Top Speed Post

[David Morton]

I just bought a 2004 Silver Birch Marauder on May 20th and want to hear from the guys what their top end speeds are. I will be going to the DeSoto Speedway soon to get 1/4 mile straight line data before she breaks in good to see the difference after. I can already feel some extra bottom end torque increase and don't even have 700 miles on it yet.

Also, if any of you guys know how to go about getting this data other than going to jail and having the judge tell you, wise me up. The oval track here is very short (I think it's 1/4 mile) so I'm thinking about those old days of my youth when we ran over to the Daytona International Speedway with Susie's Mach 1 Mustang. She had a 390 and I recall something like 163? This car should do better than that.

Right?

Oh, and before I get the "Are you crazy?" crowd chiming in about public safety, I want to point to the clinical nature of and race course inferred question. I don't want to hear about the nuts that went 150+ on the lonely highway. I don't like those guys myself (or the part of me that thinks about it). I want to hear from the guy that went over to Daytona or Talladega with a club that rented the track for its members to go get clocked for top end and what they found out. Also, if anybody knows of such a club in the Tampa area, please tell me.

[CRUZTAKER]

Hello and welcome....DeSoto??? Are you in Florida? No location in your sig.

Anyway, as far as top speed, yours, if the car is stock, you are governed at 117 mph. Perhaps 120 or so, down grade, but that's it till you flash that governor out of the EEC.
There are several 'top speed' threads and discussions on the forum here. Try doing a search using various criteria. Alot of people posted personal speeds.

Again, as far as 1/4 mile in a new stock MM, I don't see why you couldn't squeeze 14.999 out of that bad boy right away. Atleast 15.2 - 15.4 everytime.

Good luck, have fun! And update your sig...don't be shy...location?

[SouLRioT]

Well first off I've seen my Speedo show go far right but that was a snafu whith my chip. Smokie is an active member in the Tampa area he can help you out with any questions. Check out the Sunshine State Marauders section of the forum.

[duhtroll]

It should also be noted that if you remove the governor and wish to travel above 120, get a new driveshaft. You may be sorry if you don't. The driveshaft is the reason for the governor in the first place. Contact Dennis Reinhart on board here.

Thanks,
-A

[MikesMerc]

For safety reasons, I concur with the above post and cannot recommend differently.

That said, I know of at least a handful of MM that have been well above 120mph with the stock driveshaft without any issues. Not even the mildest vibration could be felt. The governer is there due to tolerances of the OEM shaft. If only 1 in 1000 fail to meet the spec, than the governer is in there. Only one broken driveshaft at high speeds is all you need for a heavy lawsuit. Of course, the idiot driver ignoring the nasty vibration of a shaft unable to meet the rotation speeds is not an excuse for Ford.

[CRUZTAKER]

Yup, I failed to mention that. (Driveshaft)

I didn't want to inundate the guy with a whole lot of extra stuff.
I have done 135 w/o an upgrade and didn't feel vibrations. I have since upgraded the the shaft to a 'middle of the road' application as I rarely get over 105 and don't have a need to do so. Even at the track, I don't hit those speeds until it's time to break and turn off the lanes.:cool:

[Smokie]

David, Welcome to our club, I live in Tampa and if you wish send me a PM and we can get together and share info.

We have an excellent group here in Central and South Florida and we have gone several times to Bradenton to do the 1/4, one of our members ran a brand new 04' bonestock: 14.9 so the 04's are quicker than the 03's out of the box.

The DeSoto oval I don't think is large enough to measure the top end of our cars once the speed limiter is removed, short burst to top end does not produce problems with driveshaft, sustained high speeds is a different story, however; where are you going to sustain top end ??? Nowhere legal. Nowhere safe.

Again Welcome. Javier.

[David Morton]

Thanks guys. Will do. It's Bradenton, Florida where the fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high.


Oh, and that's my real name. See no need to hide since the Government can find out anything with their ray guns nowadays.

Just point 'em at the screen and pop! up comes my name and address.

My old nick on the CB used to be The Bush-Hog. It's a tractor attachment that's a lawnmower deck with a ten-foot blade underneath.

Used to eat bush.

The tractor attachment. Not to say that I...forget that. I never used one.

Seems even more pertinent these days of rising gas prices.

iCsHaEdNiEcYk (secret partisan political code designed to throw off John Asscroft)

I better shut up before I get in trouble.

[David Morton]

David, Welcome to our club, I live in Tampa and if you wish send me a PM and we can get together and share info.

We have an excellent group here in Central and South Florida and we have gone several times to Bradenton to do the 1/4, one of our members ran a brand new 04' bonestock: 14.9 so the 04's are quicker than the 03's out of the box.

The DeSoto oval I don't think is large enough to measure the top end of our cars once the speed limiter is removed, short burst to top end does not produce problems with driveshaft, sustained high speeds is a different story, however; where are you going to sustain top end ??? Nowhere legal. Nowhere safe.

Again Welcome. Javier.
Well aware of the problem with the track. Was thinking if we get enough guys and a radar gun we might be able to rent the Daytona oval for a couple of hours to do some speed trials. Desoto charges $292 for four hours. Not interested. And I do remember we put a racing driveshaft in Suzies Mustang way back when. Maybe that was a requirement. We'll see. I'm in the book as D Morton.

[CRUZTAKER]

Welcome again David! I've got a place Near Florida Blvd. in Bradenton. We should hook up next time I'm down. You have some great folks down there near you. Smart ones too, hook up with them when you can.:up:

[David Morton]

Welcome again David! I've got a place Near Florida Blvd. in Bradenton. We should hook up next time I'm down. You have some great folks down there near you. Smart ones too, hook up with them when you can.:up:We're neighbors. I can throw a rock from my front porch onto Florida Blvd. Send me a PM and we'll meet up at the Hess station someday.

Get a load of this guys. Saturday, I was down at the Hess blending some 91+ (9Gs, 93 Oct + 6Gs, 89: Runs fine) and when I come out of the store who is eyeballing my car? Five feet, ten inches of Amazon blonde bombshell wearing a Florida State Troopers uniform. She said, "I like your car." and I said, "And you know what I've got, don't you." (I could tell she wanted my body AND she wernt wearin no ring.) I told her my name and she said she was called 'Mo'. Then she went on up to some whacko and started questioning him so I jess sez to muhself, "Nextime I seez her I'm gonna see if I kin git her to go out fer a date in my babe magnet.

YeeeHaw! :D