top o4'

[chrish]

what should my 1'st MAJOR mod BE..............
warrenty???????

[Tallboy]

i've decided my first mod will be a trilogy supercharger. it's being shipped this week. screw the warranty.:burnout:

[chrish]

i've decided my first mod will be a trilogy supercharger. it's being shipped this week. screw the warranty.:burnout:
how much....what about brakes,trans,exhaust,etc....? :sunshine:

[stevengerard]

I'm going with a S/C too, as well as new brakes and handling options. I prefer to brake as well as I accelerate. like he said ^^^^ screw the warrenty! But no changes to exhaust or rear gears, the S/C alone will be enough.

[BillyGman]

I am one of the many who has installed many modifications before ever even considering a S/Cer, and if I had it to do all ovr again, the Supercharger I have now would be the very first mod that I did, and quite possibly the only one w/maybe the exception of the Kooks headers and complete exhaust package simply because I luv the way they make the car sound. But I wouldn't have bothered w/the rest of the mods I've done.

[04MEMA]

I'm with 54 (it's okay to refer to each other by Trilogy # right?)- I bought Trilogy #56 and it will be my first mod - my car has 2,200 on the clock. You can read up on the Trilogy here. It's $6k but it makes the car as it should have been from the factory - a tire shredding beast! Warranty? What's a warranty??? Seriously, I decided to gamble on the warranty. Knowing my luck, that could come back to haunt me, but low 13 second 1/4 mile runs on stock tires and the huge low end grunt that's on tap from just off idle make it worth the gamble to me. I want this car to make me smile and do the Bo and Luke YEE HA thing (without jumping though). It's a great feeling to hear that exhaust roar - in stock form, now back up the sound with monster s/c power!

Jeff

[Mike Poore]

how much....what about brakes,trans,exhaust,etc....? :sunshine: From the posts, I gather the biggest and best bang for the buck is to swap out the rear to a 4:10 gear set and a girdle/stud kit from Wes. (new shiney hiney mod) No warrenty issues, and a large seat of the pants difference.;)

[Patrick]

Steven and Billy make good points. I have not driven a S/C MM, yet so I dont know. I drove Todd's with his mods. Impressive. See his list for mods. Also I got to drive Brian (Fordnut) and it was Great. Try and drive a few then you can decide on exactly what you want your MM to be and do, S/C for me would be nice but $$$$, aint going to happen. :twocents:

[RF Overlord]

chrish:

While a blower is certainly a HUGE bang, it's also HUGE bucks...a Trilogy setup with either Kooks or Dennis's exhaust will cost you $8k, unless you can do all the work yourself. If that's the price range you're looking at, then by all means, go for it!

If you have a slightly lower number in mind, then any/all of the following would be good initial mods:

SCT 9100 handheld tuner
4.10 gears
Dennis's Cobra exhaust setup
Underdrive pulleys
Paul's upper intake spacer
Addco rear sway bar
SS brake lines

All of the above will set you back roughly $2.5k...plus labor...

As far as the warranty, ANY of the above mods CAN void your warranty if your dealer chooses to play hardball...although a blower is the most obvious, and will pretty much torpedo your entire powertrain warranty, the others are somewhat more subtle and may sneak by, but you are on your own once you change anything on the car. The way I look at it, any well-designed and properly installed mod shouldn't cause any problems during the warranty period. If something goes to hell after the warranty is up, well, I have to pay for it anyway, mods or no mods...

[Patrick]

Just a quick question for RF. I have flowmasters stage 1. Whats the differance with Dennis's Cobra exhaust setup???

[RF Overlord]

Pat:

Check your PMs...

[BillyGman]

Okay, let's talk about getting a "Bang for your buck"........first let me say that what you do w/your Marauder is your biz and my intentions in this thread or anywhere else on this board are never to attempt to tell you what to do w/your car. What I DO want to tell you about, is what I've learned the hard way through my wallet and my bank account w/my Marauder so that perhaps you and others won't make the same mistakes that I have made w/my money........

Look at my list of mods in my sig. I performed all of those modifications myself w/the one exception of the Stallion Torque converter. I payed to have that installed. Since I performed the labor on all the other mods, I have saved some $$ on the labor. But the bottom line is that w/all the modifications I performed to my Marauder, the total comes to $10,000.

Here's where the "Bang for the Buck" comes in. The Trilogy Supercharger kit which cost me $6,000 was the last modification that was performed to my car. Here's why I say that it should've been the first......... all the other mods that were performed to my car combined, cost me about $4,000. And all of those other mods combined brought my car from the factory stock HP output of 240 HP at the rear wheels, to an upgraded total of 294 HP. Keep in mind that these HP #'s are taken at the rear wheels which represent the actual NET power rather than the factory ratings which are NOT net HP because they're taken at the crankshaft w/the engine out of the vehicle. So for the uneducated ones here, let me point out that you can forget about driving a brand new Marauder off the dealer lot and getting the 302 claimed factory HP at the rear wheels, because those numbers are at the crankshaft, and stock Marauders are putting down 240 HP at the rear wheels, and that's been proven on the Dyno again, and again.

So w/all those other mods that I did to my Marauder BEFORE the Supercharger went in, I obtained an increase of 54 HP at the wheels. Not too bad for spending $4,000 I guess. But by spending $6,000 for the Trilogy Supercharger kit, my rear wheel HP went from 294 to 400!!! So for $4,000 I got an extra 54 HP at the wheels, and for $6,000 I got an extra 106 HP!!!! That's practically double the power gain than all those other things yielded. So while the Trilogy Supercharger kit cost me 50% more than all of those other modifications did combined, it yielded a HP gain of about 100% more than all of those others put together.

And the Trilogy S/Cer not only gave me an extra 106HP at the wheels, but it also gave me a reduction in my quartermile ET's of 1.6 seconds, which is also a greater reduction than all those other mods gave me combined. And please keep in mind that I have the standard 9.5 PSI blower pulley that the Trilogy kit comes with, and that I've never even purchased a custom Dyno tune from Lidio. I simply installed the chip that's burned by Lidio that the Trilogy kit comes with in the first place. Lidio has never even seen my Marauder let alone dyno tuned it. And if you talk to other Trilogy customers, you'll find that it isn't uncommon for that S/Cer kit to reduce their ET's by as much as 2 full seconds. And that's no exaggeration on my part. If your Marauder is bone stock from the factory, it will turn an average of 15.2 seconds in the quartermile at the dragstrip. And if you do nothing else to it but install the Trilogy kit, then it will turn an average of 13.2 seconds in the quartermile. And that's easily done on the factory stock tires.



You'll find that if you wade through all the little high performance nick nacks, that many of the less expensive ones will not cause any tremendous difference in how your car accelerates by themselves. But you will feel a significant difference if you combine atleast 3 or 4 of them together at the same time. But it still isn't going to make your Marauder feel like a whole different car when you hit the go pedal, so you need to keep your expectations realistic. If that's all you want, or all you are willing to spend to go faster, then that's fine, but just remember that you only get what you pay for. HP costs $$. If you want to feel an extremely noticeable and explosive gain in acceleration, then don't think that spending $1,500 is going to yield that result. Unless ofcourse you go w/something like Nitrous oxide, but w/that you'll also have the inconvenience of having to drive every week across town to a place that fills the nitrous bottle for you, as well as the added expense to fill it. So if you want "bang for the buck" then let me point out to you what the last Modification to my Marauder was, and you can decide from there. I hope this helps put things into perspective for all of you who are trying to decide on what to do in order to get that big heavy tank of a Marauder to move the way you want it to.

[QWK SVT]

So w/all those other mods that I did to my Marauder BEFORE the Supercharger went in, I obtained an increase of 54 HP at the wheels. Not too bad for spending $4,000 I guess. But by spending $6,000 for the Trilogy Supercharger kit, my rear wheel HP went from 294 to 400!!! So for $4,000 I got an extra 54 HP at the wheels, and for $6,000 I got an extra 106 HP!!!!
Billy, Do you think that you would've seen the same gains, without the other mods? I would guess there would be some double dipping, esp. with any exhaust mods done, prior to supercharging. I can't see how it wouldn't help enhance the S/C's gain.

I think it would be interesting to see a COMPLETELY bone stock MM drop the S/C on, dyno, then getting custom tuning, on top of that...

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a breakdown of your measured gains, mod-by-mod... I've been searching for the last 45 minutes, and I'll be damned if I can't seem to find it. Do you think you could repost? :help:



I hope this helps put things into perspective for all of you who are trying to decide on what to do in order to get that big heavy tank of a Marauder to move the way you want it to.
Me... I promised myself I would:

make it through the first winter, and remain stock
Run it next spring, with miles, to what a break in does
Then motivate it into the mid - low 14's
After that, leave it be
So far, so good, but it's very tough :coolman:

Given my target, I think going N/A would be easier / cheaper. Having said that, I've got a thing for vehicles with an Eaton slapped on top ;)

[BillyGman]

I'm sure that since you have a Lightning, you won't be satisfied w/leaving your marauder N/A. That's my prediction. I was also thinking of that same post you were talking about, but I dunno if I can find it either!!


kepp this in mind.....The Trilogy kit clearly states in the instruction manual that it will yield 380-385 HP at the wheels the way it is out of the box w/out any custom tuning on an otherwise stock Marauder. Since stock marauder put down 240-245HP to the wheels, then that's a gain of 140 HP. With the exhaust mods I have, it has only yielded me another 15-20 HP over and above that. Exhaust mods on a blower engine don't yield as much gain as you would think.

[QWK SVT]

I'm sure that since you have a Lightning, you won't be satisfied w/leaving your marauder N/A. That's my prediction. I was also thinking of that same post you were talking about, but I dunno if I can find it either!!Noooo! Mustn't allow myself to be swayed... Unless I just go with 4.10's and a programmer in the spring, and then, all out with the Trilogy, after that. Hmm... SEE! Look what you gone done did, now! ;)


With the exhaust mods I have, it has only yielded me another 15-20 HP over and above that. Exhaust mods on a blower engine don't yield as much gain as you would think.
I thought that if the N/A guys get gains from an exhaust, it would prove to be even more of a restriction, when trying to push more through... I guess the blower can compensate, to a point.

As a side note: I actually lost power with a catback, on the L - Man, was I upset!

[BillyGman]

Noooo! Mustn't allow myself to be swayed... Unless I just go with 4.10's and a programmer in the spring, and then, all out with the Trilogy, after that. Hmm... SEE! Look what you gone done did, now! ;) LOL...I knew it...okay, blame me. That's okay, because if you Trilogize your Marauder, then you'll be thanking me later.


I thought that if the N/A guys get gains from an exhaust, it would prove to be even more of a restriction, when trying to push more through...That's what I thought also, but for some reason that theorydoesn't neccessarily hold true w/Supercharged engines.

As a side note: I actually lost power with a catback, on the L - Man, was I upset! Actually that doesn't surprise me because the exhaust manifolds are probably what's most restrictive on many factory systems, and that's where the gases are the hotest, and therefore the most expanded. Headers make a difference, but it isn't a night and day difference. But they sound sooooo good, as do the stainless steel 18" Magnaflow mufflers IMO. On the Marauders, the small diameter muffler pipes, and H-Pipes are also restrictive, and it helps to have that opened up to a full 2.5" diameter which is why I chose the entire Kooks exhaust package. I've never regreted doing that. the exhaust modification would probably be the only thing that I'd do other than the Trilogy S/Cer kit if I had it to do over again. Changing the gears is cool, but you don't even need the change w/the Eaton/Trilogy Supercharger sitting on top of that 4.6L engine pushing out 9.5 PSI of boost,because even w/out the gears you're going to reduce your ET's by about 1.8-2.0 seconds. And since the Trilogy kit comes w/a chip included, you won't need a handheld tuner or another chip beforehand. As they say, "Hindsight is 20/20" and looking back on my Marauder modifications experience, I still say.......get Trilogized from the start, and do that first. You won't regret it!!! And if you don't, you'll always want more out of your Marauder until you do.

[autolisle]

Thanks for the information, BillyGman. My '03 300A is bone stock at 24K miles (and the mileage ain't bad either) and the first mod I'll do (after I buy a motorcycle) will include the Trilogy supercharger kit, and save myself ***another*** $4,000+, thanks to Logan and all the rest who show up here and share what they observe, know and have learned. Thanks.



Okay, let's talk about getting a "Bang for your buck"........first let me say that what you do w/your Marauder is your biz and my intentions in this thread or anywhere else on this board are never to attempt to tell you what to do w/your car. What I DO want to tell you about, is what I've learned the hard way through my wallet and my bank account w/my Marauder so that perhaps you and others won't make the same mistakes that I have made w/my money........

Look at my list of mods in my sig. I performed all of those modifications myself w/the one exception of the Stallion Torque converter. I payed to have that installed. Since I performed the labor on all the other mods, I have saved some $$ on the labor. But the bottom line is that w/all the modifications I performed to my Marauder, the total comes to $10,000.

Here's where the "Bang for the Buck" comes in. The Trilogy Supercharger kit which cost me $6,000 was the last modification that was performed to my car. Here's why I say that it should've been the first......... all the other mods that were performed to my car combined, cost me about $4,000. And all of those other mods combined brought my car from the factory stock HP output of 240 HP at the rear wheels, to an upgraded total of 294 HP. Keep in mind that these HP #'s are taken at the rear wheels which represent the actual NET power rather than the factory ratings which are NOT net HP because they're taken at the crankshaft w/the engine out of the vehicle. So for the uneducated ones here, let me point out that you can forget about driving a brand new Marauder off the dealer lot and getting the 302 claimed factory HP at the rear wheels, because those numbers are at the crankshaft, and stock Marauders are putting down 240 HP at the rear wheels, and that's been proven on the Dyno again, and again.

So w/all those other mods that I did to my Marauder BEFORE the Supercharger went in, I obtained an increase of 54 HP at the wheels. Not too bad for spending $4,000 I guess. But by spending $6,000 for the Trilogy Supercharger kit, my rear wheel HP went from 294 to 400!!! So for $4,000 I got an extra 54 HP at the wheels, and for $6,000 I got an extra 106 HP!!!! That's practically double the power gain than all those other things yielded. So while the Trilogy Supercharger kit cost me 50% more than all of those other modifications did combined, it yielded a HP gain of about 100% more than all of those others put together.

And the Trilogy S/Cer not only gave me an extra 106HP at the wheels, but it also gave me a reduction in my quartermile ET's of 1.6 seconds, which is also a greater reduction than all those other mods gave me combined. And please keep in mind that I have the standard 9.5 PSI blower pulley that the Trilogy kit comes with, and that I've never even purchased a custom Dyno tune from Lidio. I simply installed the chip that's burned by Lidio that the Trilogy kit comes with in the first place. Lidio has never even seen my Marauder let alone dyno tuned it. And if you talk to other Trilogy customers, you'll find that it isn't uncommon for that S/Cer kit to reduce their ET's by as much as 2 full seconds. And that's no exaggeration on my part. If your Marauder is bone stock from the factory, it will turn an average of 15.2 seconds in the quartermile at the dragstrip. And if you do nothing else to it but install the Trilogy kit, then it will turn an average of 13.2 seconds in the quartermile. And that's easily done on the factory stock tires.



You'll find that if you wade through all the little high performance nick nacks, that many of the less expensive ones will not cause any tremendous difference in how your car accelerates by themselves. But you will feel a significant difference if you combine atleast 3 or 4 of them together at the same time. But it still isn't going to make your Marauder feel like a whole different car when you hit the go pedal, so you need to keep your expectations realistic. If that's all you want, or all you are willing to spend to go faster, then that's fine, but just remember that you only get what you pay for. HP costs $$. If you want to feel an extremely noticeable and explosive gain in acceleration, then don't think that spending $1,500 is going to yield that result. Unless ofcourse you go w/something like Nitrous oxide, but w/that you'll also have the inconvenience of having to drive every week across town to a place that fills the nitrous bottle for you, as well as the added expense to fill it. So if you want "bang for the buck" then let me point out to you what the last Modification to my Marauder was, and you can decide from there. I hope this helps put things into perspective for all of you who are trying to decide on what to do in order to get that big heavy tank of a Marauder to move the way you want it to.

[BillyGman]

you're very welcome. Any time I can be of help to you, then don't hesistete to send me a PM. I'm an open book when it comes to the modifications I've performed to my 03 Marauder, and when it comes to all of the go fast parts I've purchased for it. I'm just a Marauder emthusiast like you are, who wanted to make his Marauder move the way Ford should've made it move. :D