This is my first post.. I justed received my SuperChip from Mike and could not wait to install it. Everything went well, directions were excellent..Before the installation I used a Gtech Pro to record my 0-60 and 1/4mile times. 1/2 hour after the install of I tested again (all variables were the same) Here are the results:

Before SuperChip 0-60 - 10.09 1/4 - 17.54
After SuperChip 0-60 - 9.60 1/4 - 17.10

The biggest change I felt is at WOT the engine revs out to 5,500rpm instead of 5,000rpm previous and shifts are much firmer. I noticed little or no differnece under normal driving conditions. Not bad for a small investment. Just thought I would give my 2 cents. Thanks Mike it was because of all your posts and customer care that convinced me to by the Chip and I am VERY happy with my purchase.

Also any comments on my performace numbers would be appreciated. It is a 2002 F150 Ext-cab with 5.4L automatic 3.55 rear, 4X4. The SuperChip is the only Mod.

 

J,

Your post might just be the last little nudge I needed to make the chip a must buy. I was thinking that the change would be worth it just to firm up the shift points. Is it that much better? I am also driving a 2002 4X4 so your input would be relevent to what I would see, improvment wise. Are you planning to do any other mods?

 

If those times were 1/2 hour after the install, it'll get better than that after a few more miles Gotta love it!,,,98

 

Hello there J30555,

OK, so you've got a 5.4 4X4 Ext. cab, and you've got an easy 5100-5300 lb. vehicle there at a minimum (that's quite a bit of weight, of course), and you've still dropped roughly a half-second off the 0-60 times, and not quite a half-second of your 1/4 mile times, with almost no miles on the truck after installing the Superchip.

Excellent results I'd say, and you'll definitely pick up more power as you accumulate the next 350-500 miles, too!

We've seen some of these 5.4's drop as much as a full second off the 0-60 & 1/4 mile times, the average is a half-second, the range from a low of 3 tenths to as much as slightly over 1 full second. So what you showed there, a half-second off the 0-60 times in the before & after testing is a *fine* immediate result on that heavy truck, and you'll pick up a bit more raw power as you get more miles on it.

Your tachometer is a bit off, as the highest WOT upshirt point we ever use on the "standard" performance program is 5400 rpm, where the original factory rev limiter is. So if your tach is indicating 5500 on the WOT 1-2, that's pretty close, but about 100 rpm too high that it's readiong, just to let you know. No big deal, they're almost all off more than that, just FYI.................

Under "normal" driving conditions, the Superchip is always working then too, it's always working, all the time. You have about 10% more raw power on tap all the time, at any throttle position or rpm. However, if you're not demanding much power, as happens in "normal" driving, you may not notice 10% more power on light throttle in such a heavy vehicle, but it's always there.

Just as an aside, when driving "normally," which means basically driving mostly on light throttle, the engine isn't making any real power. For example, cruising at 2000 rpm, you're making *maybe* 80 horsepower or so, as it's light throttle & light load, so the engine just isn't really working, it's not be called on to do much work. 10% of 80 horsepower is 8 horsepower, kinda hard to feel in a close to 3-ton vehicle. But crack the throttle more to make the engine produce more power, and you get more power gain from the Superchip even though the actual *percentage* of power gain remains fairly constant all the time. 25 horsepower is certainly going to feel like more than 8 horsepower.

The shifts on light throttle, or during "normal" driving are always going to be softer than at heavier throttle, as they are firmed in *direct* relation to how much throttle opening you give it. So just as it should be, the more throttle, the firmer the upshift. Again, just FYI..............


Thanks for posting your results, & glad you're enjoying your Superchip, of course!

Wait until you get more miles on it and you'll see even more power gain from the Superchip. Do acceleration testing in Spring or Fall, and you'll see them drop even further, from denser air allwoing the engine to make more power, so of course that is when you'll generally see your quickest acceleration times. You can have a full second difference in 0-60 times from the hottest Summer day to the coolest Winter day, just from the difference in air density & to a lesser extent the resultant timing changes as well.

Just a roundabout way of saying basically, your truck is going to be even quicker from here on out.

Have fun!

 

Hey there Screamer,

We have something ready for you, so you'll be getting a phone call in the few days.....................

 

J30555

I read your post re your performance gain from the Superchip.

We have similar trucks, 2002 Supercabs, 3.55 rear gears. Our "stock" 0-60 times are identical at 10.09 seconds. (I have a Vericom not a G-Force.)

I have bought a Superchip but havn't yet installed it as it is programmed for 4.10 gears which won't be going in until mid August. However, I thought I would share another mod I made that yielded a significant performance improvement.

I split the exhaust system at the headpipes. Routed them immediatly into a Bassani X piece, then into a pair of 52" long x 2 1/2" bore glasspacks, then out the rear. The entire system was fabbed from 2 1/2" stainless mandrel bends, (no reduction in cross section to reduce flow).

The result is very satisfactory. My truck has a very quiet rumble with absolutely no annoying drone in the cab. The best part is the performance improvement. My 0-60 times dropped to 8.2 seconds. (In each case, the test is the average of six passes.)

An even better and totally unexpected bonus is the gas mileage. On a 500 mile trip, with my cruise set at 78mph my mileage improved from 17.1 on a previous trip to 19.0.

You might want to consider this setup.

 

Wow dropping hta much off your 0-60 is hard to believe. A supercharger usually takes 2 seconds off your 1/4 mile. You took 2 sec off with exhaust.

 

Beastie,

In all honesty, there were two other changes made, now that I think about it.

First, the baseline times were run with only 1000 miles on the clock, the exhaust wasn't installed until 3000.

Second, I changed the oil and filter at 2000 miles and switched to Mobil 1 synthetic.

I am sure these two elements had some effect, albeit minor.

 

madferrari - those are phenominal numbers! I hate to be a copy cat but Im gonna see what my local shop will charge me to get that setup on my new (new to me!) 2000 F150 5.4

 

Goober,

Keep in mind that a conventional tailpipe bend reduces the cross section (flow capacity) of a 2 1/2" pipe by as much as 35%, that's why I used mandrel bends.

The downside is that conventional tailpipe tubing is 14 gauge and usually aluminized whereas mandrel bends start out as 16 gauge and suffer substantial thickness reduction on the outside of the bend which would mean a fairly short life, that's why I went with stainless.

I'll post some photos of my system in a couple of days in the exhaust forum.

 

Hey guys,

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but.....................

While those are seemingly astounding results on the surface, we can very quickly see there are 2 big problems with those acceleration times: they were not done on the same day, and you can *never* accurately compare acceleration times in terms of evaluating performance results from a specific modification accurately like that, not even close. Also, you cannot underestimate the effects of a broken-in motor running on synthetic oil. Significant difference between a new tight motor on dino oil & the same motor with a coupla thousand more miles on it running synthetic.

Mind you, I'm not saying that truck is not running those great 8-second 0-60 times, that's easy to do in many F-150's and I'm sure he is hitting those numbers, no doubt!

The reality is that you can drop 5 tenths of a second (and sometimes more, one of our F-150's dropped almost 7 tenths!) off just from having a couple thousands more miles on a new vehicle. Additionally, you can see a anywhere from 3-8 tenths of a second difference and more just from changes in atmospheric conditions. Big differences, like 20-30 degrees and similar changes in humidity can result in even more difference.

I wouldn't want anyone to think they can drop 1.8 seconds off their 0-60 times just by doing that exhaust change, as in a properly controlled back-to-back test on the same day that would *never* happen. Nor would a 2 mpg gain happen just from that exhaust change, either.

No, what's happening here is the acceleration time differences & m,pg differences being attributed to the exhaust change alone are in fact due to a combination of the exhaust change, by the motor being broken in, the use of synthetic lubricant, and the acceleratation times not being tested back-to-back in a properly controlled format. Those are *all* factors here, and obviously those results cannot be attributed to the exhaust change alone.

This is a very common mistake that many people make who are not familiar with, or who due to circumstances and/or the type of modification performed cannot do a properly controlled back-to-back acceleration testing format on the same day as is required to actually make any kind of accurate before & after comparison of a specific modification, and preferably within 90 minutes.

Tha'ts not to say his exhaust isn't working very nicely, I'm sure it is, and that's wonderful, we're very happy for "Mad," nice work!

But it did not reduce the acceleration times by 1.8 seconds, and it is not responsible for a 2 mpg gain. If that could be done with just that exhaust setup, the automakers themselves would have long ago done that on all these trucks to gain 2 mpg! The reality is, they'd do it just to gain .5 mpg with the C.A.F.E.-mandated mileage numbers they must hit each model year. they went from 10W-30 to 5W-30 years ago just for half a tenth (.05) of a mile per gallon, they'd kill for a 1 mpg gain.

We have done all kinds of systems for years on these F-150-platform vehicles, including systems breaking out the Y-pipe to go true dual, to go 2 into 1 after an X-pipe, and just about any other conceivable configuration, in just about every pipe diameter from 17/8" to 3". Having tested most of them in properly controlled back-to-back formats on the same day (PITA as you have to carefully watch temps & time of day, preferably doing it within 90 minutes or so) and nothing has ever yielded anywhere *near* those kinds of results, with the best mandrel bends & flow engineering available. About the best ever drop was just under 8 tenths with a true dual setup including custom high-flo catalytic converters into a 2.25" tru dual incorporating an X-pipe to keep flow velocity at it's highest.

Congratulations to "Mad" on his exhaust, it sounds like he's done a wonderful job, & his vehicle is certainly running nicely cutting those 8-something 0-60 times, to be sure!

Just FYI gang, we're really not trying to burst anyone's bubble here, just present some info on other factors affecting those results, that's all. "Mad" should be very proud of what he's done here, no doubt!

 

Mike (aka raincloud),

As I mentioned in my second post in this sequence, I must attribute some of the change to the other elements, perhaps more rather than less.

You say the automakers would kill for a 1 mpg increase. I don't doubt that for a second EXCEPT that if it was going to cost $50 they would think long and hard. I wouldn't be surprised if a sytem such as mine might just cost that much, even in volume production.

Just for the helluvit, I'll knock off another six passes on Monday or Tuesday morning and post the results.

I always use the same street, approximate elevation 10 feet, early am SF bay air (sun has only just burned through the fog), typically 62-64 degrees F, (no I don't know the air density) and I run three passes in each direction. The first is ALWAYS the best.

Incidentally, I was seriously addicted to drag racing before I retired to devote my time to my business (BHJ Products, I think you are a customer), I have since sold. However, my point is that I fully recognize the different factors that can affect accelleration and how every time you're sure things are going to improve, they go the opposite.

 

I know with my Superchips installed I am experiencing much firmer shifts and with WOT the truck sure seems to be making more power in the mid-range. I have not had the chip installed long enough to know if I am getting imporved mpg, but I don't think so with this first tank...I can't keep my foot out of the throttle

 

Hi Mad,

You don't need to make another 6 passes on my account, please let your truck rest easy, we have no doubt it can do the 8-something second 0-60 times you posted.

That's not it at all, my comments were basically from the standpoint that dropping 2 seconds off the 0-60 times of a 5000+ lb. truck takes somewhere between 60-80 more horsepower, and that is a power gain not possible from anything anyone could ever do to the exhaust in a late-model F-150. Not even with the best Kook's custom long-tube headers, high flo cats,, the best X-pipe, etc. (the exhaust setup I have in one of our F-150's), that much power just isn't in the exhaust.

Heck, some of these trucks can do 8-second 0-60's bone stock, and run mid-15's in the 1/4 mile (not many, but the lightest 2WD 5.4 short-cab short-box trucks can do that), so it's not at all hard to accept that you've gotten your times down to that point with the total combination of whatever you've done. That's actually pretty stout performance for a 2.5 ton+ truck.

Actually, I would like to hear that exhaust, I'll bet it sounds very nice with that setup. Integrating any good X-pipe imparts a distinctive sound in addition to helping power via increased scavenging, the sound is usually very distinctive and pleasing to the ear, it's usually a head-turning tone.

Have fun,

 

I said I would and I did.

Six passes made on 8/14/02, temp 66 degrees F. (a little warmer than last time).

Average for the six passes was 8.68 seconds with a best (first) of 8.25 seconds.

Not as good as last time but perhaps a little more beleivable.