Viper Sure

Dodge Viper Servicing and History

The Snake is an unabashedly All-American style sports automobile. In 1989, duplicating the groundwork set by the great AC Cobra and Carroll Shelby, Chrysler set out on a 2 seat sports car with a high displacement engine, rear wheel drive, and assertive styling. Leaning heavily on Lamborghini, which Chrysler owned from 1987 to 1994, Chrysler made a naturally aspirated, 400hp/465lb/ft torque V-10 using one of Dodge's truck engines as a mould. Using the minimalist approach that was so favored by Cobra tuners, the car came from the factory in 1992 without traction control, antilock brakes, air conditioning, a roof or side windows (a soft crown with plastic windows was included), making it a threatening car when its limits were pushed. In spite of this, the Viper swiftly gained acclaim with the US market, due to its outrageous looks and matching performance. The infamy of the Viper rose up until July 2010, when production was stopped. Corporate executives are tight lipped about the return of the Snake, but we are able to only say that we will see this icon again shortly.

The Dodge Viper has firmly placed itself in American car history since its introduction as a idea auto in 1989. The engine, which at its roots was nothing less than a V10 Dodge truck engine, was breathed upon by the engineers at Lamborghini, which was then owned by Dodge's holding company, Chrysler. Manufacturing 400hp and 465lb/ft torque, good for a 0-60 of 4.6 seconds and a 12.9 quarter mile, the vehicle was miles away from anything that any American firm had released in some time. The final model boasted 600hp and 560lb/ft torque and a scorching 3.4 2nd 0-60 and 11.6 second quarter mile. Today, the Snake is in a transitioning period. Production of the Rattlesnake ceased in July 2010, and there are murmurs from the Dodge brass that another Snake is in the works. We can only hope the Viper will soon return to the lineup at Dodge and take its lawful place at the top of America's best sports vehicles.

When the Rattlesnake hit showrooms in 1992, the list of options was not very long. For the sticker price, you bought a fiberglass body with a big V10 shoehorned into the engine bay and not much else. Actually the first Snakes did not even come with aircon, which drew beefs from many buyers since the engine produced so much heat that it turned the cabin into sort of a convection stove. Finally introduced in 1994, aircon helped to chill the cabin slightly but still seemed not completely up to the task. With minimum sound deadening and a thin firewall separating the cabin from the engine bay and transmission tunnel, heat immediately poured into the cabin, reputedly from all sides. Across the years however , enhancements came in and slowly civilised the Viper, year by year. Even at the end of its production, the Viper was still an intimidating car, and made the driver pay very good attention while behind the wheel. Many hope , however , that with the releasing of the new Viper comes a mess of new driver aids and comforts that make the beast more friendly.

The transmission in the Dodge Viper has long been one of its strongest assets. The engineers at Dodge had to choose a transmission that might reliably handle the power the great V10 could produce, and was also financially feasible for production. The first transmission was a 6-speed manual which featured tall gears in order to supply a decent M.P.G number for the automobile. It worked pretty well, and the Rattlesnake managed a respectable 12/20 city/road average, which many thought would be very difficult thanks to the size of the engine. The last production Viper was fitted with a TR6060 transmission which also shares duty in the prevailing Mustang Shelby GT500, the Cadillac CTS-V and the Dodge Challenger, among others. Fairly trusty, this transmission served the Rattlesnake well in its 4th generation and needed little or no upkeep apart from that scheduled by the dealer.

The first generation Snake was a beast of a different nature. Unabashedly Spartan, the Rattlesnake got by only with what it needed to get the job done. Coming from the factory with no roof or side windows, the Snake made do with a soft top and zip-on plastic windows which sat on top of the roofline. Like a toupee. Far more mad, traction control or antilock brakes weren't available on the Rattlesnake, making it very intimidating to drive, even to the most experienced driver. Car and Driver Magazine wrote the Rattlesnake was akin to "playing ping pong with a Louisville Slugger". In late 1996, ABS ultimately became an option on the Viper, making a serious difference in stopping distances and real world drivability. In the last active model Viper, 14" rotors were combined with an ABS system to drastically improve braking performance and make the Rattlesnake a true player on the world circuit, contesting with Porsche, Ferrari and the likes.

The high-performance engine in a Dodge Viper runs infamously hot. With some stock advanced models approaching 700 hp, the cooling of the engine starts to be a legitimized concern. When an engine packs that much of a punch, the obligatory cooling hardware must rise to meet the need. A high flow radiator on the Snake guarantees that enough coolant flows thru the hoses and into the engine block. From there, it is returned into the radiator core, where the hot liquid is quickly cooled by passing through the veins in the radiator. Dodge recommends that you change your coolant each 30,000 miles for best performance and check your radiator hoses at 50,000 miles for crakes, breaks and any stress marks that could indicate future trouble.

The older model Rattlesnakes were fairly simple when it came to electronics. No electrical nannies to manage any of the engine or throttle replies, no traction control, no air-conditioning and an optional radio. This meant that there was less that might probably go bad, at least in principle. However , a big European which was implemented to keep all 10 cylinders in check added a little bit of a wild card, making frequent checks a requirement. As new conveniences were added and the electrical load increased, the Viper became more complex. Still, the Rattlesnake has maintained its mantra even today as being a "no frills" sports car, offering raw performance and exhilaration over all else. Some see it as a disadvantage, but the thousands of Viper owners would beg to differ, seeing it as one of the best driving forms available today.

Tyger Lucas has been in the auto repair business for over 30 years and his independently owned shop Lucas Vehicle Care is the logical dealer alternative option to your agency for all Viper Service Houston.

MW3: Africa - Viper Commentary |||b1bl1cal shiz|||

Polk Audio DB651 6.5-Inch Coaxial Speakers $55.27 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers (pair) supplied adapter rings allow for fit into 6-3/4" locations Dynamic Balance polymer/mica composite woofer with butyl rubber surround 3/4" liquid-cooled silk/polymer composite dome tweeter Neodymium tweeter magnet Kapton voice coil ABS wheel-design grilles Stainless steel mounting hardware Certified for marine use Power range: 6-60 watts RMS (180 watts peak power) F...

Dual BP1204 12-Inch 1100-Watt Illumination Bandpass Subwoofer $249.99 RMS power: 600 wattsMaximum power: 1100 wattsSensitivity: 89dB Frequency Response 25-200Hz Frequency response: 25Hz-200Hz Impedance: 4-ohmsFeatures illumiNITE blue illumination with mirrored dual-chambered designCarpeted enclosurePlexiglass viewing windows...

PYLE Waterproof Marine AM/FM/CD Player Receiver with 4 x 5.25-Inch Speakers and Splash-Proof Radio Cover $0.01 ...

Devil Sure Is Hard to Please $15.50 ...

The Devil Sure Is Hard to Please $7.92 ...

Fonus Mono Wireless HandsFree Bluetooth Headset Noise Cancelling Earpiece Single Earphone for LG Spectrum, Optimus Slider, Optimus Black, Revolution VS910, Exchange, Quantum, Viper, Optimus U / V / T / C / M $49.99 This fashionable Universal Bluetooth Earpiece will make your life easier granting you the ability to communicate best free with your contacts. The device has an answer/end call button so you do not have to pull your phone out of your pocket to deal with calls there is also a volume control rocker on the side so you can make sure you can hear your calls. The high quality microphone and speaker allo...

LG LS840 Viper Retractable Car Charger (Package include a HandHelditems Sketch Stylus Pen) $6.99 Plug never heats or overcharges the battery. LED charging indication. Color: Black Accessory ONLY. Cell phone not included. Compatible With: All devices that have a Micro USB port. The innovative retractable design with quick release button cuts down on travel bulk and ensures the portability of your cell phone without sacrificing functionality. No more tangled cable mess.Package Include HandHel...

Bavvo 120W Replacement Laptop AC Adapter Charger Power Supply for TADPOLE Viper Series $14.89 Trademark Bavvo products are marketed and sold exclusively by Bavvo Electronics. OEM compatible! High capacity adpter certified by CE and RoHS. Guaranteed to meet or exceed OEM specifications. Fit Machine Models: TADPOLE Viper Series...