Are some chips better?

[mick4862]

I have a 2001 L. Stock, Except for K&N. I want to add a chip, are some better than others? Looking at a Diablo or superchip, any imput out there? Thanx.:allhail:

[tlangvardt]

as far as I know chips are chips - the difference will be how many different/switchable programs you can have on it (towing, street, race, etc) - some do only one program, some two, others do four?

the programming itself is the important part - if you and/or the person programing it doesn't do it right = bad owies, blow a spark plug out the top motor, throw a rod through side of motor = blown motor! $$$$'$

search the F150, NLOC, Truckworld, etc - lightning forum sites - you'll find more info than you'll know what to do with.

PS: you'll have voided your Ford warranty too.

[ugothit]

Personally, I had the superchip in my L... didn't like it. I changed to the Diablo chip and gained more hp and torque.

You'll find loads of information on this site, search the Lightning or Performance forums FORD TRUCK WORLD (http://www.fordtruckworld.com)

[mick4862]

Thanx for the help Mick.

[Black 2000]

Those are right on the money...

A chip is only as good as the program/tuner that sold it to you.

Also be honest with yourself and which ever tuner you decide to go with. Just because you have Part A and Part B doesn't necessisarilly mean you are going to run the same E/T's as your buddy with the exact mods/ chip.

Ever truck responds differantly to modding it and every driver responds differantly to there truck when it's modded.

Just tell your tuner where you are now, where you want to be and what mods you are planning for in the future. Remember it's just a truck, not a way of life.

Later...
Bruce

:huh:
These are just my observations and personal experiences to the above question.:D

[SVT_KY]

Whatever chip and tuner you choose, remember to ask if the
chip can switched "live", without turning off the engine. Some
can and most can't ... It might be important to you, like it is to me
when I am racing in the twisties. Different shift points etc, for
different parts of the track.

[mick4862]

I put in the Diablo single program chip, WOW ! what a difference. It starts up better than before, Transmission shifting is a kick in the pants ( quick & firm ), Acceleration & quickness greatly improved. Very satisfied. Mick.:tmb:

[NTIMD8]

Sorry if you know about what I am going to type but I just thought I would add some thoughts since I don’t know how familiar you are with modding a Lightning.

I have a Diablo chip programmed by JLP. It is great.

If you are just doing a chip with out a pulley and plugs then don’t forget to have the chip reburnt after each additional mod.

I wanted to keep the truck as reliable as possible so I asked for a few things from my tuner.

1) Line pressure The line pressure in the tranny to be kept stock. Increasing line pressure through the computer to increase shift firmness will decrease the life of the tranny. If you want harder shifts then go with a factory tech valve body. One huge mistake people do is get the chip programmed for harder shifts then do the FT valve body and forget to reprogram the chip. (bye bye tranny)

2) Torque Reduction I asked for the torque reduction to be left on. Ford has engineered a safety feature into the computer that under hard acceleration fuel is cut from 4 cylinders for a very short period of time. Many tuners take it out as default. I would suggest you keep it on or at the very least just ask them to reduce it by half.

3)Shift Points Most tuners increase the shift points so the truck shifts at a higher RPM under full throttle. I found that for some reason it was going way to far into the redline for my liking after my pulley and chip. Especially given out Lightning weak rods. I did not want to throw a rod to I had the chip reburnt so it shifts at the stock shift points again.

I also asked to be a little on the rich side again for safety. Reduces the risk of detonation and in turn reduces the risk of throwing a rod.

I may have sacrificed a few tenths in the 1/4 and 1 or 2 mph but that was not as important to me as keeping it as safe as possible since I was decreasing the reliability greatly by modding.

If you ever want to add a lower pulley to increase the boost by at least 4psi then you may want to think about getting a dual program flip switch that has a cold weather program on it if the weather changes much for you. I colder temps you are more prone to detonation. Do you research. Take your time so that way if anything does go wrong you can at least say to yourself that you took all the precautions to at least minimize the risk involved.

Good luck, Jason Skaff

[NTIMD8]

PS. if you are just getting a chip you dont have much to worry about. Call up a tuner (I dealt with Johnny from JLP (Johnny Lightning Performance)). Tell them the year of your truck and mods and they should send you what you need. Talk to them and explain what you want in terms of goals. What gets put into the chip will depend on what you are willing to do to your truck.

Seeya, Jason

[mick4862]

Jason, thanx for the imput. My L. is stock except for a K&N filter, boost bypass valve, and Diablo chip. My chip is from JLP, I am not sure of the chip programing. I told them about my truck, and they said the standard chip is fine. I am going to call JLP and ask about my chip.

( PS ) MY boost guage shows 10 PSI with the chip, before the chip it stoped at 8 psi. Have you or any one else out there seen this with a chip only ? Maybe it's the guage or I'm seeing things. Thanx again. Mick.;)

[NTIMD8]

The K&N filter probably has a lot to do with the added boost you are seeing. Its not uncomon after air filter and chip to gain 2psi of boost :)
Good luck with the truck! :tmb:


Originally posted by mick4862


( PS ) MY boost guage shows 10 PSI with the chip, before the chip it stoped at 8 psi. Have you or any one else out there seen this with a chip only ? Maybe it's the guage or I'm seeing things. Thanx again. Mick.;)