Anyone ever taken down a viper?
 

All I wanted to do was to be able to beat a viper when I first got my 7. Any of you fools ever doen this. I've stomped vette's, humiliated a really worked blown 89 stang, and even beaten bikes, but never got to race a viper. I've had a race set up with my buddies uncles viper for a while but either he can't go because he has no top and its too cold out, or my 7 has something that needs replacing. Anyway whos killed one? and what mods do you have, with the amount of boost that you were running?

Jim Swantko beat one.
He had hella mods - Ported, T78, Tec II, and all the bolt-ons.

He was putting down 400 at the wheels@15psi.

Since you own an FD, this goes in 3rd gen specific...

You can beat a stock viper with all the bolts on @14.7 psi running the 1/4 but not on the highway.

The RT/10s are a lot easier, aim for one of those.

I took down a rt/10 with only 13lbs of boost on the highway from 60mph too 130mph. granted it was an rt/10 but it still was worthy. but I definately was faster.

My boy dont be a rikki smoked a viper in MD and the guy got out at the next light and asked him what the hell he did to his car! Vipers are not untouchable !

Nope, mostly All-track celis. There are a bunch here in town.

Taken a viper!
 

Got a neighbor with a GTS, 2000. Taken easily off the line, since he gets all spin. A little tougher at 50mph, but still walking on him at 13.5psi. Like someone else mentioned, they aren't untouchable and many of the owners really don't know how to drive em, they just assume they are faster than everyone. They are also tons of fun on a full race road course, you can push them into corners easily and they don't like to let anyone pass, I just keep on them and they eventually get pissed and let me by (they don't like little jap shit riding their bumper down the strait's at 144mph), or they just get the brakes too hot and spin!! There's more than one way to skin a cat.

the early vipers were 4.8 0-60 if you check old magazines. New ones do 1/4 mile in in low to mid 12's depending on where you look. (Motortrend- ACR 4.1 and 12.2 RT- 4.2 and 12.3 ROAD and TRACK- GTSR- 4.2 and 12.5 GTS- 4.3 and 12.5) A moderately moded 7 could take this.

old Viper vs. '96+ Viper
 

5.9rotorM3 is on the money. The first Vipers were ALL RT-10's and produced 400hp, the '96 and newer, even the RT-10's are 450hp. The tell tale sign to look for to determine if it is a newer one is the NACA duct at the leading edge of the hood.

As RTS3GEN said on a full road course as opposed to drag racing the RX's 660Lb. advantage will definately show in tight turns. The Viper's monster torque will have him on your ass comiing out of the turn onto the straight though.

I had a "friendly race" from about 85-140 in my [3] last summer. He had a GTS-type Viper (the newer hardtop one, not the RT/10). I was running DP/MP/CB/Intake/M2 ECU/14 PSI.

He started tailgating me, so after a minute or two I punched it and took off. He couldn't fit his bloated Viper though the cars where I went so he was delayed by a second or two... then he came after me. It's hard to judge since we weren't side by side... But I'd say I had the edge on him by just a little bit.

Maybe I'll get another chance to race him this summer with my new T04S... MUAHAHAA!

Brian

I've raced 3 all in Dallas. All were modified hardtops and one was using NOS. I had only 275 RWHP and got slapped around ....

i use to cruise with jim swantko here in raleigh and together we smacked some people around, him more than me but... he was running 400 easy at 10 psi. when he dished it up to 15psi, he put out around 540bhp. i remember that one night. we were rolling up to the on ramp and the viper came up beside us in the turn lane. the 2 turn lanes merged to one on the ramp. we pushed him to his limit. Jim went up front, the viper took the middle, and i followed up back. we got on 40 and at about 110 mph i overtook him. we finished it off with waffle house. the viper wasnt even a close race for jim, i on the other hand, was a lot closer.

Re: old Viper vs. '96+ Viper
 

One correction on this. RT 10's at 450 HP still had smooth hoods several years after GTS's got NACA ducts in 96. Smooth hood does not mean only 400HP.