Do performance chips work?

[xrayid]

Hello Everyone,

I just purchased a 2007 sport track limited with the V-8, and the factory tonneau cover. I bought it from the local Ford dealer and it was a certified pre-owned vehicle. Very nice truck/SUV. It only had 26,000 miles on it.

My questions are:

1. Do the performance chips found every where on the internet really increase horse power and fuel economy?
2. Will it void my warranty if I install one?
3. Should I just purchase the tried and true K&N cold air intake system and open the exhaust to 3"?
I am more concerned with fuel economy than HP (as this truck with the V-8 has plenty of HP, however I am only getting about 13 MPG).

Also, any other suggestions you guy have will be greatly appreciated, as this is my first Ford.

Thanks for your help.

By the way this is a great site and I am already learning a lot.

Have a blessed day!!!!

 

[celly]

In the chip world, you get what you pay for. The bulk of eBay chips are cheap. What does that tell you?

See sctflash.com and hensonperformance.com (site sponsor) for real programming options. The bulk of the options you mentioned are snake oil.

Welcome to EF. Best Exploder resource anywhere.

 

[Carguy3J]

Chips-no, they're mostly junk. Many of the cheap stuff on ebay is just a resistor to "fool" the ecm into believing the engine is colder than it is, thereby increasing timing and richeing the fuel mixture. While the concept is based in fact, the exuction, through this method is mediocre at best.

Here's what I would do:
1.) Cold air kit. I like the K&N FIPK. Yes, many others are cheaper. However, the K&N is one of the few that are 50-state legal, with the sticker to prove it. You're profile doesn't say where you are, so I don't know if that matters.

2.) Cat-back exhaust. James @ Henson can prob. help you with that also. Although many will chime to chastise me/you/whoever for "polluting", the cats do represent a restriction, and an impedement to hp and mpg. However, with only 26,000 miles on it, I would live with them, at least until the warranty is up.

I think there are also emmissions-legal headers available for your truck. If you want to go to that length, there are prob. more gains to had there.
3.) Get a custom tuner, such as an Xcal3, or Livewire, both from SCT. Again, James @ Henon Performance.

4.) If they are available for your vehcile/engine, get an underdrive crank pulley. Very worthwhile gains. There is plnety of info on this site, and out there on this.

5.) Not sure if the V8's still have mechancial fans, or not. If so, switch to electric. Again, lost of info out there. Definitely a noticeable gain in HP and mpg

6.) Switch all fluids to synthetic. Both diffs, tranny, and t-case. Although 2007 prob. cam with synthetic from the factory. Be sure to use synthetic engine oil. Use the thinnest grade the manufacture allows. I believe 5w20 is specified by Ford. I like Mobil 1. It's $22 a gallon at walmart. Since you're still under warranty, you'll have to follow Ford's recommended change interval, but after that's up, you can easily go 5,000-7,500 miles between changes w/the Mobil 1. Alot of people on here use Amsoil, and change it at MUCH longer intervals (10-25,000 miles) I think 1.) amsoil is too expensive. and 2.) regardless of the oil analysis results, I'm just not comfortable leaving oil in THAT long.

Other than these things, proper maintenance is key to good fuel economy"
1.) monitor and change o2 sensors when there performance degrades (prob. long before they "set a code"
2.) keep your air filter clean. (easier with the K&N, just remember to clean the MAF sensor, as the oil form reusabel filters like K&N can contaminate it- especially after it has been freshly oiled)
3.) Make sure your thermostat works properly. I encounter a lot of vehicles where sthey are stuck open, it goes unnoticed for a long time. This cause extended warm-up times, and lost fuel economy. Although, that's much less of a concern for you, given the low mileage.
4.) Maintain proper tire pressure. Rememebr, as outside temp goes down, so does the air pressure in your tires. With what is prob. on your Explorer, I would say 40-42psi is prob. right ****assuming your max cold pressure is slightly above this-check the tire sidewall*** and don't exceed that pressure! I like to have about 2psi less in the rear tires than the front, given the weight of the engine.


None of these things, if done properly should void your warranty. Just to be safe, you could return the ecm to stock, with the xcal3, before bringing it in for service.

 

[Carguy3J]

Hey, I just noticed your screen name "xrayid". Are you an xray tech? I just got my RT(R) in August

 

[xrayid]

Thank you for your fast a well thought out responses. You have definitely given many more options to consider than as the first reply put it "snake oil options". I kind of figured that those chips were a waste of money. I appreciate the links also. As I said before this is a great site, thanks again.

 

[xrayid]

Sorry, no I am not an X-ray tech (I am not that well educated). I am just an old Soldier. X-ray is the phonetic spelling of the letter "X" and ID simply means identification. What XRAYID means in the US Army is, it is an additional skill identifier for those Soldiers who currently are or formally were Drill Sergeants. I was a Drill Sergeant for three years. Those years were probably the hardest, yet most rewarding of my career.

 

[DanaM]

Nice threads, nice stories. The mobil 1 synthetic is nice, I have used Royal Purple the first 20K in my Dodge Charger and Amsoil (I am a distributor for amsoil) the last 15K . You can't go wrong with the mobil 1, RP, or Amsoil as your engine oil. I just put Amsoil synthetic in the EX when I got it 12.23.09

 

[BigV]

Drill Sgt very tough job and a lot of stress you guys are responsible for making sure soldiers are properly trained and can survive in combat. I still remember my drill sgt. he left a lasting impression on me. To this day I respect Sgt. Damron tough as nails but an excellent teacher I consider my self fortunate to have been trained by him.

 

[0uTkAsT]

Chips found on the internet don't really add power and can actually hurt fuel economy and void certain warranties on the vehicle. However, my SCT programmer was invaluable when recalibrating my instruments after I fitted oversized tires (the factory ECU only has a built-in +/- 5% adjustment range, and the tires I installed were 9.7% larger than stock). The programmer, plus my K&N panel filter and Gibson exhaust, nets me roughly the same fuel economy that I was getting before, BUT I have added a couple hundred pounds in weight from accessories, wheels, tires, etc. to the truck. The fact that my fuel economy has remained essentially unchanged means that if everything else was stock I probably would have picked up 4+ MPG combined city/highway... Just something to consider.

Keep in mind this is all on an '08 4.0L 2WD.

 

[YeloPony]

Find you local muscle car/mustang/hot rod shop, likely they'll have a brand of tuner they go with SCT or Diablo.. buy a tuner from them, you should get some free tunes from them for buying them.. plus the tuner will pay off on the long run, speed calibration for new wheels etc..