upgrading remote starters

Most of DEI's wiring harnesses are common across models so you could do, for example, a Viper 560XV ( manual here) with minimal wire swapping. Even that swap would take some rewiring, however;  2 or 3 harnesses are used on the 560XV that aren't used on the 160XV, and some of the wires(e.g. horn, 2nd unlock) are in different connectors.

In addition to that, you'd have to wire the siren and the door/trunk triggers regardless - and probably most importantly, you'll have an alarm that's installed in plain sight underneath the driver's dash (I'm assuming since there's no reason a remote start would be anywhere else), meaning you're going to minorly inconvenience the thief who now has to go through the Herculean effort of unplugging the brain in order to defeat your alarm.

Your best bet if you're willing to go to the trouble would be to install the alarm properly and mostly from scratch, but leave a few inches of the remote start's wiring where it connects to the car for easier connections - or you could get an alarm w/o a built-in remote start and use one of its auxiliary channels to activate the 160XV (via the WHITE/ blue (-) activation input).

"or you could get an alarm w/o a built-in remote start and use one of its auxiliary channels to activate the 160XV (via the WHITE/ blue (-) activation input)."

this was what i wanted to do from the start, if i can find any shock sensors that'd be the only thing i'd need in case someone may want to break my car window(s) it'll trigger my viper 160xv and set off the horn, but i cant seem to find any shock sensor sold by themselves that may work with the DEI/Viper brand-even ebay has any.  if  i do find a shock sensor that is compatible with the DEI, i'd only need to wire it to the 160xv's WHITE/ blue (-) activiation input?

what about this one i found via google-search?

http://www.autotechs.com/cat62.htm

any of these would work?

Sorry I wasn't more clear on that.

The 160XV doesn't have any provisions for a shock sensor or anything for its security features.  It does have a starter kill and panic feature which can be programmed to go off when the ignition is turned on and the remote has not been used to disarm the 160XV.

The WHITE/ blue (-) activation input activates the remote start, not anything else. I meant that you'd still have to install a full-featured alarm (not just a shock sensor) but you could save some time by not having to essentially re-install a remote start.

Theoretically you could set a shock sensor up with some relays to turn on the 160XV's ignition input, but it'd be simpler and just as cheap to install a complete alarm.

Definitely not...aftermarket alarms don't have external wires that will arm and disarm them.

Incidentally, were you aware that Viper warranties are void when not installed by an authorized dealer? You may want to consider a different brand of alarm.