hey guys,

i have a superchip as well as a gibson supertruck installed on my rig. i like them both. but since i installed the chip it seems like the power has decreased. am i just getting used to the power?? or is there something where you get alot of power at first and then it drops to a level where it will permanently stay?(i reset my computer to feel the effects immediatly FYI) i really hope i am just getting used to it. anybody who has experianced something similar a reply would be greatly appreciated.

A

 

I'd say you're getting use to it. I bought my chip from Mike mid last year and it has worked flawlessly till a couple of months ago. One morning my RPM's were very rough and eventually the engine died. I tried to restart but to no avail. So I leaned over and pulled the Superchip up. The truck fired up just fine but the check engine light was on. For the past month I've been without my chip. The other day I went ahead and took my comptuer back out and cleaned the contacts again. I guess I did a half assed job the first time as there were still lots of glue left on it. Well after cleaning it I put the chip back and and she fired up...no problems! After jumping in the truck and driving down the street I finally remembered what a difference the superchip DOES make. I was just used to it before, but once you're without it you'll definately know the difference. Don't think so? Just pull your chip out and drive it for a day....then put it back in be enlightend once again

 

I have a Superchip. I've seen this type of question before. I think the answer would be: Fords adaptive strategy. I think some one else could better explain what it is.

Tom

 

Hi LBC150,

Unless you have changed to a lower energy content and/or lower octane gasoline, in other words, unless you are using a lower quality fuel, the Superchip is adding the same amount of power it always has. All you have to do (assuming proper installation of course, and I'm sure you've done fine there) is to use the required high quality premium gas, and the Superchip will do it's job, it has no choice.

This is very basic, and has been discussed hundreds of times here on the boards, and you'll see it come up again and again as you are here longer and longer.

You're just getting used to it. That's all, the Superchip cannot stop working, or become any less effective over time. As long as you use the required high quality premium gasoline, your Superchip will always do what it always did, that cannot change unless you send it in to us and we change it. The only way the Superchip can change is if we change it's program, that is not something that will happen on it's own.

What can happen is that over time, if the vehicle is driven conservatively most of the time, is that you can lose about 2% of your power to adaptive strategy. That isn't much, maybe 5-7 hp in a chipped 5.4 for example, and that will happen with or without the Superchip, that's just the effects of adaptive strategy. This is easily reversed by just driving it harder, it has nothing to do with the Superchip.

This is why some guys will do a reset of the ECU when they go to the drag strip, for example, to get every last ounce of power they can.

We do not recommend constantly resetting the ECU like that LBC150, that doesn't allow the adaptive strategy to work properly, so you won't get your best mileage like that, or the best part-throttle driveability, etc. As long as that's OK with you, it doesn't actually hurt anything to do that, so do whatever makes you happy.