Hey guys.. Flea here

I just wanted to have a few questions answered. See below for the rig I am interested in a basic chip and the flip chip. I want to know:

What is a reasonable price for both?
What kind of power gains can I expect?
Do they make a chip that perfects the fuel curve on 87 octane fuel?
If so, will I still get the same power gains?
What would happen if I ran the chip rated for 91 octane on 87?
What kind of mileage gains can I expect?
I pull 2 horses in a 3700# trailer (usually just one, but lately both), and I am lusting for a little more power. A supercharger is in the distant future (after a TV! ), so I want just a little more power now.
Also, will I have to reprogram it after each other mod I do? I am nowhere near done with the engine, and I want to know if I will have to get it reprogrammed after headers, new TB, and some other things.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Be safe, as always guys...
-Flea

 

I'd recommend calling Mike. He can more quickly, answer all of those questions.

You could search on the meatime as all of those have been covered a lot. One quick note, you can't get much better performance without using better fuel. With a flip-chip, you can have an 87 octane program that will still give you the improved shifting. Having the '98 5.4 I think your perfomance increase will be about 23 HP and about 35 lbs of torque.

Again, I'd call Mike. That way he can go over all the details, including pricing, which he can't discuss here. And don't worry, if you call Mike, don't expect to get a salesman trying to close a deal; he's will answer all your questions plus some and that's it.

 

Hi Flea,

A lot of good questions! For proper detailed answers, I'd suggest contacting us via phone, as we can go over all of that in detail much quicker than typing it all out, but I'll certainly try to go over this as best I can here on the message boards.............

1.) For pricing, as Family Ride mentioned in his response, we cannot quote pricing here on the message boards, as F-150 Online has very strict (and for good reason) policies against having vendors & customers discussing exact pricing issues here, in order to keep the message boards free of what is considered commercial content. However, you can easily see those prices with our F-150 Online discounts by clicking on the link just below in our signature line, and that will take our online ordering system here, and then you can see those numbers for both the standard single-program Superchip and the 2-program Superchip Flip Chip, without having to place an order.

2.) The power gains from the Superchip for either the 1997 or the 1998 5.4 F-150 (this changed in 99 & up models) is roughly 23-27 horsepower, and 42-44 lbs./ft. of torque, depending on your particular engine's health and stock pwoer output now, & your local fuel quality. In round numbers, think of the Superchip as about a 10%-12% power gainer.

3.) Yes, in our 2-program Superchip Flip Chip, however, the power gains on 87 octane are going to be small, 3-5 horsepower. The vehicle will still accelerate a bit quicker (a tenth or two off 0-60 & 1/4 mile times) and the drivetrain will be more responsive thanks to all the other changes we make to eliminate transitional retards, delays, shift delays, etc. The real power gain comes when we re-tune the engine for the use of premium gas, this is standard in just about any performance chip, as it's the only way to significantly increase engine power via powertrain programming, is to re-tune the motor for higher octane. With the 2-program Flip Chip, you can have one program for 87 octane and the other for 92 octane, and that way you have the best of both worlds and ultimate flexibility.

4.) The first thing that will happen is you will lose the power gain, and you may get some pinging, depending on just how much adjustment range the knock sensor system in your vehicle has, as they do vary. Some can run on lower octane without exhibiting audible detonation, and some will ping with anything less than a good premium gas in the tank. Worst case scenario, if you use the the single-program Superchip, if you have to use low octane somewhere and start to get some pinging, you can easily and quickly remove the Superchip, and that will revert you back to the factory program.

5.) We do not guarantee mileage gains, as there are too many factors beyond our control to guarantee that for everyone all the time in every situation of course. It's a performance chip first and foremost. Many people do see small gains in mileage, usually averagng about 1.5-2.0 mpg when cruising and not using a lot of throttle. This is merely a by-product of the increased spark advance used as part of our performance tuning for premium gas, so your results will depend primarily on how you operate and maintain your vehicle, and the energy content of the gasoline being burned. Some people do see small improvements in mileage in city driving, but usually this is seen mostly when cruising. Some people have reported gains of as much as 3.5 mpg, but I would never expect that, it's well above the average reported to us of 1.5-2.0 mpg when cruising.

6.) The Superchip will work just fine without changes needed to it's program for modifications such as K&N air filters, airbox kits, cat-back exhaust systems, and even headers rarely require custom programming. The types of mods that do require this are if you change the MAF (mass airflow meter), and then your major mods like a supercharger, nitrous oxide, ported cylinder heads, etc. The Superchip can always be updated for future mods, thanks to it's flash design, so you're never obsolete.

Again, if you'd like to give us a call, we can go over this in more detail, this information should help for now.

Have a great weekend, & hope to speak with you soon!

 

Thanks for all the info Mike! I'll try to give you a call next weekend!

-Flea

 

You're very welcome, anytime Flea!