need quality advice on performance upgrades

[Dr Roof]

I have just purchased a stock 98 Red GTS. i need advice on performance up grades.

is it better to use someone like TNT or Hennessy?
Which of these is better (more qualified)

Or is it bettter to do piece by piece items
such as exhaust headers airfilters and so on....
Note: I am in Ky and to my knowledge no Viper techs available

Has anyone used TNT or Hennessy and could tell me your results?

I am willing to spend at least 10 possible 20k for upgrading the car. any help would be greatly appreciated
thanks

 

[JonB]

"Come into my web.........."

{Said the SNAKE to the ******?!)


Spend 60% on HP and 40% on BRAKES/SUSPENSION. And $500-2000 on driving school, unless you hail from a Hi-Torq background!

Where/ how will you drive? 1998 is a GOOD CHOICE for mods.

And if you choose a Parts-route for install, I hope you'll wander into my web...........

JonB "The Pusher Man"

 

[Gerald]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr Roof:
Has anyone used TNT or Hennessy and could tell me your results?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do a search on this board and see the experiences others have had....Some bad, some good... A little research goes a long way.. Good Luck..


Gerald

 

[Bad_Byte]

I have experienced business with only one of the two tuners you mentioned. I will be glad to share but not in a public forum. I am still in negotiations.

If you e-mail me I will be happy to share. A phone call may even be better. I'm always glad to share with other viper owners as they are very helpful to me.

 

[VIPR GTS]

SEARCH THROUGH THE THREADS HERE, LOTS OF ADVISE ON ALL OF THE
TUNERS. I AM A NEW OWNER IN OHIO AND HAVE HAD GREAT SERVICE
AND ADVICE FROM JONB, PARTS RACK. PRICES ARE GOOD AND ITEMS
SHIPPED ASAP, RETURN POLICY AND HE WILL TALK TO YOU ON THE PHONE.
IF YOU DO IT YOURSELF, CHECK OUT PARTSRACK

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Do you plan on drag racing, road racing or both?

 

[Sean Roe]

Dr Roof,
What you intend to do with the car (from regular street driving / cruising enjoyment, to being a track day car) is going to determine the upgrades you choose. I suggest you start simple, as modifications to a Viper are rather addictive. No matter how much you do / spend now, you're going to do more if you keep the car. Start out down the well worn path of smooth tubes and filters, cat back exhaust, headers, etc.. See what, and who, works well for you, and proceed from there. In that price range, you could also consider a supercharger in the near future.
Take a look at these links:
Viper Club Link 1
Viper Club Link 2
Do your research. Go to VCA meetings. Use this board. Take all the information you get with a grain of salt (as it matters how much experience the person you're talking to has). Ultimately, it's your "individual" car.
Have Fun.

Sean

P.S.
Depending on where you are in KY, David at Mid South Viper (TN) may be the closest qualified Viper tech. See this link: Dealers & Installers

<FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Sean Roe on 01-23-2002 at 07:47 AM</font>

 

[Dr Roof]

thanks for the help so far. the question was ask what am i wanting to do with the car.

I want the car to be drivable on weekends yet fast enough for the occasional red light on the street. maybe a rare trip to the dragstrip.

Most of all i want the car drivable maybe 300 miles a month tops

what route should i take.

 

[phiebert]

My two cents, do it yourself (or with a mechanic you are comfortable with regardless of whether he is a Viper tech, my personal opinion is that is overrated). You can get a lot more bang for the buck with a competent reasonably priced guy (yourself or someone you trust) putting on parts from Roe and Partrack than you will paying a fixed price deal for certain HP. That's my opinion and it likely won't be popular with some, but what the heck.

I think Sean is right with going with the standard upgrades first and seeing how you like them. Given what you say you want the car to do (which is pretty much my situation too, drivable but will beat all stop light competition and occasionally hit the drags) I went with the biggest HP gains for lowest dollars. That's the standards that Sean lists plus Nitrous. Of course if you don't want Nitrous and don't care about price you could go with the supercharger!

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr Roof:
I want the car to be drivable on weekends yet fast enough for the occasional red light on the street. maybe a rare trip to the dragstrip.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In that case smoothies, K&N and open the exhaust either by removing the muffler and cats or a complete Berlanger system. You'll wax just about everything you come up against and by the time you start getting beat you'll have a better idea of what your next upgrade will be.

 

[Marc Lublin]

My advice is to be careful. There are many great things that you can do to enhance the car, but don't throw away your money. Do some research on this board and you direction should be a little clearer. My experience with Hennessey is that he is an out and out crook. Email me and I will let you know about the whole ugly story or just do a search on the board. I think most of the info about the disreputable tuners is easily accessable. Actually I don't think there is too much bad written about any other tuner. I wonder why? Good luck with your new purchase, I'm sure you will have fun with it!