Hello, this is for Mike but if anyone else can answer then feel free to do so. Truck in question is a 97 F150 4x4 4.6L/4R70W that has just over 158K miles on a very strong and healthy engine. Only performance mods is drop in K&N and a custom cat-back.

With the Superchips Micro tuner will I be able to adjust my shift points at all considering it's a 97? I probably knew at one time and am sure I've read it sometime but for the life of me I can't remember what it can and can't do on this model year. I know correcting speedo or gear changes is out of the question as it still uses the conventional VSS speed sensor in the tranny tailshaft. That's not my concern as that I can and haved fixed with a VSS gear swap.

Can the Micro tuner tell me what calibration code my PCM is currently on? The situation is that this was a early production truck made actually in 1/96, motor says 95. I'm sure the PCM was dealer reflashed due to bugs in the early programming but when I purchased the truck the new authorized ford modification tag was worn away. This was the main reason I never got a chip before as I need the code to order a plug-in chip and all the dealers wanted to charge a full diagnostic repair fee.

If you do answer this Mike it was good talking with you again. I have reccommend your chips and your site many times to customers at our auto parts store I work at.

 

Hi KY,

With the Micro Tuner, you don't need to know the computer code, it will have all the codes already built in. Now in a worst-case scenario, on the off chance that your 1997 truck's PCM was reflashed to a code we've never seen before, what would happen when you connect it is that it would store a *copy* of your PCM's program inside the Micro Tuner, and then tell you to "Call Superchips" on it's LCD screen. They give you an RMA# to send it in for the update, using it's stored copy of your program to make the new performance program.

However, I doubt that your PCM has been reflashed to a code the Micro Tuner doesn't have - the 1997's are the most heavily reflashed F-150's since that was the new model year for the last "new" F-150, and it's been years ago. The Micro Tuner should have any code your PCM would have been reflashed to, chances are.

No, the Micro Tuner cannot tell you what software revision your PCM has been reflashed to. It checks for the code in the background, so you can't just plug it in and have it tell you what code your PCM is.

When you plug in the Micro Tuner, what happens is it downloads your PCM's program and stores it internally. Then it does an internal lookup thru all the various 1200+ programs inside the Micro Tuner to find the exact code-matched Superchips performance program to match whatever program is in your vehicle's PCM, and once found, then uploads it. If it cannot find your vehicle's code internally, the Micro Tuner stores a *copy* of your PCM's program, and then flashes you the "Call Superchips" message on it's screen.

Yes, you can adjust your shift points on the 1997 & 1998 models with the Micro Tuner, even though it cannot correct for the speedometer error. If you have a speedo error, you'll want to correct it *before* trying to make manual adjustments to the shift points. The tuning in the Micro Tuner is *already* going to give you shift points that are optimized for best performance at full-throttle, so we recommend *not* doing any manual adjusting for at least month or so, just so you know where the shift points are already being set at, otherwise yo have no basis for comparison. So I'd take the defaults and leave it like that for at least a little while before determining that they actually need "fixing." I mention this simply because sometimes people assume that they *have* to adjust the shift points manually or they'll be the same as stock, but that's not the case, they are *already* optimized in the Micro Tuner's programs.

I hope that info helps, & call us if you need to go over anything in detail.

 

Mike
Thanks for the speedy response. I figured there wasn't a computer sode out there you guys haven't seen. Nice to know that I could just send the Mucro Tuer back to have a program made and not my whole PCM. I wasn't for sure if it might accidently tell you the calibration but if it can't no biggie either.
As for speedometer accuracy I'm not worried about correcting it as I have already done that and checked it against one of those speed traps they sit along the side of the road to tell you your speed. (no not a cop, that could get expensive).
Now you said it optimizes your "full throttle" shift points. What about regular driving shift points or I guess you would say part throttle? I would have thought it would have upped the line pressure or something to these as well since Superchips advertises as working at all throttle levels or is that just on the engine tuning. Just trying to clarify a few things.

Thanks again and no need to rush with an anwser Mike, just pondering a few things.

 

Hi KY,

Shift *points* have nothing to do with *line pressure*.

Part-throttle shift points have *nothing* to do with the fact that the Superchips tuning works at all throttle positions, at any rpm.

I think you may perhaps be a little bit confused on some of these terms (pretty easy to do), perhaps, so I'll try to give some general explanation that I think will help you with this............

Unless we are doing *custom* programming, we do not change P/T shift points because those are determined by very sophisticated algorithms that are vehicle speed & throttle position versus load dependent,and they work very well. In other words, *you* control the part-throttle shift points with your right foot, as it should be, based on driver power demand & overall load. If more power is not demanded, then the transmission will upshift into the next gear just as quickly as the PCM "senses" that it can do so without causing the vehicle to immediately lose speed. Why? Because the *driver* has not demanded more performance via the right foot, and the PCM will attempt to maximize fuel mileage by reducing rpms when power is not being demanded, which is done by upshifting and/or locking up the torque converter.

We do not apply the same line pressure regardless of throttle position, that would be an entirely inappropriate thing to do.
Line pressure on part-throttle is handled correctly in the Superchips tuning, in direct correlation to load, vehicle speed, which gear it's in, the throttle position, etc., just as it should be. Meaning, the more throttle you give it and/or the more load it's under (and to a certain extent, the faster the vehicle is going), the more line pressure is available as is required to effect a positive upshift and a linear feel & response.

Part-throttle shifts need to be variable based on all those factors and more, otherwise the vehicle doesn't respond correctly and in a linear fashion.

The shift points you can change with the Micro Tuner are the WOT (wide-open throttle) shift points, as those are the only shift points where there is a set command that does not vary. So the WOT 1-2 will always happen at the same speed/rpm (variances in transmission fluid & transmission health notwithstanding), the WOT 2-3 upshift will happen at the same rpm each time, and so on. That does not mean that the 1-2, 2-3 & 3-4 WOT upshifts are all at the same rpms, they aren't. It simply means that the WOT 1-2 will always be the same, the 2-3 WOT will always be the same, and so on, whereas P/T shift points are variable, based on the above-described factors.

Anyone that wants changes to part-throttle shifts will need to use the traditional Superchip module with a custom program for that. Generally speaking, the only people that have us do that are those that are towing heavy loads, basically. For them, we can generally move up the P/T shift sliding scales by about 2-4 mph without running into problems. You have to be very careful with all of this, as not only are there downshift points to think of, there are various timers to limit time in gear (meaning a minimum amount of time in a certain gear, thus potentially causing the engine to bounce off the rev limiter, etc.) There's more to part-throttle shift points than many people realize, and a lot of overlapping effect, so we have to be careful with altering any part-throttle shifts. Thus we do that only in a custom program in the traditional Superchip modules, in either single or dual-program versions.

Keep in mind that the fact that we do not allow manual changes to the part-throttle shift points in the Micro Tuner does not mean *anything* else. It does not mean that the Micro Tuner or *any* Superchips tuning does not work at all throttle positions for example, that's a fallacy.

I hope some of this "general" info helps a bit, & feel free to call us to go over any details.