Was just checking the website after three or four months and find out that my SuperChip programmer is not a true performance piece of equipment. Now I find out that they have a new 1715 programmer with a performance stage. I thought that was what I got my 1715 programmer for. So now if I wan't true performance I have to buy the new programmer. What a rip!!! There should be a trade up or something. I paid 320 bucks and don't get the performance stage. Just doesn't seem right!!! What do you guy's think???

 

Hi Blownz,

The perspective you've put on this is not at all accurate - your claim that somehow the Micro Tuner never was a "performance" part but was supposedly misrepresented to you as such, and now it really is a performance part, and thus you were cheated - that's simply not even close to accurate my friend, & I'll explain the actual facts behind all this, and I think that will help your perspective & understanding............

The 1715 Micro Tuner was updated in mid-September, but even the new units still have the **exact same** performance program that is in yours - the premium gas tow-safe program ("tow-perf" is what it's called in the new 1715).

The difference is that the new unit now has 2 *additional* programs.

The "max" performance tune that is in the new 1715 is actually a program that *we* worked with Superchips on and have been providing to our customers for about 2.5 years now - the only thing "new" about it is that now it is also available in the Micro Tuner, where previously we made that available only in the traditional Superchip module because it is *NOT* towing compatible, and the MT was a single program unit for each vehicle.

OK, here's where this will all start to make sense.......

The background on all this is that there have been advancements in memory chip density relatively recently that have allowed Superchips to make the Micro Tuners multi-program for each individual vehicle - so now it has 3 programs for each F-150, Expedition, etc. - 87 octane tow-safe, premium gas tow safe ("tow-perf," the exact same program you have), and the "max" performance tune that requires premium gas that you *CANNOT* do *ANY* towing with.

We wanted Superchips to make the 1715 multi-octane capable from Day 1, but they couldn't do that *and* still have a different set of programs for each & every different factory PCM software revision due to the limitation of memory density - so that had to wait until memory density increased sufficiently, something that is completely out of their hands - well, that finally happened, thus the 1715's design was updated so it now has an 87 octane tune and a "max" performance tune in *addition* to the same performance program *you* got in your original 1715.

The previous generation of the 1715 had about 1200 programs in it (a different one for each and every different individual vehicle factory PCM software revision), but the new 1715 has upwards of 4000 programs! Thanks to higher density memory - so what has basically happened is that thanks to technology advances, Superchips has been able to enhance the capabilities of the Micro Tuner - that does NOT make them "bad," nor does this mean you were shortchanged in any way.

*Everything* changes, my friend - including the very PC whose keyboard you typed that post out on - should I be PO'd at Compaq because this relatively new laptop I'm typing on is now available in faster speeds? No, of course not - all products must evolve and improve if possible, that is the nature of virtually *any* product.

The bottom line is, you got exactly what you paid for in that Micro Tuner, and thousands of people are enjoying those units - you were not cheated or shortchanged in any way. Now if you had ordered that Micro Tuner any time from September 15th of 2003 or later and didn't get the new unit, *then* you would have a legitimate complaint, as Sept. 15th is when the new unit started shipping - but that isn't your situation at all.

*ALL* products need to change, improve, evolve, refine, etc. over time - there's no getting around that - that doesn't cheat anyone out of anything, it's the normal advancement with time that affects virtually every product.

I hope this helps your understanding of the actual facts, and if you'd like to go over this in more detail, or perhaps might like to explore what kind of trade-up deal we can offer you, etc., please give me a call personally - my number is listed below. Just so you'll know, I'm on the road in Atlanta this weekend, and will be back in the office on Tuesday - I look forward to talking with you on this!

 

I understand that things change but geeze I just bought this old 1715 in late june and now in september it is obsolete. Is there anything I can do to my 1715 to get the program close to the new performance stage of the new 1715??? Thx for listening though.

 

Let me see if I have this right: you bought a tuner with one performance program in it and now the new tuner is available with your program as well as a program that gives LESS performance albeit you can run 87 octane. The new tuner also provides a drag strip program that one wouldn't couldn't use for heavy loads.

So, Superchips is bad because they didn't give you the less powerful program, or they are bad because you didn't receive the dragstrip program that you likely wouldn't use on a daily basis anyway.

I guess I, too am very unhappy that I cannot just take the traditional Superchip out of my '99 and simply plug it into my '03 Explorer. Certainly, Superchips should have known that Ford was going to change pcm platforms and go to the new p-tech system. Guess Superchips should have given me a traditional flip, flip, flip chip with the tuning in it for a 99 Explorer as well as tuning for an 03.



eb

 

and now they have this new F150 thats better and the engine has more power. Damn...now mine is obsolete.

 

ROTFLMAO - That's the story of life as a man with toys, now isn't it, Dale!

Guys, no matter where you look - My computer is slower than all the others, my boat doesn't have the newest motor and it's only 6 months old, my digital camera sucks when compared to the new ones, my rifle has 1/8 inch looser grouping than a new one.. Awww hell, I own a bunch of old junk...

But ya know what? I like all of my old junk and it's perfect as far as I am concerned. You can't compare what you have in this day and age because 5 minutes after you buy it, you could have gotten a better deal or a better model comes out... That's just life in these times..

Chris

 

Blownz.............
I can sympathize with you, my friend. I, too, bought a 1715 Microtuner just like yours. I wished there was a 87 octane proggy on it so dang bad, but there wasn't and I knew there wasn't and I bought it anyway because I wanted it. Single octane program and all.
I wish I had waited and gotten the newer programmer, but I didn't know there would be a new one.
But you know what? I LOVE my MicroTuner and the way my truck operates now. I got exactly what I paid for and it does just what it is supposed to do.
Ex. My computer is a P-4 1.7 GHz. It was about the fastest processor on the market when I got it, but there are way faster ones out there now. Did I get cheated? NO Do I want a faster one? YES
That is about the same kind of situation as your Tuner issues. Nothing stays the same and everything new gets better.

Bottom line, you did not get cheated and neither did I. We got the best tuner available at the time we purchased. If I want the new tuner bad enough, I'll sell mine and buy the new one. If I don't want it bad enough, I'll keep my tuner and still be a happy driver!

 

Rebel Yell Thanks for some good honest remarks. I would like to say that I'm also more bummed then cheated about this programmer too. It also works pretty good for me also. Hey Peddler you know were you can shove you remarks. Lets take my chip from my 1999 truck out and put in my 2003. That's real close to a comparision.HAHAHA!!!

 

Blownz:

Ok, you are right. I shouldn't have jumped your business. My beef with you was simply that you had a microtuner that was working as it should and you wanted more. But hey, it's still your perogative to post your opinion.

My real problem is this. I pulled the chip out of my wrecked 99 and figured I could simply have Superchips reflash my old chip to run my 03. I thought I had figured it all out as I knew that the new p-tech platform was on the 04 trucks, so I bought an 03. What I didn't know was that Ford had started using the new p-tech platform on the 03 Explorers. Now to add insult to injury. Superchips has not got around to tuning any of the 03 Explorers yet. I am not knocking Superchips for this, since they obviously are working hard on their bread and butter, namely the 04 F-150's.

You pushed my buttons without you knowing it because I have to endure my soft shifting 5R55 tranny complete with the built-in pcm delays and retards, while you get to enjoy Superchips programming in your truck - albeit without the added benefit of the additional programs.

Trust me, I know what I am missing - as my "other" truck runs very, very nicely compliments of Superchips 'Custom' program as well as several thousand dollars of other parts including larger injectors and fuel pump.

Sorry to give you grief.



eb

 

Peddler thanks for understanding my grief also. I'm glad this didn't turn into a bickering match. Hopefully we can all help each other out to make what ever year truck we own to run to the best of it's ability. Personally I'd rather just throw on a big supercharger,big carb and headers to make some real horsepower instead of all this computer crap!!! Have a great day!!!

 

Hi Blownz,

Nice to see you drop back by!

And like you, I too am very glad this thread is helpful rather than being - well, otherwise.

Some of the other gentlemen responding made some good points that I can identify with, especially in Reel Work's post - for example, the comment about digital cameras, now *there* is an excellent example - I waited 2-3 years before buying a digital camera, checked out all the specs, waited for the best price on the Sony unit that was within my budget - and 12 months later it was half the price - 18 months later it seems almost obsolete, however, it still works just fine, does everything it ever did & what it was designed to do. But it's only 3 megapixel instead of 6, has a smaller screen, no built-in CD drive to burn pics to instead of a memory stick, etc., etc. - and that's even with waiting a few years for things to settle down a bit in that area of new technology!! Just goes to show you that technology marches on, and we all pay for it......

Another one is my PC - in my first response to you, I was on the road in a hotel using my laptop - which when I bought it was state of the art, as 15 inch LCD screens had just come out for laptops, and it had a CD/RW drive, 512 Mb RAM, etc. - but last month I saw a new HP model with a **17** inch screen on a laptop, and now I want to throw rocks at my still-very-nice Compaq. Or my desktop PC - I just run Windoze 98 SE on a dual P3-1000 board (using only 1 CPU as Windoze 98 doesn't support multi-processor) with a 2-disk IDEA striped RAID array - and this darn thing runs Windoze 98 SE faster than our 2.6 GHz P4 runs XP - so even though there are faster machines, and we even own some some, my personal desktop will remain this same "old" P-III 1000 for at least as long as I stick with Windoze 98, as the newer machines don't run XP any faster than I can run 98 on this P3 - actually, the P4's running XP are a bit slower to work on than this old P3 is.

Talking about these trucks - we just traded one of our 2001 F-150's in on a new 2004 - not only do we have to have the newest truck since we're in the business of modifying them, but we also wanted that new 3-valve 300 HP 5.4, too - now *this* time I think we'll do OK financially, as we're getting in on the first model year of a new design - kinda like owners of the 1997 model F-150's, we're hoping this 2004 will look like the current models for the next 4-6 model years, like the '97's did.

You do your research, take your time, and then finally - you just go ahead and take the plunge. And you just have to do that basically knowing that just around the corner, next month, next year, whatever - there will probably be something newer, or better, or faster, etc. - there just doesn't seem to be any getting around it, so you just take the plunge & make yourself happy.

Hey, it could be worse - remember the days when the American cars always changed styling *every* model year? Back when you could *instantly* identify *any* vehicle's exact year, make, model at a glance? Back then the Big 3 (+ American Motors) had 80% of the US market, they would sell 800,000 Impala's a year, or 650,000 of a certain model, etc. instead of now selling only 70,000 a year of a certain model - thus they could *afford* to change styling every year - and back then you hated buying a new car because you *knew* it would look completely different in 6-8 months and your still-new vehicle would be outdated - every year, all the time - that must have driven our parents & grandparents nuts!

Hang in there Blownz, it'll all work out in the end!

 

True to a point, but that 55 Chevy still looks GOOD...

 

Hi '01,

Absolutely - and no doubt all of us have years & vehicles we still love - I was always partial to GM's 1964 hardtop models - and then there are the *beautiful* full-size 1965 Pontiacs - the 66 thru 68's weren't bad. Ann don't get me started on a '63 split-window fuelie (Corvette for the uninitiated)..............

 

Hey Mike, My buddy used to have a 63' split we used to tool around in. Not a fuelie, but bored and stroked to a 377. I remember one day I smoked his clutch. Needless to say I was bench pressing his tranny the next day.
P.S. You can thank Mr. Nader for the split being no more.

 

Hi ECO,

That was Nader's doing, too?

He killed the Corvair darn near single-handedly, when it really only had the problem primarily in the first 1959 models - by '61 or so, that was not an issue at all - and it never was anywhere near as bad as he made it out to be - I've driven enough of them. But that didn't stop him from managing to get "Unsafe at Any Speed" published *years* later, and *years* after the problem had been rectified. Jerk. But of course he claims the only reason he shaves is to avoid in-grown hairs on his face - among other things.

Not that I'm against the idea of "consumer advocates" - it's just that much of what gets preached about by far too many trying to make a name for themselves and grab some spotlight via the "consumer advocate" tag disgusts me. And Nader's book on the Corvair was an excellent example - we owned numerous Corvairs, from a '62 110 hp 3-spd. manual to a 68 John Fitch turbocharged special and numerous others in between those model years, including 64, 65 & 66 - and every one of them were *great* cars that got beat on over in Europe - thru feet of snow during brutal winters, and thru many top-speed runs down the Autobahns. Loved them.

Anyway...........so Nader killed those beautiful split-window Corvette coupes, too? I hadn't ever hear that before.

Sounds like a very nice split-window you guys were tooling around in - and it wouldn't have to be a fuelie to make everyone drool, *any* split-window is way cool. Hey, at least it was a *manual* tranny you had to drop on your chest & bench press - automatics are even worse!

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