I have a 1 month old 99 xlt supercab w/ the mighty 5.4L. My dealer said that these engines were specifically made for 87 octane and that if you put higher octane into the engine you wont see any performace increases. Actually, if I put higher octane into the engine, the check engine light will go on, even though there would be no harm to the engine. So my question is if I superchip my 5.4 will I need to go to higher octane to recieve the best performace increase out of it or would i stick to 87 like it is recommended for my engine?

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1999 Silver F-150 XLT Supercab Triton 5.4L 4X2 3.55 LS class 4 whell ABS/4-W disc

Stuff I did not need but came with it
Class III Towing package
Power driver seat
Remote keyless entry
Free Floor mats :P
Hell of a ride

Mods I hope to do
1. Superchip
2. K&N air filter
3. Gibson Exhuast

Add-ons
1. Bed liner
2. Hard bed cover

All I'll ever need with this bad boy

Will be getting pictures soon
ccr-rules@worldnet.att.net

 

You will have to go with high octane(93)with the superchip. Just like the engine is designed for 87 octane right now, the superchip is designed for 93 octane.

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'99 F-150 XLT SC 4x4 5.4L Auto 3.55LS Tow pkg skid plates , Superchip, Gibson cat-back, K&N filter w/ airbox mods

 

FuNewGee: I'm a bit confused. Are you saying the dealer told you the check engine lite would come on if you ran higher octane gas??? If he did, he's lying through his teeth. These engines are designed from the factory to burn the low octane gas the best. But using higher octane will not cause the lite to come on. Also, if you add the superchip, it changes the way the engine uses the gas therefore requiring you to use high octane only.

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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

 

Tina, when I was in high school a friend got a 96 thunderbird and after a few weeks of owning it the check engine light came on. She returned it to the dealer and they hooked it to the computer and said she was running too high octane gas. She went to 87 octane and the light never came on again. I know most cars and trucks can run 93 octane, but it is possible that a few will have the check engine light to come on.

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1997 4x4 5.4 ORP XLT extended cab Dark Toreador red Westin nerf bars tint HARDER THAN A ROCK AND FASTER THAN A HEART BEAT

 

Dear FuNuGee,

Your dealer was correct in that using premium gas with the factory program will not allow any appreciable additional power, with one basic exception: When under heavy load, such as towing, etc., the ECU will allow about 2% more horsepower when using premium gas in that situation. Your dealer was correct in that your vehicle was programmed from the factory specifically for the use of regular gas. It is also true that in some Ford engines, using premium *can* cause a driveability problem. We have seen this more often with the original 4.0 V-6 engine, and it's not frequent, but most Ford dealers have seen a few Fords here and there exhibit driveability problems when using premium in a non-performance vehicle, with factory programming. This is due to the fact that higher octane fuels generally burn at a slower rate, thus slowing down flame front propagation in the combustion chamber. In most engines, it's not a problem, but here and there, on occasion, it *can* be. It tends to manifest itself as sluggish throttle response, or, the engine "laying down", so to speak.

The Superchip in this context could perhaps best be described as a "conversion". Meaning, it converts the vehicle's programming from being calibrated for regular gas (85-87 octane) to being calibrated specifically for premium gas(91-94 octane). And in the process, more power is generated, generally about a 10%-12% increase in peak horsepower in most normally-aspirated engines.

This is a question that has come up often, and it's a valid point. In many Ford owners manuals, for instance, it says specifically *not* to use premium gas, and this is the reason. Using a Superchip takes care of this, by programming the fuel curves to compensate for the differing burn rate of premium gasoline.

I can't say I have ever seen a Ford's check engine light come on from using premium with the factory program, because I haven't. But I do know that a few Fords have exhibited driveability problems using premium gasoline, and for the record, it tends to be the vehicles that are most conservatively programming from the factory in the first place, I.E., non-performance vehicles. SUV's. Passenger cars. So I wouldn't rule out this possibility.

It just goes to show you that darn near anything can be *possible*, I suppose!

I hope this helps explain it a bit, our bests to all,

------------------
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 09-26-1999).]

 

Thanks a lot Mike . Considering that I only have to fill up every 2 weeks now and that the superchip will actually add about 3-4 mpg, then the switch to higher octane won't hurt my wallet(my parents actually) much at all. Now I'm just wondering any deals on superchips coming out say around chistmas?

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1999 Silver F-150 XLT Supercab Triton 5.4L 4X2 3.55 LS class 4 whell ABS/4-W disc

Stuff I did not need but came with it
Class III Towing package
Power driver seat
Remote keyless entry
Free Floor mats :P
Hell of a ride

Mods I hope to do
1. Superchip
2. K&N air filter
3. Gibson Exhuast

Add-ons
1. Bed liner
2. Hard bed cover

All I'll ever need with this bad boy

Will be getting pictures soon
ccr-rules@worldnet.att.net

 

I don't know that I would count on getting 3-4 more mpg with the Superchip. It is *possible*, but the normal range for gas mileage improvement is anywhere from about 1.5 to a high of about 3-3.5 more mpg on the V-8 F-150. These are the range of numbers we've gotten back from F150online participants using the Superchip, and it can vary depending on the configuration of your F-150, as there is quite a bit of weight difference between say, a "stripper" 4X2 V-6, and a "loaded" 139" wheelbase 4X4 Super Cab 5.4. Most people who track mileage do see an improvement, but I don't think I've had anyone here on F150online report as much as 4 more mpg on a gas engine F-150, I think that is a little bit optimistic, perhaps.

When cruising, hopefully you will see an improvement. Just remember that the improved gas mileage is merely a by-product of the increased spark advance used on part-throttle rather than it being something that was deliberately designed into the product specifically for better mileage, so your results will depend on what kind of load your vehicle is under, and how it's driven, along with your local fuel quality. I'd say to look on the lower side of that scale, more like 1.5 to 2 more mpg perhaps. It will be interesting to see just exactly what your results are when you get it installed!

All the best,

------------------
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 10-04-1999).]

 

As you can tell by my tag line, I have a 5.4L 4X4 SC 99 F150, and I've added the superchip. So far, I've put in 2 tanks of gas, and I keep all my receipts for gas, as well as write on each one what my trip meter reads when I fill up. I then reset the trip meter.

Since I've owned the truck, the only tank of gas I don't have a receipt labelled with the mileage is the first one from the dealer.

Before the superchip, I did a rough calculation and I was getting 16.4 mpg, putting on 100 miles a day, all highway. I have not checked the mileage with the superchip yet, I will wait until I have at least 5-10 tanks passed. I will let you all know what my results are.

Fortunately, I can go back and calculate my mpg before the chip as well, since I kept all the paperwork!

------------------
David
'99 F150 XLT SC, STYLESIDE
4X4 ORP 5.4L, AUTOMATIC,
139wb, Rhino, K&N,
BugGuard, RainGuards
Superchip

 

Dear Cloaker,

Excellent! You have all the data you could want to be able to check your mileage there, so it will be very interesting to see what your results are. You obviously have one of the heaviest F-150 configurations available, with the 139" WB, 5.4, 4X4, etc., etc., so I will be looking forward to seeing those numbers.

It's great to see that kind of data so closely tracked. I should do all our vehicles here that closely, and we used to, but now we just check them maybe once a month or so, to keep an eye on any changes, but the way you are accumulating all that data, you have a great track record there, so those should be some very accurate numbers. Let's hope you see an increase!

------------------
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 10-08-1999).]

 

As I have been thinking about a chip for my 99 4X4 4.6, I have pondered the increased cost of the 93 octane fuel. Then I thought, I spend almost $30K for the truck, another $3K for accessories (flomaster, K&N, wheels and tires, etc., etc., etc.), and I am worried about a little increase in fuel cost...seems silly after I worked out the math.

Assuming $1.20 for 87 octane and $1.40 for 93 octane (current St. Louis prices), let's buy ten gallons of each....$12.00 and $14.00 respectively.

Let's assume 14 mpg w/o chip and 16 mpg with the chip (Mike guesses anout 2 mpg on average).

On the 87 octane we would travel 140 miles on 10 gallons, and on the 93 octane we would travel 160 miles on 10 gallons (20 mile distance increase).

87 Octane Cost 93 Octane Cost
=================== ==================
$12.00/140 miles = $14.00/160 miles =
approx. $.085/mile approx. $.087/mile

I really don't think that 2/10ths of a penny per mile will break me...let's see, for 50,000 miles of driving that would be an extra $100.00....

If you figure in the cost of the chip ($200)over 50,000 miles, it works out to about 4/100 of a penny per mile ($.004).....

I guess I will order the chip........

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cloaker: are you also recording "which" gas you are using?? I have found that I get different results using different brands of high octane fuel!! I got the best mpg using Texaco and the worst with Exxon. And the strangest thing is a no-name (brand X) gas station here gives me almost as good a milage as Texaco at a great reduction in price So around town here I use the no-name gas but when traveling I stick with the Texaco. More expensive but I know what I'm getting

Dr Dave: yep, small price to pay for all the other bennies you get from the chip. I didn't even look at the chip from a "requires high octane more expensive to run" perspective. I just wanted to be able to get this beast moving quicker

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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




[This message has been edited by Tina (edited 10-08-1999).]

 

Tina makes an excellent point here, everyone, when she mentioned which brands get better mileage, and you need to use the same brand, and even better, get it from the same station if possible when you are closely tracking mileage, for best possible accuracy. Texaco is always at or near the top of the list in gas mileage, and Exxon is always on the lowest end of the scale. This has to do with the actual BTU content, or energy content of the gasoline. Exxon now uses "reformulated" gasoline year-round, all across America, and you will generally get 8%-10% worse gas mileage with Exxon and any other "reformulated", or "oxygenated" gasoline, compared to say, Texaco, Amoco, or Citgo in standard formulations.



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

 

TO TINA:

Thanks for the positive message....I notice that your truck is similar to mine...4.6 with a 5 speed, 4X4 and taller tires than stock.

I replaced my 236x70x16's with 265x76x16's...made a big change in final drive ratio....did the chip help you performance even with the taller tires???? Have you checked you mpg????

Also, I just got off the phone with Mike ...I did order the chip...can't wait to put it in...

By the way, Mike, I really appreciate the advise and info you provided....I was a bit skeptical, but feel much better now...thanks

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Dr. Dave: My tires have my speedo off and I haven't had that fixed. Even so I figure I get a solid 17mpg, that's whether I go 4-wheeling at the beach or a lot of stop and go trafic in town. I have leadfootitist real bad (chronic case) but my gas milage still stays withen the 17mpg. It does go up to about 20mpg on interstate. YES, the chip helped performance. I could tell right away that I had more power to jump out into trafic. And when down at the beach, it's got more "humph" to get through the wet sand. For me the chip did exactly what I was wanting it for. The first thing I did when I put the chip in was find a road that I could stop and go WOT on. You will right off the bat, notice that you are shifting much, much later than you used to. And that your speed really gets up there "quick". Have you got LS and 3.55 axle?? Before you drop in the chip, go WOT a couple of times and notice your rpms, speed and where you're shifting. Then you will have a ball park to compair when you put in the chip. Have fun. One other thing, try to run that reg gas completely out (don't run out of gas doing this) and get some premium gas into the tank before you get the chip. Even having a 1/4 tank of reg and mixing it with the premium will usually cause a knocking with the chip.

[This message has been edited by Tina (edited 10-09-1999).]

 

Dear dr_dave,

Thanks very much for your kind words, and your order! It helps us to help those less fortunate, as we donate all profits to charity.

Enjoy your new Superchip,

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