I drive about 40 miles per day for work, 90% freeway at 70-75MPH. The remaining 10% is in town, but very little stop and go. Does anyone realize any measurable mileage gains using the Superchip and 93 octane, and would it be cost effective? The increase and power and performance would be secondary to me, as this is mainly a commuter car at this point, except for the summer camping and ATVing adventures!

So for those of you that love the chip for its power and shift changes (and I know I will definitely have a heavy foot occasionally), does anyone use it for it by-product - better mileage sometimes?

I am averaging 15MPG with over 2 years documented...

 

I just got a MicroTuner, and realized NO mileage increase. It is, however, winter, and my mileage always goes to **** then, and the gas is probably reformulated, too.

I have the same commute as you (some 55/60 mph; some 65/70 mph) and I am currently getting 13-15 mpg. This sorta mileage for a "small, economical engine" like the 4.6l is truly miserable.

Just wait til we nuke Iraq and gas hits $6-$10/gal: the Tuner program will be outta there in a hurry.

I think we're chasing the Holy Grail.

 

I'm averaging 14-15 mpg with my stock 4.6 and mostly all short in city trips. I dont know what my freeway milage would be since when I travel I'm towing our camper.

Tires 255/70/16 all-season radial with 42 psi

I would like better milage but realize it is a 5,000 lb truck, heh

 

Yea, I'm also figuring in the formulated gas in the winter for my averages. The mileage definitely drops from OCT thru FEB. It's only 90% gas, the rest alcohol. It's funny the EPA thinks this lowers emissions, but if you have to burn more to get to the same point A to point B, isn't it a wash. Plus, you pay the same if not more for it and you get less product, and they make more profit since alcohol is a fraction of the cost. Go figure???

We just need to tap into the millions of acres of Alaska for some crude. It's uncharted territory practically AND we wouldn't rely on the rest of the world for so much fuel!

 

I'd say not to expect performance chips to somehow change the laws of physics and allow us to spend less money for gas in these 2-3 ton beasts.

The job of a performance chip is to IMPROVE PERFORMANCE, not *anything* else, so if someone is not looking for better performance, then don't look at a performance chip.

If you *are* looking for better performance however, then optimizing the powertrain programming/engine tuning is the single best bang for the buck, as nothing will improve performance more for less money.

Anyone wanting better fuel mileage in these trucks needs to look at other modifications, like our electric fan kit and underdrive pulleys. *Those* 2 mods will increase power by up to 35 HP at the rear wheels and as a BY-PRODUCT of their primary function, usually yield a nice improvement in mpg, too. Usually 1.0-2.0 mpg for the fans, and another .5 mpg on the underdrive pulleys.

Plain and simple, performance tuning is for those who want more *performance*, not for fuel mileage. Yes, many people DO see a nice improvement in mpg from using the Superchip, when they can keep their foot out of the throttle, and when they use a high quality premium gasoline. Even at that, it's primarily highway mileage has real potential for improvement, where you might see 1.5-2.0 mpg better. A few have reported as much as 3.5 more mpg, but darned few, and on average, it's about 1.5-2.0 mpg on the highway in these F-150's, **at best.**

Just FYI, & Merry Christmas!

 

Mike, I'd like to know more about the electric fan kit & underdrive pulley system. Where can I get more info???

You can e-mail me at duboisdl@adelphia.net if needed.

 

ASP makes some good pullies...and Flexalite makes the dual fans....i believe someone took fans from a taurus and it worked well

 

ASP???? Can you be more specific....

 

http://www.aspracing.com/frame.htm

 

hi mike. yes, i'd like to know about the underdrive pulleys too - expensive? easy to put in? and for the novices, what do they do exactly?

mike

94 4.9l f150

 

Hi duboisdl, IMMJ, etc.,

Just give us a call at our number listed below when you get a chance, & we can go over all of the details with you.

We carry the electric fan conversion kits (using more rugged components & less expensive than FlexaLite) as well as the underdrive pulleys, and just about anything else to improve the performance of these vehicles, too.

We also offer turnkey conversions & installations as well. People can drop their vehicles off & pick them up a few days later at whatever level of performance they want.

The underdrive pulleys will vary based on whether it's a V6 or a V8 F-150, the V8's use a 2-piece set that will net you 12 HP at the rear wheels, in the 4.2 V6 the gain is about 8-10 HP at the wheels, depending on redline rpms. And our electirc fan kit will get you another 15 HP at the rear wheels, doing both the fans & the pulleys gets you some *very* nice improvements in power, 27+ HP at the wheels in the V8's & about 23 HP at the wheels in the 4.2 V6's, as well as noticeably better performance and fuel mileage improvements as well.

Reducing parasitic losses is an excellent way to get more power, performance & mileage. When you eliminate the stock factory mechanical fan with our electric fan kit, and when you use underdrive pulleys, in both cases you're reducing what are called "parasitic" losses, meaning power (and energy!) the engine has to expend to turn those accessories. Reduce the speed at which you turn those accessories, and you free up power. Same thing with the factory mechancial fan, when you get rid of that dead 10 lb., mass hanging off the front of the engine which has to be accelerated up to engine rpms every time you touch the gas pedal, you free up significant power, and that fuel that was previously having to be burned to turn those accessories can now be saved, while getting better performance at the very same time. These are real home-run types of modifications, as you get it all, more power, better performance and better fuel mileage too, and there aren't many mods that will do all 3 to the extent that installing our electric fan kit & underdrive pulleys will.

Give us a shout & we can go over all of this with you in proper detail, Dan & anyone else interested.

Happy New Year!

 

Mike,
What would be the price for the pullies and electric fan that will give 23hp to the 4.2l?? Thanks, I am very interested, of you cant post it e-mail me at sdfisher@cts.com thanks!!

 

Hi sdf150guy,

Sure! Your quote has already been emailed to you & I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

Mike,
You are a fountain of information, man. I am also interested in some of these modifications. I have a few questions though. My truck is pretty new, and has no mods "yet". Will I get the same HP/MPG gains from fans and pulleys without any other mods? Or do you suggest other mods to go with them (intake, chips, exhaust)? Also, how hard is the install for the fans and pulleys? Price info would be great too.
Thanks,
Vic

 

Hi Vic,

What you'll want to do is to give us a call so we can go over all of that properly, as it's not appropriate for here. This is the Computer Chips section, so we need to try to stay on track as much as possible, & thanks for your understanding.

Anytime there are numerous questions, anything detailed, etc., that always needs to be done by phone. We get many emails & posts everyday, so there just isn't time to type out detailed individual replies for everyone everyday. Also, issues such as pricing, etc., any matters that are between vendor & customer in nature, whether it's pricng, Tech Support, pre-sales info, etc., can't be discussed here, that's against the rules, and must be conducted privately.

Our contact info is just below, give us a shout & we'll be happy to go over everything with you thoroughly, in detail & answer all your questions.

Briefly.............

The gains from our electric fans kit & the underdrive pulleys aren't dependent on anything else, it doesn't matter what other mods you have or have not done, they will always gain what they gain, which is about 15 HP & 12 HP respectively, at the wheels.

In terms of the order of best bang for the buck, electric fans & underdrive pulleys generally come after things like proper PCM tuning (the Superchip), getting the restriction out of the air intake tract and the exhaust. However, just because that's the order of bang for the buck doesn't mean you *have* to do those things in that particular order, that's really up to you.

In general, the order of the best bang for the buck among all the various performance modifications for these vehicles is:

1.) Tuning
2.) Intake
3.) Exhaust
4.) Electric fan kit
5.) Underdrive pulleys
6.) Ignition mods
7.) Headers (* custom tuning required)
8.) Larger MAF & TB (* custom tuning required for MAF)

And the list goes on and on, there is literally no end to how far we can take the performance of any of these late-model F-150's (and some other vehicles). We do everything from air filters to superchargers & everything in between.

It's important to remember that the actual brand selection is absolutely *critical* to the results, as there are tons of cheap intakes, exhausts and other parts out there that are pure crappola and will lessen the results quite significantly, which is why we don't carry any of them. The owners with the fastest trucks and that get the best fuel mileage are those who take their time and use only the best parts, even if they have to save up & wait a little while to do it right. Don't ever compromise on any performance part is our advice, and we carry *only* the very best.

To go over any details, map out a plan of mods for you, to place an order, get pricing, etc., please give us a call at your convenience at our number listed below & we'll be happy to help you!