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Also, by opening up the airbox; will it give me a throatier sound when I open the throttle up?
Mike
Basically it looks the same except instead of having a "red" cover for the turn single; its clear with an "amber" bulb. It would just replace the outer lamp housings. I think this would look great on a LS. It would make the LS look more like the cars its trying too duplicate;MBenz,BMW,Audi. It already has styling ques from Europe, lets complete those with the tail-lamps. Thats just my oppinion and my 3 cents.
Just don't make it (whatever it's based upon) too big, please, Mr. Reitzle.
Just don't make it (whatever it's based upon) too big, please, Mr. Reitzle.
SuperSweet LS.......he calls it the RS8
What does size have to do with it. The full size Chevy Impalla used to be avail in a 2 door. So did every other full size car at one time. One of the best looking cars I've ever seen was a BMW 850 Coupe. I believe they are about the same size as an LS maybe even larger.
The holes are in the front of the airbox, on the side that faces the headlights.
Yes it will sound throatier. You'll get more of a "vroom" sound when you step into it, similar to the old v-8 4-barrels opening up.
There should be some pictures on the LLSOC website at www.llsoc.com. Look in the message board at some of the older posts. I haven't put the pictures of my install on yet.
http://www.spiritofdetroitmtrspts.com/
Hope that solved your answer, tell me what you think afterwards
Mike
Mike
If you ever have a chance, park one beside a BMW 7-Series and take a gander at which one is longer. I'll give you a hint -- it's the T-Bird. Now that's a big car! :-)
The Tail Lights, The Wide License Plate Frame etc...
Does there exist a detailed description of that car? Engine, Trans, Suspension Tires etc...???
I now have a loud grinding noise when I open and close the front passenger window.
I still have a squeaking noise from the rear headliner.
I still have a squeaking noise from the instrument panel.
I havent used the rear windows in months. quess why?
BUT... I still luv this car...
Kevin
Who wonders where the less than satisfied LS owners are???Maybe I need to check another board?
Today driving to the airport, I filled up with some good 93 octane and set her on cruise at 68. I wish I had my digital camera in the car. The computer recorded 32.4 mpg and dropped back for the rest of the trip to 30.6.
The workout the night before and a 68 degree temp at 68 mph is her "sweet spot" I actually saw mileage drop off at 62mph. So you can have your cake and eat it too.
Still waiting for a call back from Texas Motor Speedway on renting the track. Will keep you informed.
I had a rear regulator fail a couple weeks ago. They only replaced the failed one, as I'm hoping the final versions are on the shelves before the other one goes. Way too early to know for sure, but the 2nd generation regulator runs smoother and more quietly than the originals ever did.
This may sound like a crappy thing to say, and I really don't mean it that way, but, honestly, it seems that dissatisfied LS owners are very rare. Judging by other boards, if there were many, they would surely be all over this board.
I only respond because you're hanging in there with the LS and, for that, my hat is off to you, sir.
Are there any 0 - 60 statistics for the V6 and V8? Is the V8 quicker off the start or when you using for passing at a higher speed? I test drove both cars but did not notice a significant difference, but I did not really get a chance to push the car. The handling was great and the select shift made the car fun to drive.
What is the reliability on the two engines? Is one better than the other. I keep reading in this forum about transmission slippage and slow to react. Our there transmission problems with this car?
Does anyone know whether Lincoln is going to continue 0% past 11/20
I gotta go drive now!
The transmission issue to which you refer ONLY involves 2000-model LSs and was resolved with software updates. The updated software was included in the 2001 model, so the '02 is fine, too. There are no hardware problems with the LS transmission that I'm aware of.
Although the V8 was a totally new engine for the 2000 model year (also available in the Jaguar S-type), its reliability has been excellent as far as I know. If there were any such problems, they certainly would've been discussed at length on this forum, and we haven't seen such a discussion.
The V6 is an upgraded version of the Duratec V6 that has been used in several Ford products over the past few years; it also has a fine reliability record. At this point, I don't think there's any real reliability difference between the two engines, and I wouldn't be concerned about either of them.
I have an '01 V8 Sport. It's not a rocket ship off the line, but it really seems to excel in traffic. When you need to do a freeway merge or pass someone, there's plenty of power on tap. Most if not all the V6 owners who post here seem to be pleased with their engines, too. One common theme with the V6 seems to be that it takes a few thousand miles to "loosen up", at which time it really seems to come into its own, power-wise.
The V6 has slightly better weight distribution than the V8, so several folks who have driven both have said that its handling may be even more balanced than the V8. I'm a V8 guy, so I didn't consider the 6, but it's certainly less expensive and a fine choice, too. The only equipment difference between the two is that the message center comes only on the V8; you can't get it on the 6. That doesn't seem to be a big issue for most people.
It's a great car, and one heck of a bargain, IMHO. I'm just about to hit 18,000 miles, and I have had no problems whatsoever. Good luck with your decision.
(Note to ezair: Sorry for the redundancy; I was writing mine while you were posting yours.
Matt
I have not had my LS on the track. When I'm out there it is with my 70 Boss 302.
It's nice to know that the LS is a car that you really don't need to modify in terms of tires or suspension. I really doubt you could change tires, shocks or wheels in a cost effective way that would improve the car and not sacrifice some other desirable quality. True, the stock Sport wheels are on ther heavy side, but lightweight wheels are very costly and most if not all have incorrect offsets.
So if you want to fine tune an LS, look to change your speakers, your air filter, your lubricants,and maybe your exhaust system. True, you can gingerbread the interior/exterior, but that doesn't make it faster. I'm only 53 and in the performance camp. The luxury part of the LS has limited appeal to me. Pedal placement,rear ratios, torque peaks are vastly more important to me than wood trim or interior finish nit-picks. The true essence of the LS is balance. Dynamic balance, value balance. The car has lots of value.
When compared to other cars in this price range, the LS is unique in its RWD platform advantages which are normally found in more expensive "luxury" cars and it's size, which is right up there with a "big" car. It's handling is right in there with the smaller cars, and is obviously superior to many FWD cars in handling and transitional dynamics, which are hard to measure in a test (it's more than a lane change).
If you buy the V-8, you will possess the only V-8 in this price range. If you purchase the Manual, you will be buying the best handling,large RWD manual for the money. Over time, the savings on domestic parts and service will be significant compared to imports (I am on my second Volvo so I know about European cars). As an added bonus, you will have the added support of all of the fanatics in LLSOC who have been there and done
that and can answer all of your questions. What a deal. Good Hunting!
When you say the LS sport wheels are a little heavy, by what criteria do you compare with? I had my full size spare weighed, both with and without the tire mounted on the stock 17-inch Super Silver wheel. With the tire mounted and balanced, the wheel weighed 50.0 lbs. Immediately after removing the tire, I weighed the wheel again, and found the wheel alone to weigh 22.6 lbs. I do not consider the stock 17-inch wheels to be "heavy" at all. Most performance after-market wheels will weigh considerably more! In my efforts to search out lighter, high-performance wheels, I was only able to find one model (BBS-RK) to be lighter. The RK model from BBS, in the 18 x 7.5-inch size was a mere 17 lbs, and will be the wheel I replace my stock 17-inch wheels once my stock Firestone tires wear out. If you happen to find other, lighter weight wheels, please let me know. However, I never found any other wheels that were actually lighter than the stock wheels, and I looked!
Brian
LLSOC Member
As far as the 2002 Airbox goes, I am trying to work a deal for LLSOC members for $125 plus shipping. This will require 1 group order for the club and we will need to distribute them. I would like to get an idea of the level of interest, so email me at AndrewLobsenz@TX.SLR.COM if you are interested. Shipping should run about $10 each.
As far as wheel weight goes, I am sure the sport wheels are heavier because they are bigger. It is hard to make a bigger wheel without adding some weight. The larger wheel reduces sidewall flex and should improve cornering. Increasing the wheel size too much could result in a riugher ride.
locations with bumpers.... but that didn't work....it mainly comes from the rear of the roof... crank that audiophile system up!!!
As for disgrunted LS owners. I found my car, the 2000 V8 a check marked car in the latest 2002 CR buying guide. Unfortunately I agree...for the items indicated they were right!! however the windows weren't on the list....
Kevin
Who really enjoys reading this forum..
Scott
LLSOC member
Sometimes Consumer Union mystifites me..
What American car line beat Mercedes and BMW in dependability (and every other German manufacturer) by a significant margin?
What American carline beats Acura (and Toyota, and Honda, and Nissan, and Subaru, and...), in dependability?
According to JD Power in a 5 year vehicle durability study, that carline is LINCOLN.
Congratulations to Mark, Jim, and the rest of the Lincoln team. Lincoln has continued to score well in a number of quality, customer satisfaction, and dependability surveys.
http://www.jdpa.com/studies/pressrelease.asp?StudyID=585&CatID=1
Speaking of bringing a scale to a wheel dealer . . . that's about what I did. I have a Discount Tire outlet less than a mile from my front door, and a MailBoxes Etc. practically next door to them. One afternoon, I brought my LS up to their parking lot, had my full-size spare weighed on the MailBoxes Etc scale, then rolled it over to Discount to have them dismount the tire, then brought both the wheel and tire right back to have them re-weighed seperately. It took me all of 20 minutes to get the anwers I was looking for!
FWIW, most performance 18-inch wheels I've found have weighed in at more than 26 lbs. While going to a plus-one wheel size should improve cornering agility, the added unsprung weight and reduced sidewall height could contribute to a noticeably harsher ride. All this just goes to show you that the LS really is a hard car to improve upon over and above stock form.
http://www.bonforums.com/lincolnmerc/lincoln_lse111201.htm
Around my way, you can open up the classifieds on any given day and see any number of Lincolns for sale with way over 100K on the clock (with the possible exception of the last-gen. Continental- a real dog). Maybe that's part of the reason why it's the vehicle of choice for livery service. The Crown Vic taxi that took me from home to the airport for LS Mania II had 320K on the odo! Outside of police work, these are probably the hardest possible miles you can put on a car.
Am I missing something?
Center Line wheels currently is running an advertisement for their new wheel line. Their claim to fame is their strenght to weight ratio, and in the ad they quote various wheel sizes and weights. They quote both their wheels, the lightest of course, and compare to the competition. You'd be surprised at the differences.
I seem to recall that the ad currently appears in a few of the truck oriented magazines, as well as a couple of the "dirty fingernail" car mags. It's worth a look at the newsstand.
I agree that the 5 or 10 year quality ratings are more important to me than initial quality. Both together could give you a good bit of info, how the line has done previously, and what initial quality is like now. If you had these numbers for now and a few years back it could be telling. But really, what's more important to me is how much hassle it's going to be down the road after I get the bugs worked out. I don't lease, I tend to buy a car I like, and if I really like it I'll keep it until the tires go square. So far the LS is definitely looking like a keeper. I have about 10,700 miles on the clock on a 2000 LS V8 Sport, a little over a year old, build date 6/00. I've had some of the initial teething problems, had to have tranny reflashed, ball joint recall, changed cooling fan and pump, one headlamp fogged up, and had to have the radio changed. That's it, fortunately few problems, minor ones (except the fan which was a week after I bought the car and has not returned). I have no vibration, windows crashing (yet?), or any of the other problems some have had.
So, if you're reading the board looking for reliability info, some of us have had pretty trouble free experiences, some have had problematic cars. Judge for yourself, and buy a long warranty.