Marauder Performance help

[NEPatsFan]

Hi All,
I am a new MM 03 owner and want to improve performance. I have a budget and only want to spend around $5K. Can someone lead me in the right direction. I read some things about perfomance chips, headers and superchargers. I was thinking a supercharger but not sure what a kit would cost. Also, could I get a significant performance increase without it being too costly? Keep in mind that I am a computer programmer and no nothing about cars.

[Heavy D.]

Welcome to the site, and congratulations on your MM! Check the performance section of the faq, and do a few searches and you'll find what you need. The consensus seems to be that the best performance improvements for the buck are in the chip, gears, and torque converter.

[MM03MOK]

Hey, another one from MA!!! Welcome.

Lots of 411 on this site. Do a search using "Stage I." Also read Members' signatures. Check out the vendor forums and links. You'll get plenty of ideas.

It may seem like a lot of reading but there's a wealth of knowledge for you to come to your own conclusions. Plenty of combinations to suit your taste and wallet.

:D

[Dr Caleb]

Originally posted by NEPatsFan
Hi All,
I am a new MM 03 owner and want to improve performance.

Greetings f3||0 g33k.

What do you want to improve?

Launch from the lights and 1/4 mile? Look to 4:10 rear end and a Rienhard chip, exhaust improvements.

Handling? Look for suspension and Rienhard sway bars, Kenny Brown brakes.

Sound? There is some stuff in the garage about adding speakers, XM radio...

Looks. Can't- so forget it. It's georgous! :bows:
________
Honda RC149 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_RC149)

[NEPatsFan]

Thanks all. I will start with a chip and 4:10 rear end.

[Logan]

You'll be a happy camper. :)

[Bigdogjim]

Another new member going in the right direction..Gotta love it.

[Heavy D.]

Another new member voiding his warranty - more power to him (literally)!

[NEPatsFan]

Who cares? I love the car but it is not all it should be. I bought the car for pure pleasure of driving it. I keep it parked m-f and take the wife's old mini van to work everyday. She just bought a Honda Pilot. The car is my toy. I would not have purchased a MM for transportation reasons. Other wise, I would of bought a toyota corrolla or camray! It is a mean , black, machine, driven for speed and fun! Otherwise, why have one?

[mdmarauder]

For some people it makes a great daily driver. You couldn't pay me to drive a Toyota.

[NEPatsFan]

I completely understand but I love the car so much that I want it to last for years to come. So I drive it on the weekend and save the wear and tear.

[Heavy D.]

What's good for one person isn't necessarily good for another. For example, I am a consultant who travels to clients on a regular basis. My current client is in the Chicago area, and my home is in Northern Wisconsin. So, my Marauder is my weekly commuter. This car was designed for highway cruising, IMO. A toy? Maybe to you, but to me it is my daily commuter, at least until the snow flies. Therefore, the warranty is very important to me, and the car is everything it needs to be for my use. I'm a former gearhead, but my interests have changed significantly since my youth - although I appreciate a souped up ride, I choose to spend my income on land, firearms, guitars, retirement, etc.

I guess this is my own personal pet peeve when it comes message boards in general - there always seems to be those who think any decision/opinion that isn't their decision/opinion is a wrong decision/opinion. I respect any decision or opinion rooted in facts rather than emotion, whether I agree or not. Notice how my advice was "chip, gears, torque converter" rather than "I don't want to mod so you shouldn't either".

[NEPatsFan]

I certainly respect and appreciate your opinion. I purchased the car as a fun toy and not as a commuter vehicle but if it was my commuter vehicle I would definately think three times before doing any mods. Mercury products are not known for their reliability in my neck of the woods. Enjoy

[NEPatsFan]

You could always wait until the warrenty runs out and then do the mods if you wish. By the way, I also spend my income on land, stocks, and retirement. Accept my wife wants me to upgrade to a larger home which equals a larger mortgage as I have a zero mortgage now. I refuse to do it and would rather spend my money on mods.

[Heavy D.]

I definately will mod when the warranty runs out, and the car is retired from commuter duty. Like I said, more power to you (literally!), but for me personally, I would spend my coin differently. That doesn't mean that is the right decision for you! Also, I was specifically targeting Bigdogjim's post about "Another new member going in the RIGHT direction", since I received a lot of "my decision is the right decision" responses to my thread, "To mod or not to mod, that is the question". So are you going in the right direction? for you, Bigdogjim, etc. the answer is yes. For me, mdmarauder, etc. the answer is no.

As far as reliability goes, this is my 4th Mercury since 1992, and I've had outstanding reliability. The only non-start I've ever had was with my 1995 Sable, but all I had to do was beat on the compressor shaft with a "Ford Wrench" (hammer) to unsieze it long enough to get to the dealer... Kept that wrench in the car until the lease was up!

[Logan]

Like other message boards?! {gasp}!!

[Heavy D.]

Okay, okay, bad day here. Sorry. I do love this board and the members. I have learned far more than I expected, so pet peeves aside, this site rocks.

[Bigdogjim]

Originally posted by mdmarauder
For some people it makes a great daily driver. You couldn't pay me to drive a Toyota.

You sir are lucky I don't fit:flamer: :help:

Big Dogs NOT in Toyota's

[Logan]

:lol:

[RF Overlord]

Originally posted by Heavy D.
all I had to do was beat on the compressor shaft with a "Ford Wrench" (hammer) to unsieze it long enough to get to the dealer...

"Ford Wrench"!!!!!!

BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I love it...!

Ford wrench....heehee

:lol:

[RCSignals]

NEPatsFan

Welcome to the boards!

[JLHARVEY1]

A big misconception is that modifying a vehicle voids the warranty and by law this is false. I blame dealerships for the creation of this big misconception. The manufacturer may refuse to cover the cost of repair if the modification has caused the failure.

Magnuson-Moss Warranty – Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act of 1975

Here's a link that explains this law in plain english.
http://www.autotrucktoys.com/mag_moss.htm

[Heavy D.]

Nice post Sarge, but I'd like to respond by saying that I didn't realize this board was for the 2% crowd. I signed up because I own a Marauder, and am curious what everyone's doing, quality issues, etc.. My experience so far on this board has been very mixed - some folks are helpful and friendly, some seem to think that if they don't like someone's decision or question they can deride it or interrupt threads with "I'm bored" complaints. I guess I simply don't understand why those who don't like threads respond to them. Why can't people ignore the "been there, done that" posts so those who haven't been there or done that can get some knowledge and enjoyment? I suspect that's why a lot of people don't stick around. I'll try to thicken my skin and ignore the elitism, or I'll split.

This is not a commentary on the technical quality of the board; I think Logan, LincMercLover, et al. do a great job technically and are fair moderators.

[Blue Marauder]

I agree 100% with Heavy D.

[JLHARVEY1]

SergntMac, If you look towards the beginning of the thread you'll notice that you'll see some warranty remarks. That's why I posted it.... So to reiterate the warranty deal... After I posted it here, then's when I figured that I should post a a seperate topic about it. Most people don't know that law. I figured it could help a few people who didn't read the other 8 posts about it that I was unaware of. The other most had a an arguement created by two other members and was censored because of thier comments and closed (don't we get enough censorship from the Government, FCC, and Corporate America?). But that's a whole nother topic.... Now please... Now that I said 2 cents continue on with your performance help.

[merc406]

Anyway's if you can wait for the supercharger that may be out by this summer, the only mod you need to spend money on is that an then go from their. They did 12.90's with the supercharger the only add-on.

[SergntMac]

I decided to not wait for the censorship and I deleted my own post. Rock on, gentlemen.

[JLHARVEY1]

And one more thing..... I agree with Heavy D... Treat this forum as you would your TV... If you don't like the conversation, change the channel. Don't beat the people up there that are trying to have a polite conversation.

And don't beat me up for all of my typo's in my last post.... I'm not drunk, just woke up.

Please continue with the performance issues, because that's why many of us are here.

[merc406]

The info on the Supercharger is here somewhere and may be sold in kit form for 5-6,000 bucks.