Cougar & Probe - Ford's Aussie Orphans?

[XR5-Boy]

dude, there was 1 cougar there. ME. :P

[thearrow]

Oh!! That is so disapointing !!!

I am embarking on a crusade to raise the profile of this board.

What I have done is printed off the address of the site with an invitation to join us on a free web site and will leave a copy of it under the wipers of any Cougars that I see. There are two others "living" in my area that I am determined to get.

Can others do this as well, lets get some more people interested.

This weekend I am driving Sydney - Melbourne - Sydney so it will be a good test for the fuel consumption of my CAT now that I have the K&N filter on it.

Will let you know next week.

CYA !!!!

[Dshibi]

Good to see lots of enthusiasm regarding the Cougar following lately. But, I have to say it's not like we haven't been progressing in recent times.

When I started out there were basically two Cougar owners in this forum trying to get this space some attention, it had even been earmarked for deletion cos it wasn't getting used so much! We've gone from 2 to 8 or 9 in the space of about 18 months which I think is good.

There still is a sense of exclusivity so long as we don't go too far over 10 hehhehehe....

Let's not forget that I chased a Cougar across two suburbs to get him to attend an EFC meet!

Dan

[XR5-Boy]

LOL, now that's dedication! I've got my Uncle joining the EFC with his Cougar. Passing on the details onto him when i see him next! But yeh, i deffinatley agree with you Dan, we need to keep it very exclusive lol.

[CarTooner:-)]

Originally Posted by cpapashley

Anyway here is some info.
I think you will need the obdii reader to establish what is wrong.
Sorry it took so long cartooner.

Thanks cpapashley... sorry about my delay in reply... busy, busy, busy! ... Plus having the use of Ms.Tooner's : car has made getting the Cougar fixed less urgent... but she's starting to crack it now so must do something about Cougar soon...
Cheers, CarTooner:-)

[thearrow]

Did my big trip Sydney - Melbourne - Sydney on the weekend and had a great time.

My CAT is an auto so we were pretty much running on cruise control most of the way. my fuel consumption running on regular unleaded was between 8 & 9/L per 100K. Not to shabby for a V6 running at 110 K/H. I got a surprise when it kicked down a gear going up a hill whilst on cruise for the first time but then I worked out that if I turned the overdrive off at the bottom of a hill it would hold in top gear all the way to the crest of the hill and then back into overdrive on the way down.

I also found that on the way down if the overdrive was off it felt like the cars computer was trying to retard the ignition to slow the engine but when overdrive was on it would let it run.

My maximum speed on a straight stretch of dual carriageway in the middle of nowhere was about 180 K/H (I couldn't help myself) but ran out of road. Never the less she was really howling jeez it was great !!!

Had my two kids with me and both of them managed to sleep in the back at one time or another even with the cramped conditions.

It was interesting as the closer we got to Melbourne on Friday the hotter it got (max temp in Melb. last weekend was 38C) and this affected the fuel consumption in that it went over 8.5 but on the way back on Monday as the temp dropped in the evening because of thunderstorms between Golburn and Sydney the fuel consumption dropped to under 8L/100K.

On Sunday I was at a BBQ and these two women came rushing up to me wanting to know all about the car as they had never seen one before, it was funny, as they were telling everybody else to go and check it out.

The guy I was staying with owns a GT40 so he was a bit HO,HUM about the whole thing a bit of V8 snobbery I guess.

Where do I send my $30.00 for my shirt ???

[XR5-Boy]

Good to hear u had a great trip! I haven't taken my Cat on the open road yet, but on the freeway i get about 7ltr/100. Mine is auto also, but i'm running United PlusULP (95 with Ethanol). Runs smooth as anything on the stuff

And the bloke with the GT40. lol, V8 is nice and everything, but whose cost more to run?? ;)

[thearrow]

Cougar-Boy it is interesting that yours gets 7L/100 running on higher octane because when I bought this issue up on the NECO forum all the yanks were saying it shouldn't make any difference.

Lets take a mini survey, what does everybody else get on the highway?

[pcperfection]

Originally Posted by thearrow

Cougar-Boy it is interesting that yours gets 7L/100 running on higher octane because when I bought this issue up on the NECO forum all the yanks were saying it shouldn't make any difference.

Lets take a mini survey, what does everybody else get on the highway?

I'm no where near that. more like 12/100k according to the computer, been like that since I got it over 12 months ago, using garden variety ULP. Did Sydney - Newcastle run 2 weeks ago and checked 3/4 of the way home and it was still on 12/100k which is the same a city driving, but I do have a heavy foot

Mark

[professorsabre]

Originally Posted by thearrow

Where do I send my $30.00 for my shirt ???

Are you talking about these ones in this thread
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=84430

What colour combo would you like. They are avail in colour combination of Red, Black, Navy, Grey, White, Green, Maroon, Yellow & Purple.

I'll pm you details once you've decided.

Cheers
Angelo

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by pcperfection

I'm no where near that. more like 12/100k according to the computer, been like that since I got it over 12 months ago, using garden variety ULP. Did Sydney - Newcastle run 2 weeks ago and checked 3/4 of the way home and it was still on 12/100k which is the same a city driving, but I do have a heavy foot

Mark

hey Mark,

I would just check the operation of those o2 sensors, they may be a bit "lazy". Not enough to make the cel go on, but enough to run a bit rich. Even my MPV gets around 9l/100 on the open road.


thearrow, sounds like a great trip in the best looking v6 in the country imho. As for that guy in the gt40, obviously not a car enthusiast :

[thearrow]

Professor, I will have a Navy shirt size Large please.

PCPERFECTION, you should be getting much better mpg than that. Are you sure your indicator is working properly. I know the things are not "that" accurate but never the less it should be better than that.

Next time you go on a run check it manually and you will get a more accurate figure.

[Dshibi]

My current, and personal best fuel consumption is 11.2/100... this is after changing jobs and now doing consistent runs at higher speeds with less stopping rather than sitting in traffic everyday. When I first bought the car she was at 13.6/100. I don't know if PULP makes a difference, but I've been running on Shell V-Power/Optimax for the past few months. I hear BP Ultimate 98 is supposed to be better though.

It could just be traffic conditions your car is subjected to. Unless you're continuously doing runs up and down a clear freeway. I'm hoping to bring mine down a few more decimal points over the next couple of weeks/months but it has been a slow process getting to this point!

Dan

[thearrow]

I guess all these variations shows that the digital read out is totally unreliable. As I said earlier all the yanks reckon running on high octane petrol makes no difference as the engine is calibrated to run on 91 octane (in the US it is 87 octane). In fact the manual states specifically that running higher octane will make no difference.

I always use Caltex regular unleaded these days (get 4 cents a litre discount) and I get about 12.5L/100k but it is strange in the mornings even after it is running at full temp it shows 13.5L/100k. I have more or less convinced myself that the thing is totally unreliable.

I guess the only way to know for certain is to check it manually. I will try and this over the next week or so.

CYA !!!!!
thearrow

[Dshibi]

From what I've read from the three of us providing evidence, the gauges seem about right. From what I remember, the fuel consumption is only an average, so its never 100% accurate, but for you and Mark to be in the 12's, and me in the low 11's, we're all kind of in the same ball park. As I said, it depends what sort of driving the Cougar is doing.

During the week I enjoy a reasonable run into and out from work with minimal stops and cruising between 70-90. Last weekend I went into Auburn for some stuff to do, it was a hot day, and with all the stopping and starting it was no surprise the consumption went up - albeit very slightly.

I think we've shown that the fuel octane makes minimal to zero difference, though I do believe that 98 is doing much better for the engine than anything sub 95 or ethanol polluted.

At the end of the day, when she needs a drink, she gets one

Dan

[pcperfection]

I have done a reset on the read out today and for the first time (that I noticed) I could actually see the reading vary, will see what it settles down to this time, been on 12.1/100 for ages, even after a long highway run.


Cheers
Mark

[XR5-Boy]

Yeh, normal day-to-day i average 12.5 (auto). open road she's about 7. My uncles cougar gets 10's day to day!! not fair!

[cpapashley]

Fuel consumption can vary greatly depending on so many factors. But I do think that some of those figures seem a little high unless you do a school run like me that is only 5km away. This is really tragic for fuel consumption car not up to temperature, etc etc.

Just with the age of your vehicles it might be good to start a new thread and list out:

city fuel consumption
Highway fuel consumption
Oil in the car 5w30 etc
auto/manual
current kilometers


The biggest change to fuel consumption for me has been flicking off the standard exhaust manifold and putting on extractors. Makes a big difference.

Other than that the o2 sensors will be the reason some are better than others. These little items get very lazy and need to be replaced. You don't need to spend a fortune on them (oem are probably $200 each) generic four wire is around $120 each.

Also making sure your fuel injectors are clean/intake is clean etc makes a huge difference. All of the vehicles would be at an age where carbon build up might be harming performance.

Anyway enough from me. Just have found that having a thread with just the fuel consumption is is great for others as they look around on the board.

[thearrow]

CPAPASHLEY as I recall you had your exhaust custom made if you don't mind me asking did you have a complete system done ? Extractors, Y pipe, muffler etc. was it done in stainless or mild steel and what was the total cost ?

I am researching the local cost compared to importing a bolt on system from the US.

At the moment I am looking at a cat-back system only and then expanding it as time goes by but I need to make a comparison with someone.

Regards

[Dshibi]

Dave, I was going to get a quote the other weekend at a Carline exhaust shop, but the 'specialist' wasn't in that day so I missed out. I seriously think that a locally made custom would be better... and to go the whole system rather than just cat back?

Dan

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by thearrow

CPAPASHLEY as I recall you had your exhaust custom made if you don't mind me asking did you have a complete system done ? Extractors, Y pipe, muffler etc. was it done in stainless or mild steel and what was the total cost ?

I am researching the local cost compared to importing a bolt on system from the US.

At the moment I am looking at a cat-back system only and then expanding it as time goes by but I need to make a comparison with someone.

Regards

It is one of those elements that is very complementary it seems. I strongly believe that it is better to start from the front and go back, but of course you have to then wait for the sound effect :

I had an equal length primary and secondary (y pipe) made to the cat at a cost of $1700 (in mild steel),made locally (brisbane area) by CES

http://www.cesracing.com.au/

great bunch and would definitely go back.

If I had of known about the msds headers from america I may well have gone for them as they may have been cheaper all up, but bear in mind they are only shorty headers and I do think that equal length primary/secondary will get the best out of the 2.5l duratec.

As far as the rest of the project, because of the abundant space under the MPV, I will probably end of finding some second hand parts from either commodore ss/ford xr6 as their cats, mufflers etc are pretty good in a flow sense. A bit of "cut and pasting" and hey presto I have a full system.

With some recent research I have been doing it would seem the old adage of keeping to a 2.25 inch exhaust for the 2.5l engine after the tuned length primary/secondary headers is a complete waste of time and is actually stunting engine performance (yes even torque) so I will probably be going for 3".

I think what you choose to do will depend on whether you are after sound or subtle performance. The headers will make more of a performance difference all round whereas the cat back will sound good.

If you need anything else just let me know.

BTW where are you?

[thearrow]

Daniel, there is no doubt a complete system (extractors, y pipe, s/s muffler & exhaust) would be the best option but it would also be the best $$$$. I don't think you would get any change from at least $2000.00 by the time you had finished. This is a LOT of serious dollars.

From my research a cat-back will give an extra 10-12 HP which is not a bad gain for under $1000.00

I will almost certainly order from here http://www.trubendz.com/home.asp
as they are highly recommended by all the yanks and they ship internationally. I will then have the option of ordering the extra bits if required. I think I will go for the Magnaflow S/S system as I don't want it to be loud but stil want the HP gain. Price wise U$475.00 = A$610.00 plus shipping but I think they send it through the post and although this is slow it is the cheapest.

It's surprising but a lot of parts suppliers won't ship internationally and even if they do the price is ridiculous because they use international couriers. I would love to get a set of headlight covers that cost U$45.00 but the shipping cost was over U$200.00 just ridiculous.

For those that don't know I am in Sydney.

When can I get a T-Shirt mens size Large in blue or black. Where do I send my money.

[Dshibi]

Originally Posted by thearrow

Daniel, there is no doubt a complete system (extractors, y pipe, s/s muffler & exhaust) would be the best option but it would also be the best $$$$. I don't think you would get any change from at least $2000.00 by the time you had finished. This is a LOT of serious dollars.

No worries Dave... in the mean time, if I ever get around to getting a local quote I will fill you in on the details for comparison (if it's not too late!)

Good luck with it all, it will be good to see the results regardless... however, I'm still weighing up my options with the next thing to be done on my car.... and they're all expensive!

Dan

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by thearrow

Daniel, there is no doubt a complete system (extractors, y pipe, s/s muffler & exhaust) would be the best option but it would also be the best $$$$. I don't think you would get any change from at least $2000.00 by the time you had finished. This is a LOT of serious dollars.

From my research a cat-back will give an extra 10-12 HP which is not a bad gain for under $1000.00

I will almost certainly order from here http://www.trubendz.com/home.asp
as they are highly recommended by all the yanks and they ship internationally. I will then have the option of ordering the extra bits if required. I think I will go for the Magnaflow S/S system as I don't want it to be loud but stil want the HP gain. Price wise U$475.00 = A$610.00 plus shipping but I think they send it through the post and although this is slow it is the cheapest.

It's surprising but a lot of parts suppliers won't ship internationally and even if they do the price is ridiculous because they use international couriers. I would love to get a set of headlight covers that cost U$45.00 but the shipping cost was over U$200.00 just ridiculous.

For those that don't know I am in Sydney.

When can I get a T-Shirt mens size Large in blue or black. Where do I send my money.

You may be surprised at the speed of the post, we have purchased a number of items via USPS (us postal service) as well as a friend who gets his porsche car bits direct from america. 10-14 days via usps parcel post. Seems to be consistent no matter what the size of the item.

Just something to think about.

[cobrin]

Yeah I loved my ford probe, she died an awfull death, was a 21st Bday prezzie to me by me. If times could be changed I'd have left it at home that day and taken my girls Hyundai.

[Dshibi]

Originally Posted by cobrin

Yeah I loved my ford probe, she died an awfull death, was a 21st Bday prezzie to me by me. If times could be changed I'd have left it at home that day and taken my girls Hyundai.

Sounds like an interesting, but sad story. Do you have any info/pics of your Probe before her death?

Dan

[XR5-Boy]

Guys, I had a little run in with a Toyota Echo (not a crash so don't worry). There was this smokin' hot girl behind the wheel. Anyway, she decides to drag me....Having the ATX means my low end ain't crash hot, so of course the start was a bit sluggish. But i tell u what, she wasn't giving up. That P.O.S was screaming it's *** off (and I mean the car :P) She had the wheel spin going and everything lol. Lots of low end torque i guess..anyway, she changed out of first as i hit my lovely 3000 rpm and left her behind. It was hilarious!! I think she had her hopes up coz her start was so good lol. Should grab her number next time, looks like a girl i'd like o check out hahahhaaha

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by Cougar-Boy

Guys, I had a little run in with a Toyota Echo (not a crash so don't worry). There was this smokin' hot girl behind the wheel. Anyway, she decides to drag me....Having the ATX means my low end ain't crash hot, so of course the start was a bit sluggish. But i tell u what, she wasn't giving up. That P.O.S was screaming it's *** off (and I mean the car :P) She had the wheel spin going and everything lol. Lots of low end torque i guess..anyway, she changed out of first as i hit my lovely 3000 rpm and left her behind. It was hilarious!! I think she had her hopes up coz her start was so good lol. Should grab her number next time, looks like a girl i'd like o check out hahahhaaha

:hihi:

If your going off the line again, foot on brake, rev to 2000/2500 against the stall converter and see if it takes off better next time :sm_headba

[XR5-Boy]

Originally Posted by cpapashley

:hihi:

If your going off the line again, foot on brake, rev to 2000/2500 against the stall converter and see if it takes off better next time :sm_headba

AWWWRIGHT@@!!! I might take the traction off too I did in the uni multilevel carpark. Let's just say there's some tread around some of the corners!!

I don't want to over do it though. The car came with some mean 225 Michellins and they look expensive lol

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by Cougar-Boy

AWWWRIGHT@@!!! I might take the traction off too I did in the uni multilevel carpark. Let's just say there's some tread around some of the corners!!

I don't want to over do it though. The car came with some mean 225 Michellins and they look expensive lol

Not too sure how the traction control works on these cars, but often engine timing is involved/brakes etc so it would really bog you down from a start, definitely next time, press the off button and I think off the line performance may well improve