chip or tuner?
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chip or tuner?
This is my first post, so bear with me. I bought a 2001 F150 supercab w/ the 5.4 liter and am looking for the best "starter" mod for it. I have done some looking on superchargers and needless to say (for some of y'all out there anyway) they are a bit out of my price range right now, although I am looking to eventually put one on. The question I have is what is the best chip for my truck, or is a tuner a better option? Would it sound foolish to ask if I could do both, and what would be the gains to using both? By the way, I am a new subscriber and I think this is a great deal. Would appreciate ANY advice/suggestions.
Thanks,
Bryce
Thanks,
Bryce
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Bryce,
Welcome to F-150 Online!
Everyone else here had to make their first post too, so don't worry about that, we're glad you dropped in.
The Superchip is the only performance chip/tuning available that tunes each vehicle individually according to it's exact PCM revision, that tunes the engine for maximum horsepower and torque all the time at *any* throttle position, and that is also still 50-state emissions certified. No other chipmaker does *all* of that, only Superchips, which is why we use them, they simply do the best job for us and our customers.
To answer your question of whether you'd be better off using the traditional Superchip module or the newer Superchips Micro Tuner (the hand held programmer), that's really going to depend on just how far you want to take your modifications. If you are going to do modifications that require custom engine tuning (like superchargers, different size fuel injectors, ported cylinder heads, a different mass airflow meter, etc.), then that will need to be done in the Superchip module, not in the Micro Tuner.
You can use the Micro Tuner in conjunction with modifications like the most typical bolt-ons, a good intake kit, cat-back exhaust system, converting to electric cooling fans, underdrive pulleys, etc.
To answer your question of can you use both a chip and a tuner, the answer is no, you can only use 1 of the 2, you cannot use both at the same time on your vehicle.
In terms of just what the most cost-effective modifications for these vehecles are, the basic order for the first few modifications are: First, to have the powertrain programming/tuning optimized with the Superchip tuning, then next is to reduce the restriction in the air intake tract (here we recommend using the Air Force One as it gains the most power), and then 3rd is to reduce restriction in the exhaust using the Magnaflow cat-back system. From there you can do things like convert over to electric cooling fans, underdrive pulleys, headers, a larger MAF & TB (mass airflow meter and throttle body), and the list goes on and on.
What many people to do maximize their bang for the buck is to just go with our Stage 1 Kit to get started, which consists of either the Superchip module or the Superchips Micro Tuner (whichever is appropriate for what you're going to be doing), the Air Force One intake, and the Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system. This represents the Top 3 best bang for the buck mods, so you get a very noticeable power gain and a significant performance improvement for a very affordable cost, usign the best parts available.
Here at Performance Products we do everything from our various Stage level performance kits to various combos & performance packages, as well as doing things one modification at a time, whatever works best for your needs & how much power you want to add.
This gets too detailed to really be abel to properly cover everything here on the message boards about your situaiton, how you use your vehicle, it's exact configuration, how much performance you're looking for and all the different ways to get there, so the best thing to do is to give us a call when you get a few minutes. We can go over basics here, but to really advise you properly, the best thing to do would be to give us a call when you get a chance so we can spend some time with you going over everything thoroughly and in proper detail. That way you can make your decisions from a fully informed position before you start ordering parts. We're F-150 platform performance specialists, so we can help with virtually any aspect of improving the performance of your 2001 5.4 Supercab.
We're glad you decided to register to post here with the rest of us, & we hope you'll hang out here with us on F-150 Online in your spare time! It's a great place to meet fellow F-150 enthusiasts who are using their vehicles for all kinds of things, from the more typical daily driver & towing vehicle uses to all-out drag racing to you name it.
Best of luck with your truck!
Welcome to F-150 Online!
Everyone else here had to make their first post too, so don't worry about that, we're glad you dropped in.
The Superchip is the only performance chip/tuning available that tunes each vehicle individually according to it's exact PCM revision, that tunes the engine for maximum horsepower and torque all the time at *any* throttle position, and that is also still 50-state emissions certified. No other chipmaker does *all* of that, only Superchips, which is why we use them, they simply do the best job for us and our customers.
To answer your question of whether you'd be better off using the traditional Superchip module or the newer Superchips Micro Tuner (the hand held programmer), that's really going to depend on just how far you want to take your modifications. If you are going to do modifications that require custom engine tuning (like superchargers, different size fuel injectors, ported cylinder heads, a different mass airflow meter, etc.), then that will need to be done in the Superchip module, not in the Micro Tuner.
You can use the Micro Tuner in conjunction with modifications like the most typical bolt-ons, a good intake kit, cat-back exhaust system, converting to electric cooling fans, underdrive pulleys, etc.
To answer your question of can you use both a chip and a tuner, the answer is no, you can only use 1 of the 2, you cannot use both at the same time on your vehicle.
In terms of just what the most cost-effective modifications for these vehecles are, the basic order for the first few modifications are: First, to have the powertrain programming/tuning optimized with the Superchip tuning, then next is to reduce the restriction in the air intake tract (here we recommend using the Air Force One as it gains the most power), and then 3rd is to reduce restriction in the exhaust using the Magnaflow cat-back system. From there you can do things like convert over to electric cooling fans, underdrive pulleys, headers, a larger MAF & TB (mass airflow meter and throttle body), and the list goes on and on.
What many people to do maximize their bang for the buck is to just go with our Stage 1 Kit to get started, which consists of either the Superchip module or the Superchips Micro Tuner (whichever is appropriate for what you're going to be doing), the Air Force One intake, and the Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system. This represents the Top 3 best bang for the buck mods, so you get a very noticeable power gain and a significant performance improvement for a very affordable cost, usign the best parts available.
Here at Performance Products we do everything from our various Stage level performance kits to various combos & performance packages, as well as doing things one modification at a time, whatever works best for your needs & how much power you want to add.
This gets too detailed to really be abel to properly cover everything here on the message boards about your situaiton, how you use your vehicle, it's exact configuration, how much performance you're looking for and all the different ways to get there, so the best thing to do is to give us a call when you get a few minutes. We can go over basics here, but to really advise you properly, the best thing to do would be to give us a call when you get a chance so we can spend some time with you going over everything thoroughly and in proper detail. That way you can make your decisions from a fully informed position before you start ordering parts. We're F-150 platform performance specialists, so we can help with virtually any aspect of improving the performance of your 2001 5.4 Supercab.
We're glad you decided to register to post here with the rest of us, & we hope you'll hang out here with us on F-150 Online in your spare time! It's a great place to meet fellow F-150 enthusiasts who are using their vehicles for all kinds of things, from the more typical daily driver & towing vehicle uses to all-out drag racing to you name it.
Best of luck with your truck!