When I installed my 87 octane program it asked was I towing more than 4000 lbs, so I can assume I shouldn't do any heavy towing with this program. So what if I need to tow something heavy but have 35" tires on there. Can I reprogram for tire size without putting the superchips tune in?

 

If that is an 87 Octane performance program then NO you should not tow more than it says. I would assume that if you had put in an 87 Tow Performance program then that would not be an issue. But you just said 87 octane prrogram.

 

1714 has 3 programs: 87 performance, 91 towing, and 91 performance. I have installed the first one. The main thing I want to know is, if I detune it to tow something heavy, will I lose my ability to calibrate for the larger tires.

 

This is one of the most basic aspects of any Micro Tuner or flash device, and using the F-150 Online SEARCH feature you can easily retrieve and read any of the literally thousand of previous posts on this topic.

In order to use ANY functions of the 1714 (or any other flash device for that matter), you have to have the engine tuning installed from one of the 3 programs. That has always been the case with flash devices like this.

What has to be remembered is that Micro Tuners/flash devices are *performance* parts - they are designed to increase power by retuning the engine. If the engine tuning is not used, then you do not have access to any other functions, because the engine tuning is the most basic part and what is required to get any power gain. Without the engine tuning, you have ZERO power gain, so it's always been the case that if you do not use any of the different engine tuning programs, you can't get anything else.

The hot tip if you have to tow a really heavy load (something significantly above 4000 lb) is to use the correct program for that purpose - which is Program 2, the premium gas tow-safe program. That's what it's designed for, that way you have maximum power available for towing that heavy load - that's the whole point, having the additional power needed for towing a heavy load.

The actual increase in fuel cost to run either of the premium gas tunes in the 1714 or 1715 is very small, thanks to a small improvement in fuel economy seen in many cases as a by-product of the additional spark advance and other changes in the program. The average cost delta between regular & premium of 20 cents per gallon is generally reduced to half that amount or less in direct comparisons, as long as people don't do something dumb like using the cheapest gas they can find - which only assures the lowest fuel quality and a resultant loss of performance and fuel economy compared to a good quality fuel.

So to tow a really heavy load you can either return it back to stock, or do the smart thing, which is to use Program 2, the towing program that is designed for towing heavy loads significantly above 4000 lb. The whole idea here is that anyone who needs to tow significantly more than 4000 lb needs every bit of power they can get - that's why they bought the 1714 in the first place, to increase power & performance. So to tow a really heavy load, use the program that is designed for that purpose. Anyone that can afford to own a 2004 F-150 can certainly afford a tank or two of good quality premium gas to tow a heavy load with.

Another helpful aspect of the 1714 is that in the past generations of flash devices (like the 1715 Micro Tuner for the 1996-2003 trucks), there was NO towing of ANY amount of weight possible in any of the "performance" tunes, due to EGT levels when tuning for maximum performance. That has changed with the 1714 - now you can tow a whopping 2 tons out back and still use the performance tuning.

Last - trying to force a vehicle like a late-model F-150, a very heavy vehicle to begin with, to run on 35" tires without also doing the required gear ratio change so the engine can once again turn at least as many rpms for a given speed & gear as it did with the stock factory tires is a mistake. Installing taller than stock tires significantly reduces the amount of torque multiplication. That forces the engine to operate below it's designed power band all of the time, at any speed, in any gear, as well as cause additional stress & wear on the automatic transmission. It's not a particularly good thing to do with the truck running around empty, but is much worse trying to tow anything like that. We advise NEVER to try towing any weight in that configuration.

Running around on 35" tires without doing the required gear ratio change is one of the more common mistakes made, unfortunately - part of it comes from the vendors selling those huge tires not telling their customers that they also need to do a gear ratio change, as that would reduce the sales of tall tires, obviously. But the reality is many people simply never even bother checking out the requirements & consequences of running taller tires *before* making such a change. Some even insist on completely ignoring the problem in their attempt to save money - and then wonder why their transmission failed 20K miles later and get mad at their local Ford dealership if they won't replace it under warranty, etc.

Now it is true that a number of people will install taller tires and then come to us for performance tuning and other performance parts in an attempt to get back some of the lost performance, hoping to not have to undergo the expense of a gear ratio change which is expensive to do in a 4x4. That can sometimes yield a result that the vehicle owner can live with as long as they don't try towing significant loads. Those who try to do that (using performance tuning to restore power & performance with taller tires on stock gearing) are best off having us do our in-depth *custom* tuning for their vehicle, as that will yield the largest possible power & performance gains, and better driveability than the "standard" performance tuning in any device. We do have a number of customers of ours who are doing exactly that - and they seem to be pretty happy. But then most of them aren't towing heavy loads, either.

Few of us are born rich, so we all do what we have to do - that's certainly understandable, we all have to live within our means as best we can - you make do with what you have! But it has to be understood that you are potentially compromising your vehicle if you run 35's on stock gearing - for example, we recommend not towing with 35" tires on stock gearing, as that's an excellent way to shorten the service life of your automatic transmission. Sometimes you may "get away with it" for a while, which can make some think that's OK to do - but it's really not OK. You just never know how well or for how long you can tow anything with much taller tires on stock gearing, so we just don't recommend it.

So that's the scoop, and probably more info than you wanted - I hope that info helps & good luck!

 

As long as we are talking about towing. Read the fine print from Ford. Ford reduces the max tow limit on Lariat's 500# because of the 18" wheels.

Mike, you left off the part about brakes. If you gotta have those big tires, you need larger brakes. It's all about leverage, just like the gear ratio.

 

Thanks Mike,
You confirmed what I thought. I just needed to make sure.

 

Hi Newt,

You are absolutely RIGHT, and thanks for pointing that out - in fact, my transgression is even worse, because as I was going thru my next-to-last edit of that post before submitting, I realized I hadn't said anything about needing to also upgrade the brakes when using bigger wheels & tires, and intended to add that before submitting - and promptly failed to add it anyway - D-oh!

Most people assume that running taller tires on the stock wheels is OK with stock brakes - but that's really marginal at best, especially with 35's or taller tires. We're doing good just to get people to think about that when they slap on 20" (or larger) wheels AND bigger tires - let alone the 35" tires on the stock wheels - but in both cases, at least the front brakes really should be upgraded, if not front and rear (preferable).

So when you add it all up, adding a set of larger diameter wheels & 35" or taller tires also causes a need for a gear ratio change front & rear if it's a 4x4 (rear only in a 2WD, obviously) and then a braking system upgrade - so it quickly becomes a $6K-$10K upgrade when done correctly, instead of a $2K-$5K upgrade when doing it "on the cheap."

Again, we all have to do what we can (or can't) afford........ I just wish more people were made aware of this BEFORE they jump in.

Adding taller tires and/or larger diameter wheels causes a large increase in the amount of unsprung weight - and that really increases braking loads. Not just from the weight alone, as you can drop 800 lb more weight in the bed and not give it a thought - it's the fact that it's unsprung weight, that it's a big increase in the amount of **rotating mass** attached to the hub that makes it a priority. It's not like you just added 200-1000 lb of weight back in the bed - it's another however much weight in **rotating mass attached to the hubs** that makes this an important factor.

Thanks for pointing that out, Newt -

 

Hi taterthedog,

You're more than welcome!

By the way, I just have to ask (maybe because I'm just a nosy SOB?) - where did your screen name here come from, was it one of the mud dragsters or monster trucks we see on TV and in stadiums & mud drag/bog events that are named "Tater," or just the family dog's name, etc?

Some of the screen names here fascinate me, so I just had to ask.....................

At any rate, best of luck!

 

Tater is the dog.

However we did get the idea for his name from several places. The main one is a restaurant in Newfoundland, where I hail from originally, that sold "Taters". They are wedges of potato deep fried or whatever. They are brown and so is the dog. There was also a Bullrider on TV. Tater Porter I think? And since you mention it I thought there was a mud drag truck called Tater, too.

So where did YOU get your Screen name. LOL!
Thanks again Mike!

 

I have a 2001 Supercrew, 5.4, 4X4, with 3.55 gears and tow a 6,500' boat (and trailer). It's stock except for Air Raid intake, Flowmaster 50 exhaust and BFG T/A KO 285/75/17 tires. The F-150 tows it fairly well except for going up fairly steep hills. It will usually pull all but the steepest hills in 2nd gear (somewhere around 3800 RPM at 60 mph if I remember right.) How much additional horsepower and torque will a chip give me (at what RPM) when using the 91 octane tow mode?

Thank you,
RR

 

Hi Tater,

OK, got it - it's the dog. Good-looking animal, by the way, and a darned nice FX4 he's standing beside, too.

For Robbie Racer,

The best results will be had using our custom tuning for that truck - figure that in terms of the peak power gain, you'll see 20+ HP on 91 octane (perhaps as much as 26), and easily over 30 HP on 93 for example. But it's the *torque* that is key for towing, or for acceleration up to about 85-90 mph - typically we'll see 32-36 lbs./ft. on 91, and 40-45 lbs./ft. on 93. Now those are the *peak* gains @ WOT - the part-throttle gains are key to more capable towing, & we're making comparable numbers there as well - you will have more HP & torque all the time, at any throttle position or rpm.

The exact gains will also depend on the actual *quality* of the fuel being used, as not all 91 or 93 octane fuels will give the same result, of course. Their energy content (BTU's per gallon) will vary significantly, as I'm sure you know from your boat racing experiences. Out in California, Union 76 generally gives the best results, for example.

What I suggest is to give us a call at our number listed below & we can go over this with you in more appreciate detail - we can certainly help your truck's raw power and performance, as well as vastly improve the transmission shift characteristics and help it tow better, etc.

Best of luck with your boat, by the way!

 

Mike, thank you for the reply (and the well wishes with the boat). I agree with you that Union 76 is the best fuel to use here in CA. I will only run that (or race gas at the higher boost levels) in my blown pleasure boat. I will call you to discuss the chip in more detail. I sure get tired of only being able to tow up the grape vine at 45 mph (along with the 18 wheelers).

 

Hi RR,

You're very welcome, & talk to you soon!