I wanted to know if their were any bad side effect to getting a performance chip. I know that it may decrease mileage but it has to have some affect on the life of the engine.

I just want to know how it affects the long -term performance of the engine. What affect does it have on all of the systems; cooling, electric, drive train, etc…. in the long run.

Will is void the warranty?

Is it really worth it?

 

Literally speaking any modification that you make to your truck to increase the power output will increase the strain on the vehicle drive train. In the case of the 5 speed manual tranny it could be argued that an increase of (for arguments sake) 75 lbs/ft of torque would exceede the limitations and therefore void the warranty. So if you add, lets say, a supercharger than increases the torque by 80 lbs/ft then you would void the warranty. I personally do not thing the add ons that I have should void the warranty but my selling Dealer will refuse to repair the rear differential if I bring it in for a third time. In the USA you have more laws to protect the consumer so Ford must prove that what you added caused a part to fail. So go out and buy a chip and enjoy it, I enjoy mine.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

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00 F-150 XLT SC Flairside 4x4 4.6 w/5spd 3.55LSD
Warn XD9000i, skid plates, Draw tite class III,
Rancho RSX Reflex shocks, MAC 8.8 Axle Girdle
BFG 285/75 R16 MTs,
Borla Cat Back, Hedman Headers,
Custom air intake system with modified
air box, Ported Throttle body,
Shortened MAF sensor tower,
K&N air filter,
Superchips

 

Hey there 2001 F150 sport.
You know I had alot of the same questions while contemplating the use of a performance chip. I will not try to answer all of your questions. What I ended up doing was to scan the posts in "computer chips". By going back to the beginning and trying to pick the threads that seemed to be along the lines of my questions, I was able to compile quite a bit of information. I feel I made an informed decision when I purchased my Superchip. I think you will find that unusual wear and tear is unlikely.
Regardless, this is the place to find you answers!
Good luck.
Tom.

 

Thanx for the replies.

One more question.

Does a performance chip affect emissions? I live in Mass and the emissions here are very tough.

 

Could not resist.
Pros and Cons of Performance Chip.

Pros...Better performance and more power = more driver satisfaction.

Cons...Better performance and more power = greater opportunity to get a speeding ticket.

Overall results...you play, you pay.

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97 F-150, 2WD, Reg Cab,Flareside,Dk Toreador Red, Windsor 4.6, Magnecor 8.5mm wires, Bosch Plat +4s, 3.55 LS, EGR Bug Deflector, ******* Bed Cover, Bed Liner, XL Full Length Running Boards, Air Aid Kit, Gibson Single Out Cat Back, Superchips, TransGo Shift Kit, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Hellwig 2500# Overload Springs,Energy Suspension Polyurethane Front Sway Bar Bushings, 265 70 16 tires, Rancho RS9000 shocks,Expedition Center Console

 

That about sums it up about a lot of things! Great comment!

P.S. I used to live in Tucson and am an alumni of UofA, btw. Lived off off Speedway near Country Club way back in my student days.

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2000 F150 Harley-Davidson: Superchip, K&N FIPK
Hard Tonneau, Hidden Hitch, 2-Meter Rig (KG0UK)
'99 FLHRCI, '95 XLH

 

Hi Sport

Ck. my post 4-6-01 Emissions & Chip.

If you havent already done it. I was surprised at results.

Dont know how they do tests there, but i listed how the print out here reads.

Good luck. OT

 

Pro's: Better Performance, Firm Shifts, something to bragg about!

Con's: Speeding Tickets, premium fuel (but not that big of a deal)

 

Hi 2001 F-150 Sport,

The only way your mileage is going to drop from using the Superchip is if you either drive your vehicle harder than you normally do when you install the Superchip, or if you use a poor quality premium fuel compared to the quality of regular fuel currently being used. And to be sure, it can be quite natural to drive the vehicle a bit harder when you install any performance part, just to see how the vehicle responds to that part, very natural indeed. Once your drivng returns to a more normal pace, it's mostly a matter of energy content of the fuel being burned that affects mileage, either positively or negatively.

Most people who actually track their mileage results in accurate direct apples-to-apples comparisons, all else being equal, actually see a small improvement in gas mileage from the Superchip, and this is merely a by-product of the increased spark advance that is used on part-throttle on the Superchip's performance program. Your mileage results are going to depend on 2 primary factors: how you drive your vehicle, and the energy content of the gasoline being used.

There is no long-term detrimental effect on your engine from using the Superchip whatsoever.

In fact, increasing your engine's peak power output will *not* automatically cause increased wear; that will only happen in a very poorly engineered engine, of which there are darn few on the market today, and certainly not in any Fords. The truth of the matter is, what matters far more than an engine's potential peak power output when pushed to the limit, is how the vehicle is actually operated and maintained. And most people who do modifications tend to take very good care of their vehicles. Not all, but most, in our experience over the years.

We have Superchip owners who have 100,000 miles, 150,000 miles, and in fact over 300,000 miles on their vehicles with the Superchip. There is no tendency towards or direct ill effects on the engine from using the Superchip either short-term or long-term, and it will not reduce the service life of any component in your powertrain.

These vehicles are no so fragile that a 10%-12% increase in potential peak power output when pushed to the limit is going to affect the service life of any component in the real world. These vehicles have a substantial amount of over-engineering in them, they have to, or they would never hold up under the uses that many truck owners subject their vehicles to, either bone-stock or modified.

You will only shorten the lifespan of your powertrain if you *abuse* the vehicle, you will not shorten it's lifespan doing things like the Superchip, a good airbox elimination kit and a good cat-back exhaust, which are the top 3 best "bang-for-the-buck" mods you can do to these vehicles. Doing all 3 will not shorten the service life of your drivetrain. Again, that is only going to happen with *abuse*, not with well-designed products such as the Superchip, or an Airaid kit, or a Gibson cat-back exhaust, for example.

What we have found over the years is that most engines can withstand power gains of as much as 35%-50% with no ill effects as long as they are tuned properly and not abused by the owner, and not extending the rev limiter well beyond the design limitations of the powertrain, and/or driving it like you hate it.

Ultimately, each individual vehicle owner has to feel comfortable with what they're doing to their vehicle, these are expensive vehicles, certainly! We want everyone to be comfortable with what they're doing to their vehicle.

We have run Superchips in every single one of our vehicles for the better part of 10 years now, with no ill effects, ever. In fact, we rarely even get our brand new vehicles off the dealership's lot before installing the Superchip, but of course, that's because of who we are and the fact that we want the best possible performance & driveability in each of our vehicles from Day 1.

To answer your question about what happens to emissions output after installing the Superchip, if there is any change at allm, your emissions will actually drop, they will not go up. As long as your vehicle will pass emissions without the Superchip, it will pass with the Superchip, and in fact, the Superchip is 50-state emissions *certified*, so you are not going to have a problem with the Superchip causing any increase in emissions above allowable levels. This is actually a frequently-asked question, people like to know just how good a job today's vehicles are doing of staying under allowable emissions, and the answer is, most of today's vehicle are already substantially under most limits set for each model year.

If you would like to go over this in detail, please feel free to give us a call, and we'll be happy to go over any questions and/or concerns you may have, so you can give it some thought.

Best of luck with your new truck,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

 

I think the CON of premium fuel weighs quite heavily, given gas prices these days.


------------------
Mike (aka python1340)
<IMG SRC="http://msdc.msmedley.com/mytrucksig.jpg"&gt;">
More pics here

Factory
2000 F-150 4x4 Lariat
White, Super Cab, Flareside
5.4L EFI Triton V-8
3.55 limited-slip
4x4 electronic shift
AM/FM w/CD Stereo
Captian's chairs
Cab steps
Trailer towing package
4x4 off-road equipment package
4-wheel ABS

Modifications
Extang soft tonneau cover
Bed liner
Hood deflector
RCD 5" suspension lift
16x10 American Racing Chrome Atlas wheels
35x12.5 Super Swamper SSR tires
LLumar window tint

Future
Upgrade stereo and speakers
Subwoofer and power amp
Sliding rear window
Upgrade alarm system
Woodgrain dash
Dual exhaust (not sure if true dual or not)

 

Thank you for the detailed reply Mike. It sounds like the super chip really does make a difference.

I guess what it comes down to is,

How much does it cost? And how hard is it to install?


I have no idea what state that number you gave me is from.

 

-

[This message has been edited by moose-man (edited 04-22-2001).]

 

Actually in my area, premium runs 20 cents more a gallon, regardless of the cost of regular. The only exception I remember to this was when regular was only .80 a gallon, then the premium was .98!

If this holds true in other areas, the price difference as a percentage actually drops as gas prices go up.

 

Hi 2001,

Anytime, you're very welcome, of course.

For details on exact cost, the Webmaster here has a firm policy of those types of things not being discussed here on the message boards, to keep them free of what is considered blatant commercial content. You can click on the link below in our signature line that will take you to our online ordering system, which will of course show you that information, & we thank you for your understanding on this.

With regards to the installation, it's fairly easy, over 98% of our customers install it themselves. The Superchip is a sealed module that has a female data slot, (like an expansion slot on the mainboard of yor PC only shorter), and that simply mates to the corresponding male connector on the back of your Ford computer. For the fist-time installation, that connector needs to be cleaned, and the hole process from start to finish takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes. There are very highly detailed instructions & documentation included, so literally anyone who can read directions can install the Superchip, to give you an idea.

I would suggest just giving us a call, and we'll be happy to go over all the details with you from installation to what you can expect, etc., we're always happy to speak with you if you'd like to give us a call, our contact info is just below. And we're in Virginia, by the way.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 04-20-2001).]

 

2001 F-150 SPORT,

The 540 area code is in Virginia - the western part of the state in particular.



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'99 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCab 4x4, ORP, 3.73 gears
5.4L Triton V-8
Deep Wedgewood Blue



MODS:

• K&N Gen II FIPK
• Fog Lights on w/Parking Lights

MODS TO COME:

• Gibson Dual Sport Truck Exhaust
• A.R.E. LSII Hard Tonneau Cover