Hey i was just scimming over all of these computer chip threads thinking back to when I first wanted to get a chip.. maybe 2 years ago or so, but never ended up "taking the plunge."

Anyhow, I figure it's about time I just got the chip because all of this reading about mods gets me excited to do something to the old nav.

I'm not sure how much longer she'll be with me, but i'll probably have her through next year atleast. Problem is, with gas prices going up ect, i"m a little concerned about getting a chip and having to always buy the premium gas (which in Colorado, is usually only as high as 91 octane).

Anyhow, haven't been around lately so what's the newest chip or flip chip for my application?

98 navigator, 4wd.

I'm thinking flip chip so i can change between 87 octane and 89 or 91 if flip chips are still made for my vehicle.

thanks!

 

check out that troyer performance dood he has alot of info on his site. However I dont think they are worth the money.

 

please explain your reasoning as to why you don't think they are worth the money.

I am curious to hear from someone first hand about their experience and opinion.

 

Hi Phat,

That's right, you've been coming here for a good while now, so you've seen a lot of what we talk about here - good to "see" you again, and yes, we still make chips (and now Micro Tuners, too!) for your 1998 Lincoln Navigator.

A properly optimized powertrain program is simply the single best "bang for the buck" performance enhancement you can make to your vehicle. Period. There is nothing else for the same or less cost that will improve the acceleration times and overall performance of that vehicle as much as our performance tuning will. Now that doesn't mean it's going to feel like a supercharger, of course - a few people have the mistaken impression that you're somehow supposed to magically pick up 100 hp with just a tune - wrong answer. That happens *ONLY* in large displacement turbocharged diesel engines, never in normally aspirated gasoline engines. Simply put, there isn't a better bang for the buck than one of our custom performance tunes.

All it takes is a few minutes of reading the responses posted by those who are using our tuning, and you'll quickly see virtually everyone raving about it. For example, use the search feature to retrieve posts by "openclasspro" to see his results of testing other products and then testing our custom tuning for his truck - our custom tuning (which we can do even for a bone-stock vehicle) knocked an *additional* 4 tenths off the 1/4 mile times achieved with the next best product he tested. Or check out some of the posts from "watsonr," who has done some similar comparisons.

By the way - it may have been a while since you last spent time here reading the posts in this section, so you might not be aware of the fact that we now offer 4-program custom chips as well as 3-program custom Micro Tuners. You mentioned possibly wanting to use a 2-program Flip Chip, like a lot of people used to do. We still have those available of course, but that would come with the "standard" Superchip tuning, not the more powerful & in-depth custom tuning that we do.

For example, we have both 3-program custom Micro Tuners as well as 4-program custom chips - you can have say, a tune for maximum mpg on 87 octane, then a maximum performance tune for premium gas, and then say, maybe a towing tune, or whatever you like, whatever is appropriate for *your* vehicle, for *your* driving needs, etc. The point being, using either the multi-program custom chip or the multi-program custom Micro Tuner, you can have it all, so to speak - you can have multi-octane capability for when you want to run on regular gas, and performance tuning for when you want maximum power, etc.

That is all up to you, we can provide you with any combination of custom programs you like, so you get *exactly* what you want, what will best suit your needs.

If you'd like to drop by our web site and read up on some details, the following 3 part#'s are the newer 4-bank style custom tune-capable products: the 5500 (single program custom chip), then the 6600 (4-program custom chip), and then the 9100 (3-program custom Micro Tuner. There are other devices on this same page, but those are the 3 part #'s that you can get our custom tuning in, which gets you the most power & performance gain as well as the most flexibility - here's the link: http://www.troyerperformance.com/cgi...chips%3BFoMoCo

What we recommend is using either the 6600 (4-program custom chip) or the 9100 (3-program custom Micro Tuner) - that way you have multiple tunes, giving you maximum flexibility.

If you'd like to go over any of this in more detail, or perhaps discuss any other types of modifications to increase power and improve the performance of your vehicle, we do it all & we'll be happy to help.

In the meantime, happy reading & best of luck with your Navigator!

 

Mike,

Even though it's been almost 2 years since I've last been on the site, you continue to impress me with your detailed and prompt responses to mine, and all of the posts on this forum. I'd like to say thanks to you for that and for everyone else for the information.

I want to go with the Performance single tune but I am worried about finding 91 octane gas. I honestly have not seen any gas stations that have gas at 91 octane. It goes from 85, to 87, to 89. Would I be able to use this 89 octane with a performance tuned chip?

I'd like to just call you directly and order the chip if possible and that way I can ask you any questions I may have.

Let's say I go with the performance burn, If I am not mashing the pedal, will my mpg increase, or decrease no matter how I drive (just curious now that you have me thinking about that 1.5 mpg increase to offset the 20 cent increase of higher octane gas)?

Thanks again, hopefully I will be able to get this ordered and installed. I'll try not to have huge expectations in hopes that I will be pleasently surprised.

I look forward to having the chip for my trip from my home state of Colorado out to California in late August.

I'll be waiting for your response and look forward to getting the chip soon!

Thanks again Mike,
JD

 

Hi JD,

Sure, it's always best to give us a call so we can go over all the various details & answer any questions, etc.

Yes, we can do a single program chip and just tune your vehicle for 89 octane, no problem. Now of course you aren't going to make quite as much power as you'd make on a 91 octane tune, but it will certainly be better than stock, and we have to deal with whatever fuels you have access to there locally. Not being able to get at least 91 octane usually happens only at very high elevations, for example.

I can't tell you with certainty what's going to happen mpg wise, as I know nothing about your vehicle, any mods it's condition, it's location, elevation, how it's operated, etc. All of that plays a BIG role in what kind of fuel mileage the vehicle delivers. All I can tell you for sure is that the mpg will not be any LESS than before unless you drive the vehicle harder, or use a "cheap" fuel with a lower energy content - most people do see an increase in mpg. Your basic question of in a performance tune, when you;re not using heavy throttle will the mpg come up is generally true - that is precisely what usually happens. this is a by-product of the increase spark advance used on part-throttle as part of our performance tuning - that lowers the load on the motor a bit, and allows it to use less fuel to get the same amount of work done as compared to the stock factory tune. Some people at sea level or close to it see as much as 3.5 more mpg when cruising - then others who drive them like race cars all the time may not see any gain - those are the two extremes of course, and then there's reality, which is everything in between. The average result is about a 1.5-1.7 mpg gain, and it's not uncommon to see someone report 2.0-2.5 mpg. The 3.5 mpg gains are relatively rare, as are reports of no gain - that only happens when someone either drives the vehicle harder, or they use a low-grade fuel.

And yes, we see that it takes roughly about a 1.5 mpg increase to completely offset the average 20 cent per gallon cost delta between 87 octane regular fuels and the 91-94 octane premium fuels. Far too many people only look at the price per gallon on the pump, and never actually calculate their actual fuel cost to operate per mile before & after - those that do quickly see they're out little to nothing and some even come out ahead. Having said all of that, I would not attempt to "justify" the purchase of a performance chip or tuner based on mpg gains - it's a *performance* part that just happens to give some mpg gains as a by-product of it's intended purpose for most people.

Generally speaking, in performance tuning the higher the octane level we can tune for, the more potential there is for mpg gains as a by-product of the performance tuning.

This is another of many reasons why it's so much better to have multiple programs, as we could for example, give you a tune that is optimized to deliver the most possible mpg for 87 or 89 octane for one of them. Then a towing-capable tune, and an all-out performance tune, etc., etc. Personally, I prefer to have at least 2 programs so I have some flexibility, even though I almost always operate on the highest performance tune because that is where the most power and the best cruising mpg is generally achieved. There just isn't that much cost different between a single program chip and a multiple-program chip - I'm talking about in our *custom* products, not the "standard" Superchips - we encourage everyone to go with our custom-tuned 4-bank Superchips in either single or multiple-program versions as opposed to the older technology single-bank 1 or 2 program blue Superchips, as we can do a much more thorough job in the custom tunes.

The bottom line is, this is all up to *you* - we can tune it just about any way you like, and if you want to run a single program chip, that's perfectly fine, too!

Talk to you soon,

 

Well I am pretty mind set on getting this chip and I appreciate everyon'es help, especially yours Mike. I am not that concerned with mpg as long as it does not decrease dramtically, and I doubt it will because I don't mash the gas on a regular basis. Every now and then I'll give it a go from a red light, or if someone wants to test their luck with the nav, but overall, I just want some performance increase. :P

I am hoping to make this purchase sometime soon so I will talk with you then.

I will also post all of my results, short of a Dyno Tune due to lack of accessability.

Jd

Oh oh, and I forgot to tell you good news, I looked at the gas station, and there was 85, 87 and 91! I must have seen 89 at a different gas station and assumed it was that way everywhere. I am in Colorado btw which would validate your statement that high octanes are sometimes unavailable at higher elevations.