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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
Can someone give me some ideas on chips, how hard they are to put in, which is the best, how much can i expect to spend? Someone PLEASE point me in the right direction.
Tony,
I am no expert on the subject, but I have done some research about a few of them. The one I would pick is made by Superchips. You can check out their website at www.superchips.com and it will give you a lot of information. There was also a thread of postings about the same subject on here and it is very informative. The URL for it is Dead Link Removed
I was going to purchase one myself but it was over $200 and requires the use of premium fuel. My Explorer uses enough fuel the way it is and having to pay another 20+ cents per gallon did not sound too good to me. I emailed them and they said they could make a chip for me that would run on regular unleaded but it would not be as effective as the one for premium. I would like to have one but I feel I have other things that are more important.
No matter what, stay away from the universal, over the counter chips that are not custom made for your computer. In order to get one specifically for your model, you have to get the code off your computer and they have to burn the chip specifically for that code.
The computer and chip are located behind the passenger side kicker panel...beside of passenger's right foot. There are just a couple of screws there that hold the panel on. If you decide to even take the chip off to look at it, be sure to disconnect your battery first so you won't fry your computer.
Tony,
I put in a HYPERTECH chip in 6 years ago and have never had a problem. It ran about $250 then. The only time I can feel the difference is under load, which is what the speed shop told me to expect. It plugs into the back of the cpu and only takes about a 30 min. to install. Hope that helps.
I recommend you the superchip, I bought one
for my 99 Explorer EB V6 4.0L SOHC (210 HP)
6 months ago and I gained 17 HP (dynotested).
As Ira said you need to use premium fuel
if not your explorer will be pinging all the
time.
In my experience, the superchip is excellent
for towing and racing.
You notice inmediatly the speed and the power
gain. I also add a Magnaflow cat-back system
and a K&N Air Filter Multicharged. (just 5 HP gained)
In the future I will replace the OEM spark
plugs with the Bosch platinum +4 and the
OEM wires with the Accel +300 wires.
As I see you have a V8 (AWD) so towing is
not a problem for you but aceleration could
be. Try the superchip it really worth. Also
I recommend you the Nology Hot wires (www.nology.com) to replace your OEM spark plug wires if you want to gain more mileage and power.
Tony,
First the Superchip is THE chip to use.
JET and HYPER only work @ wide open throttle,
that's why Ron Cox only feels it "under load". It's about a 30min job to do. You can visit www.f150.com for alot of info on the chips. The s-chips are available to members there for about $225, but someone else there
(search the threads)has it with a K&N element
for $200 for both. Hope this helps
Rick
The F150 site is a little obscure but Dead Link Removed seems to be where you want to go. Looks like $265 for the Explorer. I'll probably bite when I save up some funds, as I need the boost in my 4door non-sport, which I found has the weaker of the engines. Dead Link Removed Reverse logic if you ask me, if it's a 4door, thus entertaining more passengers, why not put the larger engine in that, or make them the same engine?
Who says money can't buy happiness. I'll be happy when on-ramps fear me. Dead Link Removed
[This message has been edited by sunbum (edited 01-13-2000).]
You might have already bought a chip, but I would like the others to know about my experience with the SuperChip. I have 96 Exp. Sport, V6, 5sp., 2WD. I've installed K&N filter (did not feel any power alone). Then installed Split Fire plugs & wires (Noticed that engine ran smoother). Then I purchased Superchip from Performance Ford. They were offering 30 day money back trial. Not much noticable power if you drive normally. However, noticable power on uphill drive and passing on the hwy. Worth paying additional $$ for premium gas? I don't know. Am I happy? Sort of. That's why I kept it. Remember that 10%-15% increase is not much. So don't expect a miracle.
I purchased a superchip from Chris Scott at smartyparts.com. It cost me $175 including shipping. I was real happy with the service. I plan to install the chip tomorrow so I don't know how it performs yet.
