Wheres Tmac?

[DJP]

"

The very first thing I ever did to my car was to buy a flash tune from Dennis Reinhart, the tune is SOLD by Dennis and WRITTEN by Jerry Wroblesky. Took my car to the track and on a cool Florida afternoon I ran a 14.53 @ 96.81 then I back it up with a 14.49 @ 97.51.

All that I had done to my stock MM. was the flash. Nothing else. I guess maybe my car is not average, but I can tell you that before flash tune it was slower."

Dennis dyno-tuned my car back in 1/04. I'm not sure if he used Jerry's specs or not. The car yielded 258 HP to the rear wheels. I was disappointed, but we both agreed that at 2K, the motor was not yet broken in and performance should increase expotentially with the added miles.

Well, at 10K, the car was still a dog, IMO. The problem I had with DR's tune was the eternal lag between shifts at WOT. I got fed up with it and took her to a reputable tuner in New Jersey. The car was dynoed at 290 HP after his tune, and that's before the Magnaflows and CAI were installed. I gotta think I'm pushing 300 now and no longer twiddle my thumbs between shifts.

Maybe my DR tune was just a fluke. Who knows. All I know is I no longer fear cars that I should'nt have to fear. Happy Motoring!!! :coolman:

 

[Smokie]

Dennis dyno-tuned my car back in 1/04. I'm not sure if he used Jerry's specs or not. The car yielded 258 HP to the rear wheels. I was disappointed, but we both agreed that at 2K, the motor was not yet broken in and performance should increase expotentially with the added miles.

Well, at 10K, the car was still a dog, IMO. The problem I had with DR's tune was the eternal lag between shifts at WOT. I got fed up with it and took her to a reputable tuner in New Jersey. The car was dynoed at 290 HP after his tune, and that's before the Magnaflows and CAI were installed. I gotta think I'm pushing 300 now and no longer twiddle my thumbs between shifts.

Maybe my DR tune was just a fluke. Who knows. All I know is I no longer fear cars that I should'nt have to fear. Happy Motoring!!! :coolman:

I understand, the flash tune that I purchased from Dennis, yielded an average (3 dyno runs) of 265rwhp/285rwtq. It ran what I previously stated and it shifted very well. There are variations between cars and that may explain (0r it may not. ) your poor shifting. However I am very glad that you are happy now and all is well.

 

[tmac1337]

I agree that the bickering sucks. If you read some of the other posts in this forum you see that hopefully it's being put to an end.

It was put to an end, by myself included, and now this thread........ :bash:

 

[tmac1337]

I understand, the flash tune that I purchased from Dennis, yielded an average (3 dyno runs) of 265rwhp/285rwtq. It ran what I previously stated and it shifted very well. There are variations between cars and that may explain (0r it may not. ) your poor shifting. However I am very glad that you are happy now and all is well.

Smokie, I ran three passes at Bradenton with a DR tune. The first pass was a 14.4 and I cannot count the other two because my shifting linkage went haywire until Carfixer got a wrench out. I had spent just about 5K on the car at that point: shift kit, 3000 PI TQ Converter, 4:10 gears, underpullies, plugs, stat, tranee cooler, reverse head coolant kit. I was a little unhappy with the 14.4. That is why I think the tuning stuff is witchcraft mumbo jumbo, and still do. A supercharger is the only way to go and if I could do it over again I would get a blower first.

 

[klmore]

That is why I think the tuning stuff is witchcraft mumbo jumbo, and still do. A supercharger is the only way to go and if I could do it over again I would get a blower first.

I agree...a supercharger is the way to go regardless of which type or company you pick.

 

[Tallboy]

I also agree. If it's within your budget by any means-by the blower first. Whichever brand you choose, you'll love it.

 

[DJP]

I understand, the flash tune that I purchased from Dennis, yielded an average (3 dyno runs) of 265rwhp/285rwtq. It ran what I previously stated and it shifted very well. There are variations between cars and that may explain (0r it may not. ) your poor shifting. However I am very glad that you are happy now and all is well.

Yup. All's well that ends well, they say. :thumbsup:

 

[Smokie]

I had spent just about 5K on the car at that point: shift kit, 3000 PI TQ Converter, 4:10 gears, underpullies, plugs, stat, tranee cooler, reverse head coolant kit. I was a little unhappy with the 14.4. That is why I think the tuning stuff is witchcraft mumbo jumbo, and still do. A supercharger is the only way to go and if I could do it over again I would get a blower first.

I had no idea, I still don't quite understand why there is so much variation between cars, the mods you listed above, I also would have been unhappy with 14.4. It makes no sense.

I do know if you go to Bradenton on a hot sticky summer night, our cars don't run worth a crap...it happened to me this year, ran 14.8, an '05 Mustang GT ran 14.5 and 14.8 that night...my guess is; he was pissed.

 

[Faststang23]

I had no idea, I still don't quite understand why there is so much variation between cars, the mods you listed above, I also would have been unhappy with 14.4. It makes no sense.

I do know if you go to Bradenton on a hot sticky summer night, our cars don't run worth a crap...it happened to me this year, ran 14.8, an '05 Mustang GT ran 14.5 and 14.8 that night...my guess is; he was pissed.

All track conditions change that is what makes it so fun and competitive, you have to learn when to add tire pressure when to drop tire pressure, when to flash the car in drive TC off OD off, if you look at the other site at the time slips, there are members with N/A cars that have the exact same modifications and are running high and mid 13's this is as fast as some SC cars and there are members with just bolt on's making over 300 RWHP it is your choice as to what modifications you do and in what order, and there are some people with no time at all on a track, of course they are not going to have a good 60' time or a good RT that is what practice and experience gain you, but you still can have a ball just getting out there on the track and have at it, if you have a consistent ET you are going to when many bracket races, some cars that are highly modified SC or Nitrous they have problems maintaining a set ET the more consistent car is going to win, and look at how the tuning software has changed just in the last year, now we can go in and make changes our selves, and compensate for some of these track conditions we can adjust timing and shift points, this is a 4200 lb car with no or very little aerodynamics built in to the front end, but still I think the Marauder is real neat car.

 

[BillyGman]

I agree with some of the posts in this thread concerning supercharging. I put $4K into my Marauder with other lesser modifications before I supercharged it. And that $4K figure doesn't include labor, since I performed almost all of the installations myself. But out of everything I did to this car to make it faster, only one thing actually made the RPM range that the engine delivers power in, WIDER. And that's a supercharger (in my case it happens to be a Trilogy roots supercharger). All the other things helped a little with PEAK HP and torque figures, but did nothing to get the car more powerful in the RPM ranges that is was lacking in from the factory.

And that's why I only wish that I had supercharged it first. Tallboy was one of those who did, and he hasn't regretted it. Good move on his part. Only a power adder (be it a supercharger, Turbocharger, or Nitrous oxide) will make your engine have the wider powerband of an engine with more displacement. U/D pulley sets,electric water pumps, exhaust changes, and intake upgrades just will not do that.

 

[Faststang23]

I agree with the SC being a very good investment but some people cannot afford to spend five thousand dollars, all at one time that is why they have added parts to there cars, a bit at a time, just like I have with my Mustang, first I did 4:10 gears then I added exhaust and a cold air kit and some tuning, later on I went with a Throttle body, and intake, I never added UDP because I planned on doing a SC so if they were installed they would have to come back off, the modifications I have done now will improve my RWHP more when I add the SC.

 

[tmac1337]

I had no idea, I still don't quite understand why there is so much variation between cars, the mods you listed above, I also would have been unhappy with 14.4. It makes no sense.

When I ran the 14.4 it was 1 pm afternoon, sunshine, very hot. I'm sure my car would have done much better at night or on a cooler day.

But that does not take away from the fact that with the exception of the blower of your choice, all the other mods are just a few horsepower here and there that do not add up to much when considering all the money and effort. I do not think that these mods, gears included, make up for much time at all on the track in the scheme of things.

If I had to do it all over again, I would buy the blower first, a shift kit which is cheap, 4:10 gears. I would use a chip only that came with the blower and not go for a handheld tuner of any kind. I would do exhaust work back to the stock mufflers and leave them alone.

I have come to realize that a lot of the mods on my car, although I like them, are completely unnecessary when doing a cost/speed/benefit analysis.

Here is to Tallboy.....one of the smarter guys in the bunch :beer:

 

[BillyGman]

I agree with the SC being a very good investment but some people cannot afford to spend five thousand dollars, all at one time that is why they have added parts to there cars, a bit at a time, just like I have with my Mustang, first I did 4:10 gears then I added exhaust and a cold air kit and some tuning, later on I went with a Throttle body, and intake, I never added UDP because I planned on doing a SC so if they were installed they would have to come back off, the modifications I have done now will improve my RWHP more when I add the SC.

Some people have the money, but they get sticker shock when they hear the price of a complete turn-key supercharger kit, and so they decide to play around with the other small modifications in hopes that their cars will feel like a whole different car in the way it accelerates after they install those lesser mods. And it won't. It's to those people who my previous post is addressed to. Not to those who will never have the money for a supercharger.

Let me repeat my main statement,which is something that nobody can rightfully argue with......ONLY power adders (Superchargers, Turbochargers, and Nitrous oxide injection)will give your engine the wider RPM range of power like an engine with much more displacement has (about 100+ cubic inches more displacement). No other modifications will do that. Power adders will not only increase the PEAK HP and TQ numbers, but will increase those numbers in the entire RPM range, and make that range wider. Bigger intakes, exhaust packages, ported cylinder heads, and bigger camshafts will NOT do that. And I speak from experience on that. Experience with more than one V8 equipped car. ;-)

 

[Tallboy]

When I ran the 14.4 it was 1 pm afternoon, sunshine, very hot. I'm sure my car would have done much better at night or on a cooler day.

But that does not take away from the fact that with the exception of the blower of your choice, all the other mods are just a few horsepower here and there that do not add up to much when considering all the money and effort. I do not think that these mods, gears included, make up for much time at all on the track in the scheme of things.

If I had to do it all over again, I would buy the blower first, a shift kit which is cheap, 4:10 gears. I would use a chip only that came with the blower and not go for a handheld tuner of any kind. I would do exhaust work back to the stock mufflers and leave them alone.

I have come to realize that a lot of the mods on my car, although I like them, are completely unnecessary when doing a cost/speed/benefit analysis.

Here is to Tallboy.....one of the smarter guys in the bunch :beer:

Thanks, Man! Although, I made my decision because of advice from the board members. Most notably Billy and Carfixer. I remember Billy saying "If I had to do it all again, I'd buy the Trilogy first". I called Carfixer and he agreed. I also still have the PM I got from you, Tim, saying I had done the right thing. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but in the long run, I probably saved a bunch. :coolman:

 

[tmac1337]

As usual this forum is better than the and Jerry Spinger show, what is really sad there is not one intelligent thread here at all, there is not one decent technical post, its all name calling and character attacks. Real neat site.

Hey Fastang23, for a guy who owns a Mustang I could not help but notice that you only have 9 posts, exclusively in the Marauder Forum. Why would you only have posts in this forum when the Mustang Forum on this site is so large? After reading another post of yours, it is because of a certain friendship you have?

 

[Smokie]

I guess this discussion is now focused on what is the most efficient use of dollars to make your car go the fastest. So if what you are looking for is BLUNT and black and white; nitrous would make you the smartest guy in town, Carfixer ran 12.6 @108 mph with a 1.8x 60' time for about $650, that would kick any kit being sold right in the ass....right???

I have owned a Marauder for 3 years and owned a "kit" for less than 2 months. I have enjoyed all the carefully chosen mods over the last 3 years and most important they complement my "kit" quite well. The only mods that are no longer needed are the U/D's and intake spacer which I sold to a fellow member.

I would not even dream of going back to stock exhaust, my Cobra ceramic coated Shorty headers, custom exhaust and stainless steel Magnaflow mufflers not only sound good, they are beautiful to look at compared to stock exhaust....no rusted cast iron manifolds to look at.

So my point is that you can modestly and wisely invest in mods that WILL complement your "kit" and enjoy your car from the "get go" as opposed to waiting stock until you have $5 to $7k to spend all at once....if I had waited for when I could afford the "kit" I would have sat around stock for 2 years, 10 months and 1 1/2 weeks. :-D

 

[David Morton]

I love this car enough as is but as almost everyone that posts here and at MM.net says, "More is better."

To those that can wait and are against nitrous, like me, I say get forced induction first. Then you can best judge what further modifications will best compliment the system you choose. I'm saving up for a turbocharger system. I can wait and the guys there said not to change the gears or torque convertor and such till I get it first. My experience at Buick with the Grand National made that preachin' to the choir and I'm going to wait until I get the system before any other mods. I got the Diablosport Mach I/Marauder tuner because I'm going to need it anyways after the turbo and IT ALONE got me down to 14.455 from a best stock time of 14.935. I'm satisfied with where I'm at now.

I knew I was buying a behemoth from the get-go, so I never expected to holeshot any Mustangs. To me a big car like ours is more suitable for highway driving than for city streets, and I believe a turbo system is better suited for what I want to do with the car. A wider power band is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but my experience with Buicks' GN leads me to believe a turbo is going to give me the fastest ETs because it's going to be making more torque after 4000 rpm than the various superchargers available and that's where the cars engine is for 95% of that 1/4 mile race. I can well imagine, having driven the legendary Buick GN, what "passing gear" is gonna feel like. I'll give up the holeshots for what I think will be the best ET this car is capable of and for the driving style I want to accentuate.

Our DOHC 32V engine technology is designed to accomodate higher rpm and is already .8 litres bigger than that Buick GN engine that raced at Indy a few years back. I want to accentuate the strong points and am willing to concede the 0-60' contest. If that were what I wanted, I really think I could do more for less money building a 460 big block and squeezing it down in the engine bay.

Hey, that gives me an idea for my mom's '97 Grand Marquis... :burnout:

 

[BillyGman]

Nitrous is cheaper, but only for the short run. Over the longhaul, for driving a Nitrous equipped car daily on the street like many supercharged cars are driven daily, I bet if you added up the cost of filling that bottle every week over a period of two years for your daily driver nitrous equipped car, then your total cost would come out to be pretty close to what the supercharger kit cost you. The only differnce is that with the supercharger, you had to come up with that money all at once, whereas the Nitrous set-up, required a low-cost initial investiment, but over two years time, the cost of the bottle fills would nickel and dime you to death for a daily driver. Not to mention the inconvenience of driving across town to get the bottle filled.

As for me, if I had supercharged my Marauder in the first place, there are some small modifications that I would've never bothered with, such as rear end gears, and an $800 aftermarket torque converter, which also cost me $300 for the installation. The headers and aftermarket muffs I would've done anyway, but merely for the better sound.

 

[BillyGman]

, I really think I could do more for less money building a 460 big block and squeezing it down in the engine bay.

Hey, that gives me an idea for my mom's '97 Grand Marquis... :burnout:

More for less? I dunno about that, but even if that's true, there again, just like my previous point about the nitrous oxide argument.....even if the initial investiment is less, the added expense will kill you if it's a dialy driver. And that applies with a 460 engine (or any big block, especially if it's carbureted). The bigger engine will kill you on gasoline, but the small block V8 engine that's supercharged can still get you around town every day at 15 MPG. I've been getting 14 MPG around town even with my lead foot, occassional burnouts, and ocassional street races, and my 4.56 gears.

Put 4.56 gears in car with an N/A 460 engine, and see what kind of gas mileage you would get. You'll be lucky if you got 9 MPG, and it would likely be 7 or 8 MPG, especially with a heavy car like the Marauder.

 

[Tallboy]

Nitrous is definetly a great bang-for-the-buck, but I'm afraid to use it. there I said it. I'm afraid of nitrous. :uh oh: I've seen too many engines blown up/burned up because it wasn't set-up properly.

One of the fastest cars I've ever owned was a 89 Turbo Trans Am. I would love to get my hands on a Tubocharged Marauder... :rockon: