Is all that these chips are doing is advancing or retarding timing or do they help anything else out? I have thought about a chip especially for my truck but what would I gain? Look at my sig for mods

 

Welcome, come visit the pre 97 section! I love me y superchip, and the power it gave me was nice. Mike T. will be able to answer all your questions.

 

Really it takes both. A good chip program is the result of proper tuning for the given application.

There are far more things than just timing that a chip can control, as they can alter anything the ECM does for the most part. Shift delays and timing retards, fuel curves, timing curves, along with an almost infinite number of combos when involving sensor input.

For a combo such as yours it would seem the best approach would be a custom tune and running the truck on a dyno with a wideband O2 to do it right. No use throwing away even a small percentage with the mods you have to support the larger numbers.

 

Hi Forcefd,

Don't think of it as a "chip versus............." as these terms in practical application overlap quite a bit, so it certainly can be a bit confusing sometimes. For example, with dyno data, we can tune these vehicles spot-on without every having to see or have access to the vehicle.

Timing is just one of *many* things the Superchip or any performance chip controls. The Superchip contains the operating instructions for the PCM to control all engine tuning & operation controls, & automatic transmission function in those vehicles equipped with computer-controlled automatics, starting roughly in the 92-93 model year for most FoMoCo's.

Think of it this way: a "chip" is there to properly tune the engine, controlling not only timing under all load conditions, throttle positions & rpms, but also air/fuel ratios, computer controlled multi-stage intake systems, boost (as it affects abuse-prevention modes) in the supercharged 5.4 engines, and the list goes on and on. In other words, just about anything the PCM controls as it relates to engine tuning & powertrain operations. Which differs based on make, model, model year, engine, transmission, etc.

In your case, you've got a significantly modified engine, so to tune your vehicle properly requries A/F ratio testing (which is only correctly done by installing a wide-band O2 sensor into the exhaust stream *before* the catalytic converters) and ideally, complete dyno data.

The changes you have made to your vehicle require different timing just for starters, as well as changes to air/fuel ratios & a good bit of work on load-related data, etc. for a fully optimized tune to get the best raw power as well as best overall driveability. That is not absolute required for your vehicle to run and be able to drive it with a properly engineered supercharger kit, it's a matter of getting the most out of your investment, really optimizing your modifications/configuration. We typically gain anywhere from a low of about 25-30 hp to as much as 70 hp in supercharged applications from optimizing the powertrain programming & tuning, though the raw power gain is just a small part of what custom tuning is all about, and really just a byproduct of course. Custom tuning is just that, properly tuning the engine/fully optimizing the powertrain program not only raw power at any throttle position, load point or rpm, but also driveability and tuning for suitability of purpose, I.E., how the vehicle is being used, where it is, the local fuel quality, etc.

Ideally, when you have a highly modified vehicle configuration, doing the custom dyno tuning is the best way to go, and is one of many services we offer.

Give us a call to go over this in proper detail, we can explain everything relevant that is involved, see just where your vehicle is at, etc. There is no charge or obligation for a phone consultation with us, so please feel free to give us a call.

Good luck with your truck,

 

Mike,

In your response you say- "For example, with dyno data, we can tune these vehicles spot-on without every having to see or have access to the vehicle. "

My dealer (SVT) has a "Flight Recorder", I am told that after an initial reburn for the S/C and other mods to get me close, the ultimate would be to have my bud hook me up and make a few WOT passes, gathering data. Can you work with this data from a floppy disc to fine tune my chip? Would it, in fact, be better data than that from a series of dyno pulls?

 

Hi Mad,

Well, yes and no, overall, not really, how's that for a straight answer?

That logged data doesn't take the place of actual dyno data, we're talking apples to oranges basically. Though there are a couple of things that are helpful, like O2 sensor voltage & fuel trim data, what's really needed to custom tune a vehicle with significant modifications remotely are the same things needed when we do have physical access to the vehicle, meaning the dyno data to include power plots & air/fuel ratio testing. So we want the power plots from the dyno, even more importantly the A/F ratio graph.

Sending us a floppy with data from the flight recorder isn't going to take the place of proper dyno data. The Air/Fuel ratio testing is the single most critical piece of the picture in just about any custom engine tuning, and it's much better to work from a proper A/F graph than getting fuel trim data & O2 sensor voltage from the flight recorder (along with all the other data it can log).

 

Thanks for the info. I was mislead about the value of the flight recorder data.

I guess I'll pass and concentrate on dyno figures.

 

Hi Mad,

I wouldn't necessarily say you were mislead about the value of that data, as data logging of the parameters the recorder can capture certainly has it's place, we do a fair amount of that ourselves here at Performance. There are times when only the logging of certain parameters while the vehicle is in operation will lead to a solution to certain types of issues, so there is certainly a lot of potential value in that capability, absolutely. It sounds more like your friend was thinking along those lines & just trying to help, it's nice to have a contact like that available & willing to help like that. Some of that data can be useful (fuel trims, mainly) for tuning, but it just doesn't take the place of proper A/F ratio testing when we're talking about custom dyno tuning, that's all.