MotoIQ.com's - Project Viper GTS

[stuntman]

Hey guys,

Check out my articles on MotoIQ.com > Projects > Dodge > Viper

I'm trying to condense all of the information that's scattered in books and online for the Gen 2 Viper in an easy to read but technical and detailed format.


Viper GTS - Part 1 History & Intro.

While many of you already know the history of the Viper, you may find a few new tidbits of information in this article that I wrote:


"The Dodge Viper has been competitive on the world stage by doing it the American way: with big wheels, big brakes, big tires, a big engine, and not a lot of refinement. While it has always been a highly capable car on the track, used car prices have finally dropped to the point of being affordable by the masses and it has become a realistic option as a track day car. This project hopes to clarify some of the stereotypes that surround the Viper and bring the truth to light of a very cool platform."



Enjoy!

- - - Updated - - -


Project Viper GTS: Part 2 - General Maintenance


"Before thoroughly enjoying the purchase of a used performance car, it’s important for the enthusiast to go through some routine maintenance items. We prepare our 1997 Viper to be driven by changing the oil, coolant, spark plugs, wires, and go through a few miscellaneous items. We then install an aftermarket temperature gauge to monitor how hot the V10 operates and to test the accuracy of the factory gauge."





Enjoy!

[thetalonguy]

Lot's of good reading here; should be a sticky for new owners.

Looking forward to next installment.

[Fatboy 18]

Brilliant, thanks for the links

[GhostStalker27]

Good stuff, thanks

[stuntman]

Hey Guys, here's:


Project Viper GTS: Part 3 - Baseline Track Testing (Data & Video)


"The Viper has a reputation for being difficult to drive and even (incorrectly) known as a bad handling car. Since the 2nd Generation Viper has not been reviewed by a magazine in close to 15 years, we took Project Viper to the track to dispel some myths and assess the car’s balance and handling ability."



Enjoy!

[stuntman]

Hey Guys, here's:


Project Viper GTS: Part 4 – Baseline Dyno and K&N Intake Test


"The Viper is truly a car built around its engine. In Part 4, we take Project Viper GTS to the dyno for a baseline power audit and see if our mighty 8.0L V10 is cranking out the factory claimed 450hp and 490lb-ft of torque. From there we add K&N replacement air filters and change out the disruptive corrugated plastic intake tubing for a set of ROE Racing polished aluminum smooth intake tubes to see if we can squeeze out a few more ponies."



Enjoy!

[duffman04]

Nice write-up! Thanks for doing the dyno comparisons. I've always wondered if there was truly a difference or if it was just hearsay.

[GhostStalker27]

This is great, I can read stuff like this all day long. Maybe I missed it - did you write about how the improved hp #'s translates to the real world? Like 1/4 mile, 0-60, lap times and even the 'feel'?

[stuntman]

Thanks guys,

Ghost - There are some math calculators out there for 1/4 mile, 0-60, etc... but I will be doing those tests in a future article as well as lap times from coilovers; although to be honest, Part 3 - baseline track testing was the least popular article of them all so-far, despite having data with braking/accel/cornering G's of a Gen 2 on modern tires.

[GhostStalker27]

Thanks guys,

Ghost - There are some math calculators out there for 1/4 mile, 0-60, etc... but I will be doing those tests in a future article as well as lap times from coilovers; although to be honest, Part 3 - baseline track testing was the least popular article of them all so-far, despite having data with braking/accel/cornering G's of a Gen 2 on modern tires.

I thought that was the best part haha, I guess most people don't track their cars so the data isn't as relevant to them.

[stuntman]

Hey Guys, here's the next installement:


Project Viper GTS: Part 5 – Radiator Fan & Wiring Upgrade


"The Viper is a “racecar for the street” in more ways than one; and like a racecar, it does not like to sit in stop and go traffic and can run hot and overheat without proper airflow on a hot summer day. To combat this we upgraded the radiator fan on our 1997 Viper GTS with the higher flowing, larger fan from the 1998-2002 cars. In addition, we safeguarded the potentially flawed wiring and relay box by running standalone relays with dedicated power and ground wires. To further extend the life of the relays we used a trick pair of “NOsparc®” spark suppressors in the harness."


In the article:

- Fan removal & installation
- 1996-1997 vs. 1998-2002 Fan analysis
- Stock & modified fan wiring schematics
- How to wire a standalone power, ground, and relays
- How to make a MIL-spec wiring harness
- NOsparc arc suppressors - to eliminate arcing and increase longevity of relay contacts.



Enjoy!

[Sybil TF]

Who sells the spark suppressors?

[My98RT10]

I believe they changed to the bigger fan already in '98 model year. I do have the larger fan in mine and I don't think it has been upgraded.

But nice story! Keep 'em coming!! ;-)

[stuntman]

Who sells the spark suppressors?

There are a few different places to get them if you google the part #: MHXDC1F012

I believe they changed to the bigger fan already in '98 model year. I do have the larger fan in mine and I don't think it has been upgraded.

But nice story! Keep 'em coming!! ;-)

According to Roe Racing's OE Parts Link: https://www.roeracing.com/OE-Parts/

...you are correct. 98-02 cars have the upgraded fan, I guess Roe's on website and theviperstore.com have it incorrectly. EDIT - Just fixed it in the article. Thanks for pointing that out!

[Sybil TF]

Nice write up by the way! I have the upgraded fan assembly in my 96 GTS. So far I haven't had any problems but I'm going to see if I can get this done. If I were to want to add another fan I guess this same set up would work?

[stuntman]

Thanks!

Yes you could use the same setup that I made, but depending on which fan you use and which circuit (LS vs HS), you may need to bump up your relay rating.

Remember that fans only help below ~45mph. If you want to improve your cooling above 45mph, an extra fan will be a restriction and HURT your airflow and cooling ability. The 98-02 fan is pretty stout on the HS mode. Do you have a SCT tune to lower the points where the LS and HS fan turns on? If you haven't, that should be your first step!

[Sybil TF]

Thanks!

Yes you could use the same setup that I made, but depending on which fan you use and which circuit (LS vs HS), you may need to bump up your relay rating.

Remember that fans only help below ~45mph. If you want to improve your cooling above 45mph, an extra fan will be a restriction and HURT your airflow and cooling ability. The 98-02 fan is pretty stout on the HS mode. Do you have a SCT tune to lower the points where the LS and HS fan turns on? If you haven't, that should be your first step!

I have the old 9550 sct but I think you have to order a canned tune.

[Sybil TF]

Got those relays to upgrade from the factory ones. Nice to get ones that don't have to be altered. Now I have some spares to carry just in case. Curious, you think that arc suppressor can be used in the factory wiring? My relay box shows no sign of overheating or melting. Also who sells the thermo flect cloth?

[stuntman]

Their retail site is temporarily down, however you can also get it through a few other vendors.

Just Google: "Thermaflect Cloth" (one word, with an "A")

[dave6666]

Claiming that additional fans impede cooling is just plain retarded. I have been running my triple fan setup for years and have real life proof in a Gen 2 Viper your claim is a lie.

Why don't you generate some ECT logs and substantiate? I can.

[stuntman]

Claiming that additional fans impede cooling is just plain retarded. I have been running my triple fan setup for years and have real life proof in a Gen 2 Viper your claim is a lie.

Why don't you generate some ECT logs and substantiate? I can.

If you were paying attention, I stated that fans DO improve cooling at low speeds and when stopped, since that's the only way to get airflow through the radiator.

Once again, fans (and shrouds) in general impede cooling at speed (~above 45mph, but can vary depending on the car, how sealed the front bumper is to the radiator, etc...). That's a proven fact.

The airflow from the pressure created in front of the radiator (again, with a properly sealed radiator ducting, which the Viper and most modern cars is pretty good) is far greater than what the fan can flow, so the presence of the fan and any form of shroud becomes a restriction. This is why there are flaps on the shroud to begin with.

This is why you don't see street car style fan shrouds on racing cars, since racecars are rarely stopped and a single fan mounted to the radiator face itself is enough to cool the car under yellow, in traffic, or during a pit stop while (more importantly) not restricting flow at speed.

NASCAR (Cup & Xfinity) teams constantly test their cooling systems and they have found significant cooling gains by removing the fan, however it's not worth it to not have the fan when drafting or during yellows and pit stops, which is why they continue to run a single fan mounted to the radiator.

0.02

[City]

Stuntman,

Please understand that we have no issue with the posting of your articles, but your linking them in the forum is a problem. By all means, feel free to copy and paste the articles and information into this thread (or elsewhere in the forum) sans links to commercial websites.

Thanks.

[stuntman]

Posts have been edited with the links removed.

[Kari_Lindstrom]

My GTS with build date from october 1998 has the older and smaller fan...

[GBS]

Nice write ups on website! Thanks for posting the info!