I do not know alot about this stuff so ask all of you. What are the pros and cons of the chip and the tuner? What kinds of questions should I ask myself to determine which is better for me? By the way I drive a 02 Sport 4x4 with a 4.6L and 3.55 gears. Thanks in advance.

 

To be honest, All I see is pros for the tuner.

Use it as a DTC code reader
Manually change tire height/axel ratio to correct speedo
Can set shift points and pressures to your liking.
Has 3 programs. 87 octane, 93 oct tow, and performance only
Leaves no visible tell tale signs for warranty concerns
recognizes all factory ecm Codes, so it can be sold to another person easier if necessary.

If you have major mods, you will either need a custom burned chip or new SCT tuner with a custom burn

With a chip, it is only good for 1 ecm computer code (if you want to sell it, you can only sell it to someone with your exact code, or pay to have it re-burned)
You must scrape the contacts on the computer, leaving signs that you have used a chip (not good for vehicles under warranty)

In my opinion, tuners are the way to go

 

I have gone with three tuners on three different cars. All my experiences have been great, and the newer the tuner, the better the results!

 

I understand that a tuner "won't void warranty" however, what happens if you forget to put your truck back to stock and take it to the dealership?

what if they "re-flash" the ECM?

i really want to get a 1714, but just still hesitant.

 

Just get it.

And if you take it to the dealer for mechanical/electrical work, always return your truck to the stock program, then back when you get it from the dealer.

Or just be sure to tell the dealer not to screw with the PCM. It's pretty simple.

Lots of happy 1714 customers around here! I can't wait to order mine!

 

Hello n8ureb,

If a dealer reflashes your PCM while you still have the performance tuning loaded, they won't have any problem, they can do their job like normal - but you will have lost the ability to use the Micro Tuner. The Micro Tuner would still have your *original* stock tune still in it, and thus could not be used to tune the vehicle again (The Micro Tuner would think someone is trying to use it on a second vehicle, and not allow it). Now if that happens, you still have a solution - you can send it back in for a reset to clear the VIN-lock - but there would be a significant fee.

This is completely avoidable by simply following the very clear & specific instructions that come with the Micro Tuner - it's documentation tells the owner to return the vehicle back to stock before going into a dealership for service.

Now because the 2004 F-150 is the first year of a new redesign, more of them (well, the earlier builds I should say) will tend to get reflashed than in other model year F-150's - so this is a valid topic, to be sure, and information any owner needs to know. Our own 2004 F-150 has needed 2 dealer reflashes, for example, as it was one of the first 2004 SuperCrew Lariats ever built (it's a first-week build).

There is no problem as long as the owner follows instructions - and even if they don't, worst case there is always a reset that can be done. That's easily avoided by just following the Micro Tuner manual's instructions.

For other model year F-150's, we generally tell people to return to stock if they are going in for anything other than an oil change or tire rotation - but in the case of the 2004's, because it's a first year vehicle (redesign) with a new type of PCM and thus will tend to be reflashed more often than other model years (just like the 1997 was in the last redesign of the F-150), we advise returning to the stock program *any* time a 2004 F-150 goes in for service at a dealership.

That takes all of maybe 10 minutes, and is very easy to do.

 

Mike - I have a superchip in my 2000 5.4. Would there be a lot of gain for me to switch to a tuner?

 

Hi Keith,

It doesn't matter if you use the chip or the tuner, that doesn't make any difference in the power gain - what matters is the actual tuning.

Using our *custom* tuning, which we can provide either in chip or tuner formats, will get significantly more power gain and performance improvement compared to the tuning in the standard blue Superchips modules or the 1715 Micro Tuners. There are many posts here from owners who have made the switch and posted their results. We always get significantly more raw power gain and more performance improvement with our custom tuning, it's much more in-depth.

Give us a call at our number listed below for all the details.