Had the Chip a few months and have not noticed a big diff in performance during normal driving (5.4L) but wanted more torque and HP for towing anyway. Well, it doesn't work that well. In fact I believe it may be worse. My performance hasn't improved much, if at all, and the MPG is the same or WORSE. I think that the Chip improvements are too marginal and when towing the demands are too great and simply negate the differences....but the price of gas (Calif.) is a big factor when you only get 6 to 8 MPG.

 

Chuck: Are you saying that you get 6 to 8mpg??? If so, I would think about pulling the chip and taking the truck in and finding out where your gas is going!! 6 to 8 is AWFUL.

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97F150 XLT SC 4x4 Flairside 4.6 V8 5sp Dk Toreador Red, 3.55LS
ARE tonneau cover, p255/70rx16 tires (came w/235), Superchip
Pioneer CD w/4 Polk Speakers & Clarion APA5240amp, skid plates
bed liner, side window deflectors, reese hitch, K&N air filter
40s-2chamber Flowmaster, Bosch +4 spark plugs, rustproofing
Better Built Stainless nerf bars

 

Chuck, you don't list which truck or equipment, but, the worst mileage that I have seen is a friend's 99, F250, 4x4, Crew Cab, 5.4. He was getting 9mpg in town and 11 hwy, after chipping he now gets 11-12 in town and 13-15 hwy. The performance difference was very noticable, maybe it is the weight difference that makes it seem so noticable. You might want to check with your dealer to see if there are any updates on your computer program.

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It should help towing. What model truck do you have? Do you have the Superchip?

 

I used to get 7-9 mpg while towing with my 97 F150 with 4.6L auto. I'd believe 6-8 mpg with a 5.4L no problem.

 

Last trip towing tandem axel BB-Q pit, 3500 plus pounds was 13.3 MPG. This was stop and go for 160 miles, I thought that was pretty decent. I had just added a flowmaster 70 and I think that helped also.

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98 Nascar Edition, Superchip, Airaid, Flowmaster 70 series, bedliner, in bed tool box, Profile bug deflector and window vents, Class III receiver hitch.

 

Dear Chuck,

Can you give us an idea of about how much weight we're talking about here? Meaning, how much weight are you pulling behind the vehicle? I ask this because we have seen circumstances whereby some vehicles, when towing heavy loads, just won't see an improvement in fuel mileage, as the engine is just having to work too hard, which was basically your comment as well.

Getting 8-9 mpg with a heavy load is about par for the F-250's with a 5.4 when stock. For example, we have a number of F-250's towing about 5000 lbs or so, that are seeing 2-3 more mpg from their Superchip. And then again, we see some that just will not get any better mileage, due to the workload.

Another point is that when you have a 5.4 F-250 that is loaded down like this, you can't expect the Superchip to make a "BIG" difference, orperhaps I should say that I wouldn't call it a "BIG" difference. In round numbers, it's basically a 10%-12% increase in peak horsepower, and that is not enough to make a "BIG" difference in a 10,000+ lb. rig. You'll need somewhere around 75-100 more horsepower to make a "BIG" difference, and maybe more.

You should be able to feel it working, but it's not going to make a "BIG" difference under those circumstances. You can probably feel it better when you're not towing, and that is of course just a function of load.

Good luck with whatever you do,

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 09-28-1999).]

 

Wondered when Mike would jump in ? The GCWR for the truck is 13,500 lbs and the trailer rating(for this truck) is 8,300 lbs The actual weight of the trailer is 7,100 lbs but the GCW is 13,300 lbs. So you can see that we are talking about max for the truck. I believe that I do notice a slight improvement in preformance when NOT towing, but that is not why I have been trying to give the truck a "boost" in torque & HP. I am surprised that no-one has mentioned the latest article on Chip comparisons in a Auto mag that just came out. Take a good look at the RPM range and the SuperChip vs HyperTech !

 

The truck is a 97 F250 LD, 5.4L, 3.73 rear, K&N filter, Flowmaster 70 series and a SuperChip. It is a 4X4 Xtend Cab, short bed with a Leer shell. and tow pkg. The truck has synthetic oil and synthetic transmission fluid. The truck never overheats !! But the performance and MPG are just not worth getting excited about, I think that I will pull the Chip and go back to lower octane gas and see if there is a BIG difference. The MPG when towing is actually around 8 to 9 except when uphill or into a strong headwind.