MikesMerc
04-11-2004, 08:09 AM
While I was out of town on business last week, Lidio put the finishing touches on my Trilogy install. Its the first Trilogy kit to go onto an 04 and it seems to have worked out even better than expected. I picked the car up on Thursday night and have been driving it almost non stop since then. After logging a good amount of miles in both normal work commute and "looking for trouble" modes, my impressions are as follows.
(For a brief reminder, this car is totally stock performance wise except for the Trilogy kit, a K&N filter in the stock air box, and the medium size pulley making 11 psi. Of course it has Lidio's custom tune and trans reprogram too)
http://home.comcast.net/~mdzcpa/photos/mm/trilogy/angle.jpg
The car handles the power well and makes no creeks, rattles, or other unusual noises. The blower is surprising quiet until you jump on the go pedal. Driveability and ride quality are completely unhampered by the new found power. The car idles, cold starts, warm starts, and performs all around exactly the same as before the blower. The only difference is the incredible increase in power.
From a dig, I can easily blow the tires completely off the car. And that's with the stock 3.55s. Just a half pedal can smoke the tires hard. The low end torque is just INSANE! Even so, I've already perfected a nice launch technique by feathering the gas just enough to illicit a slight hazing of the tires and a nice punch out of the hole. Lidio and Jerry beleive that the torque converter in the 04 MM is improved and that the effect on the car with the Trilogy kit installed is just awesome. This car hauls butt from a dead stop.
Although I haven't been to the track yet, I've already been abusing some of the other locals on Woodward Avenue. My favorite was laying the smack to a brand new 300C Hemi. It wasn't even close:D I also smoked a new Mach I badly. The best part of all was the looks on these guy's faces when I saw them at the next light.....totally priceless!!! The only close race was against a 2003 Vette. He got me off the light (I spun real bad), but I was running him down when we ran out of room. If I had more room, I think I would have caught him. He had me only by a fender and 2nd gear wasn't even run out yet.
All in all, this is the best possible mod to have done if you want to keep the factory driving experience but add a whole lot more go fast performance. I may add a MAF, and perhaps a gear change or very light exhaust work down the road...but that's it. Everything will stay the same. The torque produced by the eaton roots blower in the Trilogy kit is exactly what the MM needs. This is especially true on the street where high rpm driving is limited and you need the boost right now instead of waiting for the RPMs to spool things up. Hehe...just a crack of the throttle provides 8 psi at a loooow 1600 rpm. By 2200 I'm getting 9.5, and 11 comes on by 3200.
The intercooler works exceptionally well. Even after an hour of hard street driving (and racing) the intercooler coolant is not hot at all, and the lower blower manifold where the intercooler resides is hardly gets warm. This was on a 59f day however.
I think that's about it. Anyone who is considering the Trilogy kit should feel confident that this is the perfect mod for the MM. No need for much else and you get a package you can only dream that the factory should have offered. No big stalls or gears needed. No trans hard parts either. Nothing but instant boost and tremendous low end torque from the crack of the throttle. Only a roots blower can make the motor feel like a big block:D
I'll try t get to the track soon for some numbers. It's my daily driver as long as the weahter is nice, so it will be fun to see what my "commuter" car will do. I'm thinking high 12's or low 13's depending on traction and other conditions. I'm sure a MAF and gear change will get me solidly into the 12 sec range. But...I kind of like it just as is. We'll see:D
(For a brief reminder, this car is totally stock performance wise except for the Trilogy kit, a K&N filter in the stock air box, and the medium size pulley making 11 psi. Of course it has Lidio's custom tune and trans reprogram too)
http://home.comcast.net/~mdzcpa/photos/mm/trilogy/angle.jpg
The car handles the power well and makes no creeks, rattles, or other unusual noises. The blower is surprising quiet until you jump on the go pedal. Driveability and ride quality are completely unhampered by the new found power. The car idles, cold starts, warm starts, and performs all around exactly the same as before the blower. The only difference is the incredible increase in power.
From a dig, I can easily blow the tires completely off the car. And that's with the stock 3.55s. Just a half pedal can smoke the tires hard. The low end torque is just INSANE! Even so, I've already perfected a nice launch technique by feathering the gas just enough to illicit a slight hazing of the tires and a nice punch out of the hole. Lidio and Jerry beleive that the torque converter in the 04 MM is improved and that the effect on the car with the Trilogy kit installed is just awesome. This car hauls butt from a dead stop.
Although I haven't been to the track yet, I've already been abusing some of the other locals on Woodward Avenue. My favorite was laying the smack to a brand new 300C Hemi. It wasn't even close:D I also smoked a new Mach I badly. The best part of all was the looks on these guy's faces when I saw them at the next light.....totally priceless!!! The only close race was against a 2003 Vette. He got me off the light (I spun real bad), but I was running him down when we ran out of room. If I had more room, I think I would have caught him. He had me only by a fender and 2nd gear wasn't even run out yet.
All in all, this is the best possible mod to have done if you want to keep the factory driving experience but add a whole lot more go fast performance. I may add a MAF, and perhaps a gear change or very light exhaust work down the road...but that's it. Everything will stay the same. The torque produced by the eaton roots blower in the Trilogy kit is exactly what the MM needs. This is especially true on the street where high rpm driving is limited and you need the boost right now instead of waiting for the RPMs to spool things up. Hehe...just a crack of the throttle provides 8 psi at a loooow 1600 rpm. By 2200 I'm getting 9.5, and 11 comes on by 3200.
The intercooler works exceptionally well. Even after an hour of hard street driving (and racing) the intercooler coolant is not hot at all, and the lower blower manifold where the intercooler resides is hardly gets warm. This was on a 59f day however.
I think that's about it. Anyone who is considering the Trilogy kit should feel confident that this is the perfect mod for the MM. No need for much else and you get a package you can only dream that the factory should have offered. No big stalls or gears needed. No trans hard parts either. Nothing but instant boost and tremendous low end torque from the crack of the throttle. Only a roots blower can make the motor feel like a big block:D
I'll try t get to the track soon for some numbers. It's my daily driver as long as the weahter is nice, so it will be fun to see what my "commuter" car will do. I'm thinking high 12's or low 13's depending on traction and other conditions. I'm sure a MAF and gear change will get me solidly into the 12 sec range. But...I kind of like it just as is. We'll see:D