Question for Mike
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Member
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Pennsylvania
Question for Mike
Mike, I have a few questions about the superchip.
1. The label inside my door is hard to read. it looks like R5L2. I sthere anywhere else I can find the code. I have 97 F150 4.6L 4x4
2. Would installing the chip and ungrading the trany overkill or will they work well together?
3. What is the deal with the hand-held programers? Do they work? Do you have them?
4. I have heard that you must replace the thermostat when you install a chip is that correct?
Thank you in advance for your help!
1. The label inside my door is hard to read. it looks like R5L2. I sthere anywhere else I can find the code. I have 97 F150 4.6L 4x4
2. Would installing the chip and ungrading the trany overkill or will they work well together?
3. What is the deal with the hand-held programers? Do they work? Do you have them?
4. I have heard that you must replace the thermostat when you install a chip is that correct?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 336
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis, IN
UCRed,
I can help with a couple of your questions based on personal experience!
1. The computer itself has a label on it, and on mine it was visable from under the hood. The computer is located behind the battery, sticking out of the firewall.
2. Haven't done this, but have been told they work well together.
3. Haven't used one of these either, but have heard they don't provide all the benefits the SuperChip does, nor is the program custom tuned to your specific computer.
4. This is true with Hypertech and Jet chips, but not neccessary with a SuperChip! I'm running with the factory thermostat and have no problems at all!
I'm sure Mike will be along later today, and will give you much more information, but thought I'd share my experiences in the mean time! Good luck!
------------------
Paul...
99 F-150 XLT SC Sport, 4.6L, Auto, Captain Chairs, Class III Towing Package, 3.55 LS, Sliding Rear Window, White, 4X2, CD, Soft Factory Tonneau Cover, K&N Filter, WMS Velocity Tube, Line-X Spray on Bed Liner, Gibson Side Swept Cat Back System, Superchips Flip Chip, and the Original F150online Decal...
What more is there!
ptarnuzzer@ikon.com
I can help with a couple of your questions based on personal experience!
1. The computer itself has a label on it, and on mine it was visable from under the hood. The computer is located behind the battery, sticking out of the firewall.
2. Haven't done this, but have been told they work well together.
3. Haven't used one of these either, but have heard they don't provide all the benefits the SuperChip does, nor is the program custom tuned to your specific computer.
4. This is true with Hypertech and Jet chips, but not neccessary with a SuperChip! I'm running with the factory thermostat and have no problems at all!
I'm sure Mike will be along later today, and will give you much more information, but thought I'd share my experiences in the mean time! Good luck!
------------------
Paul...
99 F-150 XLT SC Sport, 4.6L, Auto, Captain Chairs, Class III Towing Package, 3.55 LS, Sliding Rear Window, White, 4X2, CD, Soft Factory Tonneau Cover, K&N Filter, WMS Velocity Tube, Line-X Spray on Bed Liner, Gibson Side Swept Cat Back System, Superchips Flip Chip, and the Original F150online Decal...
What more is there!
ptarnuzzer@ikon.com
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi UC,
1.) First let's double check to make sure you're looking in the right place, just in case.
You should open the passenger door, and look in the front part of the door frame, in the general area of the door hinges. The sticker should be right there, 3 letters and 1 number.
If you do not find it there, then you can go to the computer itself, which is inside the cabin, to the right of the dashboard assembly, and just above the passenger's kick panel. The computer will be held to it's mounting bracket by a black pressure clip. Simply pull this clip straight off, and then look on the computer where the clip was covering up, and you will see another code sticker right there. You can also take a look on the wiring harness for the computer, which you can find under the hood on the passenger's side, just behind the battery. The wiring harness will have a single 10mm bolt head dead-center, so it's easy to identify. There is a white sticker on the wiring harness, right where it goes into the firewall. On that white sticker are usually 2 lines of writing, and the computer code can be found there too, on most of these vehicles.
2.) That depends on just exactly what you do. What we generally recommend is to use the Superchip by itself first, for at least a month, and see if that takes care of your transmission shift characteristics like you want, as for most people, over 98%, that is all they need. The Superchip not only increases line pressure (which is what a shift kit does), but also removes the shift delay signal that induces slippage. It also removes the transitional spark retards that reduce engine power during and just after the upshift, and these changes coupled with the increase in line pressure really cleans up the shift characteristics quite nicely.
We suggest using the Superchip for at least 30 days before deciding you want to augment it with more transmission changes. That being said, we have a number of people using other shift improvers like B&M's $40 piece, along with the Superchip, and we also have people who have installed shift kits and are using them in addition to the Superchip, so yes, that does work very nicely. But as to whether you will want to do both yourself, we generally suggest installing the Superchip first and using it for awhile before deciding that you want to do further changes to the auto tranny, as the vast majority are very happy with what the Superchip does by itself. Just a suggestion...
3.) The hand-held programmers on the market today (Hypertech) only add power at full-throttle, are much more expensive, and do not make nearly as thorough a programming change. Those units are completely generic, meaning only 1 program for all 1998 F-150 4.6 automatics, for example, whereas the Superchip has a different program for each different computer code (software revision in the computer). Every Superchip is programmed for each individual vehicle, which is why we ask for your computer code. This allows us make the program specifically for *your* vehicle, and not something that has been compromised to run on all similar vehicles. You see, certain functions are located in different memory registers & addresses from one code to the next, so there is no way you can thoroughly and properly re-program them generically, you have to do each vehicle as an individual unit, and that is what the Superchip does.
All that having been said, it really doesn't matter how you actually get that new program into the computer; Superchips has been waiting to release their hand-held unit (the Micro Tuner, which has been available for years for the 96 & newer GM's) until it is actually *required*, because the hand-held programmers are 50%-100% more expensive than the standard Superchip, without any more power gains, so it's a matter of economics. Very few people want to pay more money for a product that doesn't do anything more for the performance of the vehicle, and that is why Superchips has not released their hand-held programmer for the Fords yet, and won't, until Ford makes a change in their computers that actually *require* that type of device. Until that happens, there isn't much economic sense in paying a lot more for no more performance.
Starting in the 1996 model year for all GM vehicles they can only be reprogrammed by using that type of device, so Superchips released the Micro Tuner 2001 for those units years ago, simply because that is how *they* must be reprogrammed. Ford has not yet done that, and so until they do, it doesn't make much sense to pay 50% more for no more performance.
4.) Absolutely not! The Superchip does *not* require changing your thermostat to one of those abnormally cold units, nor do we *ever* advise that you do this. Hypertech, Jet, and other chipmakers *DO* require the use of those cold thermostats in most of their applications, as this is their technique for keeping detonation at bay, by keeping the cylinder head temperatures abnormally cold. What that does is promote less complete combustion, as you need at least 190 degrees of coolant temperature for these engines to make their best power and get their best fuel mileage. Your factory Ford thermostat is 190-194 degrees, right where it needs to be for best combustion, power, mileage, & emissions.
Please feel free to contact us if you'd like to go over all the specific details of the Superchip for your application, we're happy to help.
Good luck with your truck,
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 08-09-2000).]
1.) First let's double check to make sure you're looking in the right place, just in case.
You should open the passenger door, and look in the front part of the door frame, in the general area of the door hinges. The sticker should be right there, 3 letters and 1 number.If you do not find it there, then you can go to the computer itself, which is inside the cabin, to the right of the dashboard assembly, and just above the passenger's kick panel. The computer will be held to it's mounting bracket by a black pressure clip. Simply pull this clip straight off, and then look on the computer where the clip was covering up, and you will see another code sticker right there. You can also take a look on the wiring harness for the computer, which you can find under the hood on the passenger's side, just behind the battery. The wiring harness will have a single 10mm bolt head dead-center, so it's easy to identify. There is a white sticker on the wiring harness, right where it goes into the firewall. On that white sticker are usually 2 lines of writing, and the computer code can be found there too, on most of these vehicles.
2.) That depends on just exactly what you do. What we generally recommend is to use the Superchip by itself first, for at least a month, and see if that takes care of your transmission shift characteristics like you want, as for most people, over 98%, that is all they need. The Superchip not only increases line pressure (which is what a shift kit does), but also removes the shift delay signal that induces slippage. It also removes the transitional spark retards that reduce engine power during and just after the upshift, and these changes coupled with the increase in line pressure really cleans up the shift characteristics quite nicely.
We suggest using the Superchip for at least 30 days before deciding you want to augment it with more transmission changes. That being said, we have a number of people using other shift improvers like B&M's $40 piece, along with the Superchip, and we also have people who have installed shift kits and are using them in addition to the Superchip, so yes, that does work very nicely. But as to whether you will want to do both yourself, we generally suggest installing the Superchip first and using it for awhile before deciding that you want to do further changes to the auto tranny, as the vast majority are very happy with what the Superchip does by itself. Just a suggestion...
3.) The hand-held programmers on the market today (Hypertech) only add power at full-throttle, are much more expensive, and do not make nearly as thorough a programming change. Those units are completely generic, meaning only 1 program for all 1998 F-150 4.6 automatics, for example, whereas the Superchip has a different program for each different computer code (software revision in the computer). Every Superchip is programmed for each individual vehicle, which is why we ask for your computer code. This allows us make the program specifically for *your* vehicle, and not something that has been compromised to run on all similar vehicles. You see, certain functions are located in different memory registers & addresses from one code to the next, so there is no way you can thoroughly and properly re-program them generically, you have to do each vehicle as an individual unit, and that is what the Superchip does.
All that having been said, it really doesn't matter how you actually get that new program into the computer; Superchips has been waiting to release their hand-held unit (the Micro Tuner, which has been available for years for the 96 & newer GM's) until it is actually *required*, because the hand-held programmers are 50%-100% more expensive than the standard Superchip, without any more power gains, so it's a matter of economics. Very few people want to pay more money for a product that doesn't do anything more for the performance of the vehicle, and that is why Superchips has not released their hand-held programmer for the Fords yet, and won't, until Ford makes a change in their computers that actually *require* that type of device. Until that happens, there isn't much economic sense in paying a lot more for no more performance.
Starting in the 1996 model year for all GM vehicles they can only be reprogrammed by using that type of device, so Superchips released the Micro Tuner 2001 for those units years ago, simply because that is how *they* must be reprogrammed. Ford has not yet done that, and so until they do, it doesn't make much sense to pay 50% more for no more performance.
4.) Absolutely not! The Superchip does *not* require changing your thermostat to one of those abnormally cold units, nor do we *ever* advise that you do this. Hypertech, Jet, and other chipmakers *DO* require the use of those cold thermostats in most of their applications, as this is their technique for keeping detonation at bay, by keeping the cylinder head temperatures abnormally cold. What that does is promote less complete combustion, as you need at least 190 degrees of coolant temperature for these engines to make their best power and get their best fuel mileage. Your factory Ford thermostat is 190-194 degrees, right where it needs to be for best combustion, power, mileage, & emissions.
Please feel free to contact us if you'd like to go over all the specific details of the Superchip for your application, we're happy to help.
Good luck with your truck,
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 08-09-2000).]