Don,t want no race truck!
#1
04-30-2001, 09:29 PM
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, Ia. USA
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Don,t want no race truck!
OK here's the deal. I've got a '99 f150 XLT 4x4, 4.6L, super cab, longbox, 60k miles, totally stock mechanically. All I want is noticably more power without sacrificing (and hopefully better) gas mileage. Not looking for a neck snapping tire burning screaming street predator. Just more power to go to the grocery store and pulling my camper without dropping in a bigger engine. So I quit thinking "shoulda got the 5.4". I'm thinkin, go ahead a spring for the k@n filter and a chip. The questions are as follows: (1)Does k@n just make one filter to fit my truck? (2) What do I want for a chip? What brand? Do I want a flip chip or otherwise? As you can tell I'm a novice, and I just want to do the right thing for my truck which I love. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Thanks!
#2
04-30-2001, 09:45 PM
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For what you're asking for, the Superchip would be great.
K&N does make a drop in filter but if you're doing that for power gains etc. the FIPK does more. However, from what you describe you want, the chip would do the trick.
AS for the flip chip, with gas prices going higher, it may not be a bad thing, although you're likely to pay only about .20 a gallon more for the premium you'll need to run with the chip than regular no matter what price gas is. With the flip chip, you can flip back and forth between the Superchip standard program (premium fuel) and the factory program (reg. fuel) but the benefit to doing that vs. just popping the chip out is that with the factory program side of the flip chip, you'll still have the benefit of the greatly improved shifting. I think it's only about $100 more for the flip chip. Best thing is to call Mike Troyer. I'm sure he'll be replying to you soon.
------------------
2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2
-->Follow Me...<--
K&N does make a drop in filter but if you're doing that for power gains etc. the FIPK does more. However, from what you describe you want, the chip would do the trick.
AS for the flip chip, with gas prices going higher, it may not be a bad thing, although you're likely to pay only about .20 a gallon more for the premium you'll need to run with the chip than regular no matter what price gas is. With the flip chip, you can flip back and forth between the Superchip standard program (premium fuel) and the factory program (reg. fuel) but the benefit to doing that vs. just popping the chip out is that with the factory program side of the flip chip, you'll still have the benefit of the greatly improved shifting. I think it's only about $100 more for the flip chip. Best thing is to call Mike Troyer. I'm sure he'll be replying to you soon.
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2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2
- Estate Green
- 5.4 ltr
- 3:55 LS rear
- Superchip!
- Airaid FIPK
- Gibson S/S Swept Side Cat Back Exhaust
- Hellwig Rear Anti-Sway Bar
- Edelbrock Performer IAS Shocks
- Xenon Super White Head and Driving Lights
- Clear Corners (installed then removed and reinstalled OEM's)
- Tow Package
- Rear Load Leveling
- Moonroof
- Century Child Seat!
- Front Polyurethane Anti-Sway Bar Bushings recieved, wrong part number
-->Follow Me...<--
#3
04-30-2001, 10:41 PM
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Hey there Longbox,I would have to agree with FamilyRide. I've got a '98 F150 regular cab short bed, a bit different from yours. I've got the 4.6 with a five speed. I was happy with the get up and go of the 4.6 before the Superchip. With the Superchip I get exactly what you have asked for. Nothing too crazy, just a bit more get up and go. I also got the K&N air filter, and a cat back dual exhaust. For under $600 I've got more power and better ecceleration. I believe the mods have made a great truck even better.
Check out previous posts, there is lots of information out there. Lots of answers to commonly asked questions.
I got my K&N filter at an Auto Zone in my area, I'd guess you would be able to find one in just about any auto parts retailer.
There are many computer chips out there. I bought my Superchip here on F150 Online from Mike Troyer. If you check out some previous posts you will see that many are happy with the Superchip, and the service from Performance Products.
Good luck.
Tom.
Check out previous posts, there is lots of information out there. Lots of answers to commonly asked questions.
I got my K&N filter at an Auto Zone in my area, I'd guess you would be able to find one in just about any auto parts retailer.
There are many computer chips out there. I bought my Superchip here on F150 Online from Mike Troyer. If you check out some previous posts you will see that many are happy with the Superchip, and the service from Performance Products.
Good luck.
Tom.
#4
05-01-2001, 02:36 PM
Former Sponsor
Hi longbox,
Welcome to F-150 Online!
What you're wanting is the same thing that many other F-150 owners want; a few simple bolt-on modifications to improve power without spending a ton of money or hurting the truck.
You will see a number of stories here about various F-150 Online participants doing things like street racing, drag racing, etc., but by and large, that represents a fairly small percentage of F-150 owners overall. Most simply want more power combined with full reliability to better use & enjoy their trucks, so your request is perfectly normal.
The Superchip is the single most cost-effective performance enhancer you can add to your vehicle, as nothing else will add more performance for less money. The maximum rated gains from the Superchip for your 4.6 F-150 are 26 horsepower and 40 lbs./ft. of torque, at sea level altitude. In round numbers, think of the Superchip as a 10%-12% power-gainer. For all the details & various options, etc., please give us a shout either over the phone or in email, our contact info is just below & we're happy to go over all of that with you. We also have an online ordering system right here, and you can access that just by clicking on the link provided below in our signature line.
The Superchip requries the use of premium gas, like any performance chip that actually adds real power gains. However, we also offer a 2-program Superchip Flip Chip, which we can set up with an 87 & 92 octane program combo for you, so you can use whatever grade of fuel you desire. Ther power gains on 87 octane are going to be small, 3-5 horsepower or so, the real power gains will of course come when running on the premium gas program. However, thanks to a combination of the small power gain and the other mods we do, removing power delays, transitional spark retards, etc., the vehicle will still be more responsive & accelerate a bit better even on the 87 octane program, as it's not the stock factory program. The 87 octane program in the Flip Chip has been very carefully optimized to give all the performance that can be supported by 87 octane. So while the "real" power gain comes when using the premium gas side of the Flip Chip, your vehicle will always benefit from our changes, no matter which octane level program you run on. This would give you ultimate flexibility to run on whatever octane of fuel you want.
The Superchip does have the potential to slightly improve gas mileage; it's just a by-product of the increased spark advance used on part-throttle, so your results will depend on how you use the vehicle and the quality of fuel being used. The V-8 automatic F-150's average about 1.5-2.0 more mpg on average, but there are also those who do not see mileage gains, either because of their operating conditions or the energy content of the fuel being used. Your mileage won't go down unless you either drive it harder with the Superchip (which happens sometimes as people check out the new performance levels after installing a new performance part), or you use a real el-cheapo brand of premium gas.
Reducing restriction in the air intake tract is the second most cost-effective modification for these vehicles. Installing a drop-in K&N air filter element in the factory airbox will get you about 5 more horsepower, which is good for it's low cost. However, there is a more effective part you might want to consider, called an airbox elimination kit. K&N makes on, they call it their FIPK kit, Airaid is another brand, and there are a couple of others. Any of those kits will work just fine, and will add a solid 12 horsepower to your 4.6 F-150. They cost more that a simple drop-in K&N air filter element of course, but that is the best way to reduce the restriction that exists not only in the factory air filter element, but also in the airbox itself, which is considerable. Those airbox kits are available in the F-150 Online Store, which you can access just by clicking on the link on the left side of your screen here that says "Online Store", or you can call them directly at 916-361-2510.
The 3rd most cost-effective mod is a good cat-back exhaust system, the best units will give about a 10-12 horsepower gain on the 4.6 motor.
I have listed these mods in their basic order of bang-for-the-buck. You can do them in any order you choose, that is strictly up to you.
If you'd like to go over all of this in more detail, examine all the various options, prices, etc., please feel free to give us a call, we're happy to go over this with you. We're here M-F 10am-7pm Eastern, and have 24 hr. voicemail as well should you call after hours, just leave us a message & we'll return the call.
Best of luck with your truck, & we hope you'll hang out here with the rest of us on F-150 Online when you have spare time, it's a great place to learn more about these vehicles and met new friends.
------------------
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 05-01-2001).]
Welcome to F-150 Online!
What you're wanting is the same thing that many other F-150 owners want; a few simple bolt-on modifications to improve power without spending a ton of money or hurting the truck.
You will see a number of stories here about various F-150 Online participants doing things like street racing, drag racing, etc., but by and large, that represents a fairly small percentage of F-150 owners overall. Most simply want more power combined with full reliability to better use & enjoy their trucks, so your request is perfectly normal.
The Superchip is the single most cost-effective performance enhancer you can add to your vehicle, as nothing else will add more performance for less money. The maximum rated gains from the Superchip for your 4.6 F-150 are 26 horsepower and 40 lbs./ft. of torque, at sea level altitude. In round numbers, think of the Superchip as a 10%-12% power-gainer. For all the details & various options, etc., please give us a shout either over the phone or in email, our contact info is just below & we're happy to go over all of that with you. We also have an online ordering system right here, and you can access that just by clicking on the link provided below in our signature line.
The Superchip requries the use of premium gas, like any performance chip that actually adds real power gains. However, we also offer a 2-program Superchip Flip Chip, which we can set up with an 87 & 92 octane program combo for you, so you can use whatever grade of fuel you desire. Ther power gains on 87 octane are going to be small, 3-5 horsepower or so, the real power gains will of course come when running on the premium gas program. However, thanks to a combination of the small power gain and the other mods we do, removing power delays, transitional spark retards, etc., the vehicle will still be more responsive & accelerate a bit better even on the 87 octane program, as it's not the stock factory program. The 87 octane program in the Flip Chip has been very carefully optimized to give all the performance that can be supported by 87 octane. So while the "real" power gain comes when using the premium gas side of the Flip Chip, your vehicle will always benefit from our changes, no matter which octane level program you run on. This would give you ultimate flexibility to run on whatever octane of fuel you want.
The Superchip does have the potential to slightly improve gas mileage; it's just a by-product of the increased spark advance used on part-throttle, so your results will depend on how you use the vehicle and the quality of fuel being used. The V-8 automatic F-150's average about 1.5-2.0 more mpg on average, but there are also those who do not see mileage gains, either because of their operating conditions or the energy content of the fuel being used. Your mileage won't go down unless you either drive it harder with the Superchip (which happens sometimes as people check out the new performance levels after installing a new performance part), or you use a real el-cheapo brand of premium gas.
Reducing restriction in the air intake tract is the second most cost-effective modification for these vehicles. Installing a drop-in K&N air filter element in the factory airbox will get you about 5 more horsepower, which is good for it's low cost. However, there is a more effective part you might want to consider, called an airbox elimination kit. K&N makes on, they call it their FIPK kit, Airaid is another brand, and there are a couple of others. Any of those kits will work just fine, and will add a solid 12 horsepower to your 4.6 F-150. They cost more that a simple drop-in K&N air filter element of course, but that is the best way to reduce the restriction that exists not only in the factory air filter element, but also in the airbox itself, which is considerable. Those airbox kits are available in the F-150 Online Store, which you can access just by clicking on the link on the left side of your screen here that says "Online Store", or you can call them directly at 916-361-2510.
The 3rd most cost-effective mod is a good cat-back exhaust system, the best units will give about a 10-12 horsepower gain on the 4.6 motor.
I have listed these mods in their basic order of bang-for-the-buck. You can do them in any order you choose, that is strictly up to you.
If you'd like to go over all of this in more detail, examine all the various options, prices, etc., please feel free to give us a call, we're happy to go over this with you. We're here M-F 10am-7pm Eastern, and have 24 hr. voicemail as well should you call after hours, just leave us a message & we'll return the call.
Best of luck with your truck, & we hope you'll hang out here with the rest of us on F-150 Online when you have spare time, it's a great place to learn more about these vehicles and met new friends.
------------------
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 05-01-2001).]