i was very please with my diablosport chip EXCEPT for the fact they couldn't get speedlimiter above 4600 rpms in drive.i tried the superchips 1715 max tuner for 2 tanks of gas and it honestly performance wise wasn't as strong as the diablo chip-i kinda of figured this before i loaded it.ijust installed the 9100 custom tune in my lga2 pcm of my 03 supercab 4x4 5.4 3.55 f150.firts impressions:
left 2 - 5' dual marks from a dead stop-the 1715 couldn't do this - nor the diablo.
shift pressure at 1/4 to 3/4 throttle is less than diablo's but this was setup for a future flow tech valve body. shift pressure is firm at wot and the actaul speed of engagement is so much faster than the diablo and 1715
i've got 60 miles on it now and she burns them for about 15-20' now
the top speed limiter is gone-i was at about 4800 rpms in drive going into a head wind when i passed a smokie-[ fortunately- wasn't radaring- must have been sleeping]
all in all- mike troyer knows his **** when it comes to tuning!
any questions feel free to fire away!

 

i also have a 03 4x4 5.4L supercrew . just received my 9100 two days ago . at stock , level ground , dead stand still , i punched the throttle and could not spin , not even a chirp ...installed the 9100 program "87 tow" (cause i haven't ran the tank out of 87 yet ) and it still will not spin one wheel , much two !! but at least the shift is much better than stock.....mad




2003 supercrew
5.4L
mac air induction
dual exhaust
SCT9100 programmer

 

mine is 3.55 posi, and i loaded 94 octane tune in- the more miles- the harder it runs-drive it hard! how many miles are on it??

 

it has 22k on it ...and about 100 mi on the 87 tow program...hoping when i change to 93 oct i can tell some difference ...... :o :o

 

i actually don't want to spin- i'm sure my 60' times will be lower because of this when i go to the strip saturday-will post times with stock -87 tune and 94 tune- i've got 105 miles on mine now and it's gotten about 10% better since i first put it in- will dyno shortly to see the gains over my dyno with the diablo

 

Hi jp1130,

Your truck is not going to suddenly be turned into a tire-burner from our tuning for 87 octane. You've got upwards of 3 tons of truck there, so that cannot possibly be expected, nor used as any kind of judgment as to the effectiveness of that tuning. Our tuning isn't going to change the laws of physics.

Nor should anyone expect that even our tuning for premium gas somehow be able to make every F-150 capable of lighting up the tires off the line - some will, and some won't - there's a *tremendous* amount of variance in how these trucks perform, exactly what mods & parts each owner has installed, and so many other variables among even seemingly similar configurations - it doesn't matter that Phil's is a SuperCrew too, you can't compare the two like that.

A MAC intake, a dual exhaust (the worst thing you can do to torque in the lower rpm ranges in these trucks), and then just an 87 octane tune - in that kind of configuration, you most likely don't even have as much torque as that truck had when it was *stock* below about 2600-2800 rpm or so, my friend. Even though you did gain some HP at higher rpms with your intake & exhaust, you lost more torque in the lower rpm ranges than any 87 octane tune could ever hope to "make up for."

These message boards are packed with literally thousands of post from guys who have done what you have to their exhaust, and who got the same result - a loss of lower rpm torque, killing off the line response and throttle response overall. Which hurts driveability as well as fuel mileage, due to the loss of scavenging effect from the reduced exhaust gas velocity from opening up the exhaust that much. Even dropping all the way down to just 2.0" diameter tubing won't fix that.

Had you done a controlled before & after back-to-back timed acceleration test on our tuning versus your stock factory tune, you would have seen an obvious & immediate improvement in your truck's acceleration times from our tuning - even just for 87 octane. Trying to judge *ANY* performance mod on any of these trucks by the seat of the pants, or whether it spins the tires or not, is a mistake - as you and many others before you have found out, that simply does not work.

Right now, I'd estimate that you have lost the better part of 25-30 lbs./ft. of torque below about 2600-2800 rpm with your intake & exhaust over what it made stock in those same rpm ranges, and our 87 octane tuning cannot possibly make up for that and turn it into a tire-burner - and I seriously doubt you'll turn a tire even with our premium gas tuning. While it is true that you *have* gained some horsepower at higher rpms from that intake & exhaust, you have also lost torque in the lower rpm ranges. So even with our 87 octane tune, below about 2600-2800 rpm, you still probably have a bit less torque than what you started with in bone-stock trim at lower rpms.

You lost exhaust *velocity* when you opened up the exhaust flow that much - even a Flowmaster or Gibson 3" single exhaust would have cost torque. The only exhaust manufacturer we have ever seen actually *increase* torque below about 2600-2800 rpm in these trucks is Magnaflow. Everyone else's systems, in every different model available, all showed a clear loss of torque at lower rpms in our testing, whether it was a muffler shop custom dual setup, or any brand name/model of single, single in/dual out, or dual exhaust, etc. - they all lost torque at lower rpms in our testing.

To restore that lost torque, you either need to re-do that intake & exhaust (especially the exhaust), or do other mods like electric fans & underdrive pulleys that will increase torque at any rpm or throttle position, from idle all the way to redline, to offset the torque your other mods have cost you at lower rpms.

If you are happy with your current intake & exhaust look & sound, and the HP gains they gave you at higher rpms, that's perfectly fine, of course - by all means, keep them and enjoy them! Just remember, adding our tuning for 87 octane (or even premium gas, most likely) isn't going to do it, and cannot be expected to.

It's all about the power-to-weight ratio at *all* rpms - a 5500 lb. SuperCrew 5.4 has 21.15 lbs. for every one of it's 260 stock HP to haul around - and that is at the absolute power *peak* at 5000-5100 rpm! It's power-to-weight ratio coming off the line is more like 40-50:1. Adding 12-15 Hp & 20-25 lbs./ft. of torque with our 87 octane tuning only changed the power-to-weight ratio at peak power to 20.0 lbs. per every horsepower.

Modifying these late-model trucks is not like traditional hot-rodding - many of the "old school" ideas simply do not work at lower rpms due to the automaker's optimization of the intake & exhaust tracts at lower rpms. You wouldn't believe how many have found that out the hard way - guys who used to drive 10-11 second street cars & who knew their stuff still have to relearn some certain aspects of improving performance in these newer trucks. Starting with the 1997 model year in the F-150, and even moreso in the 2001 & newer models, you have to be *very* careful of exactly what changes you make to the intake & exhaust so you do not lose torque in the lower rpms.

Just trying to give you a little quick perspective here, to help you understand what is actually going on with your truck's performance in the lower rpm ranges. Feel free to call us if you want to go over any of this in more detail, & good luck with your truck!

 

Mike *told* me to be patient, but I wanted it RFN (right freaking now). So I kept playing around with my 1715 on 87 octane until I decided to try a few drag race starts through the 1-2 shift. Keep in mind also, that these "experiments" were done a *full* week or more after the initial tuning with the program.

I tried the standing start four times in a row (no tricks with the brakes, just off brake to WOT) and each attempt was better than the last. My truck went from a rare occasional chirp (before tuning) to both tires spinning for 12 feet.
And openclasspro? You're dead on right about tire spin, it's cool but bad!
Morale to the story?
My results eventually were way beyound my expectations and could very well be atypical, but Mike hit the nail on the head when he typed...

"Modifying these late-model trucks is not like traditional hot-rodding - many of the "old school" ideas simply do not work at lower rpms due to the automaker's optimization of the intake & exhaust tracts at lower rpms. You wouldn't believe how many have found that out the hard way - guys who used to drive 10-11 second street cars & who knew their stuff still have to relearn some certain aspects of improving performance in these newer trucks. Starting with the 1997 model year in the F-150, and even moreso in the 2001 & newer models, you have to be *very* careful of exactly what changes you make to the intake & exhaust so you do not lose torque in the lower rpms."

I may be an old dog, but I love the new tricks. Not to mention we are playing with a 3 ton toy, not a 1 to 2.

Just my 2 cents

 

actually my truck is a supercab not the supercrew- and another reason i had the notrious lga2 code which would not go into open loop-which the professor mike took care of--
my 89 pontiac turbo trans am went from 13.04 @104 bone stock to 11.0 @121 modded- things that work on a light car doesn't work on a 5000 pound plus unaerodynamic truck-
the key word is TORQUE!
it' is needed to get these pigs runnin-i'd be willing to bet if my truck made 220 rwhp and 300 ftlbs torque on last dyno
if it made 260 rwhp and only 250 lb ft torque- it would have slower 1/4 mile times-get my drift?

 

Ok, had to read it a couple of times, but I get you and we were talking about different things....but the same.
In drag racing, slipping tires = higher elapsed times under any circumstances... is where I was going.

Torque is the ultimate bottom line?....Agreed! As long as you can get the power to the pavement and make it stick....no?

 

i understand that this truck is big , heavy and to top it off, it's a 4x4 . mike , i don't mean the that the custom tune is not doing what it should , like i said earlier i like the firmer shifts i got (noticed that right off) and noticed a better pickup around the 45-50 mph range .;thumbsup i don't regret going with the custom tune , in fact i would do it again and recommend it . like you suggested , i going to go with e-fans and underdrive pulleys also . i don't know which i will get first but i am going to work them into the budget . the part i'm really interested in is the towing a trailer . i'll be doing that about the first of next month when i haul down to the myrtle beach spring rally . which mod would u go with next ?

 

it's ashame you have 4x4 - but i believe 3.73 gears are the norm for supercrews?
4-10's would be great but the cost is the downside
the fans would definetely be the choice- not that the ud pullies don't work-the fans would give ya more return- combined- the fans and pullies won't make more tq and hp- they just realease what is already there i know my diablo chip did wonders for pulling my trailer setup around 5000- ghave no doubt the 93 towing tune on this will deliver more-phil

 

right , i need to free up the power that is there !! e-fans will be next ...how difficult are they to put on , also where does the thermostate or whatever controls the fans to operate fit at ? also i had a problem with a water temp gauge i put in . behind the alternator , to the right is a coolant hose (1/8" id) coming out of the manifold ,goes to the bottom back of the throttle body . does anyone know what the function of this hose is ? i replaced it with the sending unit and plugged the fitting at the throttle body (it has 3 other hoses on it) . i've searched other sites but no luck finding out about this ..