Tires for Gen 3

[MikeR]

Would appreciate any feedback on the following:

Just got a 2003 Viper convert. It came with 3 new Michelin Pilot Super Sports (PSS) and a moderately more worn rear Pilot Sport.
The car exhibits severe pulling (not sure if its actually tramlining or railroading) at higher speeds when coasting which was determined to be due to the mismatched rear tire.
Problem is, I can't find a rear Mich PSS 345 30 19 anywhere.
If anyone has one to sell, please let me know ASAP. 917-847-2444

On to Plan B which is to replace all tires with PZeros. The Dealer installed a set of run flats rear PZeros (355 30 19) which fit on the stock 2003 rims.
But the car still has a severe pulling that I think is still due to mismatched real Pzeros and front Mich PSS.
I found matching run flat PZeros (275 35 18) for the fronts which I plan to install.

However, I heard Pirelli used to make a Viper PZero (long discontinued) which is different from the regular PZero's.
This is the closest I can come to matching all 4 tires.
Will this solve the pulling problem??

I can't find anywhere 4 matching front & rear viper tires.
I found Mich Sport Cup-2 rears, but can't find the matching Sport Cup-2 fronts.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks,
Mike

[Mamba003]

Could be the tires but could also be the stock rear end. Under moderate to full throttle mine 2004 would pull/drift to the left. Wasn't a very comforting feeling. You need tires so start there. If it doesn't cure the issue look at the rear end...

[Aevus]

https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...Snake-STRAIGHT

[Aevus]

Mike, before anything, make sure the alignment is A1.

Also, left/right mismatched tires (including wear) is NOT GOOD, but mismatched front/rear is rarely an issue, unless they're not the same type at all (4 season+semi-track)

[MikeR]

Mamba003 - Thank you!!
What specifically in the rear end should I be looking for?
Checked the diff fluid - it was clean - no metal filings.
What type of differential is on a 2003 viper - gear, clutch or viscous?
I feel the pulling from the rear so how would the differential cause that?

[MikeR]

Thanks.
I had PZeros on the rear and Mich PSS's on the front - all new or nearly new tires.
Different tread pattern & brand - perhaps that's enough to cause the railroading/tramlining?

Car was aligned to factory specs and felt the pull when I hit moderate speeds (70+ mph) but still well-below what the car was built to do.
Not a very good feeling.

[Old School]

If you want to verify or eliminate that the 2 different rear tires are the cause of the problem, swap them from side to side.

[Aevus]

Mike, one question:

Is the ''severe pulling'' you feel is in comparison with other Viper OR in comparison with a ''normal car'' ?

[viperman4125]

Sounds like a wheel alignment , I bought the same tires at my Local Chrysler dealer same price as everywhere else. They are out there.
Dave

[Bill Pemberton]

Many ideas but frankly never a good idea to have two different brands of tires and run flats have been notorious , over the years , to cause more tracking down the road. Just call Jon B at PartsRack and get 4 matched tires ---- Michelin is just one choice, along with a new set of Continentals. Not a fan of Pirellis as they are pricey!!

[Randy Scully]

I have four original runflat tires for 2004 Viper with 11K miles on them. Picked up a screw in a rear tire and was told runflats could not be plugged. After buying a complete new set (no more rear RF's available) of Pirellis, I noticed my other rear tire had been plugged in the past! I wish I would have saved $2K and just plugged the rear flat. I saved all four original tires and will let them go for reasonable offer.

[2quik6]

I have four original runflat tires for 2004 Viper with 11K miles on them. Picked up a screw in a rear tire and was told runflats could not be plugged. After buying a complete new set (no more rear RF's available) of Pirellis, I noticed my other rear tire had been plugged in the past! I wish I would have saved $2K and just plugged the rear flat. I saved all four original tires and will let them go for reasonable offer.

In some states a tire repair shop will not plug tires period. Some states you cannot even buy the plugs at the auto store to plug yourself. But any tire is patchable if the hole is not on the edge, otherwise you would be required to buy new tires anytime you have a flat!! And that is ridiculous.
That said, I plug my own, and have plugged run flats on my vette, they are very difficult to do, especially high speed rated tires, but it can be done with enough force to push the cleanout file thru and then push the plug into, a creative use of a 2x4 helps. I have even successfully plugged a side wall and corner hole from a screw which the repair shop told me was impossible......but was worth a try with brand new 4x4 offload tires at $500 each..and it worked fine and has been on for years now!

[MikeR]

Aevus - Good question.
Tough to answer that.
Last time I drove a Viper was ~22 years ago - Gen 2
I don't recall any pulling like I'm feeling in my car.
I drove my friend's a Z01 Vette and didn't notice the kind of pulling like I do in my Viper.
Why do you ask?
Is that a characteristic of the Viper due to the large tire width?

FYI - I just put on a matched set of brand new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (R: 355 30 19 / F: 275 35 18).
Now waiting for the spring so I can see if the matched tires reduces the problem.

In the meantime, I have 3 relatively new Michelin Pilot Super Sports (1-R: 345 30 19 / 2-F: 275 35 18) that I'm looking to unload for a very reasonable price.

[Aevus]

Aevus - Good question.
Tough to answer that.
Last time I drove a Viper was ~22 years ago - Gen 2
I don't recall any pulling like I'm feeling in my car.
I drove my friend's a Z01 Vette and didn't notice the kind of pulling like I do in my Viper.
Why do you ask?
Is that a characteristic of the Viper due to the large tire width?

Because for a long while I also thought it was a characteristic of the Viper, due to large tire width and/or poorly designed chassis OR just something wrong with MY car.

Took me months to find the culprit and it was a combination of the poorly designed tie-rods (not defective per se, just a bad design) and the stock alignment.

TKO are making improved design tie-rods (bump steer correction kit), that alone helps a lot, but combined with high front caster alignement (8 to 9 deg+) it's downright amazing. Here is the review I made:

https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...ion-kit-Review

Maybe it's not THE issue you are experiencing, maybe it's just a tire problem, but if it's not... That may help.

Also, under hard acceleration, the Wavetrac diff improved quite a bit, but it's not at all the same feeling as the TKO's kit + high caster alignment which is effective and enjoyable in everyday use and at basically any speed on any road.

[Aevus]

Here is my post I wrote just after I fixed the problem:

Problex fixed.

Finally it's a combination of TKO's parts (Bump-steer correction kit + Control arms bushings) and new alignment.


Bushings makes the car tighter and more precise, the bump-steer kit helps the front-end stability and that new alignement helps high-speed stability and hard accelerations:

Camber F -1.45 :: R -0.95 :: Caster 8.8 :: Toe-in Total :: F 0,10deg :: R 0,50deg

I am very satisfied with the final result. By far the best handling on a Viper I've experienced.
Because of the caster, the steering feels quite heavy at low-speed but otherwise it's great, planted like a train and it feels more like a modern car (in a positive way).

It's the very first time I feel that car's handling exceeds the engine potential. Pretty common in Porsche's world but not so much in Viper's

Control arm bushing are optional in that case. Makes the feel tighter but not related to your ''pulling'' issue