What, if any improvements in power could I expect if I went with an aftermarket tuner or chip in an 01 V-10?
Which would be the more reccomended method of attaining the increaases?

 

Hi RM,

These Ford V10's respond very nicely to the Superchips tuning, with gains of over 30 HP at the flywheel, and 23-25 HP at the rear wheels. So you'll definitely see nice power gains and it's well worth doing. In fact, optimizing the powertrain program is the single best bang for the buck performance modification for your V10, as nothing else for the same or less cost will help performance as much as the Superchips tuning does.

Performance-wise, it doesn't matter if you use the traditional Superchip module or the newer Superchips #1715 Micro Tuner, either one will get you the same basic performance & power gains. Most people opt to use the Micro Tuner because of it's easier 10-12 minute installation via a simple plug-in program upload thru the OBD-II port inside the cabin.

If you are going to do more involved modifications that will require custom engine tuning to compensate for (superchargers, aftermarket MAF, larger fuel injectors, ported cylinder heads, etc.), then you need to use the traditional Superchip module. Otherwise, we recommend just using the Micro Tuner, as it's an easier installation & gives you significant additional features such as the ability to alter shift points & firmness levels and it's built-in OBD-II code scanner, etc.

The tuning in the Superchips Micro Tuner is compatible with other performance modifications such as an intake kit, a cat-back exhaust system, electric fans, underdrive pulleys, etc., so chances are you aren't going to be doing anything that requires compensation in the tuning. Thus, using the Micro Tuner would be the way to go.

You can read all about the Superchips products on our web site over at www.TroyerPerformance.com - Click on "Shop" once the home page loads, and that will take you to the individual sections, where you will see the Superchips section. Read up on Part#'s 1200 & 1715, which are the Superchip and the Superchip Micro Tuner, respectively. We also carry a complete line of performance parts for your V10, everything from intakes to exhausts & just about anything else you could want to get more power from your V10.

Just to give you an idea of the kinds of power gains you can get with the first 3 best bang-for-the-buck mods, doing the Superchips tuning, a good intake kit (Air force One) and a good exhaust system (Magnaflow) can easily add another 60 horsepower and upwards of 100 lbs./ft. of torque to that 6.8L V10 engine, and will help it's fuel mileage a bit as well as still maintain strict 50-state emissions compliance. So it's not hard to wake those V10's up & keep them legal, and not very expensive either, there's plenty of performance potential in those V10's.

Please feel free to give us a call as well, we'll be happy to go over any details & answer any questions, etc.

Best of luck with your V10!

 

Thanks for the response. As of now the only thing I've done to the truck is replace the air filter with the K&N that was in the 00 F-150 5.4 that we traded in on it. I've heard other V-10s with aftermarket exhausts (specifically Flowmaster) and really didn't like the way it sounded so if the Magnaflow is anything like that I'd have to pass. lol
I regularly tow a 2 horse trailer and have had to have Ford retune (detune???) the processor already as it was detonating on 87 pump gas rather badly......I refuse to pay to fill a 38 gallon tank with premium, I'm too poor for that. Will using your product necessitate the use of premium fuel only?

 

Using either the Superchips chip or Microtuner does require premium gasoline. I have been using the microtuner in my F150 5.4 and have noticed an INCREASE in fuel economy. In my daily commute to work and back (35.4 miles total) I averaged 15.6 mpg with regular unleaded and no microtuner. I am averaging 17.0 with the microtuner and premium gasoline, an increase of 8.23%. At the cost difference here in Oregon of about $.20 or 11.11% (regular @ 1.60, premium @ 1.80) that actual difference in cost per mile is 2.88% more for using the microtuner. For me, that equates to about 59 CENTS per week...definitely worth it in my book.

 

Hi RM,

I'd have to agree with you regarding the sound (and the results) of something like Flowmaster, and numerous other cheap exhaust manufacturers as well. They sound like absolute garbage, no refinement in the tone, no real flow engineering, etc. The Magnaflow exhaust sounds nothing like Flowmaster or any of the other el-cheapo exhaust manufacturers systems do.

The moral of the story is, don't try to get by on the cheap.

You get what you pay for at best in this life, and those looking to get by on the cheap will get exactly what they paid for, and to be completely candid, they also get exactly what they deserve. I can't imagine anyone taking a new vehicle with a sticker upwards of $40K or even $50K and putting a Flowmaster on it.

And yes, any performance chip or program will require the use of premium gasoline, and at a grand total additional cost of almost nothing in those V10's, thanks to the increased engine efficiency gained over the poor quality factory tuning. Most of our V10 customers don't even spend $50 more a year using good quality premium fuel and the Superchips tuning.

Good luck with your truck,

 

Hi Ed,

Thanks for your post.

Nice to see your results quantified so thoroughly, and glad to see that additional 59 cents a week for gas isn't breaking you!

The cost delta you are seeing there of 20 cents per gallon is right in line with the national average cost delta between regular & premium, which is also 20 cents per gallon.

I cam up with just a tiny bit different numbers for the percentage...............

Going from 15.6 mpg to 17.0 mpg is an increase of 1.4 mpg, which, divided by 15.6 (the previous mpg, which is what the 1.4 mpg is an improvement over, and thus is the actual mpg "basis"), gives us an improvement percentage of 8.97%. If we divided that 1.4 mpg improvement by the *result* (the 17.0 mpg) instead, then we'd get a figure of 8.23% (actually, 8.235294117%), but the 1.4 mpg increase is an increase over the 15.6 mpg figure, it's not an improvement over the 17.0 mpg (which is the resultant mpg after the Superchips tuning & premium gas), so the correct improvement is the same 1.4 mpg as you got, just the % is a bit higher, at 8.97%. It's no big deal at all of course, it's just like how some retailers figure their profit % as a percentage of cost of good sold, versus as a percentage of the actual sale price, for example. (And by now I've probably bored you to tears, sorry!)

Just what you needed after being so kind as to post all your detailed data, for me to split hairs, eh? Sorry 'bout that!

All kidding aside, thanks as always for your post & your results, nice to see good data & very kind of you to post your results!

 

It is nice to see that someone actually pays attention to the details, and I am glad that I am getting a better increase in MPG than I thought.

I don't think that 59 cents a week is going to break anyone and that was my whole reason for posting that. Even a cheap cup of coffee is at least that much. My wife threw a fit when she was riding with me one day when I had to fill up..."Premium, How can you justify PREMIUM? We can't afford the....blah blah blah" I told her I would cut out 1 can of soda a week to cover the difference.

 

Hi Ed,

You're absolutely right, some people just look at the additional 20 cents per gallon at the pump & automatically assume they're going to be spending some tremendous additional amount for gasoline, which is not correct. That does not happen, they don't actually pay an additional 20 cents per gallon to operate in reality, those are just incorrect assumptions.

Doing accurate fuel mileage tracking to see just what their *real* cost to use premium gas with the Superchips tuning actually is, as you & others have done, shows that the reality is far different from those assumptions. Among those who actually *do* that tracking correctly & consistently, the vast majority see some increase in mpg, and the overall average actual additional cost to operate turns out to be very small to virtually nil in most cases.

It's also funny how many people really don't properly calculate fuel mileage. Some people try to estimate the # of miles per tank, & various other methods, but the only correct way is to fill up, letting the pump stop at the first "click" (no topping off), and see just exactly how many gallons & tenths it took to re-fill the gas tank after driving however many miles since the last fill-up, via the trip odo (or the regular odo). That way, you can drive 100 miles or 300 miles between fill-ups, it doesn't matter, as you always have the exact amount of fuel it took to refill the tank, and the number of miles driven since th last fill-up, and thus can get an accurate actual mpg figure.

As always, thanks for your post!