which one is better for the 4.2l v6, mine is a 2002 extended cab xlt auto.

 

Neither, get a Superchip from Mike T. Those other chips only work at WOT (Wide Open Throttle), and are just a generic chips for all 2002 4.2ls. The superchip is computer code specific and will always give you about 10-12% more hp. Dont waste your money on the other chips.

 

I'm with beastie on this one. Hypertech and Jet do more advertising than Superchips so you will see their products more often in the mags. If they don't say anything about "code specific", then you will not be getting all you can from the tune. Superchips modual is tuned specificly to your PCM. A generic chip would only make changes to things that are not affected by the different PCM software.

Your best bet is to hold on to your money for a bit. Spend some time here. Do a lot of reading and ask many questions. Keep an eye out for posts by Mike, the Superchips Distributer, as he has the knowlege needed to aid us in the decision making process. His company, Performance Products is also one of the best places to purchase aftermarket add ons for our trucks. You will recieve a leavel of customer service that has pretty much become extinct these days.

Good luck and have fun!

 

Hi SDF150Guy,

Welcome to F-150 Online!

As the others mentioned, the Superchip is the only performance chip that actually tunes each vehicle individually, according to the exact software revision in the PCM, that tunes for maximum horsepower and torque *all* the time, meaning at any throttle position as well as at any rpm, and is still 50-state emissions certified, no other performance chip does all of that.

Hypertech and Jet are "generic' programs, compromised to run on all similar vehicles, and so their power gains are smaller. Many of their products also require using an abnormally cold thermostat, something you don't have to do with the Superchip. The only time Hypertech & Jet chips have *potential* for power gain is at extremely heavy to wide-open throttle, where there are no emission standards that have to be met (called "open loop" operation), as it's much cheaper & easier for them to tune that way, but it also results in a poor optimization of the powertrain programming.

With the Superchip, you'll have about 10%-12% more raw power on tap all the time, at any throttle position, and your Superchip will be tuned specifically for *your* individual vehicle. These F-150's have hundreds of different factory software revisions ("computer codes," as we call them) every model year, so it's important to make a different performance program for each and every one of them, that's the way to properly optimize the powertrain programming of each individual vehicle.

The Superchip also takes care of the 4.2 V-6's tendency to be weak in power below about 2500 rpm, you'll notice that is improved as well. The maximum potential power gain from the Superchip on a stock 4.2 V-6 is 25 horsepower and 31 lbs./ft. of torque.

You can order the Superchip by clicking on the link just below in our signature line, that will take you right to that system.

If you'd like to go over any of this in more detail, or ask about anything else performance-related about these F-150's & your 4.2 V-6 truck in particular, please give us a call at our number listed below, we'll be happy to speak with you.

Best of luck with your truck,

 

Mike,

Can you comment on the installation procedure of your Superchip. Where is the factory PCM located? How difficult? How Long?

I have '01 SuperCrew w/ 5.4L

 

Hi Big,

Welcome to F-150 Online!

It will take you about 30 minutes to install the Superchip for a first-timer. All the instructions, including where the PCM is and how to remove it and how to do each and every step of the installation are described in painstaking detail in our supplemental Performance Products documentation that we send out with every Superchip we ship here at Performance. The manufacturer's instructions are not detailed enough for a first-time installer, for example they tell you nothing about where to find the PCM, how to remove it, etc., just all the "little" things that make a first-time installation go smoothly with no surprises, which is why we write our own documentation here at Performance.

If you'd like to get a basic idea of the installation prociedure for the traditional Superchip module, you can take a look at the Tech Articles section here, there is a "How To" that was done by someone on anther web site years ago, a previous customer of ours. It's not always technically correct, and there are some misquotes attributed to me in there, but it does have plenty enough pictures & information that you can get a very good feel for basically what you'll be doing, it's certainly worth a look for anyone who wants to know just what they'll be doing to install the Superchip in the late-model (1997 & up) F-150.

The PCM is on the passenger side of the vehicle, just above the passenger's kick panel, and takes all of 3 steps and about 3 minutes to remove (unless you have the Offroad package in which case add about 3-5 more minutes). All in all, it's an easy 30 minute procedure that anyone who reads and follows our documentation will not have any problems installing the Superchip.

There is also the newer Superchips Micro Tuner that you might want to consider, our hand held programmer that will allow you to install the Superchips tuning in about 10 minutes by a simple program uplaod via the OBD-II port, without ever having to even know about or touch the PCM (powertrain control module), and that is what most people these days are using. There is a separate thread here in this section where we announced the Superchips Micro Tuner and all of it's features, etc., available for anyone to read in a central location. You'll see all the thread titles when you first enter the Computer Chips section, and you can't miss it, it's our original announcement post, still on the first page of threads when you initially enter the Computer Chips section, with *plenty* of very detailed & specific info there.

And of course, please feel free to give us a call to go over all of this in more detail, ask any questions, etc., we're happy to speak with you! It's a good idea to call us if you can & talk with us for a few minutes, that way we can go over not only all the info you want to know specifically, but also let you know what other kinds of modifications you can use with the Superchip tuning, when you need custom programming, when you don't, and any other aspect of improving the performance of these vehicles, etc., so you can make your decisions from a fully informed position, so please do give us a call when you can!

 

Mike,

Thank you for responding to my post in such great detail!

I will contacting you in the very near future to discuss further.

 

Check around a little more. I've posted my first hand results of comparing a superchip and a hypertech chip in my '97 5.4L. To me the Superchip is awful and doesn't live up to the hype. I just reinstalled my Hypertech chip yesterday morning. For example, it has been raining a good bit lately. Even on wet roads I can't spin the tires with the Superchip installed and through the learning period. Five minutes after reinstalling the Hypertech chip I can leave good black marks on dry pavement. I like my power down low and Hypertech delivers. The only thing I'll miss is the higher shift points from the Superchip-and hey, the shift firmness is no different between the chips either. Just thought I'd make you an informed buyer. Also, no tape or velcro required with the Hypertech chip. It has mounting hardware built in-That's a quality product in my book any day!!

 

KnightS,

Your story is amazing. Your Hyperchip seems to perform in a way that Hypertech themselves claim it won't perform.

As for spinning the tires on wet pavement. If your truck needed a chip of any kind to spin the tires on wet pavement, you may have a serious problem with the engine in your truck.
I have never once in my 41 years of life on this planet heard of a pickup truck that would not loose traction on wet roads when you hit the go pedal hard.

As for your statement about the superchip....WRONG AGAIN...it does exactly what it claims to do in every properely working engine. You may want to get your engine checked. Sounds like it is a bit slugish, especially for a 5.4.

And last but not least. I have personally talked to support at Hypertech and they told me that their product only helps in the WOT situation.

Since we are making sure all the info is available, here is a link for comparison sakes. http://www.hypertech-inc.com/fordfeaturechart.html
I just checked out the comparison graph on the Hypertech. Notice on the 1997 F150 all the neat things it WON'T do.


Rocks

 

I have to consider leaving black marks off the line a VERY NEAT THING. Low rpm torque=good. Sure seems wierd that my supposed bad running engine runs very well with a Hypertech chip, just not with a Superchip. Hmm...As I said before, this is MY experience. Just because yours is different you have no right to try and degrade me or my truck. Hmm... where's Mike's lecture on saying nasty things now?

 

Before when I had stock tires and no chip. Stock tires were 235/75/R15s, I could barely spin them. It depended on the pavement which I was on. In the rain they spun even when I tried not to make them.
I installed the chip and went to 275/60R15s and I can spin these. In the rain I can spin them for as long as I want. When I was chip less and had the big tires, I did not even come close to spinning them. The chip definately added alot of low end torque. 98% of the people with a Superchip will contest to this.

BTW Mikes customer service is the best from any company I have ever dealt with. He will help you with any aspect of your truck. All my truck upgrades will come fro mhim now.

Good Luck.

 

KnightS,
You certianly have the right to post your experiances. If you are happy with the results from the Hyperchip, that's great. If you didn't like the Superchip for whatever reason, and you want people to know, here is the place to do it.

Rock's post wasn't ment to degrade you, or your truck (well, I'm assuming not), just to point out that the manufacturer of the chip you are using clearly states the things that are not effected by the tune for that vehicle. We have also learned that Hypertech and Jet do the tuning for open loop operation, so they don't have to comply with federal regulations. We have learned that Superchips is more thourough in their tune, and tune for the entire rpm range. It is CARB certified. This means something to some of us.

If you think that Hypertech is the way to go, then by all means, shout it from the roof tops. You have to expect people to refute claims. I think if Hypertech were that much better than Superchips, a lot more of us would be using it.

You may think that all the people using Superchips are because Mike is a Superchips distrubuter. This may be true to some extent but we also listen to what others say. There are many happy Superchips customers and we have heard from several who have said that the other chips didn't even compair. If more people like you speak up, then maybe we will reconcider. Till then I will continue to praise Superchips.

Oh, could you give us more info about your truck? There has got to be a reason for the major differences. What configuration do you have, how many miles, what rear gear ratio, ect.?

 

Wittom is correct, my post was not meant to degrade anyone. Sorry if it came out that way.

I actually was sincerly amazed by the claims made about the "Hyperchip". Wittoms question about the set up of your vehicle is a good question.

A couple things I want to point out. First....Hypertech does not show anything anywhere about having a chip for the Ford 1997 and newer trucks. They do have a programer you plug into the diagnostic port. I actually had bought their programmer for my 1997 F150 and went from that straight to a Superchip. When I first programmed my truck I was real disapointed in the results so I called Hypertech. They where very honest about the short falls of their Programmer. They even told me that for the tuning I was after...they could not help. They even gave me a number to give to the place I bought it from to confirm that they would take it back. So with you reporting results like that I thought it best to clear the air for the others who read these forums.

I have the 4.6 and could lay a scratch before I had the superchip. Our trucks have light rear ends and thus can break loose pretty easy. This is why I thought maybe you may have some other problem.

One last thing...the comment made about the Superchip not doing what it claimed to do...was completely false. I will dispute wrong information when I see it.


Rocks

 

Hi Rocks & Wittom,

As you may remember from his previous posts (though he makes no mention of that here for some strange reason, go figure) he does in fact have a check engine light problem that he reproted to me, and go figure, it's indicating a problem with Air/Fuel ratios, that has never been corrected.

And as has been piiunted out many times in past threads as well, he's also using a used Superchip that nobody knows what's in, which could well be an additional factor.

There has been no proper troubleshooting or repair done to his vehicle to correct whatever is causing his check engine light problem, even though he called us many months ago about that. He reported to us over the phone that he had error codes reporting an Air/Fuel ratio problem, but that still hasn't been taken care of, nor has the PCM been scanned for it's hex code to confirm revision level, etc.

In some cases, he's even tried to claim that we told him that his check engine light is only because of an exhaust leak problem he has, which is not true. He was told by me personally that his exhaust leak *might* be a contributing factor, and to have it repaired as that would easily tell the story as the exhaust leak needs to be fixed anyway. He was also told do whatever other repairs are required to actually correct the Air/Fuel ratio problem being reported by his PCM for quite some time now, which *still* has not been done according to his own posts in the last thread he posting this garbage in.

We all know that nobody but him has ever made the kind of claim he has, that the Hypertech outperformed the Superchip, not once has that been posted by anyone here who has actually done a proper direct comparison between the 2 products on the same vehicle. Additionally (though this is a poor yardstick to measure results by in these heavy vehicles), his claim that his F-150 won't even spin the tires at all in the rain, if true, certainly indicates a very obvious problem just as we would expect from a vehicle whose PCM is reporting Air/Fuel ratio problems as his has been doing for some time. As Rocks correctly pointed out, we have yet to see any F-150 with any engine, or for that matter any American pickup truck ever fail to spin the tires in the rain, and certainly not a 5.4.

He has been challenged to have his vehicle repaired to correct his check engine light problem, he has also been challenged to have the Superchip checked to see just what's in there, as well as having had it suggested that his PCM may be reflashed, etc., but there still has not been proper diagnosis, troubleshooting & repairs done to correct the Air/Fuel ratio problem and whatever other problems are present, just the continuation of his same old diatribe.

In fact, we also challenge him to make his vehicle available and *we'll* check that vehicle out for the cause of his problem, and check out that Superchip as well, and report what we find right back here publicly to all. We'd like nothing more, but it'll never happen as it'll cost money, even at our extremely low labor rates. He knows our phone number if he ever wants to really get to the bottom of this.

Every time previously that he's been challenged over the past months by numerous people in previous threads, he attacks and then disappears, waits for a while, sometimes waiting *months*, only to come back again later and start right back up with the exact same spiel, without ever correcting teh vehicle's problem(s). And this is exactly what he'll continue to do.

Until he has that vehicle properly diagnosed and the Air/Fuel ratio problems corrected and any other problems found & corrected as well as that used chip being properly checked, his posts have no merit. He posts what he does for 1 reason only, to gain attention by attacking the Superchip. If he put 1/10th that effort into taking care of that truck's Air/Fuel ratio problem, he just might start to get to the bottom of the real problem there, so we can only hope that some day he decides to do that.

 

Funny you mentioned that Mike. After I made my last post I checked his profile. Read some of his past posts....LMAO.

Now I feel dumber for even responding to his slam of a Superchip. He definitely has some other issues with his truck.

I suppose we have to consider the source. I still can't find a "chip" made by Hypertech for the 1997 F150. They even told me on the phone they don't have one. They offer up chips for GM and Chevy...but nada on 1997 F150's.


Rocks