View Full Version : Has anyone ever autocrossed their Marauder???
ADE 1000
06-10-2004, 08:00 AM
I have started to get involved in autocrossing with several of the local sports car clubs. I still have a lot to learn, but it is a lot of fun and has taught me a lot about car control. My Z06 was made for this, but I have been wondering how successfull I'd be at trying to autocross the Marauder should the need arise. I have signed up for some "rain or shine" events and I don't drive my Z06 in the rain.
It would be hilarious to show up at a BMW club event with a whale like the Marauder, but I would not want to embarrass myself either. I have seen some Impala SS guys at certain events and they do fairly well, but the Impala has always seemed a bit more buttoned down than the Marauder.
Has anyone out their tried to autocross their Marauder with any degree of success??
Yep...JD has..
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9540&highlight=autocross
And I think the Marauder can MORE than hold its own against an Impala in the twisties...:up:
And with some "refinements" (i.e. swaybar(s), springs, control arms) it will hold its own against the smaller cars, as well.
dwasson
06-10-2004, 08:47 AM
I find out Sunday. I'm going to a driving school this weekend.
Logan
06-10-2004, 08:55 AM
I haven't autocrossed in the Marauder, but used to Autocross all the time in my 4700lb 99 Lightning.... :)
FiveO
06-10-2004, 10:13 AM
I've autocrossed my '99 SHO. Fun car but I also have some minor suspension upgrades.
I would be interested to see how the Marauder would do, but I wouldn't even consider it without some type of suspension upgrades.
One of the more nimble cars I've seen in autocrosses is the SVT Contour.
ADE 1000
06-10-2004, 10:26 AM
Thanks for the responses.
I know the Marauder handles well for its size, but it seems to have a bit more body roll in the corners than the Impala SS or even a Lightning. I do not have much seat time in either of those vehicles, so my impression cold be wrong.
I have gone to some events with the course setup by guys who drive Miatas or Minis, the slaloms are so tight I could barely snake the Corvette through them. With the Marauder I would probably just mow down the cones and take the penalty.
TAF-
The link you posted does not work, but looks like it would be helpful. Perhaps I'll try a search.
Five 0 -
I actually used to have a '97 SHO. I actually miss that car quite a bit, sold it because suspension had more squeaks at 50K miles than I cared to deal with and the whole cam sprocket problem made me nervous. Another member here, junehan, also used to have a third gen SHO. The SHO is definetly a more nimble car than the Marauder.
FiveO
06-10-2004, 10:57 AM
I remember June from his SHO days.
Shame he totaled his. Glad he was ok though.
The cam issue is a $550 fix. I had mine welded in Massachusetts. Cost a bit more for the drive...I could have gotten them welded in WI if I'd waited a few months.
No regrets on my SHO.
I'm in the works to keep it...and get a Marauder :D
Keep the miles down on them both and drive the SHO in the winter.
Life is grand....!
Logan
06-10-2004, 11:03 AM
My Lightning did awesome in autocrossing, ran on par with with any other stock car on the track.
My marauder, with all the suspension work runs circles around my lightning in every way, so it'd be an interesting thing to go do...
ADE 1000
06-10-2004, 11:12 AM
I remember June from his SHO days.
Shame he totaled his. Glad he was ok though.
The cam issue is a $550 fix. I had mine welded in Massachusetts. Cost a bit more for the drive...I could have gotten them welded in WI if I'd waited a few months.
No regrets on my SHO.
I'm in the works to keep it...and get a Marauder :D
Keep the miles down on them both and drive the SHO in the winter.
Life is grand....!
Glad to see you can keep your SHO. I know that welding the cams has been sucessfull. It is just that at the time there was no one in the midwest doing them and I did not want to drive half way across the country. And at the time (3 years ago) it was not fully determined that the cam welding was going to work. In hindsight, I wish I would have kept that car instead of selling it for a little over $8K. It would have saved me a lot of money. But selling it lead to my purchase of the Marauder, which was not exactly a bad thing. :)
I installed a Borla cat back exhaust on mine which is I know is very rare. It sounded unbelievable. A deep burble at low speeds, with a nice high rpm whine at the top end. I will never forget that sound and will likely never have a car again that will sound as cool.
FiveO
06-10-2004, 03:06 PM
Glad to see you can keep your SHO. I know that welding the cams has been sucessfull. It is just that at the time there was no one in the midwest doing them and I did not want to drive half way across the country. And at the time (3 years ago) it was not fully determined that the cam welding was going to work. In hindsight, I wish I would have kept that car instead of selling it for a little over $8K. It would have saved me a lot of money. But selling it lead to my purchase of the Marauder, which was not exactly a bad thing. :)
I installed a Borla cat back exhaust on mine which is I know is very rare. It sounded unbelievable. A deep burble at low speeds, with a nice high rpm whine at the top end. I will never forget that sound and will likely never have a car again that will sound as cool.
Were you ever on the V8SHO.com email list? I've been off it for a year now...due to grad school...but I was dedicated to that list for several years.
There weren't too many Borla's out there for the SHO's. Sounded great though.
I get so many compliments on my SHO's exhaust. I put a set of Rhino Mufflers on them. Don't think the company is in business anymore...but they made some great mufflers.
stevengerard
06-10-2004, 03:43 PM
Has anyone out their tried to autocross their Marauder with any degree of success??
I plan on it and if I ever get some time I am going to arrange a weekday where some of us can meet at Gingerman Raceway around the corner in MI.
HwyCruiser
06-10-2004, 04:17 PM
Yep...JD has..
http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=500/1594Marauder31.JPG
The above was taken by Peat Ramano, Jr., a local automotive photographer who was escorted around the track during a Kansas City SCCA meet. If I place it right, this was taken in the midst of a 30-pace offset slolom, probably around 30 mph. Does it look like my MM is laboring?
I think this venue gives us the perfect opportunity to improve our driving skills and really find out what the MM is capable of in a legal, supervised, and relatively safe environment. If you have the chance to participate - just do it. I guarantee (worth nothing) that even if you just "drive" the course, you'll leave with a big ol' grin on your face.
A bone stock MM will get around the track with respect. A Snell rated helmet is required and all that is needed to get into the sport. Any car is welcome, as long as it is mechanically sound as they perform basic inspections on all vehicles. Drivers range from die-hard pro point hunters with dedicated cars to the occasionally curious with daily drivers.
After you learn how to drive a few seconds in advance of the courses, then chase after "go-faster" mods. Just be prepared to go down a different road if you start to get serious about it.
Without a doubt, a good tire / wheel set up for Autocross and a brake upgrade will be the best bang for the buck in showing what our car is capable of. Pure horsepower isn't the name of the game in this sport. There's a saying in Autocross that goes something like "you have to slow down to go faster" - and its the truth.
Aftermarket solid rear sway bar and control arms will keep the rear end planted well into the limits you see during Autocross. The corners, traps and sloloms are the great equalizer between cars and drivers. The highest (controllable) speed you will see in the short straight-aways will be 40-45 MPH, if that. The straights are there to allow you to shift momentum in preparation for the next twist.
I rarely got out of 1st gear even with the 4.10's, and then I was dancing around the limitations of the stock tires and brakes. After I upgraded the brakes, it was all about keeping off the tire sidewall. I was running 47 psi front / 42 psi rear just to keep the stock tires from rolling over. I'm now at the point of needing a dedicated Autocross tire and wheel setup before I head back out and burn up my new OEM replacements.
Autocrossing definately has rules to follow. Its easy to get into, everyone I met was more than willing to help and offer advice. My advice would to join SCCA for their event liability insurance (although it won't cover any damage you do to your car, that's your problem).
Here is a link to the Kansas City SSCA site for more info:
http://www.kcrscca.org/solo/solo.htm
Have fun and be safe!
- JD
ADE 1000
06-10-2004, 04:58 PM
Were you ever on the V8SHO.com email list? I've been off it for a year now...due to grad school...but I was dedicated to that list for several years.
Yes, was on the list for a while. It was the source for a lot of good information.
ADE 1000
06-10-2004, 05:01 PM
I plan on it and if I ever get some time I am going to arrange a weekday where some of us can meet at Gingerman Raceway around the corner in MI.
If you ever arrange anything at Gingerman, let me know. I would be very interested. I was actually thinking of going there for an event through an outfit called Speed Trial USA. It is a driving school at Gingerman on the 16th of July. See the link below for more info:
www.speedtrialusa.com
ADE 1000
06-10-2004, 05:04 PM
JD -
Thanks for the detailed response. Your car looks right at home on the course. I am glad to see that a Marauder can hold its own despite its girth. And I agree with you completely in that autocrossing is a great way to enjoy your driving skills.
dwasson
06-10-2004, 07:05 PM
I plan on it and if I ever get some time I am going to arrange a weekday where some of us can meet at Gingerman Raceway around the corner in MI.
If you do that let me know too. Maybe I bring some of the Motor City guys.
stevengerard
06-10-2004, 09:16 PM
www.speedtrialusa.com
does anyone want to do this, I have a place up in SouthHaven we could stay at Thursday night. Its 15 minutes from the track.
RCSignals
06-11-2004, 12:17 AM
I know the Marauder handles well for its size, but it seems to have a bit more body roll in the corners than the Impala SS or even a Lightning. I do not have much seat time in either of those vehicles, so my impression cold be wrong.
I think you have that reversed about the Marauder and Impala SS.
Assuming you mean the '94-'96 Impala SS. A stock Marauder will certainly outperform one "in the twisties" as TAF indicates.
The Impala SS and 9C1s of that era have often been referred to as a wallowing pig in mud in that kind of driving.
Maybe the Impalas you've seen have extensive suspension mods.
Anyway, the point of what you are doing would seem to be for the fun of it, so just go for it. Maybe you'll learn more driving skills running the Marauder through?
ADE 1000
06-11-2004, 06:14 AM
I think you have that reversed about the Marauder and Impala SS.
Assuming you mean the '94-'96 Impala SS. A stock Marauder will certainly outperform one "in the twisties" as TAF indicates.
The Impala SS and 9C1s of that era have often been referred to as a wallowing pig in mud in that kind of driving.
Maybe the Impalas you've seen have extensive suspension mods.
Yes, I certainly do mean the '94-'96 Impala SS. I do not see how anyone could consider an SS to feel like a "wallowing pig in the mud," I have only driven two that were bone stock and was impressed with the handling given the size of the car. The 9C1 I have no experience with. The Impalas at the track with big sway bars are downright impressive in their performance.
However, I do not doubt your claim that the Marauder handles better than an SS. I have not driven them back to back, the last SS I drove was months before I bought my Marauder. What I do find is that the Marauder feels like a wallowing pig everytime I drive the Z06 for a few days and then switch to the Marauder. But that is expected given the significant difference in capability between the cars. It just screws up my point of reference and sometimes makes me feel that the Marauder handles worse than it actually does. In any case, I do plan for some suspension mods later this summer.
RCSignals
06-11-2004, 02:27 PM
Yes, and I can imagine going from an old Cooper S to a Z06, the Z06 would feel like a wallowing pig in mud too
But that's what I mean by learning driving skills. The Marauder brings with it a whole different challenge than the Z06 in the same driving course.
just have fun doing it, and enjoy yourself.
ADE 1000
06-11-2004, 02:56 PM
Yes, and I can imagine going from an old Cooper S to a Z06, the Z06 would feel like a wallowing pig in mud too
But that's what I mean by learning driving skills. The Marauder brings with it a whole different challenge than the Z06 in the same driving course.
just have fun doing it, and enjoy yourself.
I just knew you were going to say something to irritate me.
Cooper S? :shake:
There is no street car in existence that would make a Z06 feel like a wallowing pig.
gpfarrell
06-11-2004, 05:16 PM
Cooper S? :shake:
There is no street car in existence that would make a Z06 feel like a wallowing pig.
An original Cooper S could slalom through the Z06's spark plugs.
While a Z06 weighs 75% of what a Maruader does, the Mini weighs 50% of what the Z06 does!
I'd still rather the Z06 though!
RCSignals
06-11-2004, 09:34 PM
An original Cooper S could slalom through the Z06's spark plugs.
While a Z06 weighs 75% of what a Maruader does, the Mini weighs 50% of what the Z06 does!
I'd still rather the Z06 though!
You understand what I was getting at.
I certainly didn't intend to "irritate" anyone :shake:
ADE 1000
06-11-2004, 09:39 PM
An original Cooper S could slalom through the Z06's spark plugs.
While a Z06 weighs 75% of what a Maruader does, the Mini weighs 50% of what the Z06 does!
I'd still rather the Z06 though!
Yes, yes, and yes. I agree with all of your statments, but what does that have to do with wallowing???? A car that wallows would be the result of a floaty suspension. Trust me, there is no float in the Z06's suspension. The Cooper S would out slalom a Z06 because of its size and weight, not because its suspension is any tighter.
Wallow and Z06 ( or any other sports car of its caliber) should not be mentioned in the same sentence.
FiveO
06-11-2004, 10:05 PM
Wallow and Z06 ( or any other sports car of its caliber) should not be mentioned in the same sentence.
I wonder if a Z06 would wallow on the twisties the same as a 1973 Cadillac does...
;)
:D
The sentence had to be done.
HwyCruiser
06-12-2004, 01:39 PM
I posted this and yanked it off the gallery a couple times. It wasn't getting many hits, so I tried to spare Logan space (5.1M wmv file). I'll leave it a few days so those who haven't ever seen an Autocross event can get the jist.
During my third event I packed my camcorder out and found someone that would operate it for me. The first run was on dry pavement, but the video looked like a bigfoot sighting (too white, shakey).
The second run was after it started to sprinkle. I actually did a few seconds better than the first. As you can tell, I don't run the track like a madman, especially when its wet.
Link to my gallery (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/1594)
Hope you enjoy it.
- JD
I've watched it several times...it is VERY cool!!!:banana2:
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