I've seen the numbers on this chip. Something like 28HP and 46 ft lb on the 5.4... I have also read MANY articles saying that chips are a waste of money!

Can you feel an increase in power?

Will it pay for itself by better fuel economy?

Doesn't it void the warranty?

Are you required to install a colder thermostat too?

Does it screw with your trans shifts?

How easy to install on a 98 Expedition?


I used the Hypertech Power Programmer on my Z28 LT1... IT WORKED GREAT in combination with many other mods....


I'm mostly interested in the fuel savings!!!



------------------
Rand

 

The man is asking "can I get an amen". Who will testify.
To be real honest I have made meny changes to my truck and "none" were done with the intent that they would improve mileage. I did them all to improve performance and I expected lower mileage with improved performance.
However, the Superchip has improved my mileage and performance. I tracked mileage from day one and believe the Superchip was my best investment.

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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

 

HI Rand,

In order, here are your answers:

1.)Yes, you can definitely feel it. However, I think it's important to have realistic expectations of what it can do. I suggest thinking of it as a 10%-12% power-gainer, as that is what it is.

2.) Rarely in a gasoline engine. Most people will see about 1.5 to 2.0 more mpg when cruising on the highway and not using a lot of heavy throttle, but it is not guaranteed, as it's merely a by-product of the increased spark advance used on part-throttle. For us here in this area of Virginia with our gas prices, we pay only 12 cents more per gallon for premium over regular. So for our vehicles, our Superchips are in fact paying us to use them, but this is a very rare result on gasoline engines. It has at least as much to do with the price delta between regular and premium for us here, as it does with increased fuel mileage. If you're looking at the Superchip *solely* for gas mileage, don't, is my advice. It's a performance chip.

3.) No, it does *not* void the warranty. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the specific legislation that protects you in the use of aftermarket parts. Each Superchip now comes with this warranty statement.

4.) No Superchip product requires you to use an abnormally cold thermostat, and that's not a good idea to do over the long haul. The factory thermostat is between 192-195, and if you want to go lower, you can go to 180, but no lower. The Superchip is designed to be used with your factory thermostat.

5.) That depends on what you mean by "screws with your trans shifts". The Superchip will firm up the shift characteristics, and eliminate the sloppy shifting in these automatics, particularly on heavy throttle. The Superchip removes the downshift delays, the upshift delays, removes the power-robbing spark retards, etc., so the end result is a firmer shift as you give it more throttle, progressively. You won't have jerky upshifts on light throttle, it won't spoil the smooth character of your vehicle when you're driving conservatively.

6.) Installation generally takes about 30-40 minutes for a first-timer in that vehicle. Over 99% of our customers install their own Superchip, so it's pretty easy.

Good luck, and feel free to give us a shout if you'd like to discuss any of this in greater detail.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html

 

1)Yes, it is still sitting on my desk in the box but already I can "Feel the Power" from here.

2)Hasn't cost me a drop of fuel.... yet.

3)Not so far.

4)Not that I know of.

5)I hope so! Are we using the same definition of "Screw"?

6)I should think it was the same.

PS: I will update this when I actually install it.

------------------
97 F-150 SC Lariat, Styleside, White over Gold, 4.6L (Windsor), Automatic, 3.55 rear end, electronic 4X4, w/ every option of Lariat and ORP packages except the 17" wheels (I even got the OR decals now!) Almost completed the Towing Pkg. options, MOD's so far: K&N air box mod, Gibson Super Truck, clear Bugflector II, Leer TSC 600 hard cover, Bridgestone Dueler OWL ATP 265/75 R-16's, TrailMaster Invader N7 shocks, Smittybilt step bars, Ford moulded mud guards, "White-white" head lamps, Cloud Rider Design's SS Grill and bumper opening, Bosch Platinum + 4's, Hayden 30K+ Tranny Cooler, Superchip on the way!



[This message has been edited by cphilip (edited 01-27-2000).]

 

Sounds like you bought the wrong vehicle.

I put a Superchip in my wife's '97 Expedition (see signature) and, despite the rising fuel costs, she doesn't want it removed. The added power makes merging and passing easier- thus safer! No increase in economy.

Mike answered your questions and I agree with him. It is a performance mod.

Installation is exactly the same (VERY easy) as for the F150.

I liked the chip so much that I bought one for my '93 F150. It worked wonders for the old 5.0L. It DID improve the mileage by almost 2mpg. A few more miles and I'll probably be ordering a Superchip for my new 2000 F150.

Neal

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1997 4x4 Expedition- 4.6L, true dual exhaust w/glass-packs, K&N air filter, SuperChip, airbox mods, Edelbrock shocks, 285/75R16 BFG ATs, Optima "T-Bone" wheels, Clarion In-dash CD player, Smitty Bilt push bars and nerf bars!!

2000 4x2 F150 XLT Reg. Cab LWB- 5.4L, Tow Pkg, 3.55LS, CD player,Remote Keyless Entry, Sliding back glass, Special Appearance Pkg.

http://members.visualcities.com/NoMo

 

Allllllllllllllllllll righty then!

The advertisement claims to increase mileage.... Since we are NOT talking about seriously fast vehicles here, I figure that the chip will pay for itself in fuel savings! If I get an increase in power thats just a fringe benni!!!!!

I still think its kinda funny that some of us think we have fast trucks! There peppy BUT THERE TRUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you wanted a fast vehicle why didn't you pay the xtra and get a Cobra, Z28, or Viper??? If absolutely NEED a truck then buy a Lightning!

Sounds like YOU bought the wrong vehicle!

I bought my Expy for 2 reasons:

1. FREAKING SAFE!! BIGGAZ BETTA!!!!!
2. If you calculate the weight, mass, and cost of a vehicle.... I figure your getting the most for your money with an Expy! I was BUYING BY THE POUND!!!!!!! If 2 different loaves of bread cost $1.00 each, only one loaf weighs 16 oz. and the other 24 oz.... Which loaf are you bringing home to the family????

Alrighty then!



------------------
Rand

 

Rand: I haven't seen any advertisments on the superchip that claim to increase milage. Maybe the other chips are trying to "say" that. On my last truck (97 4.6 4x4 SC) I would say I just about broke even on the gas price vs increased milage. But that didn't matter to me because once I had the chip in the truck and felt the increase power it gave, there was just no way I was going to pull it out because of premium gas prices. It gave the truck the ability to get moving a lot faster, much quicker. Making it an even safer truck to drive in city traffic. I've now got a new truck and I've just ordered a Superchip for it too. I can't wait to see how it helps this monster perform!!! Oh, one thing you didn't ask about is the range of performance: Superchip works all the time, the others work just at WOT. I personally don't drive at WOT all the time and I like having a chip that is working when I'm just driving around town.

------------------
2000 F250 Crew Cab 4x2 6 speed Diesel XLT Super Duty, Woodland Green
Power Mirrors, 3.73 LS, Captains Chairs, ARE tonneau top, mud flaps
Trailer tow Pkg, Class IV hitch, sliding rear window, running boards
rear privacy glass, 265/75/16 AS OWL tires, am/fm/cassette/cd
Clarion APA 5240 amp, Memphis speakers:Components front, 5.7 rear, 10"sub

 

Dear Rand,

A little perspective here, if I may......

Yes, our ad does mention increased gas mileage, it's directly from the manufacturer's web site, because most people do see an improvment there, and it is based on sound scientific principle. But *nowhere* does it claim that it's going to completely pay for the difference in gasoline costs between regular and premium, nor can anyone safely or correctly *assume* that this will be the case. Which is why I tried to make it clear in my response above that if you're trying to somehow *guarantee* yourself any particular financial result based on some assumption you've made that it's supposed to pay for itself, you're probably better off not using it. It is a *performance* chip, and *that* is what it is used for, and sold for, and it is increased gas mileage that is icing on the cake, not the other way around.

As long as you feel it's supposed to somehow be *primarily* a gas mileage chip, you're making an incorrect assumption, and probably not going to be a good candidate to use it and be happy with it. It's a *performance* chip first and foremost.

Whether or not you'll see an improvement in gas mileage will depend on how you drive your vehicle, which is of course beyond our control, and your local fuel quality, which is again beyond our control. What we can tell you for sure is that if you take one of these engines on an engine dyno, and run the BSFC numbers with it tuned both stock and with the Superchip, you will see the BSFC (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption) number drop virtually every time, as a result of the increased spark advance yielding a bit more fuel efficiency. It's a sound scientific principle that you can increase fuel efficiency in this manner, that's been proven many times over the last 30-40 years. It's been reported back here literally hundreds of times in the past year by their owners.

However, whether that is going to translate into *you* getting better gas mileage in your situation simply cannot be absolutely guaranteed. If you drive with a lot of heavy throttle, you're going to get worse gas mileage, just as you would if the vehicle were bone-stock. You can see substantial differences in gas mileage just based on which brand of fuel you use! Exxon, just for one example, has one of the lowest energy contents of any brand-name gasoline, and you will see about 8%-10% worse fuel mileage using it compared to non-reformulated gasolines. (Exxon is now "reformulated" year-round)

My point is simply that we cannot guarantee things out of our control, all we can do is represent what the product is capable of doing in an honest manner, which we have *always* done. Nowhere do we state that you can reasonably expect to have it completely make up for the difference in cost between regular and premium gas in every location in this country. I make it a point to specifically say that this is a very rare result in a gasoline engine! What I *do* say is that most people *do* in fact see some form of improvement in their actual gas mileage when calculated precisely, because those are the facts. Which helps the atmosphere and the ecology, and the economy, for that matter.

By the way, there are in fact a *lot* of very fast trucks on these pages. Cableguy is running 14.9's in the 1/4 mile. Modifying these trucks for better performance is every bit as valid as owing a Cobra or any other form of vehicle, as the only person this matters to is the actual owner of each vehicle. It's *their* choice. Some people make the mistake of thinking or saying things like, "I use my truck for what a truck is *supposed* to be used for". How utterly absurb a thought, everybody has their own opinion on that, and their own reasons for why they bought a truck. Many people simply want the safety that being in a big heavy vehicle with a taller profile than a passenger car gives them in certain situations. Some people use them only for towing. Some people use them for show vehicles. Some people are obcessed with gas mileage, in which case they maybe should be in another type of vehicle than a 2.5 ton truck with the aerodynamic profile of several stacks of bricks.

The point being, *all* of the reasons why people own the vehicles that they do are just as valid as anyone else's reason. We can be thankful for the fact that these F-150's are so versatile, that people love them for everything from drag strip monsters to monster trucks, to towing machines, to work trucks, to grocery haulers, and Ford builds 750,000 of them every year. Which is also why we have this very place to come and hang out, thanks to the extremely wide appeal of these vehicles, and their owners wanting to learn how to best maximize them for their own unique purposes.

Obviously gas mileage is very important to you, and that is of course valid as well, certainly!

There are no hard and fast rules to what type of vehicle any one person should obtain, the only thing that matters is if they're happy enough with their choice to sign on the dotted line.

By the way, I liked your post over in the thread "How much power left in a used Superchip", the post about the guy dying from that package, it was hilarious! For anyone who hasn't read it, you should, it's a great laugh, good humor!

Good luck with your truck, Rand, we wish you all the best, & whatever makes you happy!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 01-28-2000).]

 

Rand: with more power being provided by the engine, you can get the truck moving much faster than before the chip. That's what I mean by the truck being safer to drive. Take this situation: heavy 5:00 traffic, you see an opening, a small car can zip right out there but you in your big ol truck must get it moving first. So you either try to make it out into traffic and hope the next car slows down without hitting you or you wait for a much bigger opening to let you through. I noticed that with the chip, I could get the truck moving faster, sooner. Therefore, in my opinion, it's a much safer vehical to drive than it was before the chip.
OK, I used the wrong words about the incresed milage. I was trying to say the milage on my truck did increase but the price for premium was more too and that they about evened themselves out. You said you were mostly interested in the added fuel savings. Yes I saw more MPG!!!
You also asked wasn't my truck quick enough already? NO!!! Before the chip, the poor thing was slower than a turtle. Of course this is my opinion. Some might love their stock trucks as is. I just didn't and wanted more power.
Of course I've noticed the Superchip advertisement all over this board. I just never pay it much attention and never saw the part about "increased MPG" Mainly because after talking with Mike T and reading all the post here, I knew it really depended on just how "I" drive my truck.

 

I was about to get a chip for my truck..but realized it is more than fast enough as is. I have no problem at all getting in and out of heavy traffic.

I do agree, the chip would make it slightly better, but like many others have already said...the F-150 is not a Dodge Viper or Mustang Cobra. It is already faster than many passenger vehicles on the road today.

---------------------------------------------
2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, Pendaliner bedliner, K&N air filter, rubberized undercoating, cabin filtration system, Bugflector II, 5W-30 Mobil 1, engine build 10/4/99

 

TINA -
How in the heck could you miss a superchip advertisement on this site??
There ALL OVER THE PLACE... The animated gif that runs in the heading of EVERY PAGE on this site!!!!!!!

It claims an INCREASE IN MILEAGE!!!!!!!!

How does making your truck more powerful more safe??? The stock trucks could beat any Tercel.......Aren't they quick enough already?

 

step #1 !!!!buy the chip!!!!!!
step #2 !!!!install the chip!!!
step #3 !!!!stuff it!!!!!!
step #4 !!!! look at yourself in rearview!!!
step #5 !!!! try to believe you can have a smile that big!!!!!

the end!!!

------------------
pacific green 97 f150 4.6l..reg cab flareside 150XLT ,ROUSH suspention down 3 fr and3.5rear with BILSTIEN shocks,3.55LS,snug lid,carpeted bed, painted tailight accents,4x4 grill &bumper,k&n,SUPERCHIP(THANX MIKE),ram air kit,valvoline synthetic,accel super stock wires,platinum plus4 plugs,flow master muff,blue halogen bulbs, speed-glo dash,carbon fiber gauge accent,..."#6 sticker!!!!"
STEREO:eclipse head unit ,boston seperates ,orion amp, pioneer amp,2-orion 12's,custom box by me!,sony adjustable crossover,1 farad cap&way to many cd's

 

Thanks Superchip_Distributor person! I totally agree with your analogy! AND I support those that wish to "HOT ROD" their trucks!!! There are INFINITE reasons for wanting a Ford Truck over a Cobra or such... It just makes more sense, if power is what your looking for, the MOST important factor is the power to weight ratio! 10 to 1 is USUALLY the objective! 1 HP for every 10 pounds... Sure you can get this with a truck (big $$)...Besides, its would be more fun to wip a Cobra with a Truck than with a Z28!!!

Tina - I gotcha!

Thanx

------------------
Rand

 

Dear Rand,

Yep, I hear you! As a kid, I couldn't wait to tear thru my new copy of Car Life each month, just to see which muscle car tests that month had the best power-to-weight ratio, and then compare their actual performance numbers, to try and analyse them. I guess you could say I had the disease early on, and it's progressive in nature!

My first real memories of hot-rodding were of course with my father, who at that time had a wicked '49 Mercury, midnight blue, lake pipes, beautiful. The next on I remembered was the start of his Pontiac phase, with a '54 beige Pontiac with a straight-8 motor. Then there was the '57 Poncho with a '58 Police motor. It only got better (or worse, depending on your point of view!) from there. And all thru that time, I can remember the thing Dad stressed most in performance was volumetric efficiency, and power-to-weight ratios.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html

 

I think the F150 work or XL would give you the most vehicle for the $$$.
Expys are VERY expensive.
You can get a stripped down F150 for 13K-14K and still have 4000lbs of vehicle.