gpfarrell Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 It is on? So you can hear me? Err, read me? I just bought an MKS. Well, remarkably, I bought it a month ago so I've had some time to get aquainted. Sorry I haven't chimed in sooner! It's a 2011 in Kona Blue with almost all the toys. And yes, I can put my windows up with my remote! Personally, I really favor light/bright interiors and was a bit frustrated when the SHOs were introduced with two interior choices... dark & darker. When I realized I could get the same drivetrain in the MKS I just had to wait for somebody else to take the depreciation hit for me! I've owned an Emerald Green '91 SHO+ and a Blue '95 SHO in the past, but my most recent family hot rod has been a blue 2003 Mercury Marauder that's been fitted with the Trilogy/Eaton Supercharger kit. With full factory exhaust, all-season tires, and 3 child seats strapped in the back, my big blue Merc ran 13.1 at 105 mph. I like it so much that I've decided to keep it as part of my "permanant collection" (1978 Mercury Marquis - first car/dad bought new/460-4V/currently getting a body-off restoration, 1985 Mustang GT Convertible with a Summit Catalog circa 1998 thrown at it, and a 1966 Mercury Cyclone GT Convertible 390-4V/Indy Pace Car edition). Frankly, I thought I'd never own another daily-driver 4-door as quick as my Marauder (unless I spent AMG money), but it seems there are plenty of SHOs and even a few MKSs flirting with low 13s and even high 12s. The updates to luxury, technology, and even safety are fringe benefits. Surrendering "burnouts-on-demand" for all-wheel-drive capability might be a subtle acknowledgement that I'm mellowing. I'm looking forward to enjoying a wonderful luxury sedan with surprising performance, and this site seems like a great way to enhance that. So, thanks to all for making this a great forum. The insights & expertise are fantastic, and the enthusiasm for the cars is easily understandable. Cheers, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjhpadi Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 :welcome: Glad you've joined us. Just to correct there are several members running in the very low 12's with their cars and if you stay tuned I'm betting you will see some 11 second times from these daily drivers before winter sets in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpd1151 Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Welcome aboard Greg! :welcome: Glad knowing you registered here on EBOF and with your stated background with Ford products, especially the previous Gen SHO's, it's fantastic to have a member with your knowledge and history here amongst us. :hail: 1st..... wth? No pics :noidea: Hee hee hee...... when time permits, we kinda like those things around here. Also, there's a good handful of us that are now in the low 12's, and some who may be even flirting with high 11's in the not so distant future. You picked a great addition to your stable with the MKS, and I'm sure a few of your fellow owners will chime in here on your thread soon enough. Enjoy all the great info here posted thus far. Don't hesitate referring more members here to EBOF as our family continues to grow. Make use of our wonderful Supporting Vendors and their ever evolving product offerings for the EB powerplant's. Please also consider becoming a Premium Member as the suggested $10 Annual Donation goes directly to maintaining the Spam Security Protocols enacted by our ADMIN staff. Thanks again and welcome to the site! Mike :yo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash712us Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Welcome aboard Greg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblues38 Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 You bought a camrey unless you post pix torove otherwise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpfarrell Posted September 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 You bought a camrey unless you post pix torove otherwise! Fair point. I'm so much better at buying cars than posting pics! Let me figure it out. Oh, I always liked the 6-speed Volvo R... Thought about a wagon version a few years back... Ended up with a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregoire Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Hello and welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Welcome fellow MKS owner! Thanks for confirming the remote up feature. One word for ya: Livernois. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjhpadi Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thanks for confirming the remote up feature. OK, so I may have been wrong about the remote up stuff....:yield: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingozzy Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Welome Greg! I too have a MKS 2011 in Kona Blue with the light camel interior. My wife and I really like that color combination! I have about 16,500 miles on mine. Went up to livernois and got thier custom tunes when I had about 3,000 miles on her and installed an Air Raid CAI just to make sure i am getting plenty of air for the turbos. I have the stage4+ tune and boy what a difference it made! Enjoy your Lincoln!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 OK' date=' so I may have been wrong about the remote up stuff....:yield:[/quote'] No, you were defnitely correct as it relates to the SHO. And since the OP has a 2011 MKS, we now know it was not just limited to the 2010 model and that my car is not an anomoly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpfarrell Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 It seems that Kona is pretty rare on the MKSs, so even though I wasn't quite ready the availability of an Ecoboost Kona/Carmel re-arranged our priorities... especially when it showed up at a very friendly Ford Dealership... Woltz & Wind in Pittsburgh's South Hills. Prior to supercharging my Marauder, I bought a tune from Lidio at Alternative Automotive and it really improved the car's attitude. Since I could feel the differenence, I always appreciated that tune! I'm certain there's a call to Livernois in my future, but I want to drive the car the way Lincoln made it for awhile so I'll better recognize the edge provided by a sharper tune. Also, with 3 kids and a fortunate bunch of cars, my attention is pretty well scattered. I want to get the fat rear sway bar installed on my '66 Cyclone, the Marauder needs new tires (and they were made in an odd one-off size, so replacements are a bit tricky), my wife's 535xi wagon (6-speed!) desparately needs detailed, and the boys all want to play. So, I'm feeling very fortunate that there is a shiny blue MKS in my garage. I hope to get it to a Test n Tune night at the dragstrip this fall to baseline some ETs for it, and then I'll start to wake it up a bit. I really appreciate the insights and recommendations... they make it much easier to spend money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 I hear ya for sure. I love the increased power, but I think the biggest think I like about the LMS tune is the more confident and decisive shifting (not harsh, just decisive) and better throttle response. Love that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjhpadi Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 I hear ya for sure. I love the increased power' date=' but I think the biggest think I like about the LMS tune is the more confident and decisive shifting (not harsh, just decisive) and better throttle response. Love that.[/quote'] The old fat guy (me) is smiling sheepishly and chuckling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpfarrell Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 I hear ya for sure. I love the increased power' date=' but I think the biggest think I like about the LMS tune is the more confident and decisive shifting (not harsh, just decisive) and better throttle response. Love that.[/quote'] I"ll bet you're right. The 16 year-old in me always wants more power (insert Tim Allen arrrrr-arrr-ARRR here), but 0-60 in the Five's already feels good. But I really like driving a stick and I loathe the torque-muted shift schedule aimed at pleasing the blue-haired group. Lincoln's strategy is much better than the one I sampled in a Dodge Magnum R/T years ago... the mighty Hemi would fall on its face to keep the tranny from imploding, and it just sapped the fun factor right out of the car. The Marauder's tune provided just a modest HP bump to its N/A engine, but the transmission's behavior was a subtlety I enjoyed on every trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 I agree, low 5s is awesome for an AWD SHO/MKS...but....also admit that this fat old guy also likes that with the 4+ tune, I am consistently in the high 4s. It is so nice to see 4.9 or lower on the G-Tech or MYCAL device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpoolinX2 Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Welcome! Nice previous rides as well! I've always had a soft spot for Marauders just for the fact of how cool they are and how little people know about them. Good friend of mine does a good bit of tuning with some of the local Marauder guys, and his dad at one time had the fastest one in the country...pretty sure he's gone low 10's with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpfarrell Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Oh that looks so much cooler than just having an SCT! Is that 4.9 with just a tune in the MKS? Any 1/4 numbers yet, verified or otherwise? My Visa card and driver's license are both starting to twitch! I agree, low 5s is awesome for an AWD SHO/MKS...but....also admit that this fat old guy also likes that with the 4+ tune, I am consistently in the high 4s. It is so nice to see 4.9 or lower on the G-Tech or MYCAL device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Correct, no other mods besides the tune. I don't count the k&n drop in filter as a mod. Have not really had an opportunity to play or try 1/4 mile. before the tune, my G Tech ™ was telling me 5.2 to 5.3. I have no idea how accurate that was or how accurate the MYCAL is though. So not exactly a controlled experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingozzy Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 My MKS ran a best of back to back 13.5s @ 102.xx the only time at the track with it. I also had major traction issuses on the launch my 60' times were 2.10s so I think I would be good for low 13s maybe even a high 12 with the right temps and better traction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpfarrell Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Wow, 13.5s with 2.10s out of the hole? My rear-wheel drive Marauder was hitting 1.85s on the factory all season tires. It's incredible to me that awd can't hook, but when it does you'll certainly see even quicker times. I know guys with lots more practice than me figured out how to get a supercharged Marauder to move and I followed their specific advice to the letter... maybe somebody around here has some launching techniques we can learn about. Eitherway, 102 mph is making some horsepower. I'm getting excited! Thanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I could never properly launch my 09 Impala SS. I look like a pro in MKS due to AWD. We all do. LOL. Based upon advice here, I take TC off, then I power brake and bring the RPM up to about 2200 so the turbos just begin to spool up, then release the brake and GO. Before the tune, tires would not chirp. With the tune, they chirp on take off and occasionally shifting into second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingozzy Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 I could never properly launch my 09 Impala SS. I look like a pro in MKS due to AWD. We all do. LOL. Based upon advice here' date=' I take TC off, then I power brake and bring the RPM up to about 2200 so the turbos just begin to spool up, then release the brake and GO. Before the tune, tires would not chirp. With the tune, they chirp on take off and occasionally shifting into second.[/quote'] That's Pretty much how I was launching out at Milan dragway! I was wearing a helmet and couldn't hear very well with the MKS's sound deading but a guy came up to me later and said I was smoking all 4 tires when I was taking off! I think some guys posted that they leave the traction control on and they get a better 60' time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darreli Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 TC on has always made both my 60' and overall times slower. EBB has had some success but not me personally. Even at Lapeer where traction was not at a premium...I was still quicker with the tire spin and TC off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 All my experience is on regular street pavement (safe empty non-inhabited areas of course), so I cannot speak to what works best at a nicely groomed track. The TC seems to bog down take off in my particular car. The tires don't "smoke" with it off, but I do get a good chirp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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