Is ECM limiting power in lower gears?

[begood]

After driving my SRT-10, Iam getting the feeling the computer is limiting power in the lower gears. I have seen vipers hit the gas from a slow roll in first gear and the tires go up in smoke. Iam thinking that with most of the weight on the front of the truck, the engineers were worried someone would lose control, so they pulled power out, just to be on the safe side. Now if that is true, how can we get full power back in the lower gears?

[Hamrhead]

I guess mine is like yours then - I can let out the clutch and idle along, then mash it, and it makes NO attempt to spin the tires. At ANY point in first gear for that matter. If I want to really break the tires loose, I need to let it go around 3,000 rpm's or so. I'm not complaining as the truck certainly feels good (strong) once it's rolling.

A friend of mine just purchased an '04 'White Mamba' edition Viper, and while I haven't had a ride in it yet, he says the same about first gear. Although, he only has about 600 miles on it so far.

[9 seconds]

"Most of the weight" is true but at 54/46 weight split, there is almost 2400# over the rear wheels. The Viper (GenII) has but 1750#. Gears are about a wash with the Viper 3.07/26" tire and the Ram 4.10/31.6" tire. Another big difference is the suspension. The SRT-10 Ram suspension probably transfers weight better. You see/feel how that nose comes up when you mash the gas? 1- that takes energy/power and 2 - that puts even more weight on the rear tires. Their suspension is one of the weaknesses the Viper has for drag racing.

[Kevan]

Originally Posted by 9 seconds

You see/feel how that nose comes up when you mash the gas?

I noticed this immediately in SRTFirefighter's ride. It was most apparent from a complete stop, but it could still be felt going 1-2 and 2-3 (and that one time he went 3-4 trying to get me to squirm more. LOL). It's a nice feeling having the nose lift a little tiny bit at 85mph, esp. in crappy/rainy weather when you're trying to pass that clown in the Hammer Lane with the cruise control set at 35.
Side Note: Ever notice how idiots cause accidents, but are never in one?

In other pickups I've driven [no weight in bed], when punched, the back end seemed to lift away and float, thus letting the tires spin *much* easier. Not so much in 4WD, but we don't have to worry about that here.

Maybe the Viper just needs a bigger cab....or a bed in the back.

[Derek]

My first impression driving the SRT-10 was that throttle response was a bit slugish in the low rpm range. I can see how one might believe that the ecu is limiting the low end power. Seems like this truck could use 4.56 gears.