Dear Dreamer7,

What a refreshing post, nice job! Thanks for your kind words, that was very nice of you. Your comments about expectations was very interesting, and it seems that this is sometimes a natural factor.

The 5.4's do gain a couple more horsepower than the 4.6's, but that's all, so it's only the difference between 26 hp gain for the 4.6 and a 28 hp gain for the 5.4, at the flywheel. Rear wheel numbers run 16-19 hp, that is the range from low to high for the 4.6 & 5.4 engines.

Have fun, & enjoy your new Superchip!

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

 

dreamer7,

I have the 4.6 and the Superchip delivered an impressive performance gain for me. I have to wonder why others are reporting differently. Perhaps part of the problem is the rather subjective method by how we determine a performance increase.....seat-of-the-pants and so forth.

I like to switch off the noise from the stereo now and then and just *listen* to my truck as I drive along. Learn how the engine sounds under all demands, dig deep into how it feels as well. I did this for quite some time before I went chipped, so I had some particular expectations from the chip for certain things I found annoying in the stock engine timing.
The obvious spark retard after each upshift, for example. The softness of each shift. Lackluster acceleration for passing on the freeway. How the engine sounded like it was slowly shutting down as I reached high speeds on the freeway (factoring out torque converter lock-out here). The Superchip has improved each of these areas significantly.

Spinning both tires vs. just one tire while unchipped is just icing on the cake!

------------------
Cam

'98 F-150 SC XLT, 4.6L, Bright Red, Red Spray-in Liner, Extang Soft Tonneau, Ford Bug Deflector, Airaid FIPK, Vortex "Cherry Bomb" Muffler, Chrome Exhaust Tip, Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks (and they *do* perform) Superchipped at last! (and WOW!)

Future Mods:
a)Limited slip
b)Running Boards

 

Crazy C
"I like to switch off the noise from the stereo now and then and just *listen* to my truck as I drive along."
I thought I was the only one who did that. Except I like to listen to my exceleration too!
I also have the 4.6 and am very happy with the Superchip, and how helpful Mike has been!
The other day a Grand Prix was playing with me from light to light on Wide Track drive and even though I knew he had me beat, I could tell he was impressed, (with my big 'ol Trucks' acceleration) because he kept trying to beat me by more than a car length between lights and couldn't. When I finally saw him turn off, I knew he had passed where he was going, because Wide Track Dr circles around, and where he turned he could have gotten to sooner by going straight instead of following me on to Wide Track in the first place! I bet he starts seriously looking at F150's!



------------------
"Moonlight Blue" 98 F150 SC XLT 2WD 4.6, 3.55 LS Tow Pkg. SUPERCHIP, K&N Airbox mod. w/ "Cool" intake, Mobil One Oil, Bosch +4's. Lund Fastback, Lighted visor, Runninng Boards, Crome Taillight covers, Smoked Bug and Rain guards, Shelf-it, Carpet dash cover, Red Wings license plate in front, Red Wings license plate frame in back, Little Detroit Viper hanging from mirror, Oh yeah, and one "Blacked-out" grill
LOOK-OUT! Can't jump curbs anymore RB's make it look lowered! http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/daytona/843/

 

Just wanted to say thanks to Mike for hooking me up with my SuperChip. I picked it up and installed it yesterday. I was reading some of the posts in other subjects and saw that some people were not happy with the performance gains that they were getting from their SuperChip.
I just wanted to say that to be honest I wasn't really expecting that much if any improvement in performance. Many times I have ordered things for different vehicles that have claimed wild power gains and have yet to see them. So I was hopeing for just a little something when I decided to give it a shot and order from Mike.
Well after getting it in and takeing it for a spin I was really really really happy. I of course noticed the shift improvement and the fact that at W.O.T. it would shift at about 5200 instead of 4900. From a dead stop it never before even chirped a tire. With the chip from dead stop It broke bouth tires lose and kicked the rear out sideways. So I am very pleased.
The people that are not very happy I have noticed seem to all have the 4.6 motor and I have the 5.4 so maybe thats got something to do with it. Oh well just wanted to say thanks to Mike for everything.

 

Dear Andthensometoo,

I just noticed in your signature line that you have those great Bosch Platinum +4's installed, how do you like them? Could you tell any difference when they were installed, and do you happen to remember how many miles you had on the original plugs?

I ask because I am very curious to get feedback on this. When I had a set installed in a Lincoln Mark 8, it made enough of a difference that the car now will bark the tires on the 2-3 WOT upshift, which happens at about 95 mph. I had never seen a big old heavy Lincoln getting rubber on the 2-3 at almost 100 mph before, (I confess it had the Superchip and a Transgo shift kit in it, but it never did that before the +4 Bosch plugs) it was *quite* a surprise, so I'm just curious what you may have noticed from yours, if anything.

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can offer,

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

 

All this superchip talk is making me go crazy, meaning I need one!

------------------
Fast46Triton

1999 Ford F150 XLT Supercab, Shortbed, 4x2, 4 wheel disc brakes/4 wheel Anti-Lock Brakes, Cloth Seats, Amazon green, 16" All season tires, Soft Tonneau Cover, CD Player, 4.6 liter Triton V8, 3:55 ls, towing package, 4 speed auto, K&N Airfilter
Future Mods:
1)Superchip
2)Airbox Mod
3)Gibson Exhaust

 

I had 27k on it when I changed them.
The power just didn't seem the same. We had gone on vacation and got some bad (lower octane) gas, so when we got back, I ran it with a couple of tanks of 93 Amoco. It was time for a oil change so I had the shop take out one plug and check it for wear. I had already bought the plugs and decided that I would eventually use them. I drove my truck using 89 octane before the chip (inst. at 20k) and use my truck for 14 hrs a day on mon. and tues. 3 hrs a day wed.-fri. So given my driving habits I figured that the plugs should be looked at. I also bought my own oil filter (motorcraft) and told the shop that if the plug didn't look right, change them and I want the old ones for future referance. Well 4 were worn and 4 were just dirty. They told me where the worst one was located, so I can check that one (myself) when it's time for the next oil change, and see what it's doing.
About the power well I went to milan the next day and didn't really notice except she was smoother, but not exciting! On the way back, however, I noticed! It must have took some hard driving to wake her up, but wake up she did! Now keep in mind that my stock tires suck, but she will chirp them when she hits second. I don't know about third because by then she's moving so fast that I have to slow down to avoid a speeding ticket. When you let off the gas the shifts are smoother, but if you keep it to the metal she'll put ya back in your seat every time she shifts. Too Cool!
I still wish I could take a ride in a lightning, but I don't "know" any one who has one.

 

I too was very happy with the service that I got from Mike. He helped me out with a way to get my chip quicker and save some money on shipping that alot of people wouldn't even bother with. Every thing went just like he said it would and the chip worked just like he said it would. Hey lets face it Superchips is a pretty awesome for the the money and Mike is da man!

 

Andthensometoo,

And I *also* thought I was the only one who liked driving around with the stereo off now and then to listen to my truck. Actually, I've had this habit since I first started driving twenty years ago. My early cars weren't exactly beaters, but they were clunkers, and neglecting to listen to the engine and drivetrain now and then could spell big trouble a few miles down the road.

And when they were running well, which fortunately was most of the time since I liked tinkering with cars, the hum of a well-tuned V8 is unbeatable as it moves through the gears. And yeah, the roar of acceleration is great, too! That's partly why I got an Airaid kit for my truck...it returns that deep, throaty "whommmph" to the intake the old four barrels had in the muscle car days.

And one more vote of confidence for Mike T. is in order, since he handled the initial problems I had with my Superchip like a champ. It was well worth the back and forth to get the thing working right, and at no time did I feel Mike or Superchips was blowing me off, as is all too common in customer service these days.

------------------
Cam

'98 F-150 SC XLT, 4.6L, Bright Red, Red Spray-in Liner, Extang Soft Tonneau, Ford Bug Deflector, Airaid FIPK, Vortex "Cherry Bomb" Muffler, Chrome Exhaust Tip, Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks (and they *do* perform) Superchipped at last! (and WOW!)

Future Mods:
a)Limited slip
b)Running Boards

 

OK, thanks for the great feedback! I seriously doubt that you'll ever bark the tires on the 2-3 upshift, the only reason mine does is because it has the Transgo shift kit in it in addition to the Superchip, and it didn't even do that until I got the +4's in. I noticed a much smoother idle, and the engine just runs smoother all the time, that's a good way to describe it.

Have fun,

------------------
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).]

 

Dear Crazy C,

That is a sound that is rarely heard in new vehicles these days, and it is sorely missed, especially by *me*. Romping down on those good old 4-bbl's was a sound sweeter than music, and when I was much younger, my street cars rarely had even an AM radio in them, as all I cared about was listening to all that machinery making horsepower!

The Airaid kit is an excellent way to get that sound back, along with an additional 10-12 more horsepower, and I highly recommend it. For anyone wondering how and where to get an Airaid unit for their vehicle, take a look right here in the F150online store, as they are available at a great price.

Have fun,

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

 

Crazy C I also first learned to listen to the engine, by having a few beaters. I was the pround owner of the fastest "sleeper" car in Oxford Mi, before I even knew they were called sleepers. A '70 Nova that I could always tell by listening, just how to tweak it! My boyfreind would take me with him to buy cars because I could always "spot" a bad investment just by listening to it run.

Mike your right, we have been robbed of that sound! I miss that "rip" of my 428 GTO with open headers! I was behind a Cobra at a light the other day, light turned and I felt and heard the best "music" I have in years. It actually startled me for a sec, until I realized where it was comming from.(it looked stock, but couldn't be) I followed him for a few lights just to listen!

 

Hey Mike T. - Great phone conversation last Friday - always a pleasure to talk to a fellow hot rodder. Geez, how you ever get anything done during the day is beyond me - of course talking about cars is doing something..... How many phone calls a day turn into a b.s. session about performance or hot rods or whatever?

Am waiting for the Superchip with baited breath - Is it Friday yet?????????????

------------------
Mike Boardman '99 F150XLT 4X4 RC,FS,4.6,5spd,3.55LS,ORP,
Towing pkg,K&N GenII FIPK,FLowMaster,SnugLid,Luverne Nerf bars,
bug shield, DK Toreador Red.
When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

 

Dear Andthensometoo,

WOW! You had a 428 GTO?!? They are *so* rare, and my absolute favorite GTOs. Those Pontiac engines of the 60's, starting with the 326, then the 389, the 421, and the 428 are my favorites, and they all have the same external block, and use a valley cover. I don't mean to "diss" all the 400 Ram Air's, or the legendary 455, but the 428 GTO is my favorite of all time. If memory serves, they didn't put the 428 in those after the 1967 model year, is that right? What year was yours?

You sure know how to make a guy drool!

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

 

Dear Boardman,

Thanks, me too! I tend to get carried away when I talk to fellow hot-rodders, it always brightens my day. Sometimes I get lucky and can spend a considerable amount of time on the phone, and then sometimes it's hot and heavy, and I don't have 10 seconds extra, you just never know.

I'm, glad you decided to join us here at F150online, it's a great website and information source!

All the best,

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