Viper Tech Questions
(and maybe even an answer or two)
There's lots of good viper information on the net. I have not found much
technical information though. I don't have many of the answers, but I sure
do have a lot of questions. If you have a question, or an answer to a question
here, please send it to me
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How do I disable the
1-4 skip shift?
-
What's
the quickest/cheapest way to add a little power?
-
How much does your insurance
cost?
-
Why
did you spend all that money on a car with no windows?
-
What are some of
the downsides of Vipers?
How do I disable the
1-4 skip shift?
You can unplug the connector from the skip-shift solenoid that is on the
transmission near the left front wheel. There are two connectors there,
one for the skip-shift, and one for the reverse lock-out. It's pretty easy
to test which one you unplugged. If you got it right, the upshift light
will still illuminate, but you will be able to switch to whatever gear
your heart desires (kind of the point of a 6 speed/V10 combo, eh?).
Northwind Engineering makes a widget that you plug into the transmission
that claims to do the same. Cost is $59. They can be reached at 414/ 521-2760.
Their solution is easy, clean, and from what I hear, also kills the upshift
arrow.
What's
the quickest/cheapest way to add a little power?
Put the pedal to the metal?
How much does your insurance
cost?
Mine costs $432 per 6 months. My car is insured with Allstate as a "Pleasure
Vehicle" that is driven less than 7,500 miles per year. I live in Maryland
about 20 miles NW of Washington D.C., am 30 and married. I have no tickets,
and one at-fault accident (not in the Viper). As a comparison,
my daily driver, a Dodge
Neon ACR sedan costs $475 per 6 months. Hmm...
Why
did you spend all that money on a car with no windows?
If you need to ask the question, you really wouldn't understand the answer.
But here goes a try anyway: click here.
What are some of
the downsides of Vipers?
Well, the Viper is a car that makes no compromise about performance.
This means that it makes a lot of compromises about other things such as;
gas mileage (13/21), lack of roll up windows/door locks/handles, tiny trunk,
lack of power seats, etc. It truly is a fair weather car. You
gotta have a second car, or a bus pass.
There is one major disadvantage that I don't hear people mentioning.
Maybe Chrysler has some kind of conspiracy trying to hush this up.
I don't know this first hand (no pun intended), but I have this friend...
He's a nose picker. He gets to a red light and starts digging.
With most cars, he's fine. No one really notices. When a Viper
stops, heads usually turn toward it. And he's immediately busted.
Nothing turns a chick-magnet of a car into a leper like a big slimey green
booger. So be warned.
Copyright © Andy Levitt. All rights reserved.
Revised: March 06, 2002.