I recently bought a used Superchip that I must send off to be programmed to match my truck's computer code. Before I spend the $75 I want to know if I have to make any mods to my truck to see the hp/torque increase that they claim. I believe its 20hp and 28 ft-lb.

Also do minor mods like air induction, pulleys and cats/muffler require re-programming or just major things like supercharge, headers, heads, etc.

 

You don't need anything for the Superchip to do it's thing. There are some who say that the Superchip falls short of it's claims. I believe the numbers that are given would be "typical" numbers and will vary some. They are also peak numbers. I saw a chart once (sorry don't remember where at the moment) that gave a break down of the gains in 10rpm incements. Fact is you will not see the peak numbers at every rpm. It varies quite a bit. In the lower rpm's there was smaller increases in hp and tq, 1,2, maybe 3. There was also a point at which there was a 2hp decrease, that was for two of the increments. The numbers grow with the rpm's. You are not going to see earth shattering results out of a chip. You will see gains that coinside with the money that you have invested. If we want more we have to spend more.

There are many things that you can add to your truck that you will not need to retune for. In fact, I would highly reccomend the use of a freer flowing exhaust and a less restrictive intake. These mods will be enhanced by the chip. Again, your not going to feel like you've gained 100hp. You will feel nice gains though. You want to feel some serious gains? Supercharge! That's what I did and it's AWSOME, and far more expensive than a chip, intake and exhaust.

I respond to your post because I was skepticle at first. I read all this stuff and asked questions just like every one else. I got a better idea of what things cost. The Superchip is one of the cheapest mods you can do that actually delivers results. It was night and day in my truck. I have felt the gains from every add on. Nothing that changes the truck drasticly, but I am the only driver so I know how my truck feels. The supercharger, my more recent performance mod, deliveres substantial gains but like I said the cost is up there and it's pretty complicated to install, compaired to a Superchip.

This is just my opinion though. Check out what everyone has to say. I think you too will realize that it's well worth it!

Good luck!

 

Hi Eric,

The best thing to do is to give us a call, as nobody else here is going to be able to give you that detailed info, no "end user" here is going to know any of that, and nobody else has as much experience with the Superchips tuning on these F-150's as we do. Nobody else here is going to be able to properly advise you on what modifications require custom tuning in the Superchip, which don't etc., that information needs to come from *us* to be correct and accurate for our programs.

Anyone who actually has real hands-on direct experience & knowledge (and I don't mean someone who has taken their vehicle to a dyno, that isn't "experience" by any stretch of the imagination) knows that all testing in this regard, dyno and track, are only relevent to the exact time, place and the conditions under which the testing was done.

No 2 days are ever identical, no 2 dynos will *ever* "agree," and on and on, thus you'll obviously never get exactly repeated results, it won't happen. The maximum potential gain from the Superchip on the 1999 or newer 260 hp version of the 5.4 motor is 28 horsepower and 46 lbs./ft. of torque (SAE Net flywheel, just like the factory stock rating is expressed), however, darn few will gain exactly 28 hp, as you'll almost never recreate the exact J-spec testing conditions and get the exact same results, and in over 30 years we have yet to see any dyno's software be able to "correct" accurately, you make what you make at that time & place, and that's it. So it all depends on the conditions at the time of testing, as well as the individual vehicle, the operator, the methods used, fuel quality, etc. Just a difference in technique on the dyno can very easily make the difference between a significant power loss and a significant power gain.

As we've said previously, what you can expect from the Superchip in round numbers is about a 10% power gain, something no other part can deliver for the cost of the Superchip.

By the way, part of the rules here on F-150 Online that each of us has to agree to in order to be allowed to register to post here is not discussing pricing, so please do not repeat pricing any more here on the boards. The Webmaster has put in place long-standing rules years ago regarding what can and cannot be posted here, and they are clearly defined in both the rules and in another "sticky" post at the top of each section of these message boards. Things like pricing, Tech Support, order status, and anything that is of a nature that is between customer & vendor are things that are not allowed to be discussed here, they must be communicated *privately*. You have posted pricing you got from us a number of times here already, please don't do that any more, & thanks for your understanding, it's greatly appreciated!

 

Hey...

From an "end user" point of view, I have to say the three mods that most (and most cheaply) improved the performance of my truck were:

K&N FPIK
Flowmaster 40 exhaust
Superchip

(in that order...although I did them all in one day!).

The difference to "punch", acceleration and the amount of work the engine does was amazing.

Absolutely worth the $$$ we can't discuss!

Go for it!

Mike

 

By the way Mike... Maybe I misinterpreted your intent, but you seem somewhat dismissive of "end users" and their responses to this thread...

...aren't "end users" what this board is all about? Their experiences, advice (no matter how naive it may or may not be) etc?

You're a vendor, and from all accounts an excellent and highly reputable one with terrific advice and experience.

But that doesn't and shouldn't lead to you advising a poster to essentially not listen to other posters, and instead call your private, for-profit business. Your post read (to me) like an Advertisement.

Other places supply specifically programmed Superchips, too.

Also, I've seen prices mentioned on this board for a raft of products and services, whether it be in violation of board rules or not. People (consumers like me) often ask "hey, how much would it cost if I....?"

Anyway, as I said, I could have misinterpreted...

Cheers

Mike

 

Nevermind.

 

Hi Immj,

Thanks for your post...................

I'm afraid you've misunderstood my friend, we're the *last* to be "dismissive" of end users, and I think it's clear from our activities here for years that there is nothing more important to us than the "end user" in the sense that I was referring to in that communication (we're all "end users" in some sense). That is exactly why we're here, to help the end user. You might want to spend some time actually getting to know something about us, gain some experience communicating with us, etc., before accusing us of being insulting or of being degrading to end users etc., as few things could be further from the truth.

Actually, I think that *all* of us are "end users" with regard to most walks of life, as unless it happens to be a person's profession, they're usually an "end user" in most cases.

Think of it this way: If a person is not a dentist, then they don't know how to do a root canal. Similarly, if someone isn't a NASA Mission Specialist, they don't know much about launching the space shuttle. I don't know dentistry, or rocket science, or how to go about laying asphalt, thus I wouldn't presume to advise anyone along those lines or pass judgement on communications not addressed to me regarding a topic I don't have thorough knowledge of involving people I know nothing about. My response to that individual was not meant in any derogatory sense at all, obviously the gentleman I was comminicating with understood my response, which was appropriate to his asking the same question numerous times in multiple threads. *That* was the relevant point, just to bring you up to speed a bit. Not knowing the people involved or the history of the situation, you wouldn't have any way of knowing that, of course.

By the way, the discussion of *any* specific pricing is against the rules here for all, not just for some. The fact that you have seen others breaking those rules doesn't change the rules, all it means is that whoever does that is in violation of the rulesl. All of that is clearly spelled out in the rules we all had to agree to when registering to be able to post on these message boards, and again in a "sticky" post at the top of many sections of these message boards as you first enter each respective section (including this one, the Computer Chips section) if you'd like to go back over all of that.

Perhaps in time you'll get to know us here at Performance, and hopefully get to know me personally a bit better, and thus have a better understanding for just what we do, and what kind of people we are. We hope you'll hang out here with us long enough to do that (and more!) for a long time to come, & maybe even come meet us at one of our National F-150 Online Rallys that we host each year, or one of our track events, etc., so you can see just how committed we always have been to the end user. The fact of the matter is, most waking moments in my life, and in that of my wife (and most of our staff), 6-7 days a week, is devoted to helping the "end user," whether it be here on F-150 Online or thru the charity work that we do. We'd love to be able to meet you & maybe sit down over a cup of coffee or a beer, etc. at some point, & maybe we'll get a chance to do that, I hope so!

We wish you well,

 

I try to express my opinions as an end use. I never claim to be an expert. My profession is plumbing. I believe that I'm qualified to answer "plumbing" questions. That's not what's discussed here so I can't respond as someone with "experiance".

I got the same impression as Immj, at first. I have met Mike and Anita though, so I figured that I was misinturprating what was said. Our opinions are useful to the people questioning but I think that a response from someone who is qualified is what is needed. It's important for us to take all the information that we gather here and use it to come to our own conclusion. The information from the experts should have more weight in our conclusions.

Like I said I have met Mike and Anita, and I agree that If you were to sit down with them you would see how commited they are to satisfying their customers. That's not just hype. It's the way it goes.

These message boards don't allow for tone of voice or facial expression. It's easier to misinturprate what someone is writing. Performance Products is a great company to deal with. If someone thinks that they are being misinturprated, pick up the phone and talk to Mike in real time. You'll see what the real story is.

 

frankly, I did not like the "tone" of the response myself

how can anyone assess the "true value" of a product or service without a cost vs benefit analysis ? its hard to do that without mentioning prices, which are usually ballpark. if we can't use the forum for this purpose, than its usefullness is greatly handicapped imho. furthermore, its not like i was shopping around, hell i didn't even mention a mfr or dist in this post!

in addition, you don't have to be an expert in any field to gather data and derive conclusions. you don't have to hold every single variable in a test to the exact same value. there's this beautiful thing called statistics, which gives us the law of averages. with enough samples you can determine almost exactly the expected results. If it makes it any clearer, I have a BS in mechanical engineering, I'm fully capable of determining the results of a power adder.

as i have noticed in other posts, you can be extremely helpful, however I would lighten up a bit. you act as if you have something to be ashamed of in your pricing.

 

 

I agree that end user input is a great thing, and I think the original approach of seeking actual hard data is even better. Seeing a dyno chart or hard numbers is more effective than a bunch of "it worked for me" responses. Both combined is better still.

I also agree with Toms (Wittoms) remark that Mike no doubt did not mean to come across as if end user input doesn't matter. Mike is in the position to be "on the inside looking out" when the matter of chip tuning is discussed, so he may see things in a different perspective than the end users.



Ericj try a search and you should find some dyno results posted. Personally I've seen very few instances where any performance related product lived up to it's claims in terms of HP and torque. My money goes to the mods I think would best suit my needs and deliver gains where I want them. This is done after gathering enough data to convince me that the money is being well spent.

Though we as end users may not have huge access to dyno facilities and the testing involved, dyno data can still be a valuable resource IMO. When a user post both their impressions and a dyno it also gives insight as to what that user would consider "good improvements".

Timed tests can also be of value IF there are enough done under similar weather and surface conditions to show a justified trend, rather than a single instance possible fluke.

 

The chip was definately the best mod I have done. The shifts are nice, but the power is really there. On the same day, before I installed the chip, I raced my friends Infinity QX4, and stayed pretty much dead even. 1 hour later after I installed the chip, by the time I hit 80, he was about 5 truck lengths behind me. This was all the convincing I needed. I could also spin my tires from the line now, depending on what type of raod it was. Before the chip, I couldnt spin them anywhere. My tires are wider than stock though. Go for the chip, it is worth it. I also get about 2 -3 mpg better than I did before the chip, and I drive the truck harder now.

 

Mike,

I've spent my fair share of time talking with both you and Anita. I feel like I know you somewhat. I've also spent my fair share of money with you. I think your post depicts you defending something that doesn't need defending. By implying in your second post that someone has mis-interpreted your first post removes the possibility that perhaps it was YOU who mis-communicated. I think that this type of response sets the tone. By the way I'll still spend money with you. You are truly great at what you do.

 

Haven't checked this thread for a while, but am pleased the discussion continued.

Mike, sorry, but my post about your post was about as polite and qualified as it could get.

I found your response both patronising and incorrect.

Where did I accuse you of being insulting? Or degrading? I said dismissive. Different word entirely.

I stand by my original post (including the polite stuff). Your post was indeed dismissive of end user viewpoints.

Your input from the many posts I've read is always welcomed and well informed, but it doesn't mean you can tell someone to essentially ignore all other avenues of advice. Which is what you did.

I would indeed hope to get to know you at some point, as others have. I don't dismiss your expertise, quite the opposite. I merely welcome other viewpoints, too.