Looking now to upgrade to either Sal's or Superchips flip. Want to get some feedback from owners that have done either. Don't want a regrettable purchase a month from now. Any help is greatly appreciated.


Rich
TampaBayLightning
stbtb@tampabay.rr.com


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1999.5 SVT Lightning - Red. Viper w/remote start, etc.
1999 Expedition XLT

 

there are lots of threads on this. try searching the forum for chip

 

TBL,

I have and use both chips. Either would be a good purchase. I have tested both under various conditions and find that Sal's chip is a bit kinder to my truck when using the N2O, and is generally easier on the truck on the street. I also seem to be getting slightly better mileage with it. One advantage of Sal's chip is that if he comes up w/a new program revision, he can just send you the chip to upgrade, and then you send the old one back to him. No down time, no driving your baby w/o the chip, minimal frustration.

The SuperChip makes for firmer shifts and good burst speed from a rolling launch. I still seem to get a bit of rough idle sometimes, especially after a couple of WOT launches, but this isn't excessive. If you opt for the SuperChip, train the computer with the chip and then make some WOT runs thru at least the 2-3 shift. If you have pinging or rattling at around 5K rpm, you'll have to get them to re-calibrate the program. SuperChips is aware of this issue and will make max effort to turn it around quickly.

Overall, if you have special applications in mind, or be just a little kinder to your truck, I would suggest Sal's chip. I am working with him now to firm up the shifts a bit more and if he does it succesfully (of this I have no doubt), then I would suggest it.

SuperChips is a fine company with a fine product and great representation in Mike Troyer, a true gentleman and someone I am pleased to do business with.

It may seem that I am stradling the fence here, but there is very little that can go wrong in either case.

For once, this is a win-win situation for you and eveyone else involved.

Just my .02 worth.....

------------------
Chuck 'Wyldman' Shelton
wyldman@houston.rr.com
Black 99.5 Lightning Build # 1273, DOB 5-14-99
CD Changer; Tow Pkg.; Lojack; Sal's custom nitrous chip; G-Tech/Pro; SnugLid; BedRug; Invinca-Shield, full kit; NOS KIT 80 hp shot (currently); Clear and smoke Lexan fog light covers; 3M Ti Window Tint; Bel radar detector (shouldn't be an accessory); PowerStack cone filter (a.k.a. supercharger waker upper); American Auto Designs ram air hood - Delivered and at the body shop; Cal-Tracs traction bars

 

Wyldman:

Thanks for the feed back. I'll get hold of Sal this week for a quote and purchase.

Hey, the hood from American Auto Designs, is that the company in Ft. Myers, FL? What was your oppinion on the quality of the hood? It's my next purchase (after the chip this week), so I just wanted to know if a body shop is going to have to do alot of prep.

Thanks!

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1999.5 SVT Lightning - Red. Viper w/remote start, etc.
1999 Expedition XLT

 

Man, this is getting really old now. You don't give up do you Mike? For the GAZILLIONTH time, the Superchip is NOT the only chip for the 99 Lightning that works all the time, not just at WOT. Chipmaster (the type of chips I use) chips work all the time as well, and vastly improve overall drivability on the 99 Lightning. And you're also wrong about my chips not having an advantage over the Superchip if it needs to be re-calibrated. The customer does not have to send thier chip back for the reflash of the new program. The customer is never without thier chip, and the upgrade takes a few minutes to do. You have to send the Superchip back for a re-flash, or at least drive to a Superchips dealer with a modem. Come on Mike, get your info straight, the guys on this list aren't stupid.

SAL

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Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!! http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

Sal,
Your the best,you say it like it is.
****

 

Well, boys and girls, it seems the gauntlet has finally been thrown down (I like that quote from an old movie).
I've watched Mike and Sal use almost every word in the English language to take a shot at each other and not really seem to be doing so. I loved reading that part of it, and I love it now.

I own and use Mike's Superchip, I enjoy his posts tremendously and he has been helpful as all get out on the phone and e-mail off board to me personally and to many, many of you as well.
I am just ordering a chip from Sal, custom tailored, as you can with a Superchip, to accomodate my wishes for a general performance profile and to whatever degree necessary to complement Sal's air filter and the Bassani full exhaust system I have also ordered from him. Sal has been just as interesting to follow on the board, he offers just as much help to all in general and me in particular.

Having read a lot of posts on both chips, I have a feeling that both will offer the same basic range of performance enhancements with subtle differences based on the individual experiences and preferences of the "burners/flashers".

Given that, I would say that Sal may enjoy a slight advantage in theory at this point with his offer to send you a "new" chip to replace your existing one so you have no down time other than the swap time.

There really is room for two good chip suppliers in the same way that there is room for more than one exhaust system, intake system or whatever.

I think we as purchasers feel that way, and I also hope Mike and Sal can come to the same conclusion.

Bill Murray

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Bill Murray
99.5 Lightning
Oxford White
Bedrug/ARE LSII lid

Tow Package CD Player
Superchip
HobbyTownUSA Graphics
Identical 1/10 Scale Tamiya RC Truck incl. graphics.
Truck interest e-mail:
fastwhitey@myf150.com
4 heavy decals!
Kennesaw (Atlanta) Ga.

 

Damn Bill, way ta' pee on a fire...good job. Point: Bill.

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Red 99.5 Lightning,#0975,Born 5/6/99...Adopted 5/27/99 Chipped w/SuperChip Flipchip chip,Water Wetter, Mobil 1, Foglamp Covers, 13.573@101.08

 

Well I hope that the Chip Wars are over. I think that we all pretty much know that both the Superchip and the CM (Wessley chip) are quality items. As for both Mike and Sal since I don't know either of them except for their post I would buy a chip from them and not worry one bit. All that aside I got my Superchip back via UPS tonight and promptly put it in and went to my favorite testing site ( a really big site with a blue oval shining down). I made two great passes,the tires were screaming away,I got a little sideways, it was wild. Then all the fun ended the truck just went and died and the chip was laying on the floor. Damn! I should have taped that sucker in.

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BABolt
SVT#290

 

HI,ALL: NOT LOOKING TO TAKE BUSINESS FROM SAL OR MIKE.BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HYPERTECH PROGRAMMER? DO THEY MAKE IT FOR US YET? I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING,IF IT'S EVEN WORTH ASKING ABOUT?

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JIGAWATT #2698
6-23-99
TransGo shift kit

 

The Superchip is also a flash design, so it too, can easily be updated at any time. There is no advantage with Sal's chip in this regard.

The Superchip works *all* the time, not just at WOT (wide-open throttle), and is the only chip for the supercharged Lightning that does so, and is emissions certified for all 50 states, so it helps improve overall driveability as well as adding power, at *all* throttle positions.

Our bests to all,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com

 

Question, does Sals chip stay in better? It seems that many of you are having problems with the superchip staying in, & i have not heard 1 complaint about Sals chip coming loose or faling out. Sounds like the quality of Sals would be better in this case. How does it stay in?

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Driver of a FF Lightning
Black 99
Very Dark (read illegal) Tint
looks great on the Black Bolt
Bone Stock
Phoenix, Az

 

Hey Yoda, Sal here. My chip plugs into the same port on the PCM as the Superchip, but that's where the similarity ends. My chip uses a plug, that is on the end of a short ribbon cable, and the other end of the cable goes to the chip board. When installed, the chip sits inside the PCM, and the plug slides over the PCM port. Then the black PCM retainer goes back on the stock location, and holds the PCM in place, while at the same time, it holds the chip plug, snugly against the port.

SAL

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Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!! http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

Hmmmmm.......Hypertech.....

I am not really a huge fan of them at all. When I was on the LS1.com board, I remember everyone was so anxious about getting one. They came, they went, they fizzled out. The use for them is mainly for the thermostat, gear ratio's, and speed limiter (if needed). So, in essence, everyone was paying $330.00 for a fancy gear ratio corrector. I realize that we are dealing with a totally different platform here, but with the flash programming of the H-Tech, if your PCM goes down you could be up a creek because you have to retreive the programming from your PCM, put it back into the programmer, and then do this nonsense all over again. I like these great chips much better.

Paul G.

 

Hello Sal,

I have not seen your chip, as we generally only test the major name brand competitors. From your earler posts, I *assumed* that it was a standard flash design, using EEPROMS. I also *assumed* that it would have to be sent in, like the Superchip, to be reflashed. With the Superchip, it does have to be sent in to be reflashed; if yours does not, that's great, I wasn't aware of it, obviously! It's nothing you need to get bent out of shape over, just share the information!

Is this something that the end user can connect to say, a serial or parallel port on their computer, and download a file from you to do the update? If so, that's great! Tell us all about it! Make *everyone* aware of it's features and convenience by posting that information!

Also, it was *you* yourself told this forum in one of your responses when this was first discussed months ago, that your "performance changes" affecting *power* were at WOT, and not on part-throttle. This was a post you made some months back, when this difference was first being discussed here, back when you were calling your product "a work in progress", so to speak, with more work to be done. If you are now saying that your chip is in fact making more horsepower on part-throttle, that's news to me, and I'm happy for you! And if so, we will obtain the product, and take a look at the file, as it's very easy to tell if those areas of the program have been altered.

Sal, I'm more than happy to correct myself anytime I'm made aware of something not being accurate, and I want you to know that.

I want to make something else very clear to you, Sal, and to everyone else here. I have no interest in promoting incorrect information in the hopes of someone buying the product we sell over yours; so if there is something I ever say about the product you sell that is incorrect, by all means please feel free to post the correct information. I think that can be done without us slinging harsh posts back and forth. I think what you need to understand is that this is not any kind of attack, so you have no need to be on the defensive, so to speak. I have no interest in attacking your products; on the contrary, the more chipmakers that do a good job, the better it helps the reputation of the entire industry, so I *hope* you do well. If you don't, and people don't like your product, it doesn't help us, it *hurts* everyone else in the business. The fact of the matter is, we have *hundreds* of Lightning owners who have obtained the Superchip from us, and that will continue, especially when we start our
Christmas specials for Lightning owners shortly.

Let us hope that this is the last time that you and I "butt heads" here, so to speak. I'm a pretty easy guy to get along with, and I have no interst in seeing your product fail, or not to sell.

Just as an aside, I do recommend your conical air filter unit to anyone who asks us if there is something available to reduce restriction on the intake side, though I do understand that this part has increased in price considerably.

Sal, I think one of the great things about this site is that we do have some vendors here who are trying to help people with their vehicles; from advice to parts to whatever. I think it's important that this continue, and it's also important that we get along with each other, at least here on the message boards, if nowhere else. For the sake of this Forum, I think it behooves both of us to conduct ouselves in a polite and professional manner. I for one pledge to do just that to the best of my ability.

Our bests to all,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com