horsepower gain

[X-RAT]

I have a Automatic 88 Merkur XR4Ti C3 3-speed. I'm just wondering where my horsepower range would be. I know stock Auto XR4s are rated at 145hp for 9-12lbs. and manuals are 175 12-15lbs. So far my mods are
STINGER FULL 3IN EXHAUST, MAGNAFLOW MUFFLER,NO CAT,STOCK ELBOW, KN CONE WITH THE SMALL VAM. STOCK T3 .48 PUSHIN 15-17LBS. AUTOMATIC C3, SPEARCO FMIC PUSHIN 1250CFM'S LOL, 2.5IC PIPES. SO FAR THATS ABOUT IT. im going to get a adjustable fuel pressure reg. from a 5.0 stang and turn it up to get a little more juice for my 15lbs. would anyone know where the stock merkur fuel pressure is rated at? and where sud i turn it up to without getting to rich. PICTURES WILL BE POSTED SOON. also im guessing i have about 170hp. what do you think?

[Stinger]

I'd say closer to 180-190 at the wheels if the tune is good.

Stock fuel pressure is 38psi with the vacuum line removed from the regulator for testing. Nobody can answer the "how much fuel pressure" question. You'll need a wideband to read the air/fuel ratio or you can try reading the plugs, though you have to do the procedure correctly which is hard on the turbo...

[ya]

My airfuel guage is reading good. as soon as i hit boost i feel it and when i punch it i surprise my friends from the power. they dont suspect it from a Merkur because they dont realize what motor it has and its a automatic lol thanks for the idea of my hp range. but also my brother is giving me his big vam from a 88 turbocoupe. I know i can use it even tho i have a stock merk computer but ill be leaning because of the extra air and my computer is pretty much guessing right? would i have to turn the fuel pressure up since ill have the extra air. the LA3 swap is old news and i would like something more like a piggyback system or a stand alone. what can i use for my automatic merk? i liv in jersey, and i liv near Modern Performance Inc. and he deals with 2.3turbo's and merkurs and hes trying to convince me to buy his system which i know it works great and he knows his stuff but the price is killing me and ill like several opinions b4 i put my money down on something. im only 17 i dont have much lol

[Stinger]

Nick from Modern Performance is a hack and I don't suggest buying anything from him. His cams crash into the valve seals, his "mess-air" kits run like crap, and his honesty is questionable to say the least. This has been well documented on some other forums throughout the years!

I assume you mean your "flashy light" air/fuel gauge and not a wideband gauge? What are you referring to as "reading good"?

You are correct the big vam will lean it out. How much isn't known. It's within a safe range on a stock car but with more mods it's impossible to say. I'd assume it would need a few more psi of fuel pressure but only a wideband will tell for sure.

I updated my FAQ page a few days ago with links to a few different piggyback ecu and standalone ecu systems that will work.

[ya]

thanks for the advice. ya wow i never knew that people had problems with nicks setup. my 2 brother at the moment is gettting the mass air conversion with the 2 xtra 75lb injectors welded to the intake manifolds, probaly going to have 420-475hp. i havent heard nothing but good things about his setup. seems like a lot of people around here is going that route now.

[Stinger]

Well, good luck with that. Nick's maf setup runs fine until the weather changes (which his setup has no correction for) and then it needs retuned.

I've got one of Nick's setups here in a box (maf, adjustment box, filter, wiring)...how much will you give me for it?

[ya]

totally different setup i was talking about. Nicks taking the VAM out and replacing it with the stock mustang 5.0(most common) mass air meter or any mass air meter from a ford. he's throwing a piggybank on my brothers LA3 converting it to mass air and adding 2 75lb injectors on top of the other 4 36lbs welded to the intercooler pipe right on the throttle or upper intake manifold. the 75's only active on full throttle with its own fuel pump. and 36's work like stock. Nicks old crappy setup that your talking about is true, it doesnt work right and you need to adjust it to the weather. Nick even admitted this, that y he stopped selling it due to complaints and came out with this setup thats better and works naturally and get more power.

Also for me, i have a automatic and im sick of asking nick questions because he tries to convince me to get this and that...and describes in detail for like a hour, a typical salesperson.....so.. sud i use my stock bypass or upgrade it, or a BOV. I know with a manual you need some sort of BOV OR BYPA so you get rid compressor surge or the air when shifting and with a automatic you never let off and you keep boost even though the tranny is shifting. But what if i boost and let off where does the air go? compressor surge most likely. I know after 15lbs you may have a boost leak with a bypass? what should i do. Nick says bypass, but he doesnt understand that i have plans for this car and keeping it automatic. either C3 rebuild or highstall C4 slapshift. Know one really builds a fast automatic merkur so im doing this on my own, everyone i know has 5sp so things change with ECU SWAP or BYPA/BOV. what sud i do?

[Matt Culpepper 2300gearjammer]

Stock mustang MAF? meaning something like 70mm or you mean a newer one? We went with a 90mm from an 01 Lightning and it got maxed out pretty quick.

[X-RAT]

that last comment was by me.. it came in as guest, but ya Nick converts the VAM into any Ford MAF like a F150,Mustang, or even the new 4.6 Mustangs', Cobras, Lightnings etc. But my brother got almost a brand new MAF from a 93 Mustang for 5$ at a junkyard and Nick told him that it doesnt matter what size is it from 70-90mm+ it didnt really matter for this type of setup. Plus the if you managed to get like a 90mm from a lightning that would of been over his budget. 5$ seems fair enough for the same performance.

Cant wait to see this setup on his car, because Nick told him he's going to have about 350-400hp. and he has a 8.8 Ford Solid Rear in his Merk done also by Nick, so your going to feel that 350-400 off the line. My other brother has a total different setup Bored .40 over stroked 2.5, .505 lift solid roller rocker (modern performance) Stinger center, stinger exhaust,Hol. HY35 27psi. He also is getting the same setup with the 2 extra injectors 75lb's. He going to have about 500-550+. Im sure Nick is exaggerating but they'll be close to it. Video's soon to come.

[Stinger]

Well, in that case, it sounds like he's just using a Moates chip to do the maf swap like everyone else does (only charging out the a** I'm sure). No way in hell a 70mm maf will support 400hp though unless it's put in a larger housing. Our 90mm was maxed by 440hp or so. Also, you are right about him exaggerating about the 500-550hp setup with the HY35 at 27psi. Reason I know this is because 1) that's not enought injector flow to support that much power and 2) The hy35 won't support over about 450rwhp before it becomes a choking point....and it won't make that much power at 27psi, more like 33-35psi.

My question is why is he welding in 75's near the throttle body when he could just run them in the stock location (or 85's or 95's or 120's) and control them with the piggyback chip (if he knows how). Why he wouldn't do it this way is beyond me

You are right he is a salesman and will talk your ear off. He's always selling what he can do too, not what is best for your setup.

You can let Nick do the work or you can do it another way. I'd put money on it making more power for less money if you use a cam other than Nick's, do the tuning elsewhere, and have the head work done elsewhere.

[X-RAT]

350 no less is what he said with the 70mm because his setup, 400 is the tops. We know many merks with barely anything done to it besides cheap simple bolt ons and 2 55lb inject. walking out of there with 300-325hp. My brother has a little more then bolt on's with 75's. And my other brothers has nicks MAF custom MAF meter, dont know the size but its sure a lot bigger then the 70mm and he will have according to nick 425-50 at the least and almost 500 maxed out. Right now it has 375horses with no tune and the megasquirt system that nobody knows how to use or tune. Nicks MAF 2injector kit is only 750$ not much for installing everything including fuel rails, welding injectors, seperate fuel pump, and a dyno tune. and having almost double the output which has been proven from some SVO at modern, and he lived in texas (long drive). Reason why nick welds them at the uppermanifold or throttle is because the 2 xtra injectors need to disperse evenly through out the lower intake ports instead of drenching the fuel rail with 75's plus the 36's. the computer reads when the throttle is opened all the way and thats when the 75lbs engage, they dont engage at idle or cruising speeds, only when you punch it. and i've seen many evo's,supras, etc cars get the xtra injectors welded to the throttle or upper manifold it's a pretty common thing. and it seems people are going that route more now instead of a full stand alone since you need so much precise tuning to idle like stock and perform like a Las Vegas stripper.

[Stinger]

Nobody knows how to tune or use Megasquirt? That's news to me...last I knew there were thousands of them running around.

Are all of these dyno verified numbers or just guesses?

I assume "drenching the fuel rail" is a term Nick said? What is that supposed to mean?

The only time there is any reason to add secondary injectors is when the injector size gets too large to idle smoothly on a small engine. In the case of the 2.3, you have to get around 100lb/hr injectors before this becomes an issue (if you know how to manipulate the injector offsets and such to adjust for the larger injectors). This means on a 2.3, if you know how to properly tune the ecu, it is easier and cheaper to just increase the injector size at the rail until somewhere north of 600hp. It's only a "pretty common thing" on small displacement cars making upwards of 250hp/liter which encounter the problem I just mentioned. Below that, there is no practical reason for it (aside from covering up some other deficiency).

There is nothing cheap about $750 for a piggyback chip ($70 retail), a dyno tune (typically $150-250), and a junkyard maf ($5-60). The only other items you would need to do it yourself is larger injectors ($250 or so) and a chip burner ($30 or so)...and you can tune it without a dyno which saves that cost as well.

[oneowner88lx]

Sounds like a hack / band-aid shop to me.

[X-RAT]

I meant to say nobody around here know's how to use Mega for the 2.3FORD, but it's definately not the easiest to tune especially if your new to the stuff, and we blew 2 headgaskets with it already at 18lbs and burnt a hole in the piston. besides megasquirt is expensive to tune over here and we get charged by the hour which is ridiculous,by other tune shops that don't even deal with FORDs, more like evo, wrx,supras or JDM. I used the word drenching because he said welding the 75s closer to the fuel rail would mean the 75lb fuel wouldnt go through the ports evenly, more fuel will go into port 1 then port 2 for example.When you weld at the throttle it all falls in at once and disperses evenly.I would rather get it tuned professionally since my luck is bad with tuning and by someone who knows what hes talking about and deals with these motors. . Nick's estimates are not 100% accurate but it gives you an idea, and I know for sure he's not going to tell me Im going to get 450horses and then a week later im pissed off because he gave me 350, he wouldn't do that,his estimates arent that off and he's known me for years and done plenty of good work for me and plenty of merks out there that i know of.Also a dyno tune is better then tuning on nothing besides your head and how you feel dont you think? and 750 is for everything not just the parts, you also got to include labor and everything else.((((((((((mustanglx88 he's done work for thousands of people, and been on the FORD 2.3turbo scene and Merkur,SVO,Turbocoupe,Capri, etc scene for over 15 years and RAPIDO and I'm pretty sure he would not be scamming people, or he wouldnt of been around for this long.Maybe his MAF metering box wasn't a success but who else made a adjustable tuning setup for 2.3turbo cars, that you heard of in the 90's?))))))))))
Stinger I understand what your saying tho, totally agree but we have no idea how to tune with the Megasquirt and rather get it done professionally and get it back to at least near 400. he says 400 plus my other brother 500 but he's not to familiar with the holset like you guys he deals with the turbonetics or the precision gt35r and he knows the hy35 is somewhat big but he thinks it's big like the gt35r which is not. He said he's most confidident about my other brother with 350-400 with the smaller setup and since he doesnt have that much stuff done do it like like my other bro setup. and he only has a .57 trim t3/t4 garrett .48ex ar or 63.we'll be happy with 400. we build motors slap bolt on's together custom make things that are neccessary unless we don't want to or if we find someone like YOU that sells great product at budget price, but when it comes to newer stand alone technologies we kind of get lossed. Video's soon to come, supposely Nick called today and said it'll be done tonight and to come over to watch the dyno pulls or saturday. We'll see and will videotape it. thanks for the good luck btw