Hello everyone, I've got a couple of questions regarding a chip.

First of all I'm pretty inexperienced with the prospect of chips and how they affect you car/truck. But here’s the deal...

This coming Aug, I'll be purchasing a 2011 F-150 FX4 Extended Cab with the 5.0L V8. Now fuel economy is not my main concern with my new truck. But with the relatively high fuel cost right now. I’ve started wondering what could be done to help improve efficiency a little bit. I've started looking into chips. And I was wondering what kind of difference's can be made with a chip? 1mpg? 2mpg? 5mpg? And how much money should I expect to be set back for a good one?

Also, after I do purchase a chip, is it something that can be handled in my own driveway? Or will I need to take it to a shop to have the chip acclimated to my truck? The last thing I want to do if fry the computer system in my new truck, trying to set a chip up on my own.

Another thing that worries me a little, is I have heard that chips can cause transmission issues if you transmission is not tuned in accordance with the chip on your engine. How true is that? And does that only apply to the instance were you are adding horsepower and torque? Or is it any instance with a chip?

Last question, what would be some reputable brands to go with?

So questions are...

#1 - What kind of gains can I expect? (In terms of fuel efficiency)
#2 - What should I expect to pay for a decent chip?
#3 - Can a chip cause damage to my engine/transmission or other components?
#4 - What brand of chip would you guys recommend?
Thanks for any help guys. It’s really appreciated.

 

The only programmer (chips are OBDI) available (right now) for the 5.0L is the SCT XCAL3.

#1 - None. Depending on how you drove before the chip, you might possibly see .5 - 1 MPG gain, but don't count on it.
#2 - With custom tunes anywhere between $400 and $600
#3 - Only if YOU decide you want MAX performance and teeth rattling shifts and then you take it to Billy Bob's Speed Shop (We Can Tune Anything, including Pianos) and have them write the custom tunes
#4 - SCT XCAL3 with custom tunes from 5Star Tuning (you can PM fordmdb - Mike is a forum sponsor). I have yet to hear/read any complaints on Mike's service and products.

EDIT: Another satisfied customer: http://www.f150online.com/forums/chi...ml#post4570662