Well, I got my SBEC yesterday, and installed it last night. Installation
was a breeze. I took some pics to put up on the page in case anyone is
interested; it was kind of dark so I don't know how well they'll come out.
(They're not developed yet.) My initial impression was that the SBEC doesn't
look anything like the ones I've seen in the Mopar Perfomance catalog. This
was a metal box, almost the size of a mousepad. I dunno if this is just a
'96 thing, or what.
Oh, also, as if we didn't have enough trouble trying to decide what to
call these things, (SBEC, JTEC, etc), according to the info sheet that
came with it, it is officially called a PCM. (powertrain control module)
After reading some other people's posts about dissapointing results, I
was trying (with limited success) to keep my hopes down so I wouldn't be
*too* dissapointed. Sam P. mentioned that his truck idles at about 500 RPM.
Mine is idling about 600. I've forgotten what it used to idle at before;
750 maybe? The exhaust note really isn't different; I don't notice any lope
or anything like that. Unfortunately, I didn't really notice a big
performance difference either. I guess that's to be expected with an
increase of around 20hp and 20lb-ft compared to the overall engine with
numbers in the 220-300 range. (Its times like these when I wish I had a
dyno.) The truck doesn't *seem* faster, but it does feel different somehow.
Almost as if its not working as hard during daily driving. Also, it seems
to rev up into the midrange faster than it did before. When I was driving
down the street at about 30mph in 2nd or 3rd gear, I punched the gas a
couple of times and got a really good push back into my seat; I think the
torque has increased over what it was before. Another thing I noticed
was that I can "leave it in gear" for longer. Before, keeping it in 2nd
gear in the 30mph range would have the engine racing, but now that speed
comes lower in the RPM range. (Around 3,000 or so.)
I'm hoping that once I open up the exhaust (cat-back, headers) the
SBEC will work better. Anyone know if the MP SBEC has a "learning curve"
like the stock computers?
I'm happy to report that I got absolutely NO pinging (on winter gas, no
less!). I'm still going to install the 180 degree thermostat though, just
to keep the engine a little cooler.
-Jon-
.--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu -- http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ---.
| DoD# 1038, EAA# 518210, NMA# 117376, USUA# A46209, KotWitDoDFAQ, RP-SEL |
| '96 Dodge Dakota v8 SLT Club Cab, '96 Kolb FireFly 447 (#FF019) |
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I do not speak for the SUNY College at Fredonia; any opinions are my own.
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