computer chip in 89 5.0 w/mods good or bad?
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ninety15.0
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I am actually looking at the same situation for myself. Im getting close to finishing a balanced 306 with 10.2:1 srp pistons, cam, intake, gears and full exhaust....i was lookin into the SCT chips you can get with the selectable positions...for only like 350 ish it doesnt look to bad.
glenn95gt
Founding Member
ECU5.0
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my car had very little mods to it but it cam with a ads superchip and it ran fine until i put the rockers on there and than it was like my timing was different every time i started the car....maybe the chip was bad...but it sucked
ninety15.0
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its a steeda #18, im also running a 65mm tb and cobra intake, and a 3 angle valve job and port matched stock heads with 1.7 rockers and upgraded springs and rods....and 24lb inj.
ECU5.0
Banned
a custom chip would probably do a lot for the car but one of those off the shelf chips basically changes the timing and thats about it from what ive heard
glenn95gt
Founding Member
ninety15.0 how is driveabilty and pwer?
stang5011, even with the cam you wouldn't need a chip, really try to swap that TB for a 65mm. But be kind to the cam, and get it some heads.
stang5011, even with the cam you wouldn't need a chip, really try to swap that TB for a 65mm. But be kind to the cam, and get it some heads.
ninety15.0
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Chips programmable??
Off the shelf chips may be the older school way. Just doing research now and it seems that programmable chips now are the way to go. They taylor a program for YOUR car. Each time you make an upgrade they will program it and email it to you. Then ya somehow upgrade the chip. It sounds fantastic but I havent heard but a few people talk about it. Also whats cool on this kit is a 6ft cable with a button that switches programs. Anyway.. I heard about this from "Bama"? If anyone else knows about this or how it works let me know. David
Off the shelf chips may be the older school way. Just doing research now and it seems that programmable chips now are the way to go. They taylor a program for YOUR car. Each time you make an upgrade they will program it and email it to you. Then ya somehow upgrade the chip. It sounds fantastic but I havent heard but a few people talk about it. Also whats cool on this kit is a 6ft cable with a button that switches programs. Anyway.. I heard about this from "Bama"? If anyone else knows about this or how it works let me know. David
Maryland Stang
Active Member
I just bought a 4 bank SCT switch chip from Bama. I'm installing nitrous on my car and I didn't want to have to ride around with the timing retarded all of the time. The switch chip allows me to have a normal 14° advance for everyday driving and then you turn the switch when you want to run nitrous and it retards the timing for me. It also has a stock computer setting but I'm not sure what I'd use that for. I also had them move the rev limiter up to 7500 since my window open turns the nitrous on at 3,000 RPM and it doesn't turn it back off. I had a couple of other things changed while they were at it.
The chip for anything mild is a complete waste of money.
Mail order or off the shelf is even worse.
I know guys stock 302 bottom ends, all motor in the 325-340rwhp range.
You guys need to stop blowing money on chips and buy better heads or get headwork done.
There is almost nothing the stock computer can't handle on a factory 302 block.
If a chip fixes a problem, it means you put the wrong parts or assembled the car wrong.
Stang5011, unless your parts list is incomplete you have a bunch of mismatching parts.
Throttle body is too big, a 73mm meter is a C&L and that's not good, and your injectors are too big for anything without a good set of heads.
Ignore advice from anyone that thinks you should get a chip.
I'm always amazed that people want to blow $400-$800 on chips and dyno tuning when they have crappy heads.
Let's see $1100 heads yield 300rwhp or more.
$500 heads+$500 in tuning yields 260rwhp.
Easy choice there.
Mail order or off the shelf is even worse.
I know guys stock 302 bottom ends, all motor in the 325-340rwhp range.
You guys need to stop blowing money on chips and buy better heads or get headwork done.
There is almost nothing the stock computer can't handle on a factory 302 block.
If a chip fixes a problem, it means you put the wrong parts or assembled the car wrong.
Stang5011, unless your parts list is incomplete you have a bunch of mismatching parts.
Throttle body is too big, a 73mm meter is a C&L and that's not good, and your injectors are too big for anything without a good set of heads.
Ignore advice from anyone that thinks you should get a chip.
I'm always amazed that people want to blow $400-$800 on chips and dyno tuning when they have crappy heads.
Let's see $1100 heads yield 300rwhp or more.
$500 heads+$500 in tuning yields 260rwhp.
Easy choice there.
Maryland Stang
Active Member
My GT40P heads have been professionally ported in addition to 1.92/1.60 Manley Raceflo valves.
My car doesn't have a problem for the chip to fix. Like I said, it was mostly for the ability to change computer programming on the fly and to raise the rev limiter. Bama sells the SCT flip chip, programmed to your liking, with free programming changes for life, for $269 shipped.
A mail order chip is like buying a set of eye glasses at the supermarket off the shelf.
Consider this, gt40p's, $300, professional headwork with valves and springs has to be $600-$800.
Chip $270.
That's the cost of twisted wedge heads that can get you in the 325rwhp range out of the box.
And i'd bet you are well short of that.
Remove the limiter, why? You going past 6200rpm on a set of P's, an explorer intake and a b cam with a max rpm range in the 5500's?
There really isn't any safe combo of parts that will go past the limiter on a stock 302 shortblock that does street duty.
I know i have probably offended your parts choices, but honestly if instead of blowing money on the chip and headwork on a set of p's you just bought better heads, you would probably be up 30+ rwhp.
I do not often share 2000XP's opinions on the value of a good dyno-tune and programmable chip but I think he's right on the money with this post.
For those that mail order EEC chips... you're an idiot (period/dot/end thread).
For those that have constructed an engine combo of matched parts that complement each other into an actual COMBINATION... A good dyno tune is essential!
Tuning to make up for hodge podge of mismatched items because someone read in a magazine that part x make xx HP (in ricer math only), is just pissing into the wind.
Maryland Stang
Active Member
The valves were already in the heads when I got them. I paid for the portwork, surfacing and 3 angle valve job. By the time you buy all of the extra needed parts to properly use TW heads it's in the neighborhood of $2,000. I matched all of the parts I bought to my budget and despite what a lot of you may think, the parts all match one another very well.
Let's see here...
Stock 5.0 block.. uh huh
Explorer heads on same block.. uh huh
Explorer intake on same heads and block.. uh huh
B cam that matches up with RPM potential of said heads, intake and stock block... uh huh
65 MM Explorer TB... uh huh
70 MM mass air calibrated for 24 pound injectors... eh huh
24 pound injectors... uh huh
FRPP GT40P headers... uh huh
2.5" catless H pipe... uh huh
Flowmaster 2.5" 2 chamber exhaust... uh huh
King Cobra clutch... uh huh
3.73 FRPP gears... uh huh
Where's the mismatch?
There is a very good reason for removing the rev limiter but you're so busy trying to find error with what I've done, you never bothered to read ALL of my post.
Can you guys tell me what happens if I miss a shift with the nitrous on and a rev limiter in place?
Let's see here...
Stock 5.0 block.. uh huh
Explorer heads on same block.. uh huh
Explorer intake on same heads and block.. uh huh
B cam that matches up with RPM potential of said heads, intake and stock block... uh huh
65 MM Explorer TB... uh huh
70 MM mass air calibrated for 24 pound injectors... eh huh
24 pound injectors... uh huh
FRPP GT40P headers... uh huh
2.5" catless H pipe... uh huh
Flowmaster 2.5" 2 chamber exhaust... uh huh
King Cobra clutch... uh huh
3.73 FRPP gears... uh huh
Where's the mismatch?
There is a very good reason for removing the rev limiter but you're so busy trying to find error with what I've done, you never bothered to read ALL of my post.
Can you guys tell me what happens if I miss a shift with the nitrous on and a rev limiter in place?
Don't take it personal Maryland... 2000xp8 jumps into every tuning thread that comes up and bags on everyone for tuning the ecu.... it's getting pretty comical really.
I have a Moates QH. 2000xp8 would tell you that I wasted that $250 dollars and that I will never see any gains from tuning the car myself... but I have tuned a couple of setups now, and can confirm with personal first hand knowledge on the subject... that tuning is worth the time/money.
I would never buy a mail order tune though.
I have a Moates QH. 2000xp8 would tell you that I wasted that $250 dollars and that I will never see any gains from tuning the car myself... but I have tuned a couple of setups now, and can confirm with personal first hand knowledge on the subject... that tuning is worth the time/money.
I would never buy a mail order tune though.
This thread was from '05...
good to see the search function in use.
However,
I'm noticing a lot of posts like this on many of the big boards.
A newb makes a post asking if tuning is worth it, then goes on to mention SCT stuff, and how great it is.
It's starting to look like a way of getting free advertising...
So, David...
If the staff here pulls up your IP, would it place you in the vicinity of the SCT marketing department?
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