I have heard alot of good about the superchip and have experienced their service. My only question is what can I expect if I chip my 4.2. I know it will not fell like a 5.4 (or I would have bought it along time ago) but I do want a little more spunk. I never tow or carry a payload heavier than a bed. Also can anyone suggest simple and effective ways to improve the performance of my truck.

Thanks for any input and I love having this kind of forum. All the info has been a great help in the enjoyment of my ford.

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1999 F-150 4.2l - Blue, Flowmaster Exhaust, Kenwood CD - Boston Accoustics, PPI Sub and Kenwood 4 Chanel Amp. Not that much...Yet!

 

Dear Jakobi,

The 4.2 responds just like any other engine in the F-150 to the Superchip, there is no difference. It picks up the same percentage gains as the other two V-8's do. The numbers for the 4.2 V-5 are 25 more horsepower, and 31 lbs./ft. of torque gained from the Superchip, at the flywheel. The top speed limiter is removed, and if you have an automatic, you'll see all those same improvements as well. The shifts are firmed, shift delays are removed, as well as other enhancements to overall driveability.

Just because it's a 4.2 V-6 doesn't mean it's not worth enjoying, or that the Superchip does not work equally well on them, your 4.2 will see all the same benefits.

Please feel free to give us a call if you'd like to go over this in greater detail. We can even arrange for you to pick up your Superchip right there in Longwood directly from Superchips the manufacturer, or even have them install it for you at no charge if you like.

There are a number of other V-6 F-150 owners here who have also Superchipped their vehicle, and they're enjoying all the same benefits as the V-8 owners are; more power and torque, quicker acceleration and faster top speeds.

It's no crime to want to enjoy your V-6, just like the V-8 owners enjoy their V-8's. The 4.2 V-6 is a spunky little engine, making 205 hp. stock, and can give very enjoyable performance with just a few intelligent mods.

Good luck with your truck,

------------------
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 04-09-2000).]

 

Buy the chip it is the best mod for the money, and with the new FIPK for the 4.2 it will probally run even better. Since I bought the chip I have been able to outrun some of those 5.4's and 4.6's not to mention a Z71 occasionally.

 

Thanks for the info. So far no one has said don't get the chip (and that means an unbelivable number have said don't think twice about it)

Mike, I will let you know as soon as I take the plunge. I also have heard that in addition to adding a chip and the obligatory FIPK that switching to a 4.10 gear is very benifitial.

Snow, my brother has a 5.4 stock and it's nice to know i'd have a fighting chance.

G'day

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1999 F-150 4.2l - Blue, Flowmaster Exhaust, Kenwood CD - Boston Accoustics, PPI Sub and Kenwood 4 Chanel Amp. Not that much...Yet!

 

And to add to what mike said,I know a few people who have done a superchip to 4.2 5 speeds.The power increase is unbelievable.I think it is *more* noticable than the V-8 engines.

 

I drove a 99 5.4 SC/Auto. My truck is twice as quick as that truck and the only difference between the two trucks is the 5.4 vs 4.2/auto vs manual.

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98 SC/XL/4.2/5 speed/3.08/MoonLight Blue Metalic/Mobil One Synthetic/235.70S.16 Michelin XC LT4/AR-136 Wheels/Chrome Nerf Bars/Bug Shield/Aluminum Tool Box/K&N/Superchip/NOS maybe.

DAMN FLEXING DOOR CRACK!

Ford Engineering, reinforce the curve in the door! The cracks will stop.

 

On Mikes point, take my truck for example. I have a 3.08 axle. It I change to 4.1 then I end up with my engine turning 25% more rpm to go the same speed given the same transmission and tires.

3.08/4.10 = .75

1.00 - .75 = .25 = 25 percent

With 4.10 gears:

My engine wears out 25% faster.

(The pistons are going up and down 25% more times for the same miles covered.)

My engine is 25 % less efficient on gas.
My truck is 25% noisier at highwaay speeds.


------------------
98 SC/XL/4.2/5 speed/3.08/MoonLight Blue Metalic/Mobil One Synthetic/235.70S.16 Michelin XC LT4/AR-136 Wheels/Chrome Nerf Bars/Bug Shield/Aluminum Tool Box/K&N/Superchip/NOS maybe.

DAMN FLEXING DOOR CRACK!

Ford Engineering, reinforce the curve in the door! The cracks will stop.

 

I love these 4.2 V-6 threads, a lot of good info gets circulated around. I like 'em almost as much as some of the 4.9 "Big Six" threads we've had here from time to time.

One thign to keep in mind with regards to relative performance levels between various F-150's is power-to-weight. I know I say that a lot, but it bears repeating. There is so much potential weight difference between a lighter V-6 configuration as compared to some of the heavier 5.4 4X4 configurations, that it's possible to have a 4.2 V-6 outrun a 5.4, and there aren't many vehicles that can exhibit such performance variance.



------------------
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 Jakobi,

Going to a 4.10 rear gear ratio will help improve performance, in terms of better acceleration, certainly. However, this is best suited for those whose primary concern is drag strip ET's (elapsed times), instead of just "normal" street driving, if this is your daily driver.

If you're looking for the absolute best performance in terms of acceleration, then a gear change may work well for you. However, it ranks about last on my personal list of preferred modifications, for 2 reasons: 1.) Gas mileage! Going to a 4.10 gear ratio will increase the rpm's your engine turns for any given speed, and the difference is substantial on the highway. For some it is tolerable, and for others, it makes the vehicle too "buzzy" at freeway speeds, due to the increased engine rpms. Our '99 Ranger has 4.10's front & rear, and I wish it had the 3.73's instead, and that is *my* fault, as we ordered it like that for my wife. It's *way* too buzzy on the highway, and causes us to have to cruise at about 10 mph less than what we normally would. You live & learn, and I sure did on this one! 2.) Increased engine wear; over the life of the vehicle, having the engine turn more rpms all the time will tend to produce a bit more component wear on valve springs, etc.

In my humble opinion (and by the way, I used to run 5.13 - 6.17 gears in a 9-second daily driver years ago), in a vehicle that is your primary mode of transportation, your daily driver in other words, I prefer to add power to the engine first, before doing gear changes. Most people, and I mean well over 99%, are perfectly happy with their performance by doing the typical mods you read about here, the Superchip, and airbox elimination kit, and a nice exhaust system perhaps. I would suggest doing things to actually increase engine power output before you change gear ratios, but this all depends on what *your* priorities are, of course.

I personally prefer to have increased engine power output, up to a reasonable level for the amount of money it will cost, and then see if that is enough performance to suit your wants & needs. And if not, *then* think about doing the gear change, simply because of the total impact to the vehicle.

Others certainly have different priorities, such as, if you install substantially larger tires, you often need to do a gear change just to compensate and get the engine back up into it's power band. But that aside, I'd say to increase engine power first, if this is your 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

 

Nice try Mike! The only difference between my truck and the 5.4 that I drove is that mine is a 4.2 5 speed and his is a 5.4 auto. Both were two wheel drive supercabs. I suspect he had one of them high performance gear ratios. 3.55 or something so by any measure his truck should be a lot quicker than mine. It's not. It's slower.

No. You guys wasted your money on that big v8 only to find out the v6 can kick your butt!

It's alright though. We feel your pain. :-)

------------------
98 SC/XL/4.2/5 speed/3.08/MoonLight Blue Metalic/Mobil One Synthetic/235.70S.16 Michelin XC LT4/AR-136 Wheels/Chrome Nerf Bars/Bug Shield/Aluminum Tool Box/K&N/Superchip/NOS maybe.

DAMN FLEXING DOOR CRACK!

Ford Engineering, reinforce the curve in the door! The cracks will stop.

 

Jakobi,
You picked a great topic ~gears and Superchips~.

I too have the fire breathing 4.2 liter automatic w/ the 3.55 gears(see sig below). But another thing to consider is if your going to install larger tires, a gear swap may be to your advantage. I had the stock 235 tires, (28.95") but then upgraded to the BFG AT 265/75/16's (31.65" tall). This gave my truck the height I was looking for BUT the engine lost a lot of power because of the larger tires. While driving at HWY speeds the engine RPM's were so low that the Over Drive was kicking on and off, Even the slightest incline, OD would kick off. Driving in town, engine had a sluggish off the line starts, and when I went to pass traveling about 35 or so MPH The tranny would lag a few seconds and then kick-in to 1st gear. My main concern (because my tranny was shifting more) was premature wear, and believe me, it was shifting so many times in & out of OD my wife was getting annoyed. So I decieded to change the ring and pinion gear set. Since I upgraded my tires, I would need a 3.88 ring and pinion gear set just to return to stock performance. Lets go a little math. New tire height in inches divided by old tire height in inches times stock gear ratio equals new gear ratio. (31.65/28.95)X 3.55 = 3.8810879 So this tells me I need a need a 3.88 gear set just to return to stock performance (like the 235's and 3.55), but wait, no one makes 3.88 gears! I could however use the 3.73 gears, which FORD makes, BUT that it still not enough to return me to stock (I need a 3.88 gear set remember). My next choice was the 4.10's. By choosing this ratio, it allows me better off the line acceleration/ power AND I can install larger tires if I wanted, and still maintain better than stock performance. example; BGF AT 285/75/16 (32.8") 32.8/28.95x3.55= 4.022107 Remember I am still lower than 4.10, so I will have some power to spare. The largest tire I install on my rims without loosing any power(per say) is the BGF AT 295/75/16 (33.4") 33.4/28.95x3.55 =4.956818 I could go this tall if I choose, but also consider that the larger tires will weigh more, and in most cases, have a wider width (more rubber on the road) and have a larger diameter. This all takes more power to rotate them, hense poorer gas mileage and less power.
As soon as the 4.10s were installed, I noticed immediately the power was restored
:-), no more OD shifting like it use to. It moved off the line w/ more power as well. My only complaint now was the tranny was not shifting like I wanted it to. I wanted a faster, smoother, and firmer shift. Than's until I contacted Mike Troyer and he hooked me up w/ a Superchip. Hey Jakobi, if you plan to stay w/ your current tire size 9I think it's stock), do yourself a favor and get the Superchip. If it doesn't satisify your needs, then install a set of higher gears. You will not be disappointed w/ either one. But if your have the best of both worlds, gears and the chip you will have a fast truck, trust me! The difference in cost between 92 and 87 octane for a months worth of gas (about 5 tanks) is marginal, about $17.00 per month more for the 92 octane. I feel that the superchip is worth all of that, if it's not, then get the Flipchip, you can burn either 87 OR 92. I recently raced a friend of mine (off the line) w/ his 5.4 automatic, here is that thread;
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000028.html

BTW my last 4 tanks of gas I was yielding 15.9, 15.7, 16.4, and 15.3 MPG. The highest, (16.4) MPG was a recent we trip we made, but I have had better mileage on longer trips.

I recently had my speed-O gear corrected to a (23 tooth gear) so at 2,250 RPMs I am running 68 MPH. Bone stock my truck was running 2,250 PRMs at 75 MPH so I am running a few more RPM's higher, not a big deal to me.

Good luck w/ your setup.

Regards,
F&B's

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98 F-150 XLT, SC, SWB, 2WD, Pac. Grn., 4.2L auto, 4.10 gears w/ LS, Tow Pkg., BFG AT's 265/75/16, K&N air filter, Dynomax muffler, Superchip, Edelbrock shocks, Hellwig sway bar, 3" body lift, signal mirrors, ...tons of cosmetic products



[This message has been edited by franks&beans (edited 04-14-2000).]

 

Excellent post, F&B!

------------------
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 Bill,

Well, you've always said that you have a particularly strong V-6, but if it's actually beating a 5.4 4X2 short cab, something is wrong with that 5.4 in my estimation. What would really tell the trick is not just driving the 5.4 and comparing it to how your V-6 feels, as that's mostly guesswork. Actually lining it up against your vehicle, and then running them side-by-side to see just what's what will tell the story, and I think that would be very interesting to see. Let us know if you ever do that with that particular vehicle. I know you've mentioned givng 5.4's a hard time in the past.

Cableguy in his 5.4 went 14.9 @ 90 mph with just the Superchip, airbox elimination kit and a cat-back exhaust system. I think, if memory serves, that his F-150 is configured just like Neals, as a 4X2 short-cab, or basically one of the, of not the, lightest 5.4 configuration.

We've seen V-6's that ran mid-18 second 1/4 miles stock, and we've seen V-6's that went in the 16's stock, so there can certainly be a wide variance in performance, but it's usually due to the basics, power-to-weight and gearing.

Good luck!

------------------
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

 

IMPO
I think that the superchip with the 5spd, no matter which engine has a slight advantage over the auto. In my 5spd V6 with the chip it now goes up to 80 mph before I have to switch to fourth. My gas maileage has been the same as it was before the install but obviously there has been a gain in MPG because of all of my SUPERFOOTING!

LOVE MY CHIP!

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2000 White sport
4.2l V6 5spd
K&N filter
Superchip
Single in dual out 40 series Flomaster

As soon as i can afford it: Airaid FIPK

 

[in a deep voice]


Thank-you


Thank-you very much!