018, 05:46 PM
Yes, sorry! We used a very fine finishing polish from Menzerna. Doesn't take much considering how soft the bra is compared to clear coat.
https://www.menzerna.com/products/polishes/car-polishes/finish/super-finish-plus-3800/
Thanks.
Thanks for the info. High flow cats and stock mufflers are likely in my future.
You won't be disappointed with the sound and reduced heat, I would love to hear what you think keep me posted.
My new Gen V has an expensive ceramic coating that the previous owner had put on and the damn thing always looks so clean and like it was just waxed. I love it and mine is white with black stripes on yours being black it will be just awesome!
Did you paint or PlastiDip your emblems?
You won't be disappointed with the sound and reduced heat, I would love to hear what you think keep me posted.
My new Gen V has an expensive ceramic coating that the previous owner had put on and the damn thing always looks so clean and like it was just waxed. I love it and mine is white with black stripes on yours being black it will be just awesome!
Did you paint or PlastiDip your emblems?
I saw a post mentioning that the removal of the stock flex section with the installation of the Belanger cat pipes can cause the stock mufflers to rattle and bang around due to their size. You haven't experienced this?
The emblems were done in a liquid vinyl from 3M. It is basically PlastiDip that appears less chunky and more fine. Then they were sealed with Gtechniq G2V3.
I saw a post mentioning that the removal of the stock flex section with the installation of the Belanger cat pipes can cause the stock mufflers to rattle and bang around due to their size. You haven't experienced this?
The emblems were done in a liquid vinyl from 3M. It is basically PlastiDip that appears less chunky and more fine. Then they were sealed with Gtechniq G2V3.
I got the ceramic cats from Lou Belanger and the only negative thing that I have experienced is the CEL, no rattling and banging. But I also did the install with the help of a local viper member to make sure it was done correctly. The cats can be difficult sometimes to get clipped to the exhaust manifold so if they aren't attached properly that could cause it. With a lift and a friend it's an easy install if you take your time.
As said in previous posts Lou has two different cats one has a heat shield and is made by Magnaflow, the other is the ceramic ones. I've had two sets as I said on two different cars with only the CEL issue.
Brought the Viper out to welcome spring time. Texas Tech's Engineering and SAE department host an annual car show and I was able to take home first place in the Sport Exotic category. This was my first time washing the car since the ceramic coating and I CANNOT recommend this coating enough. A quick spray off at the DIY car wash and a light dry using the Woolly Mammoth microfibers from Chemical Guys, and the car was spotless! Makes owning a black car much easier to say the least. My new custom plate is also installed.
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USAFPILOT
04-15-2019, 10:54 PM
Lookin Good, Wreck’EM!
wakebum2507
04-16-2019, 09:02 AM
Man, I miss the days of build threads. Very much like you, I love alex's build update threads, so when I got my car last year, I started the same. I actually followed your Z0 build on corvette forum for a long time, saw the car at runway rivalry, although we didn't get to race, and saw it at AMP a good bit. Great looking car.
I can say, the headers, side pipes, tune, and UDP/air filter combo on my Gen IV really woke it up, so you should definitely go that route on this one! Beautiful spec, congrats on nabbing your dream car!
Lookin Good, Wreck’EM!
haha thank you!
Man, I miss the days of build threads. Very much like you, I love alex's build update threads, so when I got my car last year, I started the same. I actually followed your Z0 build on corvette forum for a long time, saw the car at runway rivalry, although we didn't get to race, and saw it at AMP a good bit. Great looking car.
I can say, the headers, side pipes, tune, and UDP/air filter combo on my Gen IV really woke it up, so you should definitely go that route on this one! Beautiful spec, congrats on nabbing your dream car!
Thank you and that is great to hear. I like seeing how many car enthusiasts switch up platforms, forums, and social groups yet still manage to stay connected. I haven't seen your build thread so I will be sure to go check it out.
I really want to do bolt-ons and especially heads/cam, but this car is under powertrain warranty until like June of 2025. It was one of the cars to receive the 10yr/100k warranty from FCA. That warranty has got me thinking about buying a different a car to tear into for the time being. Although I would like more information on those titanium catbacks from Viper Exchange, and I have been talking with Clarity down in Houston about some custom color brake calipers.
Here is a shot Texas Tech engineering made their cover photo on social media.
37799
I saw a post mentioning that the removal of the stock flex section with the installation of the Belanger cat pipes can cause the stock mufflers to rattle and bang around due to their size. You haven't experienced this?
The emblems were done in a liquid vinyl from 3M. It is basically PlastiDip that appears less chunky and more fine. Then they were sealed with Gtechniq G2V3.
EX1 do you have a pic of the can for the 3m liquid vinyl or a link I'm having trouble finding the stuff. I don't like PlastiDip because of how clunky it is and I was to do my GTS badges on my white Gen V.
jns681186
04-16-2019, 09:40 AM
I drove by that and was wondering what was going on there. Nice award!
wakebum2507
04-16-2019, 09:53 AM
haha thank you!
Thank you and that is great to hear. I like seeing how many car enthusiasts switch up platforms, forums, and social groups yet still manage to stay connected. I haven't seen your build thread so I will be sure to go check it out.
I really want to do bolt-ons and especially heads/cam, but this car is under powertrain warranty until like June of 2025. It was one of the cars to receive the 10yr/100k warranty from FCA. That warranty has got me thinking about buying a different a car to tear into for the time being. Although I would like more information on those titanium catbacks from Viper Exchange, and I have been talking with Clarity down in Houston about some custom color brake calipers.
Here is a shot Texas Tech engineering made their cover photo on social media.
37799
if it were me, and I had found my dream car, but wanted to get more power out of it, I'd send it to antonio for his oiling fix & bearing upgrade, and never worry about grenading the motor again.
Then i'd do a full bolt on setup....or let him do a heads/cam package.
EX1 do you have a pic of the can for the 3m liquid vinyl or a link I'm having trouble finding the stuff. I don't like PlastiDip because of how clunky it is and I was to do my GTS badges on my white Gen V.
It was something the detail shop guys use. I personally don't have any of it and a google search came up empty. I will see if I can contact them for you.
EDIT: It is Dupli-Color Custom Vinyl Wrap in a can with 3M clear coat.
https://www.duplicolor.com/product/custom-wrap-automotive-removable-paint/
I drove by that and was wondering what was going on there. Nice award!
Thank you. Byron Cowling was out there but didn't bring a Viper. He has two that he runs in the Optima Street Car Challenge. I think that brings us up to 6 Vipers in Lubbock haha.
if it were me, and I had found my dream car, but wanted to get more power out of it, I'd send it to antonio for his oiling fix & bearing upgrade, and never worry about grenading the motor again.
Then i'd do a full bolt on setup....or let him do a heads/cam package.
I am by no means a Viper expert, but my understanding is that the core issue is excess slag left over from the dirty casting process used on the Gen V blocks. You can clean up the visible bits and throw in new bearings, but its the pieces you can't see or get to (like in the coolant passages) that can end up being thrown around inside the engine.
The shop that did the paint correction and ceramic work put together a quick promo video using my Viper. Thought I would share!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-L4vNXjF00
Also a few more pictures.
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serpent
06-21-2019, 02:22 PM
:dude3:
Clean AF
Its R888r Day!
Something that has been good and bad about my car is that the original Pirellis were still on it when I bought it. I know they were original due to the OEM weights still being on the rims and the date codes were pretty old. My fronts were from the middle of 2013, but my rears were from the last quarter of 2012! Keep in mind my car is a 14’ model year but I still wasn’t expecting to find a 2012 tire on the car. My passenger front tire also had some sidewall damage from the previous owner. I kept my eyes peeled for a good deal on a set of R888rs and last week I scored a full set for $1100+tax. Headed to see a good friend of mine, Terron, at Discount to get them mounted up.
Out with the old.
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When breaking the bead on the passenger front, a loud bang spooked everyone and the sidewall blew on the Pirelli. This was the same tire that had the gouge on the outside. I would of expected it to blow out at that same spot, but it blew on the opposite side. This tire was a time bomb.
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I went with the R888r in slightly different sizes. We all know the go-to rear size of 345/30/19 and like expected, they measured half an inch WIDER than the 355 Pirelli. My new fronts are 275/35/18 as I have seen these sizes in the Toyos on other people’s Vipers and I like the look of less front wheel gap and more cushion for the front rims. Raising the car a bit up front doesn’t bother me and our roads are garbage around here. The 275 Toyos are nearly as wide as the 295 Pirellis as well.
Pirelli measurements.
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Measurement of front Toyo. Sorry I forgot to snap a picture of the rear measurement :/ .
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Black wheel weights for obvious reasons.....
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Annnnnnd mounted.
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The extra front sidewall. Much better!
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Very impressed with the ceramic coating on my brake calipers. Hardly any brake dust on them. What I am not impressed with are these OEM lug nuts. They have a lot of corrosion on them. Any recommendations on some new ones with locks?
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98intrigue
06-26-2019, 09:03 PM
Your car looks fantastic! Those new Toyos will certainly help with the driving experience. Thankfully, that tire did not blow out on you. I just checked and my 2014 has the OEM Pirellis from 2013 - yikes. Good thing I have R888Rs ready to go on.
dewilmoth
06-26-2019, 09:20 PM
I installed R888R rears today too. Looking forward to trying them.
wakebum2507
06-27-2019, 08:40 AM
The R888r's are such a better driving tire. People complain about road noise from them...but its a viper. Mine certainly isn't quiet enough in the cabin to hear the tire noise.
Good call on the 275/35 fronts. Made a noticeable difference in the feel/cushyness up front compared to the older pirellis.
chris_lee
06-27-2019, 04:17 PM
How does the car look with the 275/35 up front? Any real noticeable difference in look. I have a steep driveway so getting an extra little bit of clearance would actually be a big bonus for me. Thinking about ordering this same combo you just did. I'm still running the factory 2014 tires...
Your car looks fantastic! Those new Toyos will certainly help with the driving experience. Thankfully, that tire did not blow out on you. I just checked and my 2014 has the OEM Pirellis from 2013 - yikes. Good thing I have R888Rs ready to go on.
Thank you! I think my other three Pirellis were fine, at least for a while on the street. I didn't want to replace just one tire though.
Congrats on the new Viper by the way. Go throw those Toyos on!
I installed R888R rears today too. Looking forward to trying them.
Post up what you think. I only got to drive mine to my garage before going out of town.
The R888r's are such a better driving tire. People complain about road noise from them...but its a viper. Mine certainly isn't quiet enough in the cabin to hear the tire noise.
Good call on the 275/35 fronts. Made a noticeable difference in the feel/cushyness up front compared to the older pirellis.
I only got to drive about ~10 miles so far on them, but the difference in ride and in the steering wheel was pretty drastic (in a good way). I think this is a good move for a street Viper. I read that the Toyo noise is much worse at high speeds around 80-90mph. I don't cruise at those speeds so hopefully they remain civil at 60-75mph.
How does the car look with the 275/35 up front? Any real noticeable difference in look. I have a steep driveway so getting an extra little bit of clearance would actually be a big bonus for me. Thinking about ordering this same combo you just did. I'm still running the factory 2014 tires...
I was having some trouble with the photo uploads and forum replies on mobile. I re-uploaded a picture of the front wheel well with the Toyo mounted one page back. I too have a steep driveway and the roads around me are rough so I like the extra sidewall. It raised the front end about 1/4 inch.
Had some engagement pictures taken recently. My fiancé wasn't very happy when I spent half of our allotted time with the photographer to take pictures of the Viper. I told her marriage was about compromises.
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Been a while since I have done anything to Viper. Covid has nuked just about every car event in my area, so this year mostly has been me racing my own headlights and going on the occasional cruise. Up on the lift for my biannual oil change and checkup.
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Ever since I changed the car over to AMSOIL 0W40 I swear there is less valvetrain noise. Could just be in my head, but the oil consumption is also down a noticeable amount as well. This could be due to the better Noack volatility numbers compared to the Pennzoil I see online, but I am not an expert. I would like to switch to 5W50, but that will have to wait until either my R28 warranty runs out or I get a bigger itch to start modifying the car.
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Everything so far looks good on this R28 car. Oil pressure is strong and each oil filter has come out clean as can be. The car is coming up on 13,000 miles soon.
After the oil change we did the usual once over on everything while underneath the car. There is some oil seepage and sweating on the oil lines so it looks like I am going to have to replace them. The problem is if I want to keep my warranty, I more than likely need to replace them with OEM units which will start to leak again. As I was cleaning the oil off, I noticed a large amount of grime on my power steering pump (red rectangle in the photo). Fluid level is fine and I cannot find any leaks yet. Do these pumps tend to have an issue? My searches have come up empty?
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Cleaned up what I could and then put the car back on the ground. My Corsa catback is here but the install will have to wait. I was going to send my calipers to Clarity in Houston to have them refinished in yellow, but they have closed shop. I was wanting to do the calipers and the exhaust at the same time, so I am now trying to find a competent powdercoater who can reassemble my calipers. Nobody in my area is willing to do it.
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Drove the car around all weekend since we had beautiful weather and then dropped it off at Kenady Detailing for my annual ceramic coating checkup. My car is garaged 99% of its life, but the Gtechniq coating is holding up very well and the car is still beading like crazy. Applied a couple more coats of sealant and cleaned up some of the polishing compound that had built up around the edges of the clear bra. The next morning I took the car to Coffee and Cars and enjoyed the sun.
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Hamrhead
10-05-2020, 02:51 PM
That car looks fantastic! I love black when it's clean.
Evil v10
10-05-2020, 09:08 PM
Bad ass Viper ,you will be happy with corsa the fit and sound is top notch
That car looks fantastic! I love black when it's clean.
Thank you! Then you would love the car for all of 30 minutes haha. I live in a very dusty part of the country so the car gets a light brown coating very quickly unfortunately.
Bad ass Viper ,you will be happy with corsa the fit and sound is top notch
Happy to hear that you like Corsa. I have waited over a year for TKO to release their systems, but I got tired of waiting. I figured the Corsa would also do a better job of eliminating some drone.
Regarding my oil line issue, I noticed that Prefix now has aftermarket lines on their website. I may pull the trigger on those.
jns681186
10-07-2020, 09:09 PM
EX1, when I read that comment about the dust, it just made smile thinking how hard it is to keep a car clean in West Texas, it’s literally a FT time job out there
serpent
10-07-2020, 10:27 PM
Same thing happened to my pirelli pzero grips tires when the debeading machine was debeading the tire. All four of them too. I was trying to sell them on craigslist since there was a lot of tread left, like 75%. After getting michelins I would never get regular pzero grips tires.
EX1, when I read that comment about the dust, it just made smile thinking how hard it is to keep a car clean in West Texas, it’s literally a FT time job out there
It is my least favorite thing about living here and I picked a black car. I did find some plastic disposable car covers on Amazon for a couple bucks that I use to keep the car dust free in the garage. It has helped out a lot.
I miss seeing your car on the Loop!
Same thing happened to my pirelli pzero grips tires when the debeading machine was debeading the tire. All four of them too. I was trying to sell them on craigslist since there was a lot of tread left, like 75%. After getting michelins I would never get regular pzero grips tires.
How old were they? Maybe these Pirellis just age very poorly.
It has been over a year since I updated this thread!
The Corsa exhaust is on. If I were to assign an overall sound percentage increase for the catback with stock cats, I would say 20%. The Corsa is louder overall, but the sound itself is very pleasant. It is "boom-ier" if that makes sense between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM. The increased exhaust note did exactly what I wanted it to do. Drown out the mechanical noises and the tire roar from the R888rs at highway speeds. Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and with the fitment.
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I also contacted DSE and ordered a handful of their parts. First up were the smooth intake tubes and the anodized clamps. I am going for a black and yellow theme on my car and I thought I could pull off the gold clamps. When the intake tubes arrived, I noticed a large discrepancy between the two outer diameters. The thicker OD tube would not allow the clamp to shut. I contacted Doug and he shipped out a replacement tube pair to me. He had never had this issue before so we were both scratching our heads a bit. The gold anodizing is more a copper/orange finish to my eyes. I was hoping for more of a yellow gold look.
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Here you can see the difference in the OD of the first pair of intake tubes.
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I don't have any pictures, but the DSE window bosses were also installed and JUST in time. My driver side window was hanging on by a hair. One of the factory plastic bosses was in pieces and at the bottom of the door panel! I highly recommend anyone with a Gen V to make the swap!
For a couple years I have been popping the hood to hook the car onto the trickle charger so I also grabbed Doug's battery charging harness. Got it all hooked up to my NOCO trickle charger and all you can see is this little pigtail that tucks away into the driver side vent.
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The next mod was inspired by Sneakysnake. The factory seatbelts were removed and sent off to Seatbelt Planet for rewebbing in yellow. When the package arrived at Seatbelt Planet they sent this picture over. Someone at some stage of the shipping or receiving process dropped my assembly and broke the connector off one of the belts. :( The second assembly also looked like it had taken a fall. Seatbelt planet was unable to show me a picture of the box they arrived in so I remain suspicious. Not wanting to eat the cost of all new belt assemblies from Dodge, I had them rewebbed anyway and had the factory connectors replaced by themselves when they got back.
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Got the belts reinstalled and here is the end result. I opted for their "Canary Yellow" and it is extremely bright. Sorry for the poor quality picture. :slap:
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srtoad4
01-12-2022, 09:29 PM
Love the seatbelts, I had mine sent to them for the neon green treatment! What's next for the car!?
Sniper
01-12-2022, 09:42 PM
"jI also contacted DSE and ordered a handful of their parts. First up were the smooth intake tubes and the anodized clamps. I am going for a black and yellow theme on my car and I thought I could pull off the gold clamps. When the intake tubes arrived, I noticed a large discrepancy between the two outer diameters. The thicker OD tube would not allow the clamp to shut. I contacted Doug and he shipped out a replacement tube pair to me. He had never had this issue before so we were both scratching our heads a bit."
LOL That's funny!!!
I bought the anodized black clamps from DSE and had same issue. Notified him and no response. I ate the cost of these clamps and had to use the silver ones which came with smooth tubes.
He knows they don't fit and still sells them.
Love the seatbelts, I had mine sent to them for the neon green treatment! What's next for the car!?
Thanks! I have considered adding more of the OEM carbon bits to the exterior, but after adding up the cost of all the brake ducts, rear applique, and engine X brace it was over $9k after tax. Not sure if I want to pull the trigger on those pieces or not. I did hop on Prefix’s website for the hell of it and it looks like their 9L Xtreme package had a price hike yesterday of ~10%. I took that as a sign that I just needed to invest my play money for the time being. If a good deal comes along on something I’ll snatch it up though.
LOL That's funny!!!
I bought the anodized black clamps from DSE and had same issue. Notified him and no response. I ate the cost of these clamps and had to use the silver ones which came with smooth tubes.
He knows they don't fit and still sells them.
When did you try and contact him? My issue was around last summer I think. Are you sure he received your message? He was super helpful with my issue. It is possible that Mod Mafia changed the OD of the tubes without telling him. *shrug*
Sniper
01-13-2022, 07:56 AM
I think around June.
Everything else I ordered was great but I would not recommend the anodized clamps.
Our orders were in the same time frame. I don't think Doug is to blame here. If the supplier changed the OD of the tubes without telling him, the clamps won't be large enough. Maybe he didn't receive your message?
Very strange weather down in Texas this winter. One day it is below freezing, and then you wake up the next day to temperatures in the 80s. I have driven the car more this winter than at any other time since I purchased the car (just hit 13k on the odometer). The parts installs resulted in a lot of finger prints and smudges all over and a couple dust storms left the car in dire need of a wash. It was time for my annual ceramic touch up as well so off to the detailer.
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A little polish and some additional sealant was applied on top of the ceramic. The photographer was there to snap a few impromptu photos during the sunset. If you are in my area of Texas, I highly recommend Kenady Detail.
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blingnoring
01-13-2022, 04:04 PM
Our orders were in the same time frame. I don't think Doug is to blame here. If the supplier changed the OD of the tubes without telling him, the clamps won't be large enough. Maybe he didn't receive your message?
i got mine about a year ago, i just went to the hardware store and bought the same screw 1\4' longer and it worked fine.
Doug is the man, bought a few of his products for the Viper, great quality, all installs fit exact (heat shield, pulley, rock guard etc) and always got back to me promptly with any questions
jpmst3
01-13-2022, 04:05 PM
Wow, that finish looks amazing! Very nice! :t1567:
i got mine about a year ago, i just went to the hardware store and bought the same screw 1\4' longer and it worked fine.
Doug is the man, bought a few of his products for the Viper, great quality, all installs fit exact (heat shield, pulley, rock guard etc) and always got back to me promptly with any questions
The rock guards are coming. My PPF was getting chewed up from road debris so I ordered the DSE ones off the site. I'll have some pictures up soon.
Wow, that finish looks amazing! Very nice! :t1567:
Thank you! I am doing everything to make black look as good as it can. I wanted a stripeless yellow GTS with all the carbon bits, but I could never find one :(. Hence the yellow accents on this car.
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