I am considering a flipchip or superchip and have some questions for users of both:

1. Flipchip users, what percentage of the time do you run in each mode?
2. Superchip users, do you wish you had gotten the flipchip?
3. Flipchip users, do you wish you had gotten the standard superchip instead?

With the uncertainty of future gas prices I like the option of running 87 octane with the flipchip. My state usually has one of the highest gas prices of the continental 48, per AAA. There is a $.20 per gallon difference between 87 and 92 statewide. My concern with the flipchip is that once tried, I may never change modes.
Thanks in advance for any input or suggestions.

2000 Lariat SC,4x4,5.4,auto,LS 3:55,ORP,class III tow,captain chairs,cab steps,cd changer,SRW, shift on the fly, keyless entry w/alarm, all stripes,stickers and decals removed.

Line-X,Stull billet grill,Jardine cat back

on order: Hellwig rear sway bar, Wolf front end mask

next: Super or flipchip, waiting for K&N FIPK CARB approval (ETA 12-00)

 

Ghz,

I had a Superchip and sold it so I could buy a Flipchip. Gas prices were up so I left the switch in 87 octane mode. Still got the awesome improvements in shifting. Gas prices came down AND I got a priceline.com gas card so the switch went to premium mode. You can't lose either way. I like having the choice. If gas prices continue to go back up, I might flip the old switch back.

------------------
2000 Regular Cab Short Box XLT 2WD 5.4 silver 3.55 LS 4 wheel antilock discs
PERFORMANCE MODS
Superchip Flip Chip, K&N Air Filter, Gibson Stainless Split Rear Cat Back
APPEARANCE MODS
17x8 TSW Trackers, 285/60-17 Pirelli Scorpion Zeroes, Downey SST Tonneau, 2 inch drop shackles, Ford factory fog light kit, Custom Made 5.4 Fender Badges
STEREO MODS
Pioneer DEH-P7200 CD Receiver, MTX Road Thunder RT4340 4 Channel Amplifier, Infinity Kappa 572.1cf 5x7's in the doors,MTX Thunderform with two 10" MTX Thunder 6000 Subs
PROTECTION
Valentine 1 Radar Locator with Remote Display

 

And I'm the one who bought 2000regcab54's Superchip. I'm glad I finally decided to buy one! I really don't have a need for a flipchip (twice the price of a Superchip). I bought a Superchip not just for the improved shifting...but a little extra kick from the Premium fuel. I think it is only an extra $4.00 per tank to use Premium vs Regular fuel. To me..that isn't all that much for an extra 27 hp and 46 lb/ft of torque.

------------------
2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Superchip, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55 rear, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, Heavy duty shocks, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, factory leather wrapped steering wheel, FORD bedliner, FORD black tubular cab steps, K&N air filter, mar-hyde rubberized undercoating, Modine climate filtration system, Bugflector II, Mobil 1 oil and filter

 

Hi Ghz,

Welcome to F-150 Online!

Great questions, & good post, by the way. One thing I did want to mention just briefly is that most people running the Superchip tend to get a small improvement in fuel mileage when using the standard performance program for premium gas. It's merely a by-product of the increased spark advance used on part-throttle when we program the engine for premium gas, but it does help to offset some of the cost differential between regular and premium gas. Most people with V-8 automatic F-150's report back with about 1.5 - 2.0 more mpg overall, when not using heavy throttle, just to give you a rough idea of what other users have reported back here over the past couple of years. Of course it will still depend on your right foot, if you're towing, etc., all the normal factors that affect gas mileage, but the tendency is for it to improve a bit.

So the cost factor is affected by how much of a cost differential there is in your area between regular and premium, and how much of a mileage gain The Superchip is able to deliver in your situation. For some people, they come out ahead using the single program Superchip, and just running premium all the time. That's what we do with all our vehicles here at Performance, none of them uses the Flip Chip. For others, their situation justifies the added convenience of being able to run on either level of fuel via the Flip Chip. Either way, you get to enjoy the benefits of better shifting all the time, and maximum power on premium gas.

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

 

Where I live there is a 10 cent per/ltr difference between Regular gas and premium gas. I have been trying to convince myself that it isn't a big deal.....but when you are talking 10 cents/Ltr the difference bewteen the two fuels when filling up is quit noticeable.

Maybe when fuel prices in Canada come down or I win the 649....the chip is first on my list!

Maybe Santa this year will bring me a prepaid ESSO gas card accompanied with a Superchip!!

 

I realize there are people on this board who see an increase in mpg with a Superchip. I don't know if they are primarily city or highway driving of a combination of both. My driving is all city and I can honestly say that I see no increase in mpg with the Superchip. Increase in performance, yes. So in my case, the Superchip does not offset the cost of premium at all. If you are at all hesitant about the added cost of premium, I wouldn't bank on the chip giving increase in mpg. If it doesn't matter, then GET THE CHIP. It makes the truck run a whole lot better. Just my personal experience.

------------------
2000 Regular Cab Short Box XLT 2WD 5.4 silver 3.55 LS 4 wheel antilock discs
PERFORMANCE MODS
Superchip Flip Chip, K&N Air Filter, Gibson Stainless Split Rear Cat Back
APPEARANCE MODS
17x8 TSW Trackers, 285/60-17 Pirelli Scorpion Zeroes, Downey SST Tonneau, 2 inch drop shackles, Ford factory fog light kit, Custom Made 5.4 Fender Badges
STEREO MODS
Pioneer DEH-P7200 CD Receiver, MTX Road Thunder RT4340 4 Channel Amplifier, Infinity Kappa 572.1cf 5x7's in the doors,MTX Thunderform with two 10" MTX Thunder 6000 Subs
PROTECTION
Valentine 1 Radar Locator with Remote Display

 

Thanks for the comments. 2000regcab54: your expericence is exactly what I am trying to avoid,superchip then flipchip, good info. Dustoff and Mike T. I hear what your saying. I am still on the fence. Any other flipchip users out there?

 

Didn't I tell you 2000regcab54?...I'm getting 38 mpg in the city with your old chip!!

I agree with your point that city drivers will not see much of a gain in mpg. Good post!

 

I didn't expect to recover the cost of the chip in increased MPG. I was wondering if the added expense of the flipchip was warranted and if the users actually did ever change modes. Or is the product so addictive that users feel the shift and driveablity improvements far out weigh the added fuel expense? I don't have a crystal ball and gas prices have not topped out here yet, went up $.04 gal last week, super is $2. Addionally we use an oxygenated blend here from Nov to Feb, which always seems to drop MPG and performance. The flipchip appeared to be a compromise, switch back to regular, lose performance but retain the shifting improvement. Maybe I answered my own question? Is 2000regcab54 the only one who admits to having a flipchip? By the way were did you mount the switch?

 

HI 2000,

Your post raises an excellent point about the potential mileage gains from the Superchip; it will depend on your driving habits & conditions, no doubt about it.

Those who see improvements in their city mileage are generally those who have altered their driving a bit due to the increased performance of the Superchip; meaning, they use a little bit less throttle opening than they used to, and still get the same performance as before, thus allowing them to see some gas savings even in city driving. However, more often than not, most people when driving in the city do not alter their use of the throttle, and simply enjoy the improved performance while not seeing any mileage gains in the city.

The reports we get back here on F-150 Online are generally overall mileage numbers, including both city & highway driving conditions. Lately here on F-150 Online we've been getting posts about highway trips and those results from some members, and the vast majority of those are seeing a mileage increase.

It also gets down to just how accurately people calculate their mileage, how they fill up their vehicle, etc., as people do things differently, and don't always have things tracked accurately down to the tenth of a mpg as it needs to be for really accurate comparisons.

For example, if you put an engine on an an engine dyno and do the precise calculation of it's fuel consumption, determining it's exact BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) number, you will see that the BSFC number drops in each case when the engine is re-tuned specifically for premium gas, so the basic operating principle of the mileage increase potential in the Superchip, increased spark advance on part-throttle, is quite sound.

Now, whether or not you will actually see in increase in fuel mileage in the real world depends on how the vehicle is driven, of course, and also on the energy content of the fuel being used, as always.

I can tell you this; over the past decade or so, there has not been a single vehicle of ours here at Performance that didn't see an improvement in their gas mileage from the Superchip, and that includes everything from passenger cars to Corvettes, to 4WD trucks & SUV's to Lincolns, & what have you. Our driving conditions aren't the best by a long shot, as we are in the mountains, where you are constantly going up one hill or mountain, and down the next, there are few flat terrain & steady-speed situations.

That being said, while our vehicles do get the occasional workout you would expect us to give them here at Performance, for the most part they are all driven pretty conservatively, so even though our roads & terrain aren't the best for mileage, our driving habits themselves do tend to promote mileage.

Just FYI......

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

 

Hi Ghz,

You some have some points there, and you're right on about still being able to have the benefit of the shift improvments even when running regular gas with the Flip Chip.

Good thread!



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