Gen III vs. Gen IV Tuning Questions

[Pappa Prich]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of learning as much as possible about these cars as I can -- looking to get one soon. This forum is a great resource, but as I continue to search I am coming up with more questions.

My main question is regarding the Gen III (2006 in particular) vs. Gen IV (2008 in particular) when it comes to tuning... Why is it that the 2008's 'can't be tuned'? I will be doing basic mods to start, such as intake, headers, full exhaust, and I would like a dyno tune. If I would get a 2008, would I need to get a different ECU? Are the 2006's ready to be tuned?

Thanks!

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

The 2008 Gen 4 can be tuned with a Mopar PCM controller. There are tons of threads here about the mods you are thinking about for the 2008-2009 and what people like and dont.

 

[F8L SNK]

The only tuning available is the Mopar controller on the 08's. It is not programmable but will allow aftermarket exhaust, heads and rocker arms be done as well as intake porting. It is not have the ability to custom tune.

The 06 can be tuned more readily and there are sponsors here that can do it.

There are not some 08s that can be tuned and others that can't they are all the same.

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of learning as much as possible about these cars as I can -- looking to get one soon. This forum is a great resource, but as I continue to search I am coming up with more questions.

My main question is regarding the Gen III (2006 in particular) vs. Gen IV (2008 in particular) when it comes to tuning... Why is it that in some cases the 2008's 'can't be tuned'? I will be doing basic mods to start, such as intake, headers, full exhaust, and I would like a dyno tune. If I would get a 2008, would I need to get a different ECU? Are the 2006's ready to be tuned?

Thanks!

 

[lilgookiemonsta]

A bolt-on/tuned GENIV will always outrun a bolt-on/tuned GENIII. The '06 will need boost to beat a GENIV

 

[AbsolutHank]

For me, when deciding on which car to get...it came down to mods. Sure, the Gen IV is a great platform to start with. And if I was in a position to buy either very comfortably, I'd pick it for sure. But for me, I decided to start with a Gen III, and mod to my specific tastes, at my specific pace. It's a much cheaper starting point, and right away you can improve leaps and bounds over a Gen IV with a new rear, coilovers, and Paxton...and be about the same money. Of course, the resale on the 08 would still be better...as well as reliability and having a warranty...but everyone has their reasons!

 

[JAY]

I believe there is a GEN 4 head package for the Gen 3 , that makes the same power . And or boost is also an option .

 

[redtanrt10]

Pritch, best way to learn is to search the board's, ton's of information here. (Look for threads on supercharging Gen IV's to get a deeper understanding).

To your questions; tuning. GenIV's have items like "drive (throttle) by wire" vs. mechanical linkage, "cam-in-cam" and other advances. Up till now no tuner has totally figured out the computer brain that contols the motor. On the Gen III motor, tuners have figured out how to reliabily add superchargers, turbochargers, new cam's and nitros. These power adders are mostly experimental on Gen IV's.

ECU's, the Gen III and Gen IV are different and not interchangalble.

06's tuned, see above, more big power adders are reliable and available. 08's are limited to bolt on's like headers, exhaust, upgraded heads and intake. Up till now 08's are maxed out at around 700hp at the flywheel (600-610 rear wheel), 06's can make 1200 or more.

 

[fqberful]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of learning as much as possible about these cars as I can -- looking to get one soon. This forum is a great resource, but as I continue to search I am coming up with more questions.

My main question is regarding the Gen III (2006 in particular) vs. Gen IV (2008 in particular) when it comes to tuning... Why is it that the 2008's 'can't be tuned'? I will be doing basic mods to start, such as intake, headers, full exhaust, and I would like a dyno tune. If I would get a 2008, would I need to get a different ECU? Are the 2006's ready to be tuned?

Thanks!

More simply put the GenIII [ 2006 included ] has a JTEC PCM which has been hacked so the 3rd party guys can do custom tuning. The GenIV PCM is a NGC and hasn't been hacked for the Viper [ they have though for the 6.1 Challenger as an example ] and until such time as there's custom tuning support for the NGC PCM in the Viper the only choice is the MOPAR race controller.

If you're into modding, the GenIII is the way to go. It's less expensive and has way more support. It's been shown that with a set of Greg Good heads and cam and an SCT tune that a GenIII can have pretty much the same power output as a GenIV.

HTH
--FQB

 

[ROCKET62]

I love my Gen 3, but let's not forget about some of the other significant changes to the Gen 4 drive-train that should factor into his decision including the clutch, trans, and differential. The (potential) trade-off being drive-by-wire and the locked-down pcm.

 

[Toma]

A bolt-on/tuned GENIV will always outrun a bolt-on/tuned GENIII. The '06 will need boost to beat a GENIV

Or a cam, striker heads, and some intake work

 

[Toma]

SCT has software for upto and including Gen 3's. Works well, easy to reflash the PCM.

They spend time developing the "hot" cars, where they can sell a lot of programmers, so right now, the market is trucks, diesels, Mustangs, Camaro's etc. No one seems to have spare R&D time to "bother" with the low numbers 2008 and up Viper.

If you are very serious, its not big thing to wire in an aftermarket ECU for someone that is familiar with them, but that gets very pricey and complicated.

As crude as it sounds, some of the Lamborghini twin turbo guys were running a universal "piggy back" interceptor like the AEM FMIC.

I'm a hot rodder at heart. Not sure I would ever buy a car that was not tunable.