Tuner or Performance Chips - Do they work?
Not really sure where to post this so popped it in here... I am interested in possibly putting a performance chip in my 1995 Jamboree Rallye 30ft MH with a Ford 460 V8 engine. I just bought it a...
Forum Discussion
I know that there is a module from JET that fits on the connector to a Ford ECM and tells it lies about what inputs it gets from sensors. Since most of the market for this one is people who want more power at wide open throttle, the lies it tells are meant to encourge the ECM to advance ignition timing and inject more fuel, but there is a limit on this, as what is maximum on the fuel and timing maps will still be the maximum after you tell the ECM the appropriate lies. Thus it is not a reprogramming of the ECM.
Something like this is what most people are talking about when they say they are "chipping" a gas engine. JET module is about $250 for most Fords, from JEGS or Summit Racing, probably some other speed shops as well.
My brother put one on a truck engine, the 4.0 Cologne V-6 in a late 1990s Ranger. He said it gave him a bigger "kick" when he floored it at mid-range RPMs. It cost him about 4-6 MPG in his daily driving, probably because wanting to feel the "kick" changed his driving habits.
Banks sells a PowerPack system for the 460 V-8 of that vintage, claims 85 HP boost, 118 lb-ft peak torque in the motorhome installation. Problem is, most of what makes those gains is external plumbing, and it doesn't fit in the E-series. Gains for a similar system for the F-series 460 V-8 are a bit smaller, but that one doesn't fit the E-series either.
Although you can't get one for your motorhome, a PowerPack for the 460 costs $1500 to 1800 as a kit, depending on which vehicle has to be fit, and you can double that to cover installation, particularly on a motorhome.
The PowerPack does include a reprogrammer for the ECM, so that it can be tuned to match the new exhaust and intake systems. I don't think the Banks reprogrammer sells separately, and if it did, you would have to find someone who knows how to tune it for what it is you actually have.
Performance improvements for the 460 as an off-road engine are certainly possible. While this engine series is not as popular as some generations of the Chevy big block, or Ford's FE series that preceded it, you can get free-flowing heads, intake manifolds for at least two different tunes, several types of exhaust headers, cams custom ground to match your intake and exhaust tuning, high flow carbs or aftermarket EFI. The 460 is not a performance orphan, just not a real popular build.
You can even buy a 575 HP crate engine from Ford Racing (about $10K without fuel, exhaust, ignition or engine management systems) but it won't be street legal, and you will struggle to find the plumbing that fits under the engine cover of an Econoline.
Something like this is what most people are talking about when they say they are "chipping" a gas engine. JET module is about $250 for most Fords, from JEGS or Summit Racing, probably some other speed shops as well.
My brother put one on a truck engine, the 4.0 Cologne V-6 in a late 1990s Ranger. He said it gave him a bigger "kick" when he floored it at mid-range RPMs. It cost him about 4-6 MPG in his daily driving, probably because wanting to feel the "kick" changed his driving habits.
Banks sells a PowerPack system for the 460 V-8 of that vintage, claims 85 HP boost, 118 lb-ft peak torque in the motorhome installation. Problem is, most of what makes those gains is external plumbing, and it doesn't fit in the E-series. Gains for a similar system for the F-series 460 V-8 are a bit smaller, but that one doesn't fit the E-series either.
Although you can't get one for your motorhome, a PowerPack for the 460 costs $1500 to 1800 as a kit, depending on which vehicle has to be fit, and you can double that to cover installation, particularly on a motorhome.
The PowerPack does include a reprogrammer for the ECM, so that it can be tuned to match the new exhaust and intake systems. I don't think the Banks reprogrammer sells separately, and if it did, you would have to find someone who knows how to tune it for what it is you actually have.
Performance improvements for the 460 as an off-road engine are certainly possible. While this engine series is not as popular as some generations of the Chevy big block, or Ford's FE series that preceded it, you can get free-flowing heads, intake manifolds for at least two different tunes, several types of exhaust headers, cams custom ground to match your intake and exhaust tuning, high flow carbs or aftermarket EFI. The 460 is not a performance orphan, just not a real popular build.
You can even buy a 575 HP crate engine from Ford Racing (about $10K without fuel, exhaust, ignition or engine management systems) but it won't be street legal, and you will struggle to find the plumbing that fits under the engine cover of an Econoline.
