Do all performance chips require premium grade gas? Is it worth the price to pay .10 to .25 cents more a gallon? I need a chip that will help towing as well as trips around town. Is there such a thing?

 

Dear richgonfishn,

Welcome to F150online!

Great screen name you picked, by the way.

And yes, performance chips do require premium gasoline, that is how the additional raw engine power is produced. The program is developed using techniques that take advantage of premium gasoline's increased anti-knock properties, in addition to other aspects.

The Superchip tunes on part-throttle as well as full-throttle, so most people do see a bit of an improvement in their gas mileage when cruising on the highway, and not using a lot of heavy throttle. This is just a by-product of the increased spark advance that is used on part-throttle, so your results will depend on how you operate your vehicle, and your local fuel quality. If you drive an average of 15,000 miles a year, and don't see *any* improvement in gas mileage from the Superchip, your increased fuel costs amount to maybe $150-$200 a year at most. Since most people do see some improvement in mileage, this number is usually smaller. For a few lucky people it's enough to make up for the increased cost of premium gasoline, but that is the exception rather than the rule, of course. If gasoline costs are your single most important factor, then you might not want to buy a performance chip, as it is rare for the Superchip to pick up enough gas mileage to completely defray the added cost of premium. If, however, you would like more power, improved driveability, perhaps a bit better fuel mileage, and don't mind paying a little more for your gas, then you may be a good candidate for a performance chip.

The Superchip helps your vehicle perform better in literally any situation, thanks to it's tuning at all throttle positions. From 1000 rpm on up, you will have more power available. So whether you are towing a load, or just getting groceries, your vehicle will be more responsive, powerful, and efficient.

One of the best things about F150online is being able to talk to all these people who have done these types of things, and there are lots of people here using the Superhcip. You can learn a lot by reading over the message threads here a bit, as we cover many topics of interest to just about everyone, sooner or later. Plenty of people here will tell you what they think, and what they have experienced.

One thing that a few guys here recently have stated doing is using the 2-program Superchip Flip Chip, which can contain any 2 programs, and allows you to select back and forth with the flip of a switch. Lately people have been ordering them with one program for regular gasoline, and the other program for premium. It's a more expensive product, as it's 2 chips in one, with 2 completely separate programs. For some people it makes sense to have that kind of flexibility, though most do not spend the additional money, and just use the regular single-program Superchip.

Feel free to give us a call if you'd like more specific details on what the Superchip can do for your vehicle, ordering info, etc.

And please stick around and hang out with us here on F150online. It's a great place filled with lots of excellent information, and quite a few characters, you'll enjoy it!

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html

 

Hi guys! did any of you try somekind of "octane booster" or something like a PVI kit with the chip.

 

Hey 4byFord,
Steve strongly recommends against using any type of "Octane Booster". Most of the boosters on the market are very costly and do next to nothing for you.
I'm sure Steve can also help you with your PVI kit question. He should be here soon.

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2000 F-150 Lariat 4x2 Supercab, Styleside,SB,Amazon Green/Clearcoat Metallic,5.4 Liter V8, Class III Tow-Package,3.55 Limited Slip Rear,Bug Deflector, Duraliner Bedliner,Superchip,K&N Filter, Fumoto Oil Drain Valve.

 

Hi, mike, i have a question for you...

Since the superchip requires premium gas instead of regular, and even though an owner will receiver better MPG, efficiency wise, they'll be spending more money on gas in the long run than without the chip and using regular gas. Is this true? My understanding is that the reason why people shoot for better MPG is so they could have more cash in their wallets. I would like to purchase a chip soon purely for performance reasons. I was just curious as to the increase in MPG, but decrease in funds. Oh, and please correct me if i'm wrong. I saw things kinda direct sometimes, and people take me the wrong way. I'm just trying to play devil's advocate.

Nelson

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1999 F150
4.6L 5spd manual
reg. cab, long bed
K&N air filter
Home Made Cold Air Intake
10 disc sony cd changer
wet okole seat covers
skull and spine from mirror
joker(copilot) in center console cup holder

 

hey Dissonance what exactly is the "home made cold air intake" you have made lol im very very curious

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F150 97 4.6 v8 longbed
K&N Air filter
Hyper White xenon bulbs
Bedliner and Shell
6 disc cd changer

 

Well i was initially trying to design a ram air type of thing, but i had a design flaw regarding water, so i had to port my design to allow water to get out, and air to have alternate source of entry. What it looks like is basically a 4" hose running from where the air box meets the fender, and it goes down to under my bumper. At that point, i have a hard plastic scoop that came with an airconditioner i was bought for my warehouse. I had to paint it though, drill holes in it, and tie strap the crap out of it for it to stay in place at speed of close to 100. I'll be taking some pics this weekend of it, and i'll see if i could post it on the forum. I havent figured out how to post pics, but i'll figure it out later on.

------------------
1999 F150
4.6L 5spd manual
reg. cab, long bed
K&N air filter
Home Made Cold Air Intake
10 disc sony cd changer
wet okole seat covers
skull and spine from mirror
joker(copilot) in center console cup holder

 

Well i was initially trying to design a ram air type of thing, but i had a design flaw regarding water, so i had to port my design to allow water to get out, and air to have alternate source of entry. What it looks like is basically a 4" hose running from where the air box meets the fender, and it goes down to under my bumper. At that point, i have a hard plastic scoop that came with an airconditioner i was bought for my warehouse. I had to paint it though, drill holes in it, and tie strap the crap out of it for it to stay in place at speed of close to 100. I'll be taking some pics this weekend of it, and i'll see if i could post it on the forum. I havent figured out how to post pics, but i'll figure it out later on.

------------------
1999 F150
4.6L 5spd manual
reg. cab, long bed
K&N air filter
Home Made Cold Air Intake
10 disc sony cd changer
wet okole seat covers
skull and spine from mirror
joker(copilot) in center console cup holder

 

Sorry, i must of done something wrong to have posted that previous message twice.

Oh, i read something that was posted on the 10th of this month, and it sorta answered my question about the increase in MPG vs. cost of higher octane. According to the math provided, i would need to purchase 6.96 more gallens each time i fill up using regular gas in order to be able to go the same trip as with the premium gas. So in theory, i guess i should be saving money on gas in the long run. Again, please correct me if i'm wrong.

Nelson

------------------
1999 F150
4.6L 5spd manual
reg. cab, long bed
K&N air filter
Home Made Cold Air Intake
10 disc sony cd changer
wet okole seat covers
skull and spine from mirror
joker(copilot) in center console cup holder

 

Dear 4byFord,

I agree, octane boosters are mostly a waste of money, in terms of trying to find a cheaper way to increase octane for use with the Superchip. For example, trying to raise the octane of regular gas to premium just isn't cost-effective using octane boosters, Most of them have little more than ethyl alcohol for content, and even the few that do work are extremely expensive, far more expensive than just using premium gasoline.

Octane boosters have their place, but it isn't on a daily driver.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html

 

Did rich go fishing?? Original question was "do all performance chips require premium" Please don't forget that on my truck I run the same fuel w/or w/out the chip But it runs soooo much better w/superchip!! Diesels don't change fuel grades when you add a performance chip.

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2000 F250 Crew Cab 4x2 6 speed Diesel XLT Super Duty, Woodland Green
Power Mirrors, 3.73 LS, Captains Chairs, ARE tonneau top, mud flaps
Trailer tow Pkg, Class IV hitch, sliding rear window, running boards
rear privacy glass, 265/75/16 AS OWL tires, am/fm/cassette/cd
Clarion APA 5240 amp, Memphis speakers:Components front, 5x7 rear, 10"sub
SuperChip, Stepshields, Ventshields on windows, rubber bed mat
rugged liner bedliner on tailgate
unaFORDable (decal on tailgate)

 

Hey, Mike, whats up?

Yes, I am sort of a musician. I play bass, and i work on Acid on the PC.

I have a question again regarding the MPG of the superchip... since i have a 5spd manual, is it possible to receive more than 2 MPG difference than without the chip? Just curious.

Nelson

------------------
1999 F150
4.6L 5spd manual
reg. cab, long bed
K&N air filter
Home Made Cold Air Intake
10 disc sony cd changer
wet okole seat covers
skull and spine from mirror
joker(copilot) in center console cup holder

 

Dear Dissonance,

Very unique screen name, are you a musician perhaps? Being one myself, I just had to ask!

With regards to your calculations regarding fuel costs with premium, I'm assuming you mean running premium using the Superchip, and figuring increased mpg, etc. from that. Just so you know, most of the F-150 V-8 owners report about 1.5 - 2.0 more mpg from the Superchip. There are a few that don't see that much, and there are a few that see a bit more, but that's a good "average" to use. It's a by-product of the increased spark advance used on part-throttle in the Superchip program, rather that something that was deliberately done to increase gas mileage, so it's like icing on the cake, so to speak. Your actual results will depend on how you operate the vehicle, and the energy content of your local fuel supply, as always. So if you run heavily loaded, or use a lot of heavy throttle, I wouldn't expect to see much if any gain in mileage, it's going to be primarily when you're not using heavy throttle, in other words. I just wanted you to have a rough idea of what others are seeing in these vehicles with the Superchip.

If you have specific questions on this, feel free to give us a shout.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html

 

Dear Dissonance,

Or should I say, "Dr. Dissonance"?

It's possible to see perhaps a little bit more than 2 mpg with the Superchip on a manual as opposed to an automatic, but I wouldn't count on it. There isn't nearly as much difference between manuals and automatics in their respective gas mileage results in modern vehicles made over the past decade or so as there used to be. This is because of the use of lock-up torque converters, which were designed to reduce the slippage factor, especially in top gear. The automakers are handed down C.A.F.E. (corporate average fuel economy) mandates for each model year by the Feds, so as a result they look for any way they can possibly improve fuel mileage, even if it's only a half a tenth of one mpg. Which is exactly why the owner's manuals say to use 5W30 weight oil, for example, as it gives about .5 beter mpg as opposed to 10W30.

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Online Superchip ordering system:https://www.f150online.com/scpp/index.html