here you go Don.

bone stock

do a search on Neals post and start reading around the end at page 125 or 126.

some good information, the guy could write a book, but he needs to keep notes.

 

HI!... BROTHERDAVE : I remember that post now after reading it. I wrote what I wrote back then to BS that guy so no one would know how slow my truck ran bone stock. But since then I'm MUCH quicker now and don't care if anyone knows it only ran a 16.01E.T BONE STOCK. Which it was at the time of that run, except for a K&N filter on a home made intake tube. H.P increase? Probably about 2-3H.P, which was probably good for about 2 thousanths or so. I only use a K&N filter for one reason........... RE-USABLE!!!!!!!!! As for the BONE STOCK run , it was at MILAN DRAGWAY and yes the 1ST time out I ran a 15.68E.T but with a major problem of hitting the rev limiter during the 1st - 2nd gear upshift. That was costing me a few tenths at least. JMC and IZZY EDDY and ATST were there as witnesses. We were testing my new at the time SUPERCHIP. We made no runs without the chip then. I then had MIKE T re-program my SUPERCHIP for a higher rev limiter and went back to the same track a few weeks laterwith 1000KMS on the truck using the chip. With the new *RE-PROGRAMNED*chip installed, I ran 3 times at 15.38/15.39, and 15.41E.T's and then pulled the chip and reset the computer, via MIKE's instructions. The truck then ran two 16.01E.T's and one 16.02E.T. At least it was consistant! By the way, way back then in "99" my truck was raced at FULL weight with spare, jack and front sway bar.

Actually it was 6.3 TENTHS. A few weeks after that last run I installed 4.10 gears and lowered the rear 2 inches. One week after that I installed the flowmaster true dual exhaust set-up (WORST MUFFLERS ON THE PLANET!). Then the twin electric fans, pulleys, shift kit, and JBA headers. Some of which I already had in my garage for several weeks but had not had time to install. That's why they appear in my SIG.

 

this is what got me really confused:

posted 10-8-03:

 

neck4752 it is well worth the money. No your not going to gain huge amounts of power. It would take several thousand dollars to come any where near Lightning power. For a few hundred (give or take) you will have a more responsive more fun to drive truck. If you don't plan on any major mods in the future then the Microtuner should be fine. It does cost more than a "chip" but is non-invasive and has more features.

Give Mike Troyer a call at Performance Products. I think that a conversation on the phone with him will answer any questions you might have.

If you happen to be out west here (I'm assuming your from the eastern part of the state) keep an eye out for me.

 

HI!... BROTHERDAVE : Well after reading that quote, I must really start re-reading my posts before I submit them. There is a obvious typo there. There is no way I could of run down the track the 1ST time with the 4.10 gears installed since I didn't have them yet. They were on order. I got one of the 1ST sets of aftermarket 4.10 gears for the 9.75 rearend in CANADA. I waited for them to come in for quite some time. I believe they were run on my 3rd trip to the track in which other mods were added also. That's when I ran a 14.52E.T. So that should read 3RD time down the track, not 1ST. I ran with and without the chip after the gears were installed. Times stayed about the same due to tire spin and not knowing how to launch the truck properly back then. Is there anything else you would like to know?

P.S : So there's no more CONFUSION, I corrected the quoted post.

You will probably find a lot of typo's in my posts. I very rarely re-read them before submitting them. It's NOT a priority with me, sorry if that bothers you. But it happens, you have to realize that I type many posts a day on more than 5 sites plus about 20 e-mails a night, so the faster I get them done the better so I can relax after a hard day at work.

 

i will take a raincheck on that. Neal,

i love cars, i could talk about motors and mods all day long, thing is i really listen and pay attention to everything i read. i swear i can pick up a hot rod that is ten years old and just seeing the cover i can remeber stuff about the tech articles and the cars in the mag. If you post it, i remember it, believe it or not i have even told a few people about the guy that runs deep in the 14's with no power adders.


sorry to get off topic, i dont have a chip but have spoke with Mike rescently and I need to get a few thing first, then i will be getting a chip. all you have to do is call a few chip people then call Mike and i know who you will be getting it from. I cant speak for him but I bet he will tell you that better mpg will occur but that is not the chips main focus and that ever truck reacts different.

 

HI!... BROTHERDAVE : I agree, I talk cars/trucks and engines 24/7. It gets on my co-workers nerves sometimes. All they ever talk about is drinking beer and smoking the weed. At least I have things to show for my work, all they have is empty cans/bottles and ashes. I bought my chip for one perpose : TO GET MORE POWER!!!!!! The MPG I get on the highway is just a MAJOR bonus. Best so far has been 23.2MPG. In the city though it's a different story. Try like probably 8-10MPG. I would hate to even try to figure out my city MPG.

 

Hello neck4752,

Nice to have you drop by - and it looks like a good thread with lots of feedback, comments, etc.

One quick comment about milchucks post where he talks about having difficulty installing his traditional Superchip module - we feel the manufacturer's installation instructions need to be more thorough in *these* vehicles (where they're generally fine for the other vehicles) - which is why *we* write 4-5 additional pages of highly detailed documentation that we provide along with the manufacturer's instructions with every Superchip we ship - and our docs will take *anyone* that can read and follow instructions thru this installation smoothly, and with no surprises.

What we have to remember is that the people who do customer service at Superchips are dealing with *lots* of vehicles - primarily the traditional hot-rods & muscle cars, like Corvettes, Camaro's, Mustangs, Cobra's, etc. - I have visited them just recently again last month, and in the support room there are 8 people answering those calls - some of them are aware of the fine points & things you should know about when installing the Superchip in 1997-2003 F-150's specifically, and some of them are *not* aware of those fine points in these late-model F-150's - what needs to be mentioned is the fact that Superchips literally *thousands* of different applications, and not everyone there can ever be expert on every one of them.

Now we, on the other hand, happen to *specialize* in this platform, so we probably know more about installing the Superchip in this platform than anyone you'll talk to at the manufacturer's customer service - and that's not a "knock" on them, that's simply the benefit of specialization. Thus we've done more of these late-model F-150's over the years, literally thousands of them as America's oldest Superchips distributor.

In fact, we used to write much of their documentation, including their first catalogs, re-writing all their individual application spec sheets, etc., etc - we did that until the recent years, and now they do it all themselves. Their instructions for the Superchip are OK for other vehicles, but in the late-model F-150 it's nice to have very thorough docs written specifically for these vehicles so you don't run into any surprises like milchuck did with that "lip" that is on some of the mounting brackets, for example - now that is a very easy thing to deal with when you know about it up front, but if you *don't* know about it, then it can bite you - just like what milchuck went thru, unfortunately for him - this is just one of many reasons why we recommend purchasing those products from us, as we know them better and we write thorough documentation that avoids those potential problems - that's the benefit of being the oldest distributor of that product, but more importantly, specializing in this platform like we have for years.

Let's get to the heart of your question - "is it worth it?"

In a word, absolutely - and you can see how the others feel from there posts. Having a properly optimized powertrain program is generally the single best bang for the buck performance enhancement you can make to these (and most other) computer controlled vehicles, as nothing else for less cost will improve performance more. Now don't misunderstand, a Superchip is NOT going to feel like a supercharger, and in these 2-4 ton trucks you cannot judge performance gains by the seat of the pants like you can in a 3400 lb. Mustang - the Superchips tuning is simply the single best bang for the buck - no more, no less.

You have the option in the Superchips between single and dual program Superchip modules, and then the easiest thing to use, with is the Superchips Micro Tuner - that device you just plug into your OBD-II port under the dash and 10 minutes later you're done - simple and fast.

To go over all the various details, features, options, etc.,
you can read that information over on our web site at www.TroyerPerformance.com - in fact, click on this link below to take you right to the appropriate page:

http://www.troyerperformance.com/cgi...chips%3BFoMoCo

Once there, you'll want to read up on these 3 part#'s: 1100, 1300 & 1715, which are respectively, the single-program Superchip, the 2-program Superchip Flip Chip, and then the Superchips Micro Tuner that most people use.

One thing to note is that while our web site is e-commerce enabled for the Superchips products, we have to abide by the manufacturer's MAP (minimum advertised price) guidelines there, so to get your best price you'll want to *call* us to actually place the order - it's makes a significant difference in your actual cost.

OK, now let's cover your other questions, though by now most of that has probably been covered already.....

No, you wold not use both a Superchip and a Superchips Micro Tuner - you would use *either* the Micro Tuner *or* the Superchip, but not both at the same time. You only need 1 device to deliver a different powertrain program to the PCM. Actually, if you tried using the Micro Tuner, and then also installed the Superchip, what would happen is it would run off the Superchip, and would ignore the instructions uploaded into the PCM's internal EEPROM via the Micro Tuner - you don't need to worry about th mechanics of all that, the simple answer is you use either one or the other, but not both.

No, this is not hazardous to your vehicle nor will it shorten the service life of your powertrain. Actually, the effect normally seen is a bit longer automatic transmission service life, due to the reduced slippage. With routine 3000 mile oil changes intervals, you should see a normal 150K-200K mile service life from the engine.

Remember, we're not radically altering the engine, we're simply giving it a good state of tune and altering some of the things that are so heavily compromised to make these vehicles more appealing to women - literally - for example, they try to calibrate them so you can't even feel what the engine or transmission is doing, and in that process it really hurts performance, throttle response, driveability and performance. And some of our programs are retuning the engine for higher octane levels, which is how we get the highest power gains. We do not defeat any of the engine protection devices such as the knock sensor system or the engine's rev limiter (the top speed limiter can be removed, but not the rev limiter).

No, this is not bad for the vehicle's PCM (powertrain control module, the part that holds the program and actually operates your powertrain). Like most products, as long as these products are properly installed, that is not a concern - and they aren't hard to install, we provide extremely thorough documentation - and we're just a phone call away if you have a question about installation.

That should cover it I think, and please feel free to give us a call if you'd like to go over any of this, or anything else performance-related about your truck.

Best of luck!