Which would increase my gas mileage better? I would like to get both, but money and other upgrades come in the way of that. I know the chip is cheaper and I already get 93 octane gas so it won't be much of a change, but I've heard the Jacobs DIS does increase mileage. I'm gonna listen to the ajority on this cause I can't make up my mind.

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black 97' x-cab 4x4, 5 speed 4.6, black westin nerf bars, 6 cd changer and a 12 premier sub, pilot ground searchers, borla SS split rear exhaust, v-tech oval side window covers


soon: fipk, chip, rims (the ones I want are $2k with tires, I need more money)

 

I have both the Chip and The Jacobs DIS ignition. Before the Jacobs, I was getting about 17 MPG. The problem with getting the chip for gas milage is that it is very hard to keep your foot out of it and what ever increase you got, you blow out the tail pipe. With the Jacobs I think my milage has improved but I am waiting on my trip to the Texas Heat Wave in July to check it on the highway to compare it to the 17 I had before. If you are making your choice based only on gas milage then Jacobs is probably the way to go. Personally I would go with the chip and enjoy the ride!

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98 White 4.6 Triton STX Flairside,Class III hitch, Blue Cobra Stripes, Euro Lid by Astro, Bed Rug, Fiero Wing, Air Dam,Westin Step Bars, Ground Force 2-4 Drop, Super Chip,Jacobs DIS Ignition K&N, Jet coated JBA stainless headers, Magna Flow Muffler with Stainless Duals.

 

As usual, Mike makes some great points. From my post above the 17 MPG is on the highway with 15 MPG around town. I pull a small boat out of over drive and the milage of course really drops. I think 15 is great around town with a heavy foot but as Mike says we just don't have enough of the Jacobs Ignitions installed to get some good readings. If I can get through a full tank of gas around town without towing then I can get you a figure. Good Luck!

 

I have the Jacobs and plan to Chip soon. If it is a matter of money, I don't know the cost of the chip but the Jacobs unit is rather expensive. For me it isn't WHICH ONE but WHICH ONE FIRST. I chose the Jacobs only because it was time for a major tune-up...
LOL...

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Black 1997 F-150 Supercab Flairside. 4.6L with Jocobs DIS, K&N Generation II, Cat back Exhaust (my own, nice rumble). 17" Off Road wheel pkg. Lots of body mods. 4 yrs old and still turns heads...

 

Dear captainoblivious,

I love that name, for some reason it makes me smile, thanks.

What we need here are some hard numbers back from owners of the Jacobs DIS unit, and there just aren't a lot of them out there so far that have installed it, at least from people that have been posting here.

But for any that are, it sure would be nice to hear back on specific mileage numbers that can be directly tied to that unit as being the source, that would be excellent data to have.

My *hunch* is that the Superchip is going to add more mileage, as we have a lot of data back from many F-150 owners all across the country, that report back here with gains of, on average, about 1.5 - 2.0 more mpg in the V-8 F-150. Some higher, some lower, but on average, about 1.5 to 2.0 more mpg with the Superchip. It's a by-product of the tuning process, so it will depend on how you drive the vehicle, like always, but those are the numbers that get reported back here, on average. This is assuming that you're not using a lot of heavy throttle.

The question here is going to be, how much can the Superchip add to a vehicle that is *already* being run on premium gas with the factory programming. I say that because the factory program has it's fuel curves programmed specifically for regular gasoline, so you may not be getting the best mileage that vehicle could get simply because of that. I grew up when you always used premium if you could, as the engines always ran better on it, as did a lot of people here, who continue to use premium all the time. Nowadays that has changed quite a bit with fuel injection, so that we have seen cases of actually losing performance and mileage by using premium gas with the factory programming. We've seen people post here on F-150 Online losses of a full second in 0-60 times, and 2-3 mpg worse; now of course those are very few, and very extreme cases, by all means. The point being, it would be interesting to see in this particular case what the results will be from using the Superchip, when the vehicle is *already* being run on premium gas, and I don't have a good answer for that, we just don't have any data for that particular scenario. However, I think it's a safe bet that you'll see at least at much improvement as those who are running regular and then change over to premium as required by the Superchip, which runs about 1.5 - 2.0.

With regards to power gains and enjoyment between the 2, hands down it's the Superchip, especially since you are already using premium gas.

Best of luck, whatever you decide!

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 05-23-2000).]

 

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Mr. Superchips_Distributor - I'm not exactly sure what you were trying to say, but is this it. Since the computer was programmed to run on regular gas, the fact that I use premium now would mean I wouldn't be getting the best mileage now. So if install the chip I may see a bigger diference then most in MPG b/c the chip takes advantage of premium were as the current system doesn't.

Also I was reading a past post of yours and you didn't seem to have to much faith in Jacobs. What do you think of the MSD DIS control box?

Again thanks for all the info, and you've definately put your chip on my soon to get list.

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black 97' x-cab 4x4, 5 speed 4.6, black westin nerf bars, 6 cd changer and a 12 premier sub, pilot ground searchers, borla SS split rear exhaust, v-tech oval side window covers


soon: fipk, chip, rims (the ones I want are $2k with tires, I need more money)

 

Hi Captain O,

Basically, yes. This isn't something that always happens to every vehicle, but we have had some reports here on F150online from people who got worse performance and mileage when they used premium gas with the factory programming. I don't mean to say that this is something that alwys happens to all Fords, not by any means. Just that this *can* and *has* been reported here as an issue. Usually you will notice a bit of a "soggy" throttle response, seems to be a fairly common symptom.

What this means to *you* is perhaps not much, and then again, maybe a bit more gain, we just will not know for sure until it's installed and you have about 2000 miles on it, and that's why I said it would be very interesting to see. It can take as long as 1500-2000 miles to see the peak mileage improvement from the Superchip on newer vehicles.

We could find out if this will be the case by having you start using regular gas, and see if your mileage goes up any. If you want to try that for awhile, it would be interesting to see the results. I'm just a data-hound!

With regards to Jacobs, I think it's a good company, I just do not agree with some of their hp & mileage gain claims, and from the few we've seen posted here, nobody seems to report back similar gains to their ads. I think they guarantee 10% better mileage, if memory serves, though I could be wrong. I also have a bit of a problem with their pricing, as they are very expensive. I do not know enough about their actual component quality to say whether or not you are getting superior componentry that is actually worth this expense, it may well be, I don't know in all honesty.

Personally, from what I have seen, I prefer MSD's DIS unit. It isn't cheap either, being over $300 not including installation of course, but I feel they have the best results in terms of bang-for-the-buck. But even with MSD's unit, I wouldn't expect any substantial power gains, there just isn't that much to be had on a relatively stock vehicle. I would expect a bit crisper throttle response, and perhaps a small improvement in mileage. Now if it was ultra-high compression, or supercharged, or running nitrous, etc., then I would always want the hottest possible ignition, so it all gets down to just exactly what you're going to do with the vehicle, and what parts are needed that should be a part of getting you to where you want to be, either from a performance or a mileage standpoint.

I will say that if money were no object, I'd have an MSD DIS-4 unit in every one of our vehicles, "just because".

I hope that helps,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

Mr. Superchips_Distributor - I think you might be right about the premium gas. At times the throttle does seem 'soggy'. But I've been using premium since I got the truck so I've always been getting the same mileage. And it would be interesting to see if I get mileage by going to regular but I'm very impatient, and I'll have a chip before long. So I won't be able to tell you if different gas gets better mileage, but I will be able to let you know what a chip does to a engine already run premium.

And thanks for all the info on the DIS ignition systems. I was mainly looking for better throttle response, idle, gas mileage and power as an added side affect. Seems more that better plugs and wires and a chip will do what I want for cheaper.

Thanks again for all the info.

------------------
black 97' x-cab 4x4, 5 speed 4.6, black westin nerf bars, 6 cd changer and a 12 premier sub, pilot ground searchers, borla SS split rear exhaust, v-tech oval side window covers


soon: fipk, chip, rims (the ones I want are $2k with tires, I need more money)

 

HI Captain,

I understand, and you're right, it could take as much as a couple thousand miles of driving on regular gas to see exactly what peak mileage in that fuel is. Great data to have, but who wants to wait, I understand perfectly.

Bests,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

 

I can't give you any hard facts on the Superchip, I don't have one. The price for the Jacobs unit is about $75 more. There is a thread under the "engines" section on this unit.
I have a Jacobs unit on my '95 302 4x4. The unit guaranteed a 14% mileage increase. I actually got a little better than this. As a note I actually get even better mileage when I run premium gas, this gain was not measureable before the Jacobs.
With the Jacobs unit, like the Superchip, it is hard to keep your foot off of the gas pedal due to the power increase. On my truck the power increase was very noticeable, especially lower and mid range.
Mike..... please don't take this wrong as I am not trying to knock Superchips. All info I have heard on them is positive. However, Jacobs is the only company I know of that guarantees mileage and power gains and actually backs it with a no questions asked money back guarantee. This is a strong indication that they will stand behind their product. What guarantee will Superchips offer if I purchase one? For reference before I bought my Jacobs I also considered MSD. After speaking with them, they "promised" gains. They wouldn't even consider backing that promise with a money back guarantee. Once again, I'm not by any means trying to knock your product, I just don't think it is right to question someone elses product without hard data to back the claim.

 

Mr superchips
I wonder why you advocate the MSD over the Jacobs. Both DIS Systems use capacitive discharge units and on the statistical level, Jacobs OUTPERFORMS the MSD ignition. Lets be sure that we understand that almost all the vehicles here are DIS and not standard ignitions. One other point. Jacobs manufactures its ignitions as PLUG IN specific to the vehicle it is used on where MSD does not give anything specific as to vehicle fit for their ignitions. My last point, if you shop around, the ignitions are compatable in price.


Oh yea, I forgot to mention, my Jacobs WORKS!!!

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Black 1997 F-150 Supercab Flairside. 4.6L with Jocobs DIS, K&N Generation II, Cat back Exhaust (my own, nice rumble). 17" Off Road wheel pkg. Lots of body mods. 4 yrs old and still turns heads...


[This message has been edited by WLF (edited 05-24-2000).]

[This message has been edited by WLF (edited 05-24-2000).]

 

wlf and signmaster- I don't think Mike was trying to knock or make fun of Jacobs, or put their product down. He was more stating that he was iffy on their unit until he sees some more 'hard data' about the product and it's claims. Really only a few people on here have it on, and none of them rave how much of a good product it is.

As for the MSD unit, it's probably good, but if I go with a DIS system it would probably be the Jacobs because overall it's cheaper, Jacob's comes w/ wires, MSD doesn't, and their in the same price range at summit. I also want a chip b/c I know that will work all around, but I'm kinda to impatient, and don't want to wait for 1000-2000 miles (roughly according to everyone) for it's full benefits to kick in. So I was looking into a DIS system for a quicker solution, but realy is it worth $400 to use on a almost completey stock engine? Thats what I'm trying to decide.

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black 97' x-cab 4x4, 5 speed 4.6, black westin nerf bars, 6 cd changer and a 12 premier sub, pilot ground searchers, borla SS split rear exhaust, v-tech oval side window covers


soon: fipk, chip, spark plugs, plug wires, FIPK, IAS shocks and an electric fan

 

OK, we're simply looking for information, not a conflict, so there is no need to be defensive of your Jacob's unit or attacking the Superchip or me....

I am *not* knocking Jacobs. If you guys are happy with your units, then we're happy for you. If you will go back and re-read the entire thread and my posts, you will see that I too, have said it would be nice to get some more data from Jacobs owners, so we could have access to that info directly from the people who have paid for and installed and are using the product. I think that is very important information to have.

Over the past 20 months here on F-150 Online, the few comments that have been posted in this section from Jacob's owners have not once said they got the claimed power increases or the claimed mileage increase; most of them posted that they had returned them for refunds. Those are the facts. And this is exactly why I said some of what I posted, because of this direct feedback. If you will notice, my first response to all this was that we do need for Jacob's owners to let us know how they like their units, that there have not been many people here who have installed it, and that those that have have generally returned them. Not because I don't like Jacob's, or anything of the sort, we have no axe to grind with them. If their installation kit for these vehicles is nicer than the MSD units, then that's something good to know. Most MSD units require wiring in, that has been a common trait of theirs. Remember, we don't sell either one! We have had a few MSD DIS-4 owners report back here that they had to do a fair amount of wiring in of that unit, and that is took some time to install.

So let's not get carried away and assume that we are somehow knocking Jacobs. My comments come from the standpoint of their Ultra-team systems costing well over $500 for many of their applications, and the rather small amount of feedback (maybe a half-dozen or so) right here has not been very positive. I think it's important to get this feedback from as many people as is reasonably possible, so it's important that you guys came forward to post your thoughts, and we thank you.

What we have to remember here is that the Superchip is not a "gas mileage chip", it's a *performance* chip. Getting better gas mileage is icing on the cake, and not what the product's *primary* design purpose is.

For you guys with the Jacob's units, thank you very much for posting your results & comments, that is exactly what was really needed in this thread. If you like your results, and you feel it was a worthwhile modification for the expense involved, then we're *happy* for you, that's good to hear!

With regards to the Superchips's guarantee, it too, has a money-back guarantee that it works as claimed.

Our bests to all,

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 05-25-2000).]

 

Thanks again for all the info everyone.

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black 97' x-cab 4x4, 5 speed 4.6, black westin nerf bars, 6 cd changer and a 12 premier sub, pilot ground searchers, borla SS split rear exhaust, v-tech oval side window covers


soon: fipk, chip, spark plugs, plug wires, FIPK, IAS shocks and an electric fan

 

Did I sound that defensive?? Didn't mean to, simply stating the facts. I think most of the disatisfied customers you speak of may have been expecting more then what they got. You probably have run into simular problems with your chip. This ignition upgrade does not give your engine turbo type x-tra power. It does give it a nice boost. Compared to other simularly priced add ons, it does a nice job. The x-tra milage is a bonus. There was a recent article in TRUCKIN magazine where they installed an exhaust, chip, air intake system and Jacobs unit. They were quite satisfied with the Jacobs and especially how it brought all the other ad-ons togeather. Anyone who has a Jacobs unit or an MSD, let us know how it is working for you...

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Black 1997 F-150 Supercab Flairside. 4.6L with Jocobs DIS, K&N Generation II, Cat back Exhaust (my own, nice rumble). 17" Off Road wheel pkg. Lots of body mods. 4 yrs old and still turns heads...