Well boyz,

I finally installed it this past weekend.
Ran 94+ octane fuel.(Full tank)
Installation was so easy. Thanks Ford for making it so accessible

My observations to date:
------------------------
Gas mileage increase = absolutely none, (in fact I burned a tank in 3 days, probably loss of mpg.)
Although I was heavy on the throttle, just like I always am, I burned a whole tank in 3 days???

Performance = I was expecting a heck of alot more than that.(from what i've read from ppl on the board)

Total Price tax+delivery etc = 420$ Canadian

Overall thoughts:

For the price, the performance is not what it is rated to be.
I noticed a bit firmer shifts, but thats it.
Nothing more.

Had to remove the computer 4 times as my truck would not start, the connectors were not clean enough.
I cleaned them thouroughly, but that was not enough, you almost need to scrape off the prongs!
I got stuck at the mall and had to rip out my computer and grind down the conectors again, because
it would not start in -30 degrees C weather.. That really really sucked!
Again, when I got home, I went to leave again, truck would not start, Had to rip it out again.
Same proceedure 4 times, you get the picture. Either way, this was entirely my fault.

I did not notice better throttle response
I did not notice MPG increase
I did not notice anything but a bit better shifts.

I could of purchase a Bauman Engineering Shift kit for 99$ to do that.

For those of you who claim that this is the best bang for your buck, I don't know what the hell
your talking about. My FIPK gave me more bang for my buck, so did my exhaust.
I don't want to start a "board war" in any way, I just felt ppl should know what "I"
thought of the product. So please don't come down on me like I hate superchips or anything.

I also hear that some ppl said to wait 1000 to 2000kms before getting the full results. Hope thats true.
Mike was a super guy, at getting it shipped to me. Less than 1 week to Canada.
Thanks Mike.

I supose the chip would be more suitable to someone who has a Supercharger or Nitrous etc..

Well,

Thats all she wrote.

Cheers everyone,

Morley


------------------
2000 F150 XLT 4x4 Sport
5.4L ORP s/c
Power everything
Ravin Z33 3" SI/SO Performance exhaust
Airforce One FIPK
Superchip (ATC2)
Tinted windows (llumar film 15%)
Vent Visors
Bug Deflector
Ford Duraliner
Ford Shoulder Pads
Pant savers
Ford Duraliner
Krown Rust proofed

Wish List: pulleys, TB spacers, E-Ram, Paxton Supercharger, Brush Guard, Roll Bars,
6" Body Lift, 3" Suspension Lift, 35" SuperSwampers.

 

Did you tape the chip in place? If might be coming loose. You sound like you are not running off your chip. That would explain thinking you needed to scrape over and over.

 

Tweaker: wow Your experience is completely oppisite from how the superchip worked in my old F150 and also my diesel truck now. Trust me when I say, it's a night and day experience. Sorry you're not getting that. Maybe Mike can tweek your chip or something????

------------------
2k F250 CC SWB 6 speed 4x2 Diesel XLT Super Duty, Woodland Green
Power Mirrors, 3.73 LS, Captains Chairs, ARE tonneau top, rear privacy glass
TT Pkg, Class IV hitch, sliding rear window, running boards, mud flaps
265/75/16 AS OWL tires, am/fm/cassette/cd, rechargable MagLite
Clarion APA 5240 amp, Memphis speakers:Components front, 5x7 rear, 10"sub
SuperChip, Stepshields, Ventshields on windows, rubber bed mat
rugged liner bedliner on tailgate, quick disconnect jumper cables
unaFORDable (decal on tailgate) Western Diesel Turbo Brake (whoa boy)
Finally gauges!!: Pyrometer & Boost on the A-Pillar mount

 

Sorry to hear about your experience! That has been completely opposite of my experience with the Superchip! It will take some time and mileage to get the most out of the chip (500-1,000 miles). I have had two 5.4L F-150s, two chips, and the same results..MUCH BETTER throttle response, MUCH better power (Not like a rocket of course)..not much of an improvement in the MPG..yet (But I am heavy on the throttle most of the time).

Like Tina..it has been like night and day for me!



------------------
2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Superchip, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55 rear, class III towing package with super engine cooling/auxiliary transmission cooling HD 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, build 7/2000

 

Wow, me too. Total opposite of my experience too. Tweaker, if you're had that much trouble getting it installed, 2 things, I agree, did you tape it in or at least make sure it was secure? And, did you bleed the power? (disconnect the neg battery cable turn on the headlights for at least 5 minutes or so, then turn lights and everything else back off and reconnect the battery)

The reason I wonder,if you were yanking the chip at the mall, were you able to disconnect power first?

One last thing, are you burning good premuim?

------------------
<A HREF="http://home.att.net/~jmtkennedy/Expedition/Expy.JPG" TARGET=_blank>
2000 Eddie Bauer Expedition 4x2</A>

• Estate Green
• 5.4 ltr
• 3:55 LS rear
• Superchip!<A HREF="http://home.att.net/~jmtkennedy/Expedition/Airaidfr.JPG" TARGET=_blank>
• Airaid FIPK</A><A HREF="http://home.att.net/~jmtkennedy/Expedition/GibExitFr1.JPG" TARGET=_blank>
• Gibson S/S Swept Side Cat Back Exhaust</A>
• Tow Package
• Rear Load Leveling
• Moonroof<A HREF="http://home.att.net/~jmtkennedy/Expedition/CenturyChildSeat.JPG" TARGET=_blank>
• Century Child Seat!</A>

[This message has been edited by FamilyRide (edited 02-13-2001).]

 

Hey, dude. Sounds to me as if you didn't clean it properly a couple of times and then you didn't reset the computer when you FINALLY did get it clean enough for it to work.

The chip is super, and the response from it is a lot more than shifting. If you didn't get the same response as a huge overwhelming percent of the people here, instead of saying the chip doesn't work, perhaps, you oughta look and see what you did differently.

Good luck!



------------------
2000 F150 Harley-Davidson: Superchip, K&N FIPK
Hard Tonneau, Hidden Hitch, 2-Meter Rig (KG0UK)
'99 FLHRCI, '95 XLH

 

Mike's just upgraded my Superchip and with all the stuff I know about chips and with this being the third one we've installed, I even had a "no start" this time!!! It Happens Found that we just didn't have it pushed in all the way. Pushed it in and covered it with duct tape and the truck fired right up.

 

A similar thing happened my first install. It worked for a while then quit. I found the lip on the pcm's mounting bracket was pushing enough to unseat the chip, even with duct tape holding it. Had to flatten part of the lip.

------------------
97 Lariet-sc-4.6-4x off road-auto-3.55 LS-
superchip-K&N-3"
pvc air box mod-Granetelli MAF

 

After being a member of this board going on 2 years now and reading countless "Computer Chip" post, I am assured of one thing.

Somewhere over in Italy, in a small village outside of Rome, Probably a 10-15 minute walk to the vatican, there is a small church there, small yet very nice, and in the corner, with lots of candles surrounding it, there is a statue of Mike Troyer with a plaque above it that reads;
"Saint Mike Troyer, Patron Saint of Computer Chips"

Mike has to be a full Saint to put up with all the BS that goes on with the products that he sells, from people that do not read the instructions only to not have it work right and instead of calling him directly they post repeated threads about Superchips not working, or the people that don't understand what the chip is actually doing and what it is supposed to do, Etc Etc.

Mike, I salute you!


(And I lit a small Novena candle in your honor!) hehe

 

Not to speak for Mike or put words in his mouth, B777, but my guess is he gets enough enjoyment out of the WOWS!!! that he can tolerate the "yuks." And, the great thing is that he normally converts the "yuks" into WOWS.

Of course, while doing all the above and having fun, he might even earn a living at it. Life is good.

------------------
2000 F150 Harley-Davidson: Superchip, K&N FIPK
Hard Tonneau, Hidden Hitch, 2-Meter Rig (KG0UK)
'99 FLHRCI, '95 XLH

 

Hi Morley,

I'm sorry to hear you've had some problems, they all sound installation-related to me from what you've posted, and they're easy to solve. Just so you'll know for future reference, anytime you have a problem you should give *us* a call right away, as the additional documentation that we write that came with your Superchip tells you. Letting *us* know when you have a problem is the only way to troubleshoot any issues. If you get in touch with *us*, we can go over everything with you and let you know exactly what the problem is, and save you a lot of frustration, etc., and we're happy to do that. That's exactly why we go to the trouble of writing all that extra documentation, so you'll know what to do should you have a problem, so please, avail yourself of our knowledge and expertise by calling us, you'll find we're always happy to help any way we can.

I have to agree with the other responses here, as it sounds like you didn't completely clean all of the conformal coating from those contacts on more than one occasion (and that can happen with first-time installations sometimes, you're not alone), and that there may be other procedural issues here as well; for example, you may not have completely cleared the computer's memory after installing the Superchip, and it's program is coming in gradually as a result, instead of most of it coming in right away.

On the point of gas mileage, remember that the Superchip is a *performance* chip, there is no such thing as a "gas mileage chip" per se, even though most people do see some improvement there over time. You cannot expect to be able to use heavy throttle and get better mileage at the same time, that simply is never going to happen, the laws of physics still apply here. You can *either* drive it conservatively and get a little bit better mileage, *or* you can use heavy throttle and enjoy the performance, but you cannot get both at the same time.

Your gas mileage is going to depend on 2 basic factors; first, how you drive the vehicle, and driving it hard will cause your mileage to drop, obviously; And second, the other main factor that governs your gas mileage aside from how you drive it is the actual energy content of the gasoline being used. It is entirely possible to be using a premium gas that has a lower BTU content that the regular gas that was being used prior to the installation of the Superchip. If that happens, mileage will go down, there's no 2 ways about it. And the opposite applies as well, if the premium gas being used has a significantly higher energy content that the regular that was being used prior to the installation of the Superchip, the mileage can go up more than it normally does. Remember that octane is only an expression of the fuel's ability to resist pre-ignition; octane tells you nothing about the actual quality of the fuel in terms of BTU (energy) content, detergent additives, or anything else.

All else being equal, the Superchip cannot reduce mileage. That statement is very important, so I'll repeat it: All else being equal, the Superchip cannot reduce mileage in and of itself; that only happens when the vehicle is being driven harder, or the energy content of the fuel being burned is less than that of the previous fuel. The exact mechanism of any potential increase in mileage from the Superchip is the increased spark advance used on part-throttle in the Superchip's program, and that, in and of itself, will not cause any decrease in mileage. Your actual mileage results will always depend on how you drive it, and the energy content of the fuel being used, assuming we don't have any basic issues with the vehicle such as worn parts, etc. And of course since your truck is a 2000 model, it's too new to have worn parts. The ATC2 code Superchip for your vehicle is a well-known code that many others here have, and works just like all the rest of them.

What I would suggest is:

A.) Proper installation - it's obvious from the no-starts or stalls that the contacts weren't cleaned properly one or more times, adn that's easy to take care of. Go back and thoroughly re-read the additional documentation that we write, as it goes over this in great detail, both in terms of how to clean them and also trouble-shooting info on how to do a "re-check". It's certainly possible for a first-time installer to not get all the conformal coating off the first time or the first few times, depending on just how you attempted the cleaning of the contacts. You are by no means alone there, as others have done that too, and had to go back and re-clean the contacts, sometiems more than once or twice. And there's nothing wrong with that, we'd rather have you be too cautious than too heavy-handed when cleaning the contacts. But the bottom line is that you have to get all of the conformal coating removed, and you do not have to damage the contacts to do that.

B.) Go back and properly clear the computer's memory. With the Superchip installed on the computer, and the computer installed in the vehicle and connected, disconnect one of your battery leads, and then go turn on the headlights for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the headlights back off and then re-connect the battery, and you're ready to drive the vehicle. This will drain all residual voltage, and allow you to get a complete fresh program "load" from the Superchip, so you can feel it right away. Doing this properly will allow you to feel about 80% of what the Superchip is going to ultimately do, right away. Then rest will come in as you drive the next 500 miles or so, roughly.

You'll want to remember a few basic things here. First, if you don't clean the contacts completely, the Superchip cannot communicate properly with the computer, and that isn't the fault of the Superchip, that is an installation problem.

Second, the Superchip is not going to act like a supercharger, nor is it going to give you harsh, tire-chirping upshifts(unless you order a custom program asking specifically for very hard shifts), we're not trying to turn a 5000+ lb. pickup truck into a Corvette.

The Superchip is going to give you, in round numbers, about a 10%-12% power gain. That is certainly enough to feel, but it's not going to be like a supercharger. What you should expect that vehicle to feel like is that it's got about 10%-12% more raw power. And all you have to do to get that power gain is to install the Superchip properly and feed it the correct fuel.

Now, how quickly that power gain comes in depends on exactly how you do your installation procedure, meaning, whether or not the computer's memory was fully cleared. Many times people will disconnect the battery to begin with, then immediately remove the computer from the vehicle and do the chip installation onto the computer, then put the computer back in and fire it up and drive away. If you do it like that, chances are the computer won't be cleared and as a result, the Superchip program will come in very slowly and gradually, over the next 350-800 miles or so. What you need to do is when you first install it, put the computer with the Superchip back into the vehicle and test-start it. Once it starts, shut it back off and then do the battery disconnect and power drain by turning on the headlights for 5 minutes. Then shut the lights back off after 5 minutes, re-connect the battery and you're ready to drive. This is all done with the Superchip installed on the computer, and the computer connected in the vehicle. This drains all residual power that is retained by IC's & capacitors in the system, so that the computer's memory is fully cleared, and you get a complete fresh program load from the Superchip, so you can feel more of it's effects sooner.

As long as the Superchip is properly installed, and it's being fed the correct high-quality premium gas, there is no way you cannot get power gains from the Superchip.

As always, and like the documentation points out, anytime you have a problem, PLEASE, let *us* know; pick up the phone and call us, or shoot us an email, so we can help you. The botton line here is, the "problems" you've mentioned here are clearly installation-related issues, and they're easy to solve. If you'd like to go over this in detail, please give us a call, we'll be happy to go over all of this with you, ok?

We wish you all the best,

------------------
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 02-14-2001).]

 

What I don't understand is why Tweaker had to remove the computer, clean the contacts, and reinstall the chip at the mall. Couldn't he have just removed the chip without removing the computer and just driven the truck like an un-chipped F-150 until he got home?

 

Can anyone give me the name of a good contractor in Miami that specializes is fire damage reconstruction? My Novena candle caught my drapes on fire. At least I was able to get my F150 out of the garage before the house went up in smoke.

------------------
'00 WHITE/GOLD F150 LARIAT FlareSide SC 5.4 Auto 3.55 LS
Black Westin Nerfs, White Prime Design BugShield,
White Vtech Taillight Covers, K&N Air Filter,
Sometimes Superchipped,
Leather Captain's Chairs (like a screen door in a submarine!),
and all the Lariat goodies
SOME SHOW and a LOTTA TOW
My am E, Fl *** Member of ??? Ford Group




[This message has been edited by rmarietta (edited 02-15-2001).]

 

I did not install my chip to get better gas mileage. I actually figured the opposite might happen because when it feels like I have more power I stick my foot in it more.
The same goes for the other modifications I have made. If beter gas mileage was the result of any of the changes I made it was prely accidental. I made changes looker for better performance. I spent my money and took my chances.
Please don't take this as a slam against those looking for mileage. But, anytime you add horsepower it has to come from somewhere and maybe in the case of our trucks in comes from fuel consumption.

------------------
97 F-150, 2WD, Reg Cab,Flareside,Dk Toreador Red, Windsor 4.6, Magnecor 8.5mm wires, Bosch Plat +4s, 3.55 LS, EGR Bug Deflector, ******* Bed Cover, Bed Liner, XL Full Length Running Boards, Air Aid Kit, Gibson Single Out Cat Back, Superchips, TransGo Shift Kit, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Hellwig 2500# Overload Springs,Energy Suspension Polyurethane Front Sway Bar Bushings, 265 70 16 tires, Rancho RS9000 shocks

 

Hi B777,

What a funny post, that was hilarious, thanks for the laughs!

In all seriousness, I do appreciate your comments, thanks. One of the reasons we're here everyday is to answer the many natural questions that come up in this highly technical area. Most people quite naturally don't know what can and what cannot be done via powertrain programming, just like if you're not a dentist, you don't know how to do root canals. So we try to serve that purpose, answering those kinds of questions, etc., in the hope that it's helpful more often than not.

In the years we've been here, there is a clear pattern that most people here are good-natured decent folks, just trying to learn more about, or solve problems with, their Ford trucks, and some spend their spare time here meeting new friends & helping others, and *that*, to me, the spirit of F-150 Online. It's an honor to serve in any helpful way we can.

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