Can Superchip increase RPM?
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: Miami, FL, USA
Can Superchip increase RPM?
Hi all (in particular Mike).
I have the superchip, and wanted to know if can be reprogrammed to increase RPMs. And also wanted to know if the additional rpms would yield an increase in power.
What is it that allows some cars to have higher rpms than other?
I have the superchip, and wanted to know if can be reprogrammed to increase RPMs. And also wanted to know if the additional rpms would yield an increase in power.
What is it that allows some cars to have higher rpms than other?
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Dissonance, (I still love that screen name, too cool for us musicians)
Good to see you again!
By the way, anytime you are looking for a *quick* answer, you should pick up the phone and call us. Though we're happy to help when we can and have the time, posting here is the slowest way to communicate with us or anyone else, for that matter.
There may not be many members here who actually have that experience with significantly increasing the rpm range of a number of different engines, to be able to answer that accurately and correctly to begin with. So don't expect just anyone to be able to answer that, my friend.
But even more importantly, you gave no information whatsoever of what kind of vehicle (we'll *assume* it's an F-150), what engine, what model year, or anything else about the vehicle, and that makes all the difference in the world in the answer. Not all engines are the same, and there are significant differences between the 4.2 V-6 and the 4.6 & 5.4 V-8's just in these F-150's alone; significant enough that the answer will be completely different for each of those 3 engines, so it's no wonder you have no responses until now.
Speaking generically about any engine in these late-model Ford F-150 trucks, sure, we can easily raise the rpm limiter of any engine we make the Superchip for, but that doesn't mean you will make more power, and in these trucks, you won't make any more power just by making it turn more rpms. You get a little bit more from 4900-5400 rpm by using the Superchip, a good airbox kit and a good exhaust, that will move your absolute *peak* horsepower up from about 4900 rpm to the 5200 rpm range or so, roughly speaking, but that's about it, you're not going to be tunring 6000+ rpm in any of these F-150's
Perhaps you have forgotten that Superchips has already determined the power band of each engine we make a Superchip application for, that is one of the most basics of tuning, determining it's operating rpm range. We have already optimized the programming to include the rev limiters in all of them, & WOT upshift points in the automatics, so that has already been addressed and optimized in the Superchip.
Without doing *major* engine modifications, you're not going to make any more power at high rpms in these F-150's, just the opposite will happen, you'll make less power and wear parts far more.
The exact reasons *why* vary on each different engine, that is far too detailed to get into here. Suffice it to say that unless you are willing to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars having an engine professionally configured & built including it's oiling system, routing passages & galleries, balanced, heads ported, forged steel crank, rods & pistons, along with completely new camshaft profiling and different hardware to control valve events, you aren't going to extend the rpm range by a significant amount in any of the engines in these F-150's.
In a word, forget turning "high" rpms in these truck engines, it's not going to happen without spending a lot of money, and you can make more power spending a lot less in other ways.
If you're looking for more power, more rpms is not the answer in these Ford trucks, that's for 4-cylinder Hondas, sorry to mention that name here on F-150 Online, but you get my point, I'm sure.
Hondas are very small short-stroke engines that are specifically designed for higher rpm operation; for them, that is the *only* way they can make any real horsepower in stock trim, to turn very high rpms, as much as 8500. They have very small displacment (size) and not much stroke, so they will never make any decent torque, it's all high-rpm horsepower, which is almost useless in a 2-ton+ Ford F-150 with 3 times the aero profile. That's only useable in very small and light vehicles with very small aero profiles.
These trucks use the classic America V-6/V-8 with the additional twist that the V-8's are also overhead cam engines. The 5.4 has too long a stroke to up the rpms much beyond 6000 rpm without extremely high-dollar parts and even then it's a risk. And while the 4.2 V-6 and the 4.6 V-8 *could* be made to turn high rpms, it will cost you a small fortune to do that. Overall, you have far better and more cost-effective ways to make more power on these engines than increasing their rpm range.
If you're looking for more power, give us a call and we can map out a plan to get to whatever level of performance you desire, from mile to wild.
Good luck & again, good to see you, keep in touch!
Good to see you again!
By the way, anytime you are looking for a *quick* answer, you should pick up the phone and call us. Though we're happy to help when we can and have the time, posting here is the slowest way to communicate with us or anyone else, for that matter.
There may not be many members here who actually have that experience with significantly increasing the rpm range of a number of different engines, to be able to answer that accurately and correctly to begin with. So don't expect just anyone to be able to answer that, my friend.
But even more importantly, you gave no information whatsoever of what kind of vehicle (we'll *assume* it's an F-150), what engine, what model year, or anything else about the vehicle, and that makes all the difference in the world in the answer. Not all engines are the same, and there are significant differences between the 4.2 V-6 and the 4.6 & 5.4 V-8's just in these F-150's alone; significant enough that the answer will be completely different for each of those 3 engines, so it's no wonder you have no responses until now.
Speaking generically about any engine in these late-model Ford F-150 trucks, sure, we can easily raise the rpm limiter of any engine we make the Superchip for, but that doesn't mean you will make more power, and in these trucks, you won't make any more power just by making it turn more rpms. You get a little bit more from 4900-5400 rpm by using the Superchip, a good airbox kit and a good exhaust, that will move your absolute *peak* horsepower up from about 4900 rpm to the 5200 rpm range or so, roughly speaking, but that's about it, you're not going to be tunring 6000+ rpm in any of these F-150's
Perhaps you have forgotten that Superchips has already determined the power band of each engine we make a Superchip application for, that is one of the most basics of tuning, determining it's operating rpm range. We have already optimized the programming to include the rev limiters in all of them, & WOT upshift points in the automatics, so that has already been addressed and optimized in the Superchip.
Without doing *major* engine modifications, you're not going to make any more power at high rpms in these F-150's, just the opposite will happen, you'll make less power and wear parts far more.
The exact reasons *why* vary on each different engine, that is far too detailed to get into here. Suffice it to say that unless you are willing to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars having an engine professionally configured & built including it's oiling system, routing passages & galleries, balanced, heads ported, forged steel crank, rods & pistons, along with completely new camshaft profiling and different hardware to control valve events, you aren't going to extend the rpm range by a significant amount in any of the engines in these F-150's.
In a word, forget turning "high" rpms in these truck engines, it's not going to happen without spending a lot of money, and you can make more power spending a lot less in other ways.
If you're looking for more power, more rpms is not the answer in these Ford trucks, that's for 4-cylinder Hondas, sorry to mention that name here on F-150 Online, but you get my point, I'm sure.
Hondas are very small short-stroke engines that are specifically designed for higher rpm operation; for them, that is the *only* way they can make any real horsepower in stock trim, to turn very high rpms, as much as 8500. They have very small displacment (size) and not much stroke, so they will never make any decent torque, it's all high-rpm horsepower, which is almost useless in a 2-ton+ Ford F-150 with 3 times the aero profile. That's only useable in very small and light vehicles with very small aero profiles.
These trucks use the classic America V-6/V-8 with the additional twist that the V-8's are also overhead cam engines. The 5.4 has too long a stroke to up the rpms much beyond 6000 rpm without extremely high-dollar parts and even then it's a risk. And while the 4.2 V-6 and the 4.6 V-8 *could* be made to turn high rpms, it will cost you a small fortune to do that. Overall, you have far better and more cost-effective ways to make more power on these engines than increasing their rpm range.
If you're looking for more power, give us a call and we can map out a plan to get to whatever level of performance you desire, from mile to wild.
Good luck & again, good to see you, keep in touch!
Last edited by Superchips_Distributor; Jan 8, 2002 at 08:11 PM.
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: Miami, FL, USA
Thanks mike
You always know what to say. It brings tears to my eyes.
If my job allowed me, i'd be on the phone with you all day asking questions. These forums are typically the easiest ways for me to ask questions.
Ok, so for the info on my truck. Its a 99 F-150 4.6L 5spd, reg cab, long bed.
What I really need is top end power. I had nos for a while (and yes, i removed the chip) but i'd rather be able to throw out good numbers without it. On first gear, I have to fight to get the tires not to spin out on me (4:10's will do that) but after 2nd gear, the truck seems to loss alot of its power.
Now, I have 3 main problems. One is traction, another is the tranny, and the last one is top end. I was hoping that you could help me out with that area.
On another note, can the superchip be made to make the computer ignore certain codes or sensors? For instance, If I were to turn the truck to a permanent off-road vehicle and I wanted to get straight pipes to get rid of the cats, is it possible to have the superchip setup to prevent a check engine light from going on due to the second oxygen sensors? Also, if i kept the exhaust manifold and only installed straight pipes, should the chip be reflashed?
Sorry for so many questions. I have only one more. If one sensor goes bad, say the speed sensor, and a check engine light turns on, will that effect my vehicles performance?
Thanks Mike
If my job allowed me, i'd be on the phone with you all day asking questions. These forums are typically the easiest ways for me to ask questions.
Ok, so for the info on my truck. Its a 99 F-150 4.6L 5spd, reg cab, long bed.
What I really need is top end power. I had nos for a while (and yes, i removed the chip) but i'd rather be able to throw out good numbers without it. On first gear, I have to fight to get the tires not to spin out on me (4:10's will do that) but after 2nd gear, the truck seems to loss alot of its power.
Now, I have 3 main problems. One is traction, another is the tranny, and the last one is top end. I was hoping that you could help me out with that area.
On another note, can the superchip be made to make the computer ignore certain codes or sensors? For instance, If I were to turn the truck to a permanent off-road vehicle and I wanted to get straight pipes to get rid of the cats, is it possible to have the superchip setup to prevent a check engine light from going on due to the second oxygen sensors? Also, if i kept the exhaust manifold and only installed straight pipes, should the chip be reflashed?
Sorry for so many questions. I have only one more. If one sensor goes bad, say the speed sensor, and a check engine light turns on, will that effect my vehicles performance?
Thanks Mike
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Dissonance,
What you're really looking for is more power across the board, along with the ability to have a nice top speed number too. That can always be done with any vehicle, but it's gopign to *cost*, there are no shortcuts. Exactly where to start, what to modify next will depend on what has already been done. Here again we get into details, and that's going to require a phone call.
I'm not a fan of nitrous; yes, it's easy, and cheap as long as you don't break parts, but the fun stops when the bottle is empty.
For your traction problems, we can easily cure that with some new suspension parts that we're introducing, so you'll want to call us for that info. Basically, you need to harness the torque that normally is wasted twisted the body, trying to lift the passenger side wheel off the ground, and redirect all of that torque to actually making it to the ground.
Your "transmission problem" isn't going to change unless you change transmissions. But it's not really a transmisison problem per se, in my humble opinion, it's just that when you get into the higher gears, you naturally have less torque multiplication, and so the vehicle won't pull as hard. Obvious, and true with any vehicle to a greater or lesser extent depending on it's gear ratios, coefficient of drag (cd), etc. Add to that the aero profile being about 3 times the size of say, a Mustang, and that adds up to acceleration falling off much beyond 80 mph or so. Even in my own 500+ horsepower Lightning, it doesn't pull what I consider "hard" above 90 mph, even though it will run about 160 mph for a top speed. It will rip off very low 0-60 times as well as being deep into the 12's in teh 1/4 mile with ease on the stock F1's, no slicks, but it's 90-120 mph acceleration times are hampered by it's huge aero profile. That can be altered by lowering the vehicle, changing mirrors, and making some other changes, etc.
Though we could take care of those error codes from removing the catalytic converters, we will not do that to help anyone eliminate their catalytic converters, it's *highly* illegal. That will not get you any more real power to begin with, but far more importantly you pollute the environment in a completely unnecessary and illegal manner. At the risk of sounding like an environmental wacko, forget removing your cats, they aren't costing you any significant power. Some people think that because there are multiple cats, they must be very restrictive, but that's actually not the case. The automakers use multiple stages to keep the flow rate up, so for any number of reasons, forget about removing the cats.
What you're really looking for is more power across the board, along with the ability to have a nice top speed number too. That can always be done with any vehicle, but it's gopign to *cost*, there are no shortcuts. Exactly where to start, what to modify next will depend on what has already been done. Here again we get into details, and that's going to require a phone call.
I'm not a fan of nitrous; yes, it's easy, and cheap as long as you don't break parts, but the fun stops when the bottle is empty.
For your traction problems, we can easily cure that with some new suspension parts that we're introducing, so you'll want to call us for that info. Basically, you need to harness the torque that normally is wasted twisted the body, trying to lift the passenger side wheel off the ground, and redirect all of that torque to actually making it to the ground.
Your "transmission problem" isn't going to change unless you change transmissions. But it's not really a transmisison problem per se, in my humble opinion, it's just that when you get into the higher gears, you naturally have less torque multiplication, and so the vehicle won't pull as hard. Obvious, and true with any vehicle to a greater or lesser extent depending on it's gear ratios, coefficient of drag (cd), etc. Add to that the aero profile being about 3 times the size of say, a Mustang, and that adds up to acceleration falling off much beyond 80 mph or so. Even in my own 500+ horsepower Lightning, it doesn't pull what I consider "hard" above 90 mph, even though it will run about 160 mph for a top speed. It will rip off very low 0-60 times as well as being deep into the 12's in teh 1/4 mile with ease on the stock F1's, no slicks, but it's 90-120 mph acceleration times are hampered by it's huge aero profile. That can be altered by lowering the vehicle, changing mirrors, and making some other changes, etc.
Though we could take care of those error codes from removing the catalytic converters, we will not do that to help anyone eliminate their catalytic converters, it's *highly* illegal. That will not get you any more real power to begin with, but far more importantly you pollute the environment in a completely unnecessary and illegal manner. At the risk of sounding like an environmental wacko, forget removing your cats, they aren't costing you any significant power. Some people think that because there are multiple cats, they must be very restrictive, but that's actually not the case. The automakers use multiple stages to keep the flow rate up, so for any number of reasons, forget about removing the cats.
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Dec 1997
Posts: 9,417
Likes: 11
From: Windsor,Ontario,Canada
Dissonance,
Running with out the speed sensor could reduce the power available to the truck. The PCM will not see any output from the VSS and think the truck is in Neutral. It will feed fuel based on this and relearn new trim values because the truck's rpm will not respond properly. And the next time it is in Neutral and you gass it it will use the fuel trim values it learned when the truck was moving. It will then have to relearn new values and this cycle
will continue till the VSS is plugged back in. On automatics tghis issue is compounded by the fact that tye PCM uses vehicle speed for Converter lock up as well as shift points.
Regards
Jean Marc Chartier
Running with out the speed sensor could reduce the power available to the truck. The PCM will not see any output from the VSS and think the truck is in Neutral. It will feed fuel based on this and relearn new trim values because the truck's rpm will not respond properly. And the next time it is in Neutral and you gass it it will use the fuel trim values it learned when the truck was moving. It will then have to relearn new values and this cycle
will continue till the VSS is plugged back in. On automatics tghis issue is compounded by the fact that tye PCM uses vehicle speed for Converter lock up as well as shift points.
Regards
Jean Marc Chartier
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi JMC,
Interesting possibility, hmmm..............
The ECU also looks at numerous other data streams to confirm VSS, such as engine rpms, output shaft rpms (driveshaft),. etc., so the ECU should "know" that the vehicle is moving, it's going to "realize" that it is not in a no-load condition, if nothing else.
We haven't tried doing that deliberately just to see what happens. JMC, have you by any chance ever done that? I know your late-model F-150's have all been manual-tranny models, if memory serves, so I didn't know if perhaps you had ever done that on one of them, or an a late-model automatic, perhaps.
You always raise interesting points in these posts, JMC!
Interesting possibility, hmmm..............
The ECU also looks at numerous other data streams to confirm VSS, such as engine rpms, output shaft rpms (driveshaft),. etc., so the ECU should "know" that the vehicle is moving, it's going to "realize" that it is not in a no-load condition, if nothing else.
We haven't tried doing that deliberately just to see what happens. JMC, have you by any chance ever done that? I know your late-model F-150's have all been manual-tranny models, if memory serves, so I didn't know if perhaps you had ever done that on one of them, or an a late-model automatic, perhaps.
You always raise interesting points in these posts, JMC!