My new Supercharger experience:

[BillyGman]

it's like I have a new toy! This car goes as if it just lost 1500 LBS. I've read so many times about how if I perform certain modifications to my Marauder, how it will put a smile on my face while I'm driving it. Well none of the previous mods I've performed did that. Until this one......

I just installed the Trilogy Supercharger kit on my car. it was a lot of work, but I've performed a lot of work to my car in the past, so I'm no stranger to that. This car feels like you have a jet plane behind it when you stomp on the gas pedal! I stopped in front of a friend's house this morning, and left about 120 feet of rubber on his street from merely a dead punch.

After the car had stopped spinning the tires, I noticed two oncoming cars going by me, so I took a look in the rearview mirror. I saw them both coming to a stop because they couldn't see what was on the other side of the massive smoke cloud that my car had just left. So they had to sit there and wait for it to clear. :P :P :burnout: :burnout:

I was laughing out loud as I drove away. This car now moves like it has a big block under the hood. :banana2:

[MARAUDER S/C]

:up: I know the feeling, I left my friend and his IROC lost in one of these clouds. Glad to hear your install was a success and you are enjoying it. I knew you would.

[lotusstv]

Billy,

Welcome to the S/C club, there is nothing like it.

Lotusstv

[TAF]

Congrats Billy! :up:


Glad to hear everything went well and you're happy!!!

[MikesMerc]

Glad to hear everything has come together. :up: The best part is that the new found power will never grow old. I still smile everytime I get in my Trilogy blown MM.

Until you've driven in a roots blower modded MM, you just don't know what you're missing. It truly feels like a big block torque monster.

Congrats and welcome to the Trilogy family:D

[JET]

Billy,
I'm happy for you man. I look forward to racing you this summer.
:bounce: :banana2: :bounce: :bounce: :banana2: :bounce:

[Logan]

Awesome Billy! Welcome to the club! I can only imagine the fun YOU'RE having keeping it hooked up with 4.56's and that stall!!

I need to put a stallion back in. Not happy with the stock stall. I was much happier with the 3000 and should've left it in. Folks kept telling me the stall wasn't needed. Poppy ****. Though the stall really needs to be a 2500rpm stall for optimal performance.

I'll be getting Stallion to do up a custom 2500rpm for me...

[merc]

Glad to hear you are enjoying your car Billy. I hope one day to meet you and your high performance street rod. :banana2:

[Zack]

Nice going Billy.
You wrote probably the shortest thread ever for the biggest news of the year.
But for some reason Im not surprised.

[Merc-O-matic]

Way to go BILLY G....

Gotta Love It! :rasta:

[woaface]

Glad to see you love it and got it in ok! Pictures are worth 1000 words ya know:D

[junehhan]

Nice going Billy.
You wrote probably the shortest thread ever for the biggest news of the year.
But for some reason Im not surprised.


That's probably because he's having too much fun driving the car around! Congradulations on your Trilogy install! When/if I ever decide to supercharge my car, the Trilogy kit will probably be it based on everyone's experience with it. Well, I won't keep you from terrorizing the ricers and domestic ricers, so just keep the revs up, and the rubber side down!

[SouLRioT]

hope you enjoy your new found ride. And now you can maybe keep up with that GT something o-rother car you've talked about.

[Dan]

I Want A Trilogy S/c. <waaaaaaaaa> :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry:

[woaface]

hope you enjoy your new found ride. And now you can maybe keep up with that GT something o-rother car you've talked about.This?http://www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt/images/photo_gallery/ph_gt_popup_4.jpg

Hmmm, tha'd be REAL interesting:up: :rock: :D

It took first place in C/D vs. a 360 Modena (tuned to an extent) and a Porsche GT2. (right?)

It's 0-60 time according to them was also faster than the McLauren F1.:banana2:

Just makin sure ya know!

[TAF]

Hey James!!! Uh....teasing Billy with the GT stuff...is...uh....MY JOB!!! ;)
This?http://www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt/images/photo_gallery/ph_gt_popup_4.jpg

Hmmm, tha'd be REAL interesting:up: :rock: :D

It took first place in C/D vs. a 360 Modena (tuned to an extent) and a Porsche GT2. (right?)

It's 0-60 time according to them was also faster than the McLauren F1.:banana2:

Just makin sure ya know!

[FordNut]

Had to have me one of these!

[BillyGman]

Marauder S/C, yeah, the thing that made me laugh the most right after I did that burnout in front of my buddy's house, was that there was so much smoke, that the cloud just sat there and lingered. I mean it wasn't even moving away as I drove off. It just hovered, and the two cars going in the other direction were just stuck behind it. I don't think that they saw me do it, and because the houses on that street are so close to the road, they might have thought there was a fire. :flamer: :D

Mike's Merc, there are now a lot less places where I can open the throttle up completely w/this car!! I mean I need a runway w/it now(not a bad problem to have!). I think I'll be driving at WOT a lot less now since even at half throttle the car is very impressive, and can still blow by most cars on the road even if they're trying to challenge me.

Jet, yeah, we gotta meet up some time at Atco, or Raceway park. next I gotta get some drag radials.

Logan, thanks for answering all the questions I hit you with. Once again, you've given me great advice. :up:

Merc, yeah, perhaps some day we will meet up. That will be great.

Zack, perhaps I surprised a lot of people w/how brief my first post was. There's been so many guys getting their MM's S/Ced lately that I didn't want to go on and on about it. I just wanted to let everybody know. And besides, I DO realize that if my posts are too long, then there will be those who don't even feel like reading them anyway, and I guess I can't blame them. :D

Merc-O-Matic, when I do a smoke show w/this car now, it's like there's something on fire! :flamer: Immediately after doing that burnout this morning in front of my friend's house, I jumped on the highway, and drove two miles, and then got off the highway and drove another mile to a Dunkin Dougnuts drive-up window. While i was sitting in my car at the window waiting for my order, I could still smell the burning rubber!!! It's a good thing that I bought two new back tires last year, that are just waiting to be mounted. :burnout:

Woaface, ya know, I was going to take pics of the installation, but because I had so many tools, and boxes and boxes of S/Cer kit parts to bring to my brother's house before the installation(that's where I did it), I forgot to bring the camera. Sorry Dude. But then again, there are alreay so many Trilogy S/Cer installation photos on here, that perhaps it would've been repetative to post more.

But maybe I'll post another visual in the near future. ;)

junehhan, you would LUV this Trilogy kit on your car.......I already got into a race this morning w/some jap car(sorry, they all look alike to me.....slow & ugly w/an unimpressive weed wacker sound). The guy saw me getting on the car a little bit on the highway, and then I mellowed out and let him pass me. he then gets off the exit that I was getting off at, and was right in front of me. He sees me in his rearveiw and then performed what I'm sure he thinks is a "burnout"(a whole 5 feet of rubber :rolleyes: ). So I followed him until we came to a wide open stretch of road w/no traffic. I gave it about half-throttle and he tried to challenge but there was no contest, and the Big Bad Black terror skated right by him effortlessly. :banana2:

So the guy then hits me w/his hi-beams. I guess that he thought that he had to get back at me in some way for making his car look slow (yep, a typical ricer.No HP, & No class.).

SoulRiot, that's funny that you should mention the Ford GT. Because the fact is I want that car so badly that S/Cing my MM had a lot to do w/that. A GT would out-handle the MM around the turns, hook-up much better off the line, and even looks better than the MM does.

But in a straigh line I don't think that my car would be too far behind. So for me, having a S/Ced MM is the next best thing. It isn't quite the same, but it's the closest I'm going to get. :)

Dan, all I can say is I suggest you do whatever you can to get a Trilogy S/Cer kit. I wish that I had done this in the first place before I performed any other mod. The gears, 3000 RPM stall speed, and the standard chip were NOT needed. I should've just went right to the Supercharger in the first place. I'm just glad that I finally did.

Thanks also to Todd, & Lotusstv for your replies, and thanks to you Todd for your efforts to help me over the phone during the installation.

[MI2QWK4U]

Congrats Bill, I am thrilled to hear everything went well for you on the install! I hope all of our chats helped you out. I am really interested to hear how it runs with your other mods, it must be wicked fast! You are a class act and I wish you the best with your new found fun!

[BillyGman]

Congrats Bill, I am thrilled to hear everything went well for you on the install! I hope all of our chats helped you out. I am really interested to hear how it runs with your other mods, it must be wicked fast! You are a class act and I wish you the best with your new found fun!

Dave, w/out those talks that I've had on the phone w/you, Bill Bowker("Marauderer"), and Lidio, as well as the answers in the written massages that I had received from Logan, I wouldn't have ever decided to purchase a S/Cer for my MM in the first place. So yes, your input was imperative, and very much appreciated. Because of the Eaton Supercharger providing a lot of low-end torque to the engine in question, one of the things that I was worried about was having a lack of power high up in the RPM scale. but what both you and Bill Bowker told me was absolutely true.

The Trilogy kit has made my car produce gobs of torque everywhere in the RPM scale, high, midrange, and low. Thanks for your help. This thing is so fun to drive now. And it isn't only about racing people. This thing just has your pulse rate sky high every time you get into the gas pedal even half way!!!

the best way I can explain my driving expereince w/my now S/Ced Marauder is to quote the character called "Flounder" in the movie "Animal House".........."Oh boy is this great".........

[Jerry Barnes]

Well BillyGman,

I don't want to say "I told you so",but, "I told you so". It sounds a little self-serving, but for me its difficult to not get excited everytime I talk to someone about our S/C. The word is getting out and S/C's are starting to fly off the shelf. Pretty soon there will be a waiting period before we can deliver them.

I am very pleased to see that you have your installation complete. It sounds like you talk to a very qualified group of people to consult during your research and install. All of the people you mentioned are very knowledgeable and great people to ask your questions.

For me, your success, is our success at Trilogy Motorsports. And when we read posts like yours, IT MEANS MORE THEN YOU CAN IMAGINE TO US!!! WE CANNOT STOP SMILING IN THE OFFICE WHEN WE READ OUR CUSTOMER COMMENTS, LIKE YOURS! THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT GIVES US THIS SMILE IS WHEN WE DRIVE OUR CARS!

We take a great deal of pride in the work we do. Its like raising a child, theres nothing you would not do to be successful!

So, from all of us at Trilogy Motorsports, Job Well Done!!!

And remember, we have only started our relationship with you as a customer, we will continue to support you in any way possible.

I am really looking forward to seeing all the Trilogy customers this summer at the events we will attend.

Great Job!!!

Jerry

[junehhan]

It now appears that your Marauder is now complete the way it should have came from the factory. You just about have every bolt-on mod that's pretty much available. Is there anything else you plan to do, or would this be it? I want to see what kind of times you'll be pulling at the drag strip now!

[BillyGman]

Well BillyGman,

I don't want to say "I told you so",but, "I told you so".
LOL.......yes you did Jerry, and I must say that you were right!!

I am very pleased to see that you have your installation complete. All of the people you mentioned are very knowledgeable and great people to ask your questions.
Yep, I did my homework for this one. I spoke to a number of your customers over the telephone including two of them who also performed the installation themselves. I even bought and read three books on Supercharging.

For me, your success, is our success at Trilogy Motorsports. And when we read posts like yours, IT MEANS MORE THEN YOU CAN IMAGINE TO US!!! WE CANNOT STOP SMILING IN THE OFFICE WHEN WE READ OUR CUSTOMER COMMENTS, LIKE YOURS! THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT GIVES US THIS SMILE IS WHEN WE DRIVE OUR CARS!
Jerry, I can really appreciate that.



So, from all of us at Trilogy Motorsports, Job Well Done!!!

And remember, we have only started our relationship with you as a customer, we will continue to support you in any way possible.
That's really good to know and impressive to hear. I'll keep that in mind.

I am really looking forward to seeing all the Trilogy customers this summer at the events we will attend.
Yes, hopefully you and I will meet face to face. that would be great. I'm considering the Trilogy open house to in June.

Great Job!!!

Jerry

Thanks Jerry.

[BillyGman]

It now appears that your Marauder is now complete the way it should have came from the factory. You just about have every bolt-on mod that's pretty much available. Is there anything else you plan to do, or would this be it? I want to see what kind of times you'll be pulling at the drag strip now!

Those are interesting observations. This is where my thinking is at w/this car now. I wish that I had started out w/the Trilogy supercharger in the first place, but I guess it's just human nature sometimes for us to have to go through all the motions and learn our own lesson the hard way.

I'm glad that I installed the Kooks headers and exhaust package. the car just sounds so great w/that, and it does add to the power. The high stall speed I chose is not needed now w/the S/Cer, although so far it doesn't seem to be any problem at all. I believe the Stalion Torque converter is one of, if not the best converter on the market. had I known that i would end up w/a Trilogy S/Cer, then i would've had Precision Industries set the stall speed at 2400 RPM's before they sent it to me.

The one thing that I definately would NOT have bothered with had I originallyplanned on the S/Cer is the 4.56 gears. Again, so far, I don't see any problem w/that ratio, however it really isn't needed w/this awesome S/Cer package. And ofcourse I now have no need of the Reinhart chip that I have since the Trilogy S/Cer comes w/a special chip for that particular application. The Reinhart chip was fine while my car was N/A, but it's just obsolete now that the car is Trilogy equipped.

As far as what Iplan for the future w/this car, I just plan to drive and enjoy it. it now has more than enough power than I can use on the majority of places on the public road. yes, I can still find places where I can fully open it up, but it isn't just anywhere, any time. Driving a car that's this fast can do two things to you. it can cause you to geat pretty crazy at times, but if you have any sense and maturity, it can also give you a sense of responsibility as to where and when to unleash the full power of the beast that now lurks under the hood.

When this thing takes off, it gives me a sense of wanting to preserve life and limb. It's that fast. lots of fun? yes. but you also have to show a little respect for all that power. it definately isn't gonna respect you.

The only thing I might do is to get the rim widening service from lidio and ofcourse the Nitto Drag radials.

[Ross]

Way to go, Billy! We want time slips! :banana2:

[BillyGman]

I hear ya Ross. So do I. But first I have to get the rims widened for the P305 drag radials. I'll need them for the car to atleast hook-up a little bit off the line.

[woaface]

Hey James!!! Uh....teasing Billy with the GT stuff...is...uh....MY JOB!!! ;)
I've failed as an apprentice here then.

I'm FIRED!!!!:lol:

[teamrope]

Congrats Billy,

I wish I could join the S/C club, But my budget will only allow for a hair drier and an ac adapter. :depress:

Oh well, all in good time. Once gas prices settle down I might get the 67 finished and sell it. That will get the budget looking a little better. ;)

[BillyGman]

Jim, even though I still Luv the GT, and it breaks my heart to know that I can't get one, you, Todd, and Marty will have tougher time buggin me about that now that my car is S/Ced. It was the fact that the GT being S/Ced that kinda gave me more of an open mind about the whole concept. In the past(even right up until 6 months ago) I was opposed to the whole idea of S/Cing on any engine.

But I started hearing a lot of positive things about it beginning w/how even the History channel had a program about a WWII fighter plane that was called the "Lightning" which had a S/Ced engine. I began to realize that S/Cing is nothing new at all. Then when I saw the article on Lidio's website (Alternative Automotive) where he explains that his approach to tuning S/Ced Ford engines is conservative, and that he has tuned many Mustangs w/cast pistons, and cranks that were S/ced, and those engines have held up, my opinion of S/Cing the Marauder began to change a lot since it is Lidio who burns the chips for Trilogy that are included w/their S/Cer kits.

So you guys can talk about the GT, and if any one of you ever get one, I'll still be the first one to travel to your home state to get a wild ride in it, but I now have the next best thing, and the that's probably the closest I'll ever come to a GT.

[BillyGman]

Congrats Billy,

I wish I could join the S/C club, But my budget will only allow for a hair drier and an ac adapter. :depress:

Oh well, all in good time. Once gas prices settle down I might get the 67 finished and sell it. That will get the budget looking a little better. ;)

Yep, that's what I did. i sold my 73 Vette which helped me pay some debts to clear the way for the Trilogy S/Cer kit. My Vette was real cool, but I had it for 6 years, it needed brakes, a clutch, and minor frame work, as well as some minor body work, and the paint was 12 years old. So I just sold it as is.

And now my Marauder is faster than my Vette ever was...... It was nice to have a second car, but since I had it for so long, and I wanted to S/C my marauder while it still had low miles on it, I felt it was time to consolodate my finances to one hi-perf car instead of two. This way I can have one 12 second car rather than two 13 second cars that I can't even afford to maintain the both of anyway.

[woaface]

Straight up Billy, that's how it is. Superchargers are just awesome. I read that article too (the long one...?) and I really liked it.

My only wonder is how BMW get's in the 400-500hp range without supercharging. As in, maybe if someone could out that kind of power in a Marauder or GT and THEN supercharge it. That'd be interesting.

http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/11/web/407000-407999/407238_28_full.jpg

[junehhan]

I just can't imagine how awesome all of that torque must be with the 4.56 rear end ratio, which must be mind-blowing. Out of curiosity, how many miles do you have right now? Have you thought about doing a brake upgrade like the TCE 6 piston setup that Logan has, or maybe a Baer 14 inch setup?

[merc406]

Good to hear all went well, now the down side, have you called your Ins. company and told them of your new found power? :burnout:
AAA will ask sometimes, but is my understanding if it's not declared and your unlucky at somepoint, you may not be covered on there policy. :bigcry:

[Marauderjack]

Hey Billy...

Did you do the "Cooling Mod" that has been discussed here??

I don't know if it is necessary except for max boost racing situations where heat and detonation may effect the back cylinders?? :confused:

Seems like at 10 psi or so an occasional blast won't hurt a thing with the cooling configuration from the factory.......13+ psi and I'd expect trouble?? :eek:

Sounds GREAT!!

I will do it sooner or later!! :bounce:

Marauderjack :D

[sailsmen]

Billy, think about brakes. I was surprised what a difference the ones I have made!

I don't drive my car hard or super fast, except at the 1,320. :rock:

[BillyGman]

IMO ALL Beemers are just ugly, but since we're on that subject, tell me exactly how many cubes of displacement this engine is that's putting out 400+ HP, and if it's a car that is allowed here in the sttates w/our tough emissions standards.

For some reason our country has to be the leader in emissions standards, whereas some other countries don't have any at all according to what I've read. but something tels me that the beemer in question has more engine displacement than the small 281 C.I/4.6L engine of the Marauder. It's not even that difficult to sqeeze 400+ HP out of a 350 engine (5.7L) w/out S/Cing it. But a 4.6L engine is just too small for that kind of power and our emission standards unless it's S/Ced.

[BillyGman]

The brakes would be a good idea. The marauder's brakes aren't great. I was driving my brothers 94 Buick Roadmaster for several days during the S/Cer install, and the brakes on that car are great. Much better than the Marauder, and the car has 100K on the clock!!!! That car is also pretty fast since it came w/the old LT1 Vette engines from the factory from 94-96 just like the Impala SS did.

As far as insurance, they won't hear anything from me. If they're gonna do that because of a S/Cer installation, then what's to stop them from doing the same thing for headers, gears, etc, which also make the car faster. Something like that will never stop me from modding my car. if that was the case then I probably wouldn't have even bought the Marauder, and I definately wouldn't have moided it at all. And I mean not even a chip.

i don;t think I'll do that brakes right away, cuz I'm pretty low on funds now after the S/Cer purchase. I have some money for the rim widening service so that will likely be first, cuz i definately need it to hook-up. As far as that cooling mod, I'm running the 9.5-10PSI pulley, and even the guys who are running the 11.5 PSI pulley have NOT done any cooling mods,and their engines are fine. maybe it's because of the Intercooler on the Trilogy S/Cer, I don't know. but I don't expect any detonation because of heat, since Lidio burns the chips to set the computer conservatively when it comes to ignition timing advance, and air/fuel ratio.

And as for the other queastion, my car has 11K on the clock.

[woaface]

IMO ALL Beemers are just ugly, but since we're on that subject, tell me exactly how many cubes of displacement this engine is that's putting out 400+ HP, and if it's a car that is allowed here in the sttates w/our tough emissions standards.

For some reason our country has to be the leader in emissions standards, whereas some other countries don't have any at all according to what I've read. but something tels me that the beemer in question has more engine displacement than the small 281 C.I/4.6L engine of the Marauder. It's not even that difficult to sqeeze 400+ HP out of a 350 engine (5.7L) w/out S/Cing it. But a 4.6L engine is just too small for that kind of power and our emission standards unless it's S/Ced.Oh yeah they're legal in the U.S. The new M5s (2005 or 2006) will have 500 horses, but it's a V10 so nevermind that. The current M5, which I think has been mostly faded out, has a 4.9L V8 high 4 seconds to 60 and mid 13s in the quarter. 400 horses. Ok...not as cool as I thought it was, I was thinking closer to 450 and more like 4.3-4.5 seconds to sixty and low 13s in the quarter...

Lol...oops!

[woaface]

Are dual air-boxes possible on a Marauder like they have on Ferrari's and the above^^^^^^^^^^^^BMW? That'd be cool.

[merc406]

On Insurance, I believe it's on a power to weight ratio. And I don't know if there would be any problem's, but I sure as hell would check into it, their's alot other than a car to lose.

[junehhan]

Billy, I thought the Marauder had very good brakes from the factory, but probably not enough for a car that's going to easily hit 12's in the 1/4 mile. I love the performance, and the feel of the pedal itself which feels perfect.

As far as those BMW's go, they actually get impressive power out of pretty small displacement. While smaller displacement engines generally do not produce as much torque, or as broad of a powerband, BMW engines are the exception to this. The reason for this, is technology as our Marauder engines are really incredibly simple by comparison. The M5 engine in that photo produces I believe 450hp(dunno if this is right) out of a 5.0 litre v8 which is enough to make the M5 the fastest production sport sedan on the market(runs 12's). While noone wants to blow up an engine, this is one engine that is so complex that you really don't want to blow up due to high costs of replacement. While the Japanese seem to add millions of rpms to make impressive hp figures(that's actually changing now), BMW really knows how to build a good engine that makes impressive hp figures and torque to boot.

[BillyGman]

Being a 12 second car if it weighs 800-1,000 LBS less than the Marauder, then it doesn't neccessarily mean it puts out 450 HP. Maybe 400, yeah. But be that as it may, I still don't like any of the beemer grills. No offence to you white collar folks, but beemers are just yuppie mobiles. my nephew always gets offended when i say that, since that's what he is,and that's what he drives, but I mean no offence to him nor to anyone here. They just aren't my cup of tea. I simply don't like the body styling at all. And that goes for no matter who it is that drives them.

As far as the stock brakes on a Marauder, go find a 94-96 Buick Roadmaster that's being sold in the paper, or on a used car lot, and take it for a drive, and then come back and tell me about the Marauder brakes. if you do that, then you'll see what I mean. It's a very noticeable difference.

[BillyGman]

Jim, as far as Marauders having dual airboxes, it would just clutter-up the engine compartment for no reason. You don't need anymore intake air capability on a Marauder than what it comes w/out of the factory.

The only performance increase from a different air induction pathway would be obtained w/a cool air system that would be taking in air right from the grill.And the bebefit of that would be from a cooler air charge, rather than from insreased air flow.

[MikesMerc]

As far as that cooling mod, I'm running the 9.5-10PSI pulley, and even the guys who are running the 11.5 PSI pulley have NOT done any cooling mods,and their engines are fine.

This "issue" just hasn't proven to be a concern on the Trilogy cars. After talking to Jerry and Lidio about it, they are not aware of any instances where any mod needed to be done for proper cooling. I'm pushing 11.5 psi without issue, Dave is doing 12.5 psi running 12.2s without a problem, and Lidio's 11 sec MM hasn't had a problem either. And that is all in addition to Jerry's #1 car which has been beaten on hard every day of its supercharged life at 11.5 psi without a problem. That's a whole lot of abuse and mileage combined by the above group without any cooling related issues. I just don't beleive the cooling mod is needed for most applications, if any IMO.

[BillyGman]

I agree w/what Mike stated, and keep in mind that the #1 Trilogy car has 30K on it since the S/Cer installation.

[John F. Russo]

I agree w/what Mike stated, and keep in mind that the #1 Trilogy car has 30K on it since the S/Cer installation.


Congrulations, Billy

I'm not sure I can be on the same track as you.

It seems to me that you completed your task with surprising swiftness.

Does this mean that you will likely be at the New England Dragway on 5/15/04 to put your car through the paces even without the widened rims?

[woaface]

No dual air-boxes...plenty of air getting there...gotcha:up:

[junehhan]

Being a 12 second car if it weighs 800-1,000 LBS more than the Marauder doesn't neccessarily mean it puts out 450 HP. Maybe 400, yeah. But be that as it may, I still don't like any of the beemer grills. No offence to you white collar folks, but beemers are just yuppie mobiles. my nephew always gets offended when i say that, since that's what he is,and that's what he drives, but I mean no offence to him nor to anyone here. They just aren't my cup of tea. I simply don't like the body styling at all. And that goes for no matter who it is that drives them.

As far as the stock brakes on a Marauder, go find a 94-96 Buick Roadmaster that's being sold in the paper, or on a used car lot, and take it for a drive, and then come back and tell me about the Marauder brakes. if you do that, then you'll see what I mean. It's a very noticeable difference.

I believe the M5 is actually a bit lighter than the Marauder, although I don't know the specifics behind that. I believe that BMW's used to be a pretty good looking car till they started redesigning them and making the front end look like a pansy, and the rear end look like a frickin UFO. As far as brakes go, i've had a few cars with pretty good brakes, and I still think the Marauder brakes in stock form are perfect for what you need. It has by far the best brake feel and modulation of all of the cars i've had, of which include a Cobra, Lightning, S2000, and my old Taurus with Baer 13 inch claw system, and so on. I guess that has a lot to do with our difference in opinion of how we want the brake system to feel or react. My friend's parents actually had an old Buick Roadmaster, but they traded it in 2 years ago on a Honda Accord :(

[BillyGman]

I'm sorry, that was a typo. I meant to say that the beemers were probably LIGHTER than the marauder, not HEAVIER. But thanks for the correction. I don't think there are very many cars on the road that are heavier than the marauder is short of an SUV, or pick up truck. maybe one or two of the caddilacs might be I dunno. All is I DO know that there was a scale at one of the tracks that I've raced my Marauder at, and after one of my runs, I decided to park my car on it. With me sitting inside, and a half tank of gas the Big Black Marauder tipped the scale at 4,444 LBS!!!!! This thing is a tank!!!!!!!

[BillyGman]

Congrulations, Billy

I'm not sure I can be on the same track as you.

It seems to me that you completed your task with surprising swiftness.

Does this mean that you will likely be at the New England Dragway on 5/15/04 to put your car through the paces even without the widened rims?

John, I gave you an update in that thread you started. there's no way I'm racing my car on street tires. It just has too much power to hook up w/out atleast drag radials. I'm working on that. But it's too early for me to tell you yet about the track in May.