SCT Xcal2 vs. Superchips Micro Max
New User
Joined: Oct 2005
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I have a Superchips 1745 for my '05 F150 XLT SuperCrew. The difference between the stock tuning and the 87 octane tune is pretty striking. I recently loaded the high octane tune and it is amazing.
If I were to do it again, I'd probably get an Xcal 2 with custom tunes, mostly because I've heard of at least one tuner that seem to really know these trucks and how to get the most out of them. I don't regret my Superchips tuner at all, though. It was a bit of a stretch for me, money-wise; the Xcal wasn't an option in the near future, anyway.
As I get more into playing around with my truck, I expect I'll want the Xcal2. For now, the Superchips 1745 is keeping me satisfied!
If I were to do it again, I'd probably get an Xcal 2 with custom tunes, mostly because I've heard of at least one tuner that seem to really know these trucks and how to get the most out of them. I don't regret my Superchips tuner at all, though. It was a bit of a stretch for me, money-wise; the Xcal wasn't an option in the near future, anyway.
As I get more into playing around with my truck, I expect I'll want the Xcal2. For now, the Superchips 1745 is keeping me satisfied!
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2005
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There's a lot I can do to get the "most" out of them, but there are trade offs to be made. Some of the things Ford does is for mileage and it robs this engine of power (and creates the nagging throttle response issues). Are you willing to give up city mileage (highway isn't really impacted) for a more powerful tune? We've been able to pull out some extra power over what the base SCT files on these trucks.
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Joined: Dec 2005
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sct for me?
good posts folks. I too am in the "market for a tuner" and my whole reason for getting a tuner is to increase my mileage. I must admit that I have been drawn into the superchips tuner fold at this time, primarily due to the fact that the local dealer has said I could buy/try the tuner for 2 weeks, if I like it, I keep it, but if not, I can get my money back after returning the tune to factory. I like the xcal2 alot, and my coworker (Kris) swears by this thing, but he has a Lightning, and I'm sure the xcal2 is tuned to benfit his lightning, but I am not sure about them having worked as much with my 03 f150 and its 5.4L. And, I dont think that I would be allowed to return the xcal2 if my mileage doesnt increase. At this time, the truck only has a flex-a-lite 270 fan installed and a K&N filter in the stock housing. I am going to change the mulffler soon though. Does anyone know if I can return the xcal2 if it doesnt meet my needs?
Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
Likes: 55
From: north west new jersey
i think in my mind the sct will be the super tuner . it allready lets you see whats happening by useing livelink and a laptop. the dealer can do more with the tune and if your realy into it, sct's proracer and a excal 2 lets you play with and super tune on your own.
ken and the gang at motorheaven have many great tunes down to set you up with and you can move some around on your own already useing extreme tune.
you get a much better tuner with the sct and they have more coming shortly .
motorheaven has sold me on sct, no other ford tuner ever in my life,none beat it.
ken and the gang at motorheaven have many great tunes down to set you up with and you can move some around on your own already useing extreme tune.
you get a much better tuner with the sct and they have more coming shortly .
motorheaven has sold me on sct, no other ford tuner ever in my life,none beat it.
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Senior User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 371
Likes: 1
Faster? SCT Xcalibrator2. I recommend you do some datalogging and get a wide band O2 reading with it so I can tweak the tune for the max power you can get with it. Same goes with any tuner, because the air/fuel ratio on these trucks can vary so much from the factory.
Guest
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,988
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From: north west new jersey
oh how correct. all i can say is you guys do it great , and that excal 2 is super. if you could see what we were able to do with time on the rollers, the excal2 and proracer.
problem i have now is this v10 is to responceive, and to easy to smoke the tires with.
ken thats one super duty tool you turned me unto. thanks a million. i love it big time.
and yes we did tune useing a wide band reading. data log.
if any FTE user wants a good super tune i openly say get it from motorhaven
problem i have now is this v10 is to responceive, and to easy to smoke the tires with.
ken thats one super duty tool you turned me unto. thanks a million. i love it big time.
and yes we did tune useing a wide band reading. data log.
if any FTE user wants a good super tune i openly say get it from motorhaven
New User
Joined: Dec 2005
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but does the xcal2 give you better mileage???
So guys, these are great posts, but the bottom question really hasnt been answered. I need to get better mileage on my truck (03 5.4L 4x4 screw). If the xcal2 is not going to get me at least 2 mpg increase, its really not worth it to me to buy it. Yes, the power increase would be nice, especially when towing my boat, but this puppy gets an average of 14mpg, and we do about 30 miles round trip per day from Georgetown to Round Rock Mon thru Fri. The part that really worried me was when I mentioned to my service advisor that I was looking into getting a tuner, and he really warned me away from it, claiming that warranty coverage could be an issue if something failed and the tuner was even remotely responsible. one last note, forgive me for my ignorance, but I was being pushed ***************** for the xcal2, but I see some blurbs about motorhaven.com. Whats the difference?
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 371
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The bottom line is tuners are for power. You'll find that in the FAQ in this chip/tuner section. While you may (its not guaranteed) gain a couple of miles per gallon you'll need to run premium to see the biggest benefit with a tuner. The only way to insure maximum mileage is to do datalogging with the XCal2 and also put it on a dyno with wideband O2 capabilities in order to check the air/fuel ratio. These trucks can have a lot of variation in the ratio in stock form and how much you gain is going to depend on that.
As to the other company you mentioned, they've been around since 2003. I won't speak about their tuning (Xcalibrators are custom tuned by the dealers), but I will about us. We were one of the companies that brought tuning awareness to the the Internet many years ago. We handle literally thousands of chips and tuners each year, see very few returns and drive tuned vehicles ourselves. Our speciality is Ford trucks.
Here's an email we got from one of our customers yesterday:
As to the other company you mentioned, they've been around since 2003. I won't speak about their tuning (Xcalibrators are custom tuned by the dealers), but I will about us. We were one of the companies that brought tuning awareness to the the Internet many years ago. We handle literally thousands of chips and tuners each year, see very few returns and drive tuned vehicles ourselves. Our speciality is Ford trucks.
Here's an email we got from one of our customers yesterday:
The chip is in and works outstanding. The performance gains and shift
improvements are impossible to miss! The step by step instructions that
even listed bolt sizes were a nice touch that I have never gotten
anywhere else and they made the install a breeze! Thanks for the great
service! I'll be back for a programmer I am sure!
Don XXXX Jr
2000 Ford Excursion V-10
Feel free to quote me if you like!
improvements are impossible to miss! The step by step instructions that
even listed bolt sizes were a nice touch that I have never gotten
anywhere else and they made the install a breeze! Thanks for the great
service! I'll be back for a programmer I am sure!
Don XXXX Jr
2000 Ford Excursion V-10
Feel free to quote me if you like!
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