I have been reading the posts regarding the super chips; however, I have not seen many posts regarding the 5500 chips.

I would like a performance chip that I can have custom set that will be out of site. I believe the 5500 provides me this feature. I also would like for my chip to be custom programed for higher performance using 87 octane gas. (gas $$ way too high these days)

My truck is a 2004 F150 Heritage with a 4.6 L V8, dual cat-back exhaust system w/ Full Boar muffler and K&N Air Filter.

Will the 5500 give me the 10-15 hp & 25 - 40 ft lbs of torque the other models give?

Will this void my warranty or should I remove it if I ever need service? (I have an extended Ford warranty, that I don't want to loose)

Any help is appreciated, thanks. DN

https://www.f150online.com/galleries....cfm?gnum=4593

 

The 5500 isnt as popular as the 6600 or the 9100 mainly becuase you only get one program on the chip verses 4 on the 6600 and 3 on the 9100. The chips do leave a mark becuase they are physically plugged into the computer and could cause warranty issues if the dealership looks at the computer. The flash tuners leave no evidence of tuning on the computer. And yes the 5500 can be programmed to give higher perf on 87 octane. If your warranty is your main concern get a tuner such as the 1715 or 9100 and simply load your factory program anytime you need to take it in for service.

 

dr

Several comments from my personal experience:

First, the general rule is ALWAYS return truck to stock tune before taking it in for service. Now if you have the chip plugged into the pcm, the at least some, if not all of the Ford diagnostic software cannot communicate with the pcm.

Second, I have the old single program single bank Superchips tuning chip from before there were any tuners, and am in the process of upgrading to the three program four bank tuner. I went with the tuner partly because of the diagnostic issue. I would encourage you to seriously consider either the multiprogram tuner or chip rather than the single program one. I think you may be disappointed with your investment, say a year from now, when you might want to run some premium fuel and can't take advantage of it. I think the real gains and enjoyment form the programming comes with the "full effect" from tuning for premium fuel.

I'm sure Mike could explain this far more eloquently than I.

Good luck on what you decide.

enb

 

Hi drnasty,

For details on our products, you'll want to give us a call (or drop by our web site at www.TroyerPerformance.com) at our number listed below.

Everyone that drops by here has the same basic questions, so instead of repeating the info every time another new person drops by here (which is daily here at this highly popular web site!), we advise using the Search feature that is provided here for that purpose. Literally anything you can think to ask on this topic has already been discussed many times, and thus is available via the Search feature. The icon to access the Search feature is in the upper right portion of your screen here, it's easy to use, you'll enjoy it - just FYI so you'll know for future reference.

I'll give you some quick basic info for now, then you can call us for details.....................

The 5500 is the cheapest way to get into our custom tuning, and it's our custom tuning that gets you the biggest power & performance gains - however, the 5500 is a SINGLE PROGRAM chip, which means we'll have to compromise that ONE program so the vehicle is capable of doing everything you need it to - kinda like how Ford had to compromise their one stock program to do everything.

With regard to power gains on 87 octane............You aren't going to see anything like 40 lbs./ft. of torque at the rear wheels via tuning alone on cheap 87 octane gas in that truck - now there have been a few of the SuperDuty trucks with gas-engine V8's where their factory tune was so limiting (to the point that they couldn't even make their stock rated power) that torque gain numbers like that *were* possible on low-grade fuel (in fact, one company advertises those kinds of gains on the F-150 when in fact it was done on an F-250 V8 with a crippled factory tune), but that is not going to happen in the **F-150 4.6 V8**.

What we generally tel people is that if you want what *we* call "significant" raw power gains via tuning, you'll need to step up to using better fuel (higher octane & good energy content. We can provide decent power gains & better performance on 87 octane, certainly - but not as much as 40 lbs./ft. increase in *peak* torque, not in a 4.6 F-150 on 87 octane - that just won't happen via tuning alone.

All of this is easily solved by going with our multi-program chip, so that you have tunes for 87 octane when you want some power gains but don't need *maximum* power, and then other tunes for good quality higher octane fuel when you want or need the largest possible power gains, towing tunes, and so on. We urge most people to use our multi-program chip, as it's only a little bit more cost-wise, while you get so much more in return - 4 custom tunes instead of one - so you can have things like multi-octane capability, towing tunes, maximum performance tunes, an MPG tune perhaps, and so on - the kind of flexibility that truck owners really need.

The bottom line is, we'll do whatever you want - if you want a tune in the 5500 single program chip for 87 octane, we'll be more than happy to get you every last bit of power & performance that is possible on 87 octane!

With regard to your rights under the law & warranty, no, the chip does not automatically void your warranty, that's against the law - but we still recommend removing it prior to going in for service, whether you are under warranty or not, simply because Ford's WDS system cannot communicate with the PCM if the J3 connector is engaged. It's illegal for the automaker to deny a warranty claim unless they can show that the aftermarket part in question was the actual cause of damage. You can read up on your legal rights at SEMA, their web site is located at: www.sema.org

I hope this brief info helps for now, & please feel free to give us ac all to go over this in more detail - we'll be happy to help.

Best of luck whatever you decide,

 

Mike - Thanks for your technical advice. I image that you see alot of these posts daily and probably grow tired of answering the same questions over and over again. But I appreciate you taking the time out to provide some guidance.

The 9100 chip sounds like the right chip to use with its multi-programmable features. I'm not sure how often I would use the 91 octane program but you never know my mid-life crisis is due to kick in any day now, I'm sure.

Basically, I'm just looking for a little more power and performance than the typical or stock F150. If I wanted more I would invest in rebuilds, blowers, headers, etc. It's just not my style these days.

Thanks.

DN

 

Hi DN,

You're very welcome, of course.

What you've described looking for performance-wise is basically what most other F-150 owners want, too - just enough additional power so the truck feels & does the work that a pickup truck has traditionally been used for. Not a supercharger, not ported heads, not a bracket racer - just a reliable daily driver with the moderate amount of additional power it needs - just as you said.

There's plenty of additional power & performance to be had with the right tuning, and a few simple bolt-on mods in these computer-controlled trucks - they respond nicely to the right combination of parts, so it won't be expensive for you to get your truck's performance where you want it. Feel free to give us a call if you'd like our advice along those lines - generally speaking, our custom tuning is where to start (and for some, all that is needed), simply due to it's superior bang-for-the-buck value.

Have fun,