Hello Mike,

I just got done installing the 60hp chip (PMT2) in my new truck (see below) and have a few questions:

1) What is the max turbo boost I can expect to see?
1a) According to my gauge, pre-chip 15 max and now 18 max, is this right?
2) How much change does Superchips do to the transmission shift pattern?
2a) When I Superchipped the 97 F-250 LD (5.4L, auto) I had, the truck was like it was on a mission - it would BANG the shifts all the way to O/D. With the new truck it is hard to tell if the shifts have changed all that much. Is this the way it is programmed to work?
3) What is the max EGT I should see?
3a) I know this is a loaded question pending temp, humidity, altitude, vehicle weight, road grade, etc. I am seeing 1175 max; it is within 20 of pre-chip. Is this normal?

I really am impressed by the way this truck moves off the line now, it is after all a full size crew cab pickup not a Mustang GT. I am very happy with the way the truck performs now but have seen posts on ford-diesel.com concerning the PMT2 code trucks and how when their owners put chips in them they were having a hard time keeping the EGT below 1300 and the boost below 25 and I am wondering if there is something wrong with my truck/chip. Maybe they had a hotter chip, I do not remember which chip they said they had. My wife and I are planning on getting a travel trailer, that's why the SD, and I don't want to get into the higher HP chips. Just wanted to know if this was normal for this chip. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Scott

 

Hi Scott,

OK, we've got a lot to cover here.......

No, there is nothing "wrong" with your Superchip, and no, there is no problem with EGT's with the Superchip for the Powerstroke diesel, that has been documented and tested so many times it's beyond silly. Superchips even had an independant test lab in California confirm everything from power gains to effect on mileage to EGT's to CARB emissions compliance to you name it. Actually, I don't know of any other aftermarket performance program of any type, from any company, that has had so much thorough R&D and testing.

The "standard" program for the Powerstroke diesel, and it doesn't matter whether it's for a PMT1, PMT2, NVK5, AWA3, etc., are all going to give roughly the same EGT's, and all maintain perfectly safe EGT's. As you can see from your own numbers from your own gauges, it's obvious they're fine. The power gains on all those codes is basically the same from that "standard" program like you have, 60 horsepower and 115 lbs./ft. of torque, as are the EGT's.

The *ONLY* time anyone has "elevated" EGT's that are not safe for sustained running is if they try to run our higher power level programs either without doing the required additional vehicle modifications, or if they try towing heavier than rated loads with our higher power level programs. We have a a fair number of people who try to do exactly that, get by on the cheap and not do all teh required mods for those higher power programs, or who will try to tow 12,000 lbs. despite the fact that they are clearly told the limitations of those Offroad and Extreme programs, and that's what happens, higher EGT's. Like any product, it must be used as designed, it's very simple.

With the program you have, you are still fully emisions certified in all 50 states, there is no limitation of your factory rated towing capacity, the EGT's remain perfectly in line, and you do not have to do any other modifications to your vehicle to use that Superchip program.

That all changes if you step up to our Offroad or Extreme programs.........

With the Offroad program, which adds 80+ horsepower and 140-150 lbs./ft. of torque, you lose most of your rated towing capacity, you cannot tow more than a maximum of 4000 lbs., you must open up the intake & exhaust, and use a pyrometer (EGT gauge). You lose emissions certification, it will not pass any smog test, and your mileage goes down as well. Failure to comply with *any* of those restrictions can indeed result in elevated EGT's, which is *precisely* why we tell people about those limitations, and most do not use the Offroad or Extreme programs as a result, as most PSD owners bought them to do heavy towing to begin with. Probably 95% of our customers do not opt for the Offroad or the Extreme programs, as they need the towing capacity & emissions compliance.

And last, our Extreme program can add up to 110 hp & 250 lbs./ft. of torque; you cannot tow *anything* with it, you must have twin 3" stainless steel downtubes, you need a 5" exhaust front to rear, a complete airbox elimination kit, and an EGT gauge. It's designed orffroad or racing use only, and should never be run on the street.

The only people having any issue with EGT's are those who are not doing the required modifications that those Offroad and Extreme programs, which were developed *STRICTLY* for Offroad use *ONLY*, require. Typically they'll try towing 12,000 lbs. with the Offroad program and no other modifications to the vehicle other than an EGT gauge, for example. I can't tell you how many people have said to me "well, I'll just get an EGT gauge and keep an eye on it, give me the Offroad (or Extreme) program anyway", only to end up having us drop them back down to the 60-horsepower program later on, when they realize what we told them would happen actually happens.

I think you can clearly see from your own experience that none of that is true with your program, you're not having elevated EGT's, etc., because you got the right program for what you wanted to do with your vehicle, just as you should have.

And no, none of our programs (unless it is a *custom* program for that specific purpose) will normally make any healthy transmission "BANG" the shifts, we *never* do that in any "standard" application. That can only happen in a the case of a custom program specifically made to deliberately do that, or if there is a problem elsewhere with the transmission, usually it's a shift solenoid problem. Now we will see once in awhile that the shifts will be a bit firmer than normal at first, before the automatic transmission does it's adaptive strategy adjustments, but that very quickly goes away, within 20-50 miles or so if it's at all. Even this is very rare.

We are not in any way trying to make that 4R100 behind the Powerstroke diesel BANG any shifts either, it's not a race car, it's a 3-ton+ diesel truck. What we're doing, both in the case of the F-150 or F-250 with any gasoline engine, or in the case of your PSD, is to first, reduce as much slippage as possible, remove all of the transitional delays & retards, and then last, bring the line pressure up enough to give a bit firmer shift, but still be compatible with towing livestock. In other words, we keep the character of the program in the same vein as the basic inherent character of the type of vehicle itself, in our "standard" performance programs, especially for these heavy trucks.

With regards to going over all those spec. details, briefly...........

Basically, it sounds like you have some decent gauges there.

Your boost, EGT's, etc. are all perfectly in line with what they should be. With the 60 horsepower gain program you have, the EGT is not more than 50 degrees above stock under the heaviest load, at max capacity, and are perfectly safe for sustained & long-term use. Your EGT's didn't even go up that much.

See, that was the entire idea behind that "standard" program for the PSD's, was to come up with a maximum power gain that we could achieve while not restricting the vehicle's operations/capacities in any way, or requiring the vehicle owner to make any other modifications whatsoever, and maintaining strict 50-state emissions compliance. That's why it adds 60 hp & 115 lbs./ft. instead of 80 or more horsepower as we can easily do.

So we have the "standard" program, which adds 60 hp & 115 lbs./ft. for those who want to retain their maximum rated towing & vehicle capacity, strict 50-state emissions compliance, better fuel mileage, no additional modifications, etc.

Then we have the "Offroad" program for those who want a stronger program for Offroad use and are willing to do the modifications required to make that kind of power, and then the Extreme program for those who want all the power they can get, no matter what it entails/requires.

So there's something for everyone, and the only people who have any elevated EGT's are those who are either not using the correct program for the task, or who are trying to tow heavy loads with the higher power level programs against our instructions & design purpose.

Have fun!

 

WOW! Mike are your fingers sore?? Great post. A wealth of info for the diesel guys!!

 

Hi V-10 Man,

Thanks, that's very kind of you.

Say, I've always wanted to ask you about how you have your 4R100 configured, I see from your sig. that you have the Son. valve & different springs, etc.

How do you like the results, could you maybe describe how your upshifts feel, etc., would you perhaps care to share a few details with us about that?

Thanks in advance for anything you'd care to elaborate on!

 

Mike,

Thanks for your reply; as I said in the original post I am very happy with the performance of the truck now, I was just a little concerned with contradictions between other people’s posts and the my results. The other posts I read must have been, as you said, people putting in the hotter chips without doing other the modifications.

I have another 100 (approx 150 since install) miles on the truck now, most of it in city traffic. The more I drive it the more I realize how much better it is. It used to be that I really had to pick a large space to pull out into traffic, the truck DID NOT accelerate that well, now I can pull out and match traffic very easily. I know that the chip/PCM has an adaptive leaning curve, I guess that is what is making it better the longer I drive it.

Again, thanks for your time (lots of it, looking at your post) and energy. It has put to rest any concerns that I had about the performance of this chip.

Scott

 

Hi Scamp,

You're very welcome!

Yes, your vehicle will go thru a bit of adaptation anytime you change it's program in the ECU, or clear the ECU by interrupting/draining power. In those cases, it will take about 350-500 miles for the basic adaptive strategy adjustments, and they'll also be ongoing, but you really don't notice it. Even during those first 350-500 miles or so, usually the only thing the driver notices is that it feels a bit stronger as you accumulate miles.

Have fun & enjoy your chip!