Tuner Marauder in Motor Trend

[JET]

Check out page 122 of the September issue. There is a small article on the VT Marauder.

[Long Live #3]

Already have a post for it. http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=4045

[Bigdogjim]

Thanks for the link LL3

[Long Live #3]

No Problem! :up:

[SergntMac]

"Tuner" is not a fair compliment to VT, nor accurate. VT isn't a "tuner." Best to described VT as builders, or, designers.

When a shop says to you "we send that out" they are a shop, and your part is sent out somewhere.

VT Competition Enginering isn't your shop, it's where your shop sends your stuff. VT could be your one stop shop, depends on who you shop with.

VT has it all happening in their house, 24/7, and that's a remarkable difference from Brown, Trilogy, Lidio, Reinhart, and others.

Best y'all should know why y'all should shop around...

[JET]

Mac,
Did Mad3R pick up his car today?

[SergntMac]

Yes, he did, and a fine piece of work it is too.

[sailsmen]

VT has from what I have read on this board an excellent reputation.

I would like to point out that there is a difference between a outfit that can machine and assemble an engine and an outift that can "tune" an engine. By "tune" I am refering to programing the timing tables ect.

I will also point out that I have successfully assembled several modified engines with good success, but I would never attempt to tune one. Each of the engines I assembled was subsequently tuned by somonelse who I had worked with on establishing the mods on the engine I assembled.

I was in a tuners shop and saw 2 alum bottles in the corner the size of a one liter pop bottle. I asked what they were for and he said blow by chambers that came off a customers car. I asked why he took them off and he said another shop had put them on due to the blow by.

I said with that much blow by they must have had busted rings, he said correct. The customer had spent $20K and their answer to the busted rings was these bottles.

He said that the prob was they had engine so poorly "tuned".

This outfit that improperly "tuned" it has a large machine shop and mfg a lot of parts for sale.

The point I am making is just because an outfit has a large mfg factility does not mean they can properly "tune" a modified engine.

I beleive this is because engines have evolved from being mechanical to a hybrid mechincal - computer. To be good one has to be versed in computers and mechanics. There are a lot of computer guys who cannot not turn a wrench and a lot of mechincal guys who are afraid to touch a computer.

It's rare when you find someone who is equally skilled at computer and mechanical.

[Warpath]

Originally posted by sailsmen
The point I am making is just because an outfit has a large mfg factility does not mean they can properly "tune" a modified engine.

How true. I know that one first hand. Don't go to Livernois Motorsports.

[89lxbill]

I just read that article and man, whoever was driving needs a serious lesson? 430rwhp and only a 13.42 @ 104?

[Long Live #3]

I'll bet it can do high 11's or low 12's

[Eric91Z]

I was kind of curious about those numbers, too. And according to the article, it got the motor build and supercharger and still pulled "just" 430 HP. Why is it KB can get an advertised 450HP and high 12 second 1/4 miles without opening the engine up and with just bolt ons?

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by 89lxbill
I just read that article and man, whoever was driving needs a serious lesson? 430rwhp and only a 13.42 @ 104?


I'm sure it was an early 300A with the auto parking brake release, except it had been installed backwards at the factory making it activate the parking brake whenever the car was put into a forward gear.

Chances are the torque put out by the monster upgrade twisted the car enough that the remote fuel door release popped the hatch open, serving as an air brake.

The test driver's pants' cuff got caught on the little seat pouch and that messed up his launch, 60' AND eighth mile.

The test driver thought it was a 300B with traction control and kept moving the pedal positions inadvertently, thinking it was the TC button.

He was timing his 0-60 using the separate in-dash clock.

He mistakenly put the portable timing gear over the full-sized spare.

etc. etc. etc.


Yet another reason why 300Bs are better! ;) (just joking...)