Mike,

I've been reading A LOT on this bulletin board on the positive responses on Superchips for F-150 trucks. I've been to the Superchips website and the Perfomance Products page on this site, but I'm still a bit skeptical.

I guess what I'm looking for is a bit more description on what (excatly) the Superchip modifies from the OEM Ford code. What changes are made to the spark curve, fuel curves, shifting algoriths, with explanations to go with each.

Sorry to be skeptical, but I work with diesel combustion studies in engine engineering. I've seen quite a few products that claim a great "bang for the buck" (i.e. fuel additives, etc.) that don't live up to their claim.

I'm not questioning the product, but just looking for some scientific feedback. Just the engineer in me...

Thanks...

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VENOM 99
www.students.uiuc.edu/~cellariu
2000 F-150 SuperCab 4x4

 

Hey VENOM, I am in Champaign and this is one product that lives up to it's claims. Ride in a Chipped truck and then ride in yours without the chip and you will see changes it makes.

 

I can say one thing: It is WELL KNOWN that Ford (and other manufacturers) retard the spark during shifts and elongate the shifts to make the vehicle appeal to WOMEN who are now buying over 50% of all vehicles sold!

I know for FACT that this chip got rid of both factory settings that make the vehicle perform poorly in these conditions!

The rest is based on throttle response and feel... I can tell when I do a modification if it was worth it or not. This is based on years of modifying Mustangs and Camaro's! This Chip definately changed my Expedition COMPLETELY! Even my wife said it feels like it has more power!

If you think that Mike is going to tell you the "exact" secrets of the company... I don't think so! Why would a company give out that kind of info?

 

Thanks...

I understand how the shifting is altered, which is a MUCH NEEDED improvement. However, from looking at the claims Superchips makes for power increase (+28 hp on a 5.4L engine?), and the graph that follows (torque vs vehicle speed), it seems as if there is no substantial overall increase in power (only a few hp across the RPM range). The increase in PEAK power is due to the shift pattern being altered, not because of more overall power. This is what makes me a bit skeptical - the potentially misleading claims, but maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture...

In my opinion, the price of the Superchip is almost worth the improved shift sequence, but I don't understand why the spark timing is advanced to the point of running premium fuel. If I'm only going to get a few hp across the board, it's not worth the extra $0.20 per gallon of gas (25 gallons at $1.80/gal gets quite expensive). But, the increased mileage from the agressive spark timing is a bonus (but doesn't quite pay for itself with our "low" gas prices).

I also wouldn't expect Mike to tell us any propriatary data that is in their code, but like I said before, I'm trying to see this from an engineering perspective, outside of "Marketing's" claims.

Just looking for some clarification...

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VENOM 99
www.students.uiuc.edu/~cellariu
2000 F-150 SuperCab 4x4

 

ps398,

What do you drive? I'm a U of I grad student in Mechanical Engineering and drive a black 2000 F-150 extended cab, Off-Road 4x4. If you're in the campus area, I'm usually parked on the NW corner of Lincoln and Green. I'll keep my eye out for ya'...

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VENOM 99
www.students.uiuc.edu/~cellariu
2000 F-150 SuperCab 4x4

 

Forgot sig on last post.

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97 F-150 SC, 4.6, auto, 3.55,Superchip, Flowmaster, nerf bars, Moonlight Blue/Prairie Tan, Captain's Chairs,Pioneer cd

 

Dear Venom99,

You're not the first person to be sceptical, so don't feel like the Lone Ranger. You are merely one of the latest in a very long line.

The only way you are ever going to know is to actually experience it, plain and simple. Nothing else means anything. There are many people here using it, and they are very happy with it, for one reason: it works. You've read that, and even commented on it in your post. Surely as an "engineer" you must realize that only direct hands-on experience is going to tell you what whether or not it works, and basically does what we say it does. Experience with diesel fuel additives of course has absolutely nothing to do with *anything* other than the diesel fuel additives you have had direct experience with. We've *all* seen products that don't work and most of us, myself included, have even paid money for products that do not do what they're supposed to.

Many of us come here specifically to find out just which aftermarket products are worthwhile adding to these very expensive late-model vehicles, and we are here in part to help get that knowledge to those who need it, regardless of the fact that we do not even sell the vast majority of the great parts that do deliver on their claims. We're here to help foment the exchange of relevant information, to hopefully help people avoid the "pay to learn syndrome", that is very important to me personally. Which is why we are not only here on the message boards, but why we support this web site financially, as it is that important to us that people have a place to go where the atmosphere is friendly and the information relevant.

Please feel free to give us a call to discuss this in detail, we'll be happy to go over all that with you, and answer your questions, up to the limit of divulging proprietary information of course.

We understand your basic scepticism, so feel free to talk to us about this, we're just a phone call away. Many people before you here felt the same way, and they're now very happy with their Superchips. Again, direct experience is the best teacher.

Just so you'll know, Superchips employs some the best automotive powertrain engineers on this planet, quite literally, and they are simply the best in this field. Which is why you see the volumes of positive results posted here, that simply could never happen if the product didn't deliver, my friend.

We wish you all the best, and hope you'll hang out with us here when you have the spare time.

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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

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 03-22-2000).]

 

Venom 99,

I don't know a thing about automotive engineering or mechanics but I do know how much performance the Supechip added to my vehicle. I really don't care if it is sound engineering or magic as long as it works! My F150's performance was disappointing stock. With the few mods I have made I now love the performance. I had to take the chip out for a week to try to eliminate a problem (turned out to be I didn't get the contacts clean on my computer). It was the longest week of my life. I could really tell the difference with the chip back in. Take a lesson from Nike "Just do it"

WarEagle

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98 F150 Lariat extended cab, Pacific Green/Silver Frost,
Grey Leather Capt chairs, AM/FM/Cass/6-cd changer,
full tint, color matched bug deflector, vent shades,
A.R.E. hard bed cover, Ultra type 50 polished wheels,
BF Goodrich 315 55R x 16 Sport Truck Radial T/As, 4.6L,
AT, Towing Package, Airaid, Superchip, Flowmaster dual
exhaust, Flowmaster 50 series muffler, 3.55 gears

 

If you would like to feel the difference between chipped and unchipped let me know and I'll give you a ride.

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97 F-150 SC, 4.6, auto, 3.55,Superchip, Flowmaster, nerf bars, Moonlight Blue/Prairie Tan, Captain's Chairs,Pioneer cd

 

i just ordered my superchip on tueday.i have a 97 4.6L.when i get it in on friday i'll post what i think.i have headers,gibson exhaust,t-body spacer,jacobs ignition,KaN fipk,and a BaM shiftplus.my best mod has the headers.i went with headmen,because of a friends truck.its going to be hard to beat the gain i felt from the headers,so if it does,i would say get one.guess we have to wait for friday.

 

Kevin, Sounds great. Probably the only immediate differences you will notice Friday is the shifting quality, the top end limiter, higher rev limiter, and the spark retard when it shifts at WOT being gone. Now it will pull harder, but the full gains will be gradual over the next couple of weeks while the computer goes through it learning curve.