I'm thinking of installing a chip in my truck. I like the flip chip because it runs on the 87 octane gas.

I was wondering what gas mileage increase people were seeing, aswell as the performance increase.

 

Hi 97

I posted on your question earlier this year. Late July or Aug?

Some schip users have gotten more mpg...some havent?

I havent did a dyno...just going by feel....It gave my 4.6L that little extra get up and go i was looking for...i use flipchip..at first used 87, no gains, but a.tranny shifting i like..you get that both ways...however..i run 91+oct all the time now...

Picked up .90mpg..when i got that i believe i was avg. about 60mph. (solo..not towing) I did get an increase after chip install.
That was then...now will be experimenting with brands again.

Good luck....OT

 

Hi 97GreenLariat,

The Flip Chip will have the same performance program for premium gas on Side 2, and then as you mentioned, another program optimized for use with 87 octane on Side 1. Obviously, there won't be as much of a performance gain on 87 octane as there is on 91-94 octane, but you will still get an improvement in performance and overall vehicle response & driveability on the 87 octane program, it will be better than running on the stock factory program.

The raw power gains on 87 octane are small, about 5 hp or so, but you will still have all the other benefits, removal of various delays & retards, improved automatic transmission shifting, top speed limiter removed in most of these vehicles, etc.

The power gains on the premium gas program average about 10% for horsepower, about 13% for torque. Max gains on your 97 4.6 would be 26 hp & 40 lbs./ft., assuming a healthy motor with good plugs, plug wires, coil packs, filters O2 sensors, etc. all in good working order (these are the typical non-Coil-On-Plug 4.6 maint. items). Typical acceleration times improve by anywhere from a low of about .35 to as much as a full second, and average about a half second off the 0-60 & 1/4 mile times.

What we do in the standard dual-octane Flip Chip configuration is to make both programs identical, except for the octane level the engine is tuned for. That way you get all the other benefits no matter what program you're running on, and when you want maximum power, fill it up with premium and flip the switch.

With regard to any increase in fuel mielage, don't expect that to happen on the 87 octane program, it generally won't, though on occasion we'll get somebody that does see a small improvement, it's rare on the 87 octane program. On the premium gas program, what gives the *potential* for mileage improvement is the increased spark advance used on part-throttle, so your mileage will still depend on how your vehicle is driven and cared for, as well as the quality (energy content) of the gasoline being burned, just as it does in stock trim. We can't absolutely guarantee you will get better mileage, though it's true that many people do see a little bit better mileage with the Superchip, generally on the highway, when cruising. In the city, mileage generally does not go up, though again, on occasion someone will report that.

Average increases on the highway run about 1.5 mpg currently, with a range of anywhere from .3 mpg to as much as 3.0 mpg. Again, this will vary based on exact vehicle configuration, fuel quality, location, etc.

One thing to remember is that when the Superchip is first installed, many times mielage actually goes down because the driver is checking out the new performance levels, and using more throttle. Once the novelty of a new go-fast part starts to taper off, and driving returns to a more normal pace, that is usually when you would see any improvement in your highway, or cruising mileage.

It's important to use the best quality fuels, soometimes people will try to use the cheaper premiums when they run premium gas, and that hurts both performance and mileage, due to lower energy content, so you always want to use good quality fuel, stock or modified.

If you'd like to go over any of this in detaiol, please feel free to give us a call. We'll reopen from the New Year's holiday on Wednesday the 2nd at 10am Eastern as usual.

Happy New Year!

 

In my case, I see a pretty good increase in MPG. I drive like a bat out of hell usually and I average 14-15 around town and 18-19 on the hwy. Towing over 7000# I get about 11-14 MPG at about 55-70 MPH.

Pre-chip, I got about 12-13 around town and 15-16 on the hwy. I never towed until just about everything was done to it that is done now.

Aslo try running 4-5 tanks of a good premium through it. I use Texaco 93 octane. You may see a 1-1.5 MPG increase from that. The do the chip and you'll see what you get. Oh, at first you'll find the accelerator pedal is lighter hence hits the floor more, but once that wears off, you should see if you'll get better MPG from the chip. You'll certainly get an increase in "fun" from it!!

 

Thanks for all the replies. I was also wondering in what ways does the chip make the transmission last longer? Also, I like the way the smooth shifting that the trans. has now, will that change?

 

By shortening the shift duration you're reducing the amount of "slipping" thus reducing heat. It will shift differently. Now, those smooth shifts are a combination of timing retardation to pull powerr back just before a shift, and the stock tranny's extended shift duration. As it's sliiiiding out of 1st, it's sliiiding into 2nd giving you that nice smooth "sliiide". It's like you're slipping a clutch in a manual. If you had a different tanny, clutch and shifter for each gear, you'd slip the clutch slowing as you disengage on gear and at the same time you slip the clutch as you engage the next gear. Imagine that horrible smell of slipping the clutches; or even all the smoke as the heat up, glaze and burn. Ok, maybe that's a little over board but it's kind of the same thing.

I installed a shift kit to shorten the duration even more and mechanicly. I like the quick, positive shifts. To give you an idea of what it does for heat, after driving for several hours in local traffic (lot's of shifting), I could get out, reach under and hold my hand on the tranny pan. Within minutes, pull the plug and let ATF run over my hand and it was only slightly warm. Actually felt good because it was cold and my hands were freezing!

I did this 3 times in 3 days a couple weeks ago then 2 days ago I drained all of the regular ATF and put in the Amsoil. It should be even cooler now!

 

Hi 97Green,

You will not lose your smooth shifting when you install the Superchip, not at all. It is not true that you have to lose that to improve the shift characteristics, it's not an "either/or", you can easily have both.

To explain it in detail would have to be done over the phone, it takes too long to type it all out of course, but briefly................

Ford uses some aspects of their soft-shift strategy to the point of silliness, which is why these trannys shift like they do, which is to say, slow, sloppy & lazy. That is done for 1 reason only, and that is to make these vehicles appeal to more female buyers, plain and simple, and virtually every other automaker does that too these days.

With the Superchip, you will still have the smooth shifting that you enjoy, but it will also be quicker shifting, and firmer at heavier throttle openings just as it should be, in a very natural and linear progression with the amount of throttle opening. You will not loose the smooth character, shifting & operation of your vehicle. The comment we hear most often about the Superchip is "this is how it should have come from the factory." That way, you keep the basic character of the vehicle, but it's response and performance is improved, and your friction materials last longer.

We do make changes to the obvious things such upshift delays, downshift delays and transitional retards, but that's just the very beginning, the obvious things. The changes made are very painstaking and thorough, the transmission programming takes far longer than the engine tuning due to it's complexity.

The end result is a transmission that still shifts smoothly, but shifts quicker and has less sliggage, with a much improved response time to driver input via your right foot. As you give it more and more throttle, the shifts will get progressively firmer in response, just as they should, but it still is not going to be any type of harsh or jerky shift, it's still going to retain it's basic "character," it will simply be quicker, a bit firmer at heavier throttle openings and much more responsive.

What lasts longer inside the transmission are your friction materials, due to less slippage. That means the clutches and bands last longer, those are your primary friction materials inside these automatic transmissions.

Please feel free to give us a call sometime if you'd like to go over any of this or anything else in detail.