Guys, I am COMPLETELY LOST on this one.
I am getting a 2002 Supercrew FX4 with the 5.4triton. I want something to help with towing and power, maybe help with gas....etc.
Do I need a programmer or a tuner??? What is the difference???

Then.... What brand and which one? I have heard that superchips are the was to go, I can't find any for a 02'.

I have no clue what to get.
Please help guide me. Haha!
Thanks guys,
Clint

 

Tuners and programmers are the same thing, people use different words for describing them. The main three you'll hear are chip, tuner, and programmer.

The way to go right now is with customized tunes. You can contact Justin at VMPTuning.com, Mike at TroyerPerformance.com, or Bill at PowerHungryPerformance.com. All three of these guys do great custom tuning, I have VMP tunes and I love them.

 

Ok, Are those gonna be avalible for 02's?
What do you have and what all can/does it do?
Thanks

 

i know that there is a model of the gryphon from PHP that works on all 97-03's. works great on my '98. troyer's site says that the x-cal 2/3 works on all '96+ ford vehicles. the major difference in the gryphon and x-cal(aside from price) is that the gryphon can monitor the truck and display certain parameters. on an 02, you can check the mph, rpm, % load(ammount of power you are using divided by the total ammount) engine coolant temp, incoming air temp, cylinder head temp, mass air flow, output shaft speed, current gear, instant mpg, and average mpg. there might be one more, but i cant remember it.

 

Can you adjust any thing though? Like performance wise; or can you just view things?
Thanks

 

The tunes in the programmer do that. For the Gryphon, there are three different custom tunes you can load into your PCM that will improve your driving experience while towing, racing, trying to save gas, etc. In addition, you can adjust other things to your liking such as the normal shift points, max RPM, max speed, etc.

- Jack

 

Sweet! That is more understandable. How much they run? Do they make them for 02's?
Thanks

 

no they make them for every model except the '02 F-150 supercrew with the 5.4 only the 4.6


just kidding. yes they make devices compatable with your truck. YOu need to research the Gryphoon, Xcal2, Xcal3, live wire and diablo to decide what has the features you want. Then the next step is to buy a used one or order one with custom tunes from a reputable tuner (the 3 mentioned above are 3 good tuners for F150's)

I personally run Xcal2's pn my vehicles, when I need ot display teh data I run my laptop and datalog directy into the computer I have the other guages allready in the truck all the time

 

what program do you use to do this? can it tell you rwhp while your driving? does it connect to your obdII port?

 

I use the SCT livelink program it's a free download form sctflash.com (SCT's website) the xcal2 connects to the OBD2 port (it can datalog alone but I use the laptop) and the same cord to load the emailed tunes connects the xcal2 to the computer...

only a dyno can measure your rear wheel numbers but with oyour times and vehcile weight you can make an educated guess

 

I can tell I have ALOT to learn. I'm so f'n confused! Haha

 

You're not alone - everyone is at first. I have the Gryphon programmer, with custom tunes from Bill at www.PHPTune.com One of the things I especially like about it is that I can monitor engine and drive train parameters while driving and especially during towing. I also like its ease of setup. Mounting it on the dash is a 5-minute, no tools, job. And, it can be removed without a trace just as easily but your tune stays loaded in the PCM.

To be fair, the XCals are just as easy to use, but they don't have gauges. Some folks use a scangauge addon for that purpose though. There's another product called "Livewire", but I have no experience with it and it's not talked about much in these forums.

- Jack

 

Wait what?

Load is VE or volumetric efficiency. It is the amount of current airflow divided by the maximum at current baro/temp readings.

Thanks for the laugh though

 

How much do they cost?
Where can I see some pics of an installed Gryphon?
Thanks,
Clint

 

Here is the Edge. It looks just like the Gryphon except the Gryphon is black.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/ch...rogrammer.html