I recently looked into buying a tuner for my 2002 F-150 4x4 Lariat, 5.4 supercab truck. I called around to all of the performance shops (I called about 5) to inquire about buying one and they all told me that I would be really disappointed with the results on a gas engine with the chips and tuners.

I was shocked to hear this from all the places I called just thought it was odd that all of these shops suggested a product that was much cheaper then the tuners. I thought they were in it for the money but this has me wondering if what they've told me is true.

They all suggested that I get the FIPK for my truck because that was the way to go which those were much cheaper then the tuners so I did just that. I purchased and isntalled the F/N generation II air intake kit and am very pleased with that but now I'm addicted to mods and I still want to buy a tuner (If they are worth it) but wanted to see what others that have them already thought of them. So if you could please put in your .02 on this topic would be a great help for my possible next purchase. I also did a cat back on my truck with 3" pipes with a flowmaster which I'm very happy with.

I just want more, and more and more now that I've done what I did I'm hooked.

Royer

 

royer,

As your looking for general feedback, I recommend you scan the posts in this forum from the past few months and you'll be able to see a lot of feedback from people who have gotten tuners, chips, or or PCMs flashed.

Most members here purchase their performance "mods" from Troyer Performance , and you'll quickly see that Mike Troyer generously provides very informative replies to most posts here.

You should also look for the PCM code on your truck, then call Troyer Performance at 540-862-9515. They'll be able to give you a pretty good idea of the gains you could expect from their various performance tune options. In my experience, they are excellent to deal with.

Good luck,

 

I did read some of the other threads about the tuners and it does seem that the people who have them are very happy with theirs. I should have stated that I called the local performance shops here in Boise Idaho and not any web based shops I've seen in the forums here. I think I will still go ahead and chip my truck regardless of what I've heard from the local shops around here. Thanks for your advise and I think when I have the money I will be calling Mike at Troyer performance and pick his brain and then go from there.

Royer

 

my timeslips from the track prove that pcm tuning is not hype- especially mike troyers- do a post on 9100 by openclasspro-phil

 

one thing i'd like to add and i'm sure other paTRONS OF MIKE'S WILL ADD AS WELL- with a purchase from him you get customer service and and a knowledge of ford trucks that is in comparable!-phil

 

it is very possible that those shops are used to the results of a chip on a turbo diesel and that the changes on a N/A truck are not as dramatic.
it was discussed a while back, that after running a couple of tanks of super unleaded that the computer will make change that will be small gains in hp. also, some say thet the transmission shift improvements are worth the price all by itself.

 

Its the way to go, good choice going with TROYER, its the greatest customer service you'll ever deal with and you won't be disapointed with the performance it gives these trucks--even the ones from Boise!
Stay off the potatoe mash, octanes not high enough.
I'm from New Plymouth, just had to!
Randy

 

I haven’t read any negative posts that complained about the Superchip. Everything I’ve read all give it the thumbs up big time.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for all the opinons even the potato one. I'm from So. Cal so I don't take the potato comments to heart like a Idaho native would lol. I've been reading on the tuners post's and I think for sure I will go with the 9100 when I have the cash. I just did Tires,exhaust and the FIPK at one time and that has me tapped out for the moment but in another couple weeks I can probably swing the tuner. Thanks again!

 

So i was a little slow on the mention of you being from New Plymouth..... Duh! When did you leave the area here? I've been here for 5 years and just love it here what an awesome place. So much to do. Anyway, have a good one.

Royer

 

30 years ago, moved to lewiston for 10 years and joined the Navy. now 40 years old and live here. not the same as IDAHO but its ok. lived in san fran for 10 years too.

the 9100 is the way to go, i have the 1715 also and there is no comparison. makes a world of difference!!
see ya around the board and good luck, you won't be disappointed with the 9100 from Mike.

hey my uncle is the service manager over their at the ford dealership, if you need a hook up-let me know.

Randy

 

The best bang for the $$ is definitely a tuner or chip. I have a 97 expedition with 120K miles on it. A month ago I ordered a 9100 from Mike, but it had compatibility issues with the expy so Troyer recommended the 6600 Switch Chip which holds 4 custom tunes plus the stock tune. They explained that the 6600 could contain the exact tunes as the 9100. I love the ability switch on the fly. On the 93 octane tow tune there is lots more low/mid rpm torque. The 93 octane performance tune is sweet. It has more mid/top rpm HP & TQ (emphasis on top) & allows the engine to "rev like crazy". The tranny shifts are firmer, but not jarring & are in proportion to the amount of throttle.

With the confidence of more HP & TQ, I purchased a new 27' 5100# travel trailer. I just returned from Sandusky, OH ( I'm in Maryland) which is 407 miles one way. With 5 kids, the wife, & 500# of "stuff" I was able to maintain 60mph (4000-4500rpm) (65 if I pushed it) on the steeper grades of the Appalachian Mountains. The 6100 really shines on steep grades. I'm impressed. On the flats I could easily maintain 70mph (with a Hensley hitch) with power to spare.

Point is short of a supercharger ($4000-$6000), a chip or tuner if the best way to go.


97' Expedition (5.4, 3.73 axle)
JBA Headers, Borla Exhaust, KN FIPK, 6600 Superchip, Rancho 9000 Adjustable Shocks, Air Lift Air Springs, 18"x8.5" Akuza Rapacious Rims w/ 285/60/18 Falken ZT04, Power Slot Brake Rotors, Performance Friction Brake Pads

 

Hi royer, etc.,

Excellent thread, gentlemen................

Setting aside the very kind glowing reviews, to address what "royer" experienced when he talked to "performance shops," I think BrotherDave hit the nail right on the head (as he frequently does) - many "performance shops" really don't know much about F-150's, or powertrain programming/tuning in general. They carry hundreds (or even thousands) of parts, and if someone isn't "wowed" with a part, they think it's not "good." It's very typical of those shops to see the huge 110 HP+ gains we get in turbocharged diesel engines (the only type of engine where those huge gains are possible from tuning alone), and then think that if they don't see the same giant gains from tuning a much smaller and normally aspirated gasoline engine, that it's not worthwhile. Wrong answer.

That immediately tells you they have not done any actual before & after testing, no before & after 0-60 or 1/4 mile times, etc. If they did, they would have immediately seen significant improvements (as you see reported here) and thus know how much money you'd have to spend on other mods to duplicate the typical 7 tenths (or more) off the 1/4 mile times that we get via tuning these F-150's.

Now of course our tuning is not going to give you what a $5000 supercharger will in these gas engines - but the truth is, nothing else for the same or less cost can equal the performance improvements of our powertrain programming, it's literally the single best bang for the buck performance enhancement you can make to virtually any computer controlled vehicle. Whether it's turbo-diesel or gas, forced induction or normally aspirated, nothing else for the same or less cost can equal the bang for the buck of a well-optimized powertrain program.

We see this frequently, where performance shops will scoff at the idea of tuning anything other than a turbodiesel - and the basic underlying mistake is twofold: first, trying to compare the results from tuning a big turbocharged diesel engine where the boost can be increased significantly via tuning, to the results from tuning a small normally aspirated gas motor - and second, the mistake of trying to judge the relative value of *any* performance modification by the seat of the pants. That doesn't work well in any vehicle, but especially in a 2.5-3 ton truck or SUV, as some people can't feel a half-second reduction in 1/4 mile times in the seat of the pants!

What is going to get you the best result is to have us do our custom tuning - that will gain more power, performance and mpg than any "standard" off-the-shelf tuning product on the market.

Typical gains via tuning for good quality premium gas run 30 HP+ in those 5.4 F-150's, and you'll also have much better automatic transmission shift characteristics, the top speed limiter removed, and so many other improvements in the powertrain program that help overall driveability, throttle response & performance.

By all means, you have to do whatever makes you feel most comfortable - as you can tell from reading the threads here, most people here come to us for their tuning needs as we've specialized in tuning the F-150 platform for 12 years, and are well known for our results.

If you'd like to go over this in more detail, find out just exactly what we can do for your truck, etc., feel free to give us a call at our number listed below sometime, we'll be happy to go over all of that with you.

Thanks for your post "royer," & best of luck with your truck!

 

When I have the money (3-4 weeks) I will be giving you a call for sure. Thank you very much for the info on your tuners. I really like the custom tuner and think that will be my choice. Talk to you soon.
Royer

 

Hi royer,

You're very welcome.

Take your time, there's no rush - we'll be happy to help you whenever you're ready to take the plunge.

Your truck's configuration (SuperCab 4X4 Lariat) is one of my favorite - I love the luxury of the Lariat, we always have at least one of those around here for ourselves. It's also a very heavy half-ton series truck, even without the FX4 (or ORP, as the Offroad package used to be called) or towing packages, it's at least 5500 lbs. empty - so once you've got a full tank of fuel and a driver on board, you're usually coming in not much below 6000 lbs. That's 3 tons of truck to get moving, so they can certainly use some help in the power department.

Have fun & enjoy your 4th of July holiday weekend!