[KingCougar]

OK Guys,

I recently bought myself a 99 MTX V cougar. It is my first straight drive car, and I had to take it to the local track(1/8 mile). Since nobody seems to own cougars or know anything about them here locally, I went in blind.

It was mid to high 90's with the lovely sky-high humidity here in SC

I just pulled up and decided to rev the motor to 2500 and drop the clutch......the results...

2.415 60 ft time
10.334 1/8 ET
68.33 1/8 MPH

I was shifting around 6500 ( dont have a clue where I should be doing that at)

The car is stock except for a dual exhaust system.
Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

Are these ET and Speed #'s average??

Thanks again for any help....

 

[carsnrockmusic]

you could def improve on the 60'.....launching is the biggest key to good track times

dropping the clutch at only 2500 rpms didn't cause you to bog down??

i'd suggest easing into the clutch (slipping it) being as cougars have wheel hop problems and since you're not running slicks, drag radials, etc...

 

[KingCougar]

well it may have been closer to 3000 or 3500, I know I was trying to focus on the tach, the tree, and then the car started rolling so honestly it was a terrible first time out.

 

[carsnrockmusic]

practice makes perfect

 

[B3NN3TT]

Sounds about right for a stock V6 and a first-timer. With a few mods and some practice, you should easily get that 1/8 under 10 seconds.

 

[KingCougar]

Any ideas on a first move as far as bolt on's??......I am looking at either Short throw shifter, Cold Air, or Headers to finish off the cat back exhaust I have now. Any brands better than others?..Where can I get these items?....Thanks again

 

[B3NN3TT]

The intake is an obvious choice. Contact GrandMAsterKhan for a complete cold-air setup, or go with AEM for a nice standard open-element intake.

If you wanna drop a little more money, the SVT Contour throttle body and intake manifold are AWESOME upgrades - but they are hard to find, and a little pricey when you do. The MSDS headers are beautiful and also a significant power-adder. Weapon-R headers are a good power-adder as well, but not easy to install, and not as well-built as their MSDS counterparts (but certainly a viable option, due to their much lower price).

Short-throw shifters are a waste of money; the B&M unit has an identical pivot point to the stock shifter if you cut a few inches off the top. Just use a hacksaw and tap new threads onto your stock shifter.

 

[KingCougar]

Hey thanks for the info.....Where do I pick up the MSDS headers?..I have seen the Weapon-R's....Is there any upgrade in the wires or coilpack that help? How much of a Nitrous shot can I get away with on the stock motor?...I wanna run at least some 9.5 or lower in the 1/8th mile...

 

[B3NN3TT]

Originally posted by: KingCougar
Hey thanks for the info.....Where do I pick up the MSDS headers?..I have seen the Weapon-R's....Is there any upgrade in the wires or coilpack that help? How much of a Nitrous shot can I get away with on the stock motor?...I wanna run at least some 9.5 or lower in the 1/8th mile...

9.5 is pretty fast for a 2.5 Cougar without nitrous. That's a high 14 quarter time, which very few N/A Cougars can swing without some serious modifications. To swing a high 14 without SERIOUS weight reduction, you will need a Cold-Air intake, SVT throttle body and manifolds, headers, and a full cat-back. You'll also need good tires inflated correctly, and a fair amount of driving skill to keep those tires on the track. I have all of those except for headers and ran a low 15 quarter, 9.9 in the 1/8.

MSDS headers can be ordered directly from MSDS; do a search of the forums for Marty at MSDS and see if someone has posted his phone number. Also, there are often used sets for sale in our classifieds section, and at the classifieds page on contour.org.

See our own "forced induction" forum for info on nitrous. I have seen 75-shots on basically stock bottom-ends with good results. Our own Gyger ran a mid-14 on an untuned 75-shot.

My advice is to comb thru the forums here, and read, read, read. Use the SEARCH feature if you have a specific question or issue. Good luck, and keep us posted on how the build is going.

 

[KingCougar]

Thanks again guys.....All info was greatly appreciated....I will keep you guys posted as things begin to take form.....Happy Motoring

 

[gyger]

Our own Gyger ran a mid-14 on an untuned 75-shot.

Actually I ran a 14.8 on an untuned 50shot.
you were close though

times an HP in the sig below

I agree with Bennett just keep researching and read all you can about our engine from this forum.

 

[carsnrockmusic]

if you're really about racing, save up for 3.0 and build on it....then install it....it'll take patience but it'll pay off in the long run

 

[KingCougar]

So the 3.0 is the way to go?...If so I can be happy with just an intake and a small shot on the 2.5 while building a 3.0....any year better than others?...what does the swap require, as in new mounts, ecu, etc?