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View Full Version : OH BOY! I found my next mod!!



MikesMerc
07-19-2004, 06:41 PM
I was at Lidio's shop today dropping off my MM for a 4.10 gear and Kooks exhaust work when I ran into Dave (MI2QWK4U). He had just picked up his MM which had been with Lidio for some rather mysterious "tranny work". He had this really wierd look on his face when he told me about it too. More like a knowing smirk I suppose.

Hmmmmm....."Tranny work" huh?

So, after Lidio and I worked out the details for my stuff, I talked Dave into giving me a ride so I could find out what that crazy look was on his face for. He tossed me the keys and said "let's go!"

No more than 20 seconds into the ride I think I soiled my underwear. HOLY CRAP!! is all that I could say. The launch was firm and crisp as usual, but as it wound up and hit second, it slammed us in the back and produced a huge bark from the rear tires. I knew something really special was up.

I'm not talking about a little girly chirp either. I'm talking about a huge second gear hit that made the car wiggle and made the wide soft drag Nittos scream out. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never ever seen any other MM do that!!

Well, the first thing I did when we got back to the shop was find Lidio and say "I gotta have that done!" He put me in the work que but it won't happen for a few weeks yet.

But Dave's car is ready to rumble, that's for sure. You guys are in for a real treat at indy :pimp:

merc406
07-19-2004, 07:21 PM
Sounds like T/C, shift kit, new clutch pak, kevlar maybe and all the other mods of late? :beer:

FiveO
07-19-2004, 07:24 PM
:sleepy:


Old news....


:D :) Just kidding!


Sure sounds interesting.....can't wait for the whole story!!!!!

woaface
07-19-2004, 07:29 PM
Tehehehe. I don't even have a Marauder and stuff like that makes me giggle like a ...when I'm in or around a car like that, makes me whoop like a red-neck...I knew I'd get something out of clogging...

MI2QWK4U
07-19-2004, 07:50 PM
I have driven a lot of Marauders, and i will tell you, my Marauder feels better than any I have driven up to this point. Lidio was able to find the gremlin in my trans, and as a result of fixing this, and a few other things he felt the Marauder would benefit from, it runs like nothing I have experienced in a Marauder. I have yet to find anyone out there that has done any trans mods or kits that can honestly say that their Marauder grabs hard rubber hitting second gear, but mine does, and not a little chirp, but a hard solid squawk. It almost feels as good as the first Trilogy ride I took when Trilogy #1 was first built! Just to clarify, I am not running 4:10 gears, but only 3:73s. At first it was just me that was suprised at it...but then Mike grabbed my keys and was equally as stunned, then Lid and I went out for a good shakedown cruise and Lidio was impressed with his own work (not easy to do!). He loved seeing the first Marauder putting it sideways squawking the tires going into second! Just to point out, it was still on the Nitto drag radials. I dont know what all went into this, but the car is running strong and hitting hard. I will have to let Lidio get into the details of what all was done to get it this way, or he may not, its his perogative. I wont steal his thunder, but the man has his act together and knows what he is doing. I heard another member refering to Lidio and Alternative Auto as the "Mecca of Marauder Mods", and I would tend to agree!

Thanks Lid for another steller job..

CRUZTAKER
07-19-2004, 08:00 PM
I'm sooo there!!!

Literally!:coolman:

I am leaving tuesday night, staying at the Best Western, and will be there all day wednesday and thursday.

Good things coming.:rock: Thanks Lidio!

MI2QWK4U
07-19-2004, 08:06 PM
I'm sooo there!!!

Literally!:coolman:

I am leaving tuesday night, staying at the Best Western, and will be there all day wednesday and thursday.

Good things coming.:rock: Thanks Lidio!

I will hook up with you when you are in town, maybe give an unbiased opinion of how the car runs...

Logan
07-20-2004, 05:56 AM
Mine was busting my tires loose from one-two too, but I ended up re-drilling the valve body and lowering the line pressure on the one-two shift, it seriously felt like it was going to break something it was hitting so hard...

Glad to see you got your tranny beefed up though, trannies going sideways really suck. :)

MainEngDwarf
07-20-2004, 07:04 AM
i have to agree with M12QWK4U, Lidio's the man, he knows Marauders and how to get the most out of them. I learned alot when i was there a couple of weeks ago. I got to see a Trilogy installation being done on a silver one. it was awesome!!!!

cyclone03
07-20-2004, 09:25 AM
Mine was busting my tires loose from one-two too, but I ended up re-drilling the valve body and lowering the line pressure on the one-two shift, it seriously felt like it was going to break something it was hitting so hard...

Glad to see you got your tranny beefed up though, trannies going sideways really suck. :)


I've got my plate drilled too,but I haven't had the reprogramming done(Indy)
Mine BURNS the tires going into second!Not a chirp at all but tire spin you can hear and feel.
In the rain at part throttle you have to be ready...

hitchhiker
07-20-2004, 11:13 AM
I was at Lidio's shop today dropping off my MM for a 4.10 gear and Kooks exhaust work when I ran into Dave (MI2QWK4U). He had just picked up his MM which had been with Lidio for some rather mysterious "tranny work". He had this really wierd look on his face when he told me about it too. More like a knowing smirk I suppose.

Hmmmmm....."Tranny work" huh?

So, after Lidio and I worked out the details for my stuff, I talked Dave into giving me a ride so I could find out what that crazy look was on his face for. He tossed me the keys and said "let's go!"

No more than 20 seconds into the ride I think I soiled my underwear. HOLY CRAP!! is all that I could say. The launch was firm and crisp as usual, but as it wound up and hit second, it slammed us in the back and produced a huge bark from the rear tires. I knew something really special was up.

I'm not talking about a little girly chirp either. I'm talking about a huge second gear hit that made the car wiggle and made the wide soft drag Nittos scream out. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never ever seen any other MM do that!!

Well, the first thing I did when we got back to the shop was find Lidio and say "I gotta have that done!" He put me in the work que but it won't happen for a few weeks yet.

But Dave's car is ready to rumble, that's for sure. You guys are in for a real treat at indy :pimp:

Grabbing 2nd with an authoritative bark is fun. Just budget for U-Joint replacements every other year or so.

:banana:

Best Regards,

David

MI2QWK4U
07-20-2004, 12:13 PM
I've got my plate drilled too,but I haven't had the reprogramming done(Indy)
Mine BURNS the tires going into second!Not a chirp at all but tire spin you can hear and feel.
In the rain at part throttle you have to be ready...


what are the size and make of the rear tires?

MI2QWK4U
07-20-2004, 12:15 PM
Mine was busting my tires loose from one-two too, but I ended up re-drilling the valve body and lowering the line pressure on the one-two shift, it seriously felt like it was going to break something it was hitting so hard...

Glad to see you got your tranny beefed up though, trannies going sideways really suck. :)


Was that due to your tall gears? I havent seen a marauder with Nittos busing loose to much up to now.

BillyGman
07-20-2004, 12:43 PM
I've heard of certain peoples' Marauders doing that with the standard radial tires, but NOT w/the Nitto P305 Drag Radial tires like Dave has. They definately grab the asphalt better than the factory stock tires do, and what I've noticed about those tires is that after they get a little worn, they even grab better than when you first put them on. So that's pretty impressive that Dave's car is doing that w/those tires.


there's one thing I wonder about though. Most info sources say that this is good for your trnsmission, but I'm not sure if they all say that. Can this actually cause more wear in the transmission? I'm asking a sincere question. I'm in no way knocking Lidio nor his work.

woaface
07-20-2004, 01:09 PM
I've heard of certain peoples' Marauders doing that with the standard radial tires, but NOT w/the Nitto P305 Drag Radial tires like Dave has. They definately grab the asphalt better than the factory stock tires do, and what I've noticed about those tires is that after they get a little worn, they even grab better than when you first put them on. So that's pretty impressive that Dave's car is doing that w/those tires.
Wait wait, tires generally grab a tad better when they're worn because (especially if you chirp tires or do a burnout or two) the contact patch is spread out a little bit eh?. Still impressive that Dave's car does that though.

Also, I heard of a process called siping where small cuts are made in each block of the tread, basically cutting it in half, you can't see it unless the tire is compressed (touching the ground) and as it's opening and closing, it grabs the ground more. He showed me a chunk of tread where this had been done and it was $10 a tire. So, if you're really serious about some grip on the strip or whatever...it sounded like it was worth a shot at $40. However you can tell by looking at a tire it's been done to that your treadlife may very well be reduced.

BillyGman
07-20-2004, 01:17 PM
Hopefully we won't get too far off topic here.......but w/my factory stock tires, the more I spun them, the easier they were too spin, and the traction they provided simply got worse and worse as they wore. But after performing a dozen burnouts w/these Drag raadials, they're grabbing better than ever now. That's all I know.


As far as that "siping" procedure, I've heard about that before, and I don't buy into that. I think it's just another way for tire places to make money. If it was so great, then why wouldn't the manufacture design the tires like that in the first place? Just my 2 cents Jimmy.

woaface
07-20-2004, 01:37 PM
Lol, well I guess 2 cents is worth the $40 I'll have saved:up:

sailsmen
07-20-2004, 05:09 PM
With the stock tire mine lay rubber on the 1-2 shift when it's below 90* and barks on the 1-2 when it's above 90*.

One nite at the track there was a high humidity causing some dew and the rear end kept busting loose on the 1-2 shift to the point I had to let up on the throttle.

MARAUDER S/C #5
07-20-2004, 05:23 PM
there's one thing I wonder about though. Most info sources say that this is good for your trnsmission, but I'm not sure if they all say that. Can this actually cause more wear in the transmission? I'm asking a sincere question. I'm in no way knocking Lidio nor his work.
I don't see how this could be GOOD for any trans or rear end. :confused:

cyclone03
07-20-2004, 05:31 PM
what are the size and make of the rear tires?

Stock rear tires and stock gearing.
CPU reflash,Kooks,PI converter.
I can hear you already,but this thing shifts WAY TOO hard after the seperator plate mod and no CPU tuning, trust me.

MikesMerc
07-22-2004, 05:31 AM
Let me clear up a few things since I started this thread.

First off, I am not impressed by a Marauder simply "getting rubber" on the 1-2 shift. That's not the point. I could do that on my stock tires without any tranny mods. The point is that Dave's car is doing it with the Nitto's....and yes, that is a very very big deal. If you don't have the horsepower to melt the stock tires, then you cannot really appreciate just how well the widened rims and Nittos grab. As far as I know, I haven't heard of anyone getting the widened rims and Nittos to burn on the 1-2 shift.

Second, hitting hard is better for the trans (generally speaking). It's the long, drawn out, slipping shifts that create lots of heat and eventually burn up trans bands and clutch packs. The only exception to this is on HIGH (and I mean HIGH) horsepwered cars that can break parts if they hit too hard. No offense to anyone hear, but we're all a few hundred HP short of that mark. There are plenty of AODE 700hp+ Mustangs running around that hit second hard enough to loosen your molars.

Third, as long there is no drop in driveline tension (slack), there is little need to worry about u joints and such. Hard launches from a dig are more abusive.

Fourth, there is no need to do WOT shifts every moment you are in the car. So your 1-2 shift is much more docile when your not "on it".

LOL....some of you guys who are "afraid" of a hard hitting trans need to get out more and see beyond the MM universe. No offense meant! But, the Ford AODE has been pushing many a Mustang into the 9s and faster with these kind of mods. So there is plenty of headroom for getting our portly 4300lb MM into the 11s without disaster.

But, just like anything esle when it comes to serious mods for those who actually drive hard (and actually hit the track), the faint of heart need not apply:)

woaface
07-22-2004, 05:42 AM
Slightly off topic, but it's amazing how well the car shifts when you get rid of 5 year and 43000 mile old transmission fluid. I thought it was sloppy because it was a grand-ma car. Now it actually reacts! Bwahahaha...the shift's are nice and to the point.

TAF
07-22-2004, 05:43 AM
Firm shifts = GOOD!

BillyGman
07-22-2004, 10:46 AM
Firm shifts are one thing. I sometimes wonder if rocket launching shifts are another story. You can get the fluid pressure up w/simply firm shifts w/out having front end off the ground shifts. You speak of 9 second Mustangs? Well those aren't exactly daily drivers like Marauders are either. Just playing this side of the debate here w/ya Mike. ;)

MI2QWK4U
07-22-2004, 12:40 PM
The bottom line is in my own opinion the car runs and shifts the best it ever has, Lidio found a couple of internal transmission mods he was hoping would help out, and they did. He wants to tone down the 1-2 shift at part throttle,but as for wide open, its brutal fast and the shift is right on. The car still maintains its daily drivability, but has really come around on the wide open throttle aspect. In my opinion 4:56 and even 4:30 gears are too much and give up some drivability, but you know what, its my opinion and as such its subject to debate or criticism. Is it right? Of course not, its an Opinion, a feeling about whats best for me and my car. Like Mike stated above, the work that it took to bring the car to this point is extensive and based on a lot of experience with transmissions. To accomplish this with 3:73 gears, not 4:10s, 4:30s,or 4:56s, running the 305 nittos to me is very impressive. I think Lidio explained this before, but no one listened, that the snappier the trans shifts, the better it is, especially for heat buildup caused by "lazy shifts" like this car came with. I am not pushing enought HP at this point to trash the trans with hard shifts. These transmissions live just fine up to 700 HP, I am 150 HP shy of that..so I am not worried. I like the way the car turned out, and it still is a work in progress, but I never loose sight of the one rule I set for myself when I started with the Trilogy Blower, Keep the daily drivability intact. I love Mike Z's statement "But, just like anything esle when it comes to serious mods for those who actually drive hard (and actually hit the track), the faint of heart need not apply", and couldnt agree more. It's cool to park your Marauder under a tent and sit in your lawn chair, but some of us enjoy being more active and striving to make the car better. I think Mike was just trying to point out the night and day difference in my car, which he has driven before and after the recent work. A couple of days ago I was lined up with a newer corvette at a light, and he wanted to play. I got him off the line, and I would say I was 3/4 of a car ahead when I got the bark from the nittos and second gear...after I beat him, we pulled off the road and this guy wanted to say that he was outright floored and impressed at the way the car ran, give a hearty handshake with a wicked grin, and got back on our way. So like it or not, doesn't matter to me, we shall see if and when we line up at a light or christmas tree and see how much it actually helps out.

Dan
07-31-2004, 02:47 PM
I like two edged mods. Mods that let you drive the car like a car at part throttle and then let you drive like a rocket at WOT.

On siping: Siping is funny. In 4 wheeling we sipe our tires a lot but we need to have as many different tire edges as we can so that there is more tire to grab bad traction surfaces with.

On the road it might help a bit but probably more when it is raining or when on a poor road surface.

On the track or around town I wouldn't do it. For maximum forward traction a maximum tire contact area is desired. Take not of drag tires and no tread is visible.

We cannot, however, draw the conclusion that mfgrs not doing it does not mean it isn''t good at times. Remember, all cars are made with huge tradeoffs in one way or another. Tires, too, are made with trade offs. Then there are DOT specs and other crap to worry about. I am not arguing with you Bily. I agree about it not being worth the dough. I just wanted to point out that we would need to look more deeply to use your example fully.

Best,

Dan

BillyGman
07-31-2004, 02:58 PM
What about specialty tires such as drag radials and slicks that are made for competition? Even they arten't "siped". Right? that was the reason for my comments, and for my veiwpoint on this. Perhaps off-foad four wheelin is a different story. I cannot speak about that since it isn't my thang....

Dan
07-31-2004, 03:15 PM
Right, I actually said that in one of my sentences. I agree with you there.

You gotta come wheeling with me, Bill. You would just love it!

BillyGman
07-31-2004, 05:11 PM
Right, I actually said that in one of my sentences. I agree with you there.

You gotta come wheeling with me, Bill. You would just love it!
That's gotte be pretty tough on the back. That's one of the two reasons why I'm not into motocross motorcyles anymore.

Dan
07-31-2004, 05:41 PM
When you're travelling below 1 mile per hour (yes, I said ONE) the only thing it is hard on is your nerves when your climbing big rocks. :)

BillyGman
07-31-2004, 06:40 PM
I hope you have a very well built roll cage in that truck. :eek:

Dan
07-31-2004, 06:55 PM
Billy,

I am going to start a thread in the Lounge about this so that this topic can get back on track.

Dan

this is the link
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?p=157473#post15 7473