I've heard in the past that using premium gas in an engine that was made for regular can hurt it (increase carbon build up, etc). Does using the superchip allow it to burn out the extra octate and not leave anything behind? I'm trying to decide whether or not to get the chip. Any one have any suggestions/comments?

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2000 Ford F-150 4X2 Supercab XLT 139" WB Styleside, 4.6 V8, 4-speed automatic, remote keyless entry, 3.55 Ratio regular axle, A/C, 4-wheel ABS, Black. Tuffliner bedliner and just installed PendaCover Pro Tonneau Cover.

 

I also forgot to ask if there were any brands that are better than others to use? Thanks.

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2000 Ford F-150 4X2 Supercab XLT 139" WB Styleside, 4.6 V8, 4-speed automatic, remote keyless entry, 3.55 Ratio regular axle, A/C, 4-wheel ABS, Black. Tuffliner bedliner and just installed PendaCover Pro Tonneau Cover.

 

Texaco, Citgo, Amoco in that order according to Mike T. Thanks Mike!

 

Thanks for the replies. I guess that in North Carolina my best bet is Citgo, there seems to be one on every corner. Thanks for the information on the premium gas and how it burns.

I hope to be adding a Superchip once I get that tax return.

Also, any more plans for Rally Events in Norfolk? I really want to tour the Ford plant where my truck came from. Thanks.

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2000 Ford F-150 4X2 Supercab XLT 139" WB Styleside, 4.6 V8, 4-speed automatic, remote keyless entry, 3.55 Ratio regular axle, A/C, 4-wheel ABS, Black. Tuffliner bedliner and just installed PendaCover Pro Tonneau Cover.

 

Hi Hokie,

Yes, we will be having another Rally in Norfolk this next summer, and all the scheduled events etc. will of course be posted here on F-150 Online in plenty of time. This last summer we did it during the last weekend in July, and we'll probably do it about the same time this next summer. As soon as things get firmed up, you'll see the announcements made here on F-150 Online, of course!

By the way, I wanted to let you know I saw your post in the other section where you used different brands of fuel in your area to quell the detonation problem you were having on 87 octane, very interesting results & great post!

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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 Hokie,

You don't have to worry about that with the Superchip, as it re-tunes the engine *specifically* for the use of premium gasoline, so there will not be any increased carbon buildup in the combustion chamber over time, all else being equal. If anything, it will burn a bit cleaner due to the increased combustion efficiency with the Superchip tuning.

As far as which brands of gas are the best, in our opinion, there will always be differences in fuel formulations, but the brands that tend to give the best results in performance and gas mileage more often than not are Texaco, Amoco, and Citgo, in that order. Other brands can also work well, Shell works well in the East, but not out in California. Chevron is loved by most of our customers out in California, while I don't care for it myself here in the East. Brands to steer clear of are Exxon, BP, and any off-brand or no-name gasolines, as you never know what you're getting with the off-brands, Exxon is always lower in energy content since it's reformulated year-round now, and BP has traditionally had a high sulphur content, though they've been advertising on TV that they've improved this recently, time wil tell. It will also be interesting to see what happens to the quality of Amoco over time since BP bought them out.

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

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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

 

Hokie,

Your stock computer will learn to advance the timing and get you 10 crank Hp when you run premium fuel without the chip. Usually premium fuel is older than regular, and its composition deteriorates while it is aging in the tank. So premium fuel is usually of lower quality and harder on a fuel system. This is not true if you buy your fuel from a high volume gas station. Also NEVER BUY GAS WHEN THE TANKER IS FILLING THE TANKS. All the water and sedement that normally sits on the bottom of the tank gets stirred up and pumped into your tank. Normally your gas is pumped from about 8" above the bottom of the filling station tank. So to answer your question, if the premium fuel is fresh, it will not cause carbon buildup any different than regular fuel with or without a chip.

In regards to the computer chip, I did not get any gains in Hp or torque at any rpm by adding a Superchip on my 99 5.4L. I dyno tested it on an eddy current dyno. Shift feel was improved. See my other post in the computers forum for details.

Dan Kryszczuk

 

Do you get more than 13% improvement in Miles Per Gallon using Premium vs what you got using Regular?

See this related question (and detail) at:
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/003057.html

(I didn't want to disrupt the conversation thread -- but this thread did spark the above as a related issue.)

Tks,

Jim

[This message has been edited by jgorka (edited 12-30-2000).]