New owner 2002 RT

[Vipergeo]

First viper and love it. All original with 12000 miles. What should I change to be safe?

[plumcrazy]

check tire date codes immediately

[Vipergeo]

2000

[ICPREY]

And fluids (including brake and clutch) if the previous owner hasn't documented them.

[plumcrazy]

if the tires are from 2000, change them right out

[Vipergeo]

Ok Thanks. Replace with same?

[plumcrazy]

call jonb at www.partsrack.com and discuss which are best for you

[sparkrn]

You will have to buy Pirelli or something like that, the Michelin PS tires are not made presently. Heard the Pirelli tires are better anyways. Call Jon at parts rack for the best price, he is a sponsor of the VOA site.

[Vipergeo]

Thanks again

[LifeIsGood]

You can have some fun with the rock hard original tires. They break away from the pavement pretty easily...just saying. I drove my 2001 with original tires for a few months. It let me get the seat of the pants feel for what to do to correct the issue when they do break away.

[Vipergeo]

You can have some fun with the rock hard original tires. They break away from the pavement pretty easily...just saying. I drove my 2001 with original tires for a few months. It let me get the seat of the pants feel for what to do to correct the issue when they do break away.

I am ok with slippage, I worry about a blowout at higher speeds. Are they structurally sound?

[AZTVR]

I am ok with slippage, I worry about a blowout at higher speeds. Are they structurally sound?

Quite a few folks that have had their Viper "just spin out" were also comfortable with driving on their aged out tires. Sometimes after a wreck, they have come back on to the forums and said "whoops." Lots of us bought our Vipers for the performance aspect of them. I wouldn't even put up with run flat tires, if it were my car, and those are probably only like 6 year old non-run flat tires as far as traction goes.

Secondly, what is the braking distance like on a 16 year old performance tire?

[C.J]

First viper and love it. All original with 12000 miles. What should I change to be safe?

Welcome aboard! You've joined a fun region and you're going to love driving your Viper with the top off and tge rear window out.

If you want to put your Viper on a lift, send me a PM and we'll set up a time to do that. Also, Capital CJDR in Garner, NC gives club members discounts on Mopar parts and such.

[V1P3R]

Need to see some pics of that Viper!

[Vprbite]

Yeah, if they are original get them off of there. I dont push any tire past 4 years out here with how dry it is. Aside from spinning at launches, those tires could easily break loose on a downshift or have a blowout. If you are hardcore into keeping your car original, you could save the tires. Won't hurt the resale value to include them upon resale. Some people dig that. But please do not drive on them.

As other people said, change the fluids. It's cheap insurance. Plus, things just operate and feel much better with fluids that aren't all aged out and burned up.

Wasn't there a frame recall on 02s? Or was it just on the GTS?

Otherwise, enjoy it. Man I loved my 02 and miss that red SOB all the time. Oh and post some photos. Pics or it didn't happen. Welcome to the community and the club. Great group of people around here.

[river rat]

I'll echo everyone on the tires. When I bought my 2000 GTS last year, it had original tires still on it. They "looked" ok, but where hard as rocks. I literally felt the car get loose multiple times. Now it has a set of toyo r888 and they stick like glue

[braunstein82]

Wow now there are 4 of us in Sanford now. Would love to come by and check car out. Call/text me and we'll set something up. Matt 910-337-4992. There is also cars and coffee fayetteville this Saturday, which I'll be at.

[PatrickB]

Welcome to the Carolinas region of the VOA! Echoing what C.J said, you're gonna have a great time!

[Bill Pemberton]

You have one of the best Viper Techs in the Country down near Wilmington - Tom Sessions. It would be a huge benefit for you to get in touch with him at tomsessionsmotorsports@gmail.com or 910-228-8477. He will be able to go through your car and do what is really necessary and not miss any concerns. It is a 16 year old car , new tires are a necessity, age alone is the simple concern!! Congrats.

[SUB SONC]

Welcome to the Carolinas VOA! Matt, lets have another dinner!

[braunstein82]

Sounds good to me.

[Brian GTS]

First viper and love it. All original with 12000 miles. What should I change to be safe?

Boy, how did I miss this thread??? Welcome to the Carolinas!!! Not sure if you want to wait this long, but for the 3rd year in a row, our region will host our "Get Your Motor Running" event at my house in Raleigh. We have two lifts, lots of experience, and our dealer sponsor (Capital Chrysler Jeep Dodge) brings their parts van. They provide great discounts on OEM fluids/part, and they dispose all fluids for us. We change oil, diff, transmission, clutch, power steering, and brake fluid. This usually takes place in March. Click below for forum thread and pics from last year's event:

http://driveviper.com/forums/threads...Event!!!/page3

Look forward to meeting you!

[Josrocket]

You also need the check to make sure the previous owner changed the power steering pulley to an after market one. The OE (cheap plastic one) are notorious for breaking and you dont want to suddenly lose power steering etc. JonB can hook you up with the part if it hasnt been done. Other than that it's a solid car.

[damstr]

You also need the check to make sure the previous owner changed the power steering pulley to an after market one. The OE (cheap plastic one) are notorious for breaking and you dont want to suddenly lose power steering etc. JonB can hook you up with the part if it hasnt been done. Other than that it's a solid car.

Came here to say this. Only had my Viper for a little over a week but every time I've taken it out, the thought of the pulley disintegrating on me is in the back of my mind.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

P.S. for Winter storage, do invest in a fully-automatic Battery Tender type device to ensure you don't have startup or alarm issues any time the 2001 is stored for longer than 2 weeks.




Love the screen name... "ViperGeo" are opposite extremes in car terms!

[Thank God its not ViperPrius]