PRODUCT REVIEW: VIPER 1100R Digital Tachometer
It’s no secret that finding the right gearing combination is
critical to on-track success. Unfortunately, a busy night of racing provides
little time for guess work. The tachometer has become a ‘must have’ piece of
equipment for every racer. Today there are many options when it comes to
selecting a tachometer for your racing car ranging from old school mechanical
needle gauges through very sophisticated systems that are capable of monitoring
every function on a race car from RPMs through the slightest movement of the
throttle pedal. Finding the right system for your needs becomes not only a
question of what you can afford, but also what you really need. For many racers
the Viper 1100R digital tachometer by Acewell offers the perfect combination of
functionality and economy.
A full list of features, functions and flexibility coupled
with a modest purchase price make the Viper 1100R one of the best values in
digital tachometers on the market today.
"We’ve been successfully
selling the Acewell 1100 tachometer for nearly five years now. The quality and consistency of these units
have been exceptional. When the
opportunity came up to make a few improvements to the unit and private label it
under the Viper Race Products banner we were very excited.”
At the core, the Viper 1100R is a tachometer that works with
most popular engine configurations including 4,6 and 8 cylinder engines. The unit has multiple configuration options
that allow it to work with lower revving engines (0-12,000 RPMs) and higher
revving engines (0-20,000 RPMs). The
unit displays RPMs in both a numeric and bar graph style digital read-out. An added benefit of the Viper 1100R is a user
programmable shift light. Although the
shift light is great for road racers, oval track racers have also make good use
of the light by programming the light to come on at the desired RPMs at the end
of the straight away. Although it can be
hard to watch a tachometer while driving, it is easy to reference where on the
straightaway the light is coming on. The
tachometer also records the highest RPM reached for the session.
A new optional display allows for the display of graphical tachometer and larger water temp display. |
The value of the Viper 1100R is further increased by the
addition of a water temperature read-out and programmable warning light. Fasse commented, “this is what pushes the
value beyond that of a simple tachometer.
Now racers can eliminate a gauge—RPMs and water temperature all in one
spot.” The tachometer also has a
programmable water temperature warning light that flashes when the pre-set
temperature is reached. This is a very
valuable feature for motorcycle powered race car engine cars like mini sprints
and dwarf cars that can run hot creating the need for monitoring. The tachometer also records the highest water
temperature reached during the session.
The Viper 1100R has an added feature not found on the Acewell 1100. An optional display allows the racer to see a
graphical bar graph RPM readout and a larger water temperature numerical
readout. “We know that some drivers would
like to keep a closer watch on water temperature during the race. This new optional mode provides a visual
reference of RPMs via the bar graph display, but also a larger easier to read
water temperature readout."
Although these are the primary features of the unit, there
are additional features that will be of interest to racers including a battery
monitor and hour meter that allows you keep track of run time on your engine.
Easy to Install
An added benefit of the Viper 1100R digtal tachometer is its
easy setup. Connecting the tachometer
only requires the user to connect a few wires; one to the tach drive, one to a
power source and one to a ground.
Engines without a tach drive wire can be hooked up by wrapping the
unit’s tach wire around a coil wire several times. Hooking the water temperature gauge up can be
accomplished by threading the included temperature sensor into a bung on the
radiator. If a threaded bung is not
available on the radiator, an optional water temperature adapter is available
for purchase that can be easy spliced into the radiator return hose.
For Almost Every Application
The Viper 1100R is adjustable to work with most applications. Reference the table below for specifics on your application. The Viper 1100R works with most engine configurations from single cylinder through multi-cylinder engines with some exceptions. It is very popular with 600cc-1200cc motorcycle engines.
|
The Viper 1100R is currently available through several
sources. It can be purchased direct
online at www.viperpipes.com or through
one of our dealers including Speedway Motors, Hyper Racing, Speed Partz and
Nunnco Motorsports. If you are
interested in becoming a dealer Viper Racing Products can be contacted at
sales@viperpipes.com.