Fordification,
If economy is such an issue and performance isn't, just don't buy the chip. Keep the vehicle under 55 mph, don't use the A/C, drive with the windows up and be easy on the throttle. You'll get good mpg, save on rubber, brakes and all will be well.

 

I'm satisfied with the fuel economy I've been getting, and new from the beginning that the 5.4L isn't exactly the greatest for fuel consumption. There's other solution to getting performance without running premium fuel.

BTW, just to make it clear, I'm not saying I'll never purchase a Superchip, just not at this point in time.

 

Hi Laurensdad, finally someone in California who has 5.4 supercrew with a superchip. I was wondering what gas your using in your truck and if you noticed any difference in gas if you have changed.

I'm going to buy a chip soon, and am i'm trying to find out what gas has worked best for you. Have you used Costco gas (which is Shell), or are you sticking with major brands only?

I plan on getting a flip chip so I can run 92 and 87 or 89 and your imput will really help in my decision in this.

Az

------------------
white w/harvest gold trim,2001 supercrew,5.4, w/duraliner and magnaflow exhaust.
next item: superchip

 

Fordification,
If economy is such an issue and performance isn't, just don't buy the chip. Keep the vehicle under 55 mph, don't use the A/C, drive with the windows up and be easy on the throttle. You'll get good mpg, save on rubber, brakes and all will be well.

Just be sure to not to drive in the left lane, cause I really dont want any of your paint on the front of my truck.

Dollar for dollar ya cant beat the superchip. It will make all the other performance mods even that much better. If your more interested in fuel economy than performance, maybe you should trade in the Ford for a geo metro. I hear that that 3 cyl motor gets about 60 mpg.

What are those spots between the tread on my truck tires? Slow traffic...mostly metros.



------------------
Drive it like ya stole it,

Terry Deaton
99 F150 XLT, 2WD, 4.6, S/C, S/B, Superchip, K&N FIPK, FMS 9mm, +4s, Nerfs, Leer Top, Cow Catcher W/Bright A$$ Lights, True Duals with hi flow cats, 275 Dunlops with 3.08 gears, fat swaybars, Steeda front and Hellwig rear, 3.5" Fabtech spindles with 2" blocks, B/E Performance Shift kit with B&M Cast Deep Pan, Steeda Billit Pedals.
Coming Soon: 4.10s and Auburn Diff, Eibach Front Coils and Add a Leafs, Underdrive Pullies and Kick A$$ Shocks.
96 SVT COBRA (almost stock)
98 AERO black w/lotsa chrome
Speed Kills, drive a Chevy and live forever.
http://www.geocities.com/terrydeaton.geo/index7.htm

 

Let's see:
I pay U$ 440+ a month for my truck.
My insurance runs U$ 100+ a month with discounts.
I live in New Orleans where 50% of all drivers don't have insurance, are illiterate and can't drive.
An extra U$ 10 a month, worstcase, for premium gas is the least of my worries. After all, it's less than 2% of my monthly truck expenses.
Fritz - who got over 17mpg city last fillup.


------------------
2000 F150 XLT 4x2 ExtCab Styleside 4.6 Auto in Island Blue.
Dark Graphite interior, White face gages, Superchip, K&N filter,
Airbox Mod, PowerAid, Flowmaster 50, LeBra soft tonneau, LineX,
Ford Bugshield, 2 inch lowering shackles, Hellwig Swaybar,
Monroe Reflex Shocks, 100w Head and Fog lights, Clifford Alarm,
Blaupunkt CD, JBL comp speakers, Punch subwoofers, ECM Jammer Pod.



[This message has been edited by Fritzthecat (edited 11-18-2000).]

 

Hi Fordification,

By all means, you have to do whatever makes you happy, just like the rest of us!

But you keep posting these far from accurate fuel cost numbers, based on what I don't know since you have no experience with the product whatsoever, and you see that everyone else responding to you is not seeing anywhere near your kind of cost increases that you claim/project, including from those living right there where you are, so at some point, you have to realize that your math is somewhat fuzzy, at best.

My friend, you do not need to "justify" to anyone here why you aren't running the Superchip, this isn't a contest! If you're happy, then we're happy for you! That is all that matters, as long as you are satisfied with your vehicle, then get on with life and leave it be.

You keep making post after post in thread after thread, either saying that "I'm skeptical", or posting way-off cost numbers that don't come close to anyone else's numbers, from people who are actually using it. Without ever using the product so you would have any kind of factual basis for your claims/argument/line of logic or whatever you want to call what you've been posting here, it's time to just give it a break.

Nobody cares whether you use it or not, it's *your* vehicle, you don't have anything to prove to anyone here. There are a lot of people here on F-150 Online that aren't using it, so don't sweat it, just enjoy your vehicle, be at peace with yourself and get on with life, without all this silliness!

Have fun, & best of 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 11-18-2000).]

 

Hi az,

Just to give you some feedback from our customers in California, steer clear of Costco or any other "no-name" or "cut-rate" gas, as buying gasoline based on price is one of the worst things you can do to your vehicle long term, short of not changing the oil. We've had no good reports with Costco's
premium gasoline used with the Superchip, a lot of negative reports in fact, so I would steer clear. I would also steer clear of Exxon (notoriously low energy content compared to just about any other "name brand") and BP (high sulphur content) as well.

Shell is working very well here in the East, we've even used it ourselves with good results, but not in California, we've had plenty of feedback on that brand, and none of it has been good in California.

Some brands that *are* getting good feedback in California are Texaco, Amoco, and a brand that I don't care for here in the East, Chevron. Our customers in California seem to swear by Chevron, and are getting good results with it. And of course there are numerous other brands, but we don't have a lot of data on all of them, so we can only mention the data we have, and results that have been reported back to us.

There can always be variances in fuel formulations based on geographic area, which is exactly why some brands that work well in the East don't in the West, and vice-versa.

Your single best informal indicator of energy content is to always track your gas mileage, as the higher energy brands will tend to give higher gas mileage results. Then you look at the quality of the detergent additive packages (idle quality), and decide what's best for your vehicle in your area.

If you want to do some informal evaluations, use at least 2-3 tanks of each brand, and do a "re-set" of the ECU (computer) each time you change brands, so you start with a fresh slate, so to speak, free from the effects of accumulated memory & Ford's adaptive strategy. The way we do that is to fill up with the new brand of gasoline being evaluated, and as soon as we get back home, disconnect one of the battery leads. Pull the headlights on for 5 full minutes to drain all residual voltage from teh IC's & caps in the system, then turn the lights back off, re-connect the battery, and you're set. That procedure clears the computers memory properly, so that you can fairly evaluate each different brand. I know, it sounds kind of involved, but it's a great tool to evalute your local fuel supplies, and that information is invaluable.

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

 

15-18 in the city....

Best on the highway, after all the mods..30


HEH HEH HEH


Best highway mileage ever was 24. Went from Miami well into the state of gerogia on a single tank. Course thats with 275 tires and 3.08 gears, on super with a light load and there musta been a tailwind. Normally I have to stop for gas in Jacksonville.

But I dont always drive for the mileage, specially since da superchip.



------------------
Drive it like ya stole it,

Terry Deaton
99 F150 XLT, 2WD, 4.6, S/C, S/B, Superchip, K&N FIPK, FMS 9mm, +4s, Nerfs, Leer Top, Cow Catcher W/Bright A$$ Lights, True Duals with hi flow cats, 275 Dunlops with 3.08 gears, fat swaybars, Steeda front and Hellwig rear, 3.5" Fabtech spindles with 2" blocks, B/E Performance Shift kit with B&M Cast Deep Pan, Steeda Billit Pedals.
Coming Soon: 4.10s and Auburn Diff, Eibach Front Coils and Add a Leafs, Underdrive Pullies and Kick A$$ Shocks.
96 SVT COBRA (almost stock)
98 AERO black w/lotsa chrome
Speed Kills, drive a Chevy and live forever.
http://www.geocities.com/terrydeaton.geo/index7.htm

 

Hi az,

Some great questions!

We do not have Arco here where we are in this area of Virginia, so I cannot speak intelligently on that brand, and we don't have any real data on Arco from our customers, either. SO it could be a great fuel, or it may not, I'm sorry I can't give you any info on Arco.

With regards to getting good results with the brands you have used so far, with the factory programming, as you suspected, other than the quality of the detergent addtives, you can run that truck on almost anything, as the factory program is so very conservative, so I'm not surprised that you get good results using Costco's gas. A brand that may give good results with the factory program in 87 octane may not have a good energy content in it's premium brand, you don't know until you try it, basically.

And no, there is no reference whatsoever to "energy content" on the pumps. Gasoline is rated in terms of the number of BTU's per lb. or gallon of gas. The single best informal indicator for us "laymen" is to consistently track the gas mileage, and the brands with the higher mileage results are generally those with the higher energy contents.

Have a great Thanksgiving yourself! Me, I plan on getting even larger than my current 200 lbs. on Thursday, and thru the Holidays. I'll go back on my "diet" the first of the year, after the Holidays, life is just too short not to enjoy all the baking, cooking, etc.

------------------
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 AZ: To answer your question to me about gas.....I use Union 76 and Chevron for my vehicles. I know what you mean about prices!! But, I feel they have the best product to use. I recently got a commercial card lock card for Pacific Pride as I commute 2 hrs one way in my diesel Mercedes. They indicate that they have 92 octane premium. I'm going to call them and find out how good it is. I haven't run a full tank through my rig yet since the superchip installation. In fact, it had a little less than 1/2 a tank of regular in it when the installation was done. I topped it off with Union 76 premium and so far no problems, in fact it runs great!!

 

Im just curious. Approx how much does this chip advance the ignition timing? Is it that incredibly substantial that 93 octane gas is required?

Going from my Chevy SB 350ci LT-1 engine with custom OBDII computer programming, Im just curious as to the similarities and differences with this chip.

That and It seems to be the most popular mod out there and Im interested in getting one.

------------------
**2000 F150 Harley Davidson Edition**
**2001 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R**
**1967 427 Shelby Cobra Replica On the way**
~~Bad Cop, No Doughnut~~

 

Lauensdad: Pacific Pride gas brand depends on the local distributor affiliation. I have seen Union, BP, Texaco, Arco and Chevron and no-name Pacific Prides. A good hint is what other brand of fuel is co-located at the site. The distributor’s name is usually located at the card reader and by asking or using the yellow pages you can figure it out. I use the card lock for my company vehicle in OR, CA and WA; sometimes you can catch the truck dumping a load also.

 

Hey Mike, thanks for the info. I will try the computer reset and see what kind of mileage I get from each gas.

I think I mentioned before that Costco buys there gas from Shell, and I have been using their 87 gas with no problems, but that doesn't mean to much right now since I dont have ur chip yet. Chevron and Union 76 have always been excellent gas products here, but they are extremely expensive. 92 will run me about $2.05 a gallon. Do you guys have Arco gas? I have used their gas and have not had a problem, but once again, I wasn't using it with a "chip" either. I guess I'll start my testing now, so when I do buy the chip I'll be a head of the game.

So far my best mileage has been 16 mph on the hwy, but i'm usually around 14-15. Most of my driving is freeway, and thank God I have a commuter, so the truck is not always driving or I would be looking at around $120-150 in gas a month.

You also mentioned "energy content" is that something that is posted somewhere on the pumps or w/in the station, or something I have to find out myself by running the fuel and calculating mileage?

Anyways, thanks again for the info, and I'll let you know what I find out.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Az

------------------
white w/harvest gold trim,2001 supercrew,5.4, w/duraliner and magnaflow exhaust.
next item: superchip

 

Hello Mike and Laurensdad,

thanks for you responses about the "gas" issues. I will start my eval's on gas with this tank, and will be adding one more brand, Citgo. The station is down the street from me and their 92 is priced cheaper than 76 and Chevron.

Everyone have a good Turkey Day. And Mike I started my gorging yesterday, but will start dieting come Saturday,,don't want that uniform fitting to tight

Az.



------------------
white w/harvest gold trim,2001 supercrew,5.4, w/duraliner and magnaflow exhaust.
next item: superchip

 

Hi Rogersbw,

Yes, you do have to use premium gasoline with the Superchip, whether it's our Superchip for these Ford trucks, our our Superchip programming for any of the LT1's, such as Corvettes 92-96, F-bodies 93-97, and of course the mid-90's 9C1 Caprice & Impala SS. There is no raw horsepower gain possible via powertrain programming without using higher octane gasoline, the automakers didn't leave any power "laying on the table" on low octane. To get the rated gains from the Superchip requires the use of a high-quality 92 octane or higher premium gasoline.

I've owned many LT1's myself, and know their programming well. Depending on the body it came in (Y, F, etc.), it required either 89 or 92 octane from the factory, though they have very effective knock sensor systems, and can be run on lower octanes with a corresponding reduction in power.

While there are a few areas in some computer-controlled motors where transitional spark retards are used, and consequently their removal will result in a little bit quicker acceleration on less than premium gas, it's not much, and to get any real raw horsepower gain via powertrain programming requires the use of premium gasoline, which is why any performance chip that actually increases peak horsepower requires the use of premium gas.

These trucks are programmed far diffently than any LT1, from the factory they are tuned for 85-87 octane gasoline, which is why we can pick up the kinds of power gains we do by re-tuning them for premium gas.

If you'd like to go over any of this in greater detail, please feel free to give us a call at our number below.

By the way, congratulations on your Cobra replicar, that thing should fly!

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