Happy with the X and Boat!

[TIO M]

"i'm on a mission now!"

Well I sent SCT an email if they were interested in doing a tune for the Explorers, I didn't get any responses. They are in Orlando to so it would be worth it for me to go up there for this. So I'll call them directly on Monday, let me know when and if you decide to go to Steeda.

Today I experimented. I cruised controlled it on 60 mph heading north on the Turnpike and I got 27mpg hwy....which is damn good.

First I'm swithcing to fully synthetic and measure from there... then on to the rest of the mods.

If I add the intake and it gives me an additional 2mpg and the exhaust afterwards and say I can get atleast another 1mpg I would be happy.

MY GOAL is 30mpg on the highway. Which is very doable and hopefully by my math I get a steady 15mpg on the highway when towing.

"I'M ON A MISSION NOW!"

cool, would like to hear the dyno numbers before and after.

i called steeda since they are down here and i had used them in the past installing a vortech in my 97gt. i am surprised they have nothing planned for the explorer cause I would have loved to use those guys again and hoping they would make a catback.

i like the looks of the cgs... i just wonder if the tips are rolled at the edge? i kinda like that finished look if so. hoping magnaflow comes out with something soon.

But I was just thinking lately... when I took the pic below I had thought a catback would definitely give more power because of that massive pinch in the tube depicted... but a cat back is not going to replace that part... only after the second set of cats. that restrictive kink will still be there.

what i am thinking is having a shop replace the middle section... keep the factory headers and fab a new 4 cat system using high flow cats and attach to the factory mufflers... i think the gains would probably be the same but give a more quiet factory sound. you;d probably loose an inch of ground clearance by not pinching the tube under the crossmember. but i dont plan to go offroad anyways and clearance should be about the same as most cars.

i say 4 cat system because i imagine 4 cats will keep the system from throwing codes and not require tuning... but if a 2 cat system can do it and also keep it odor free then all the better... and cheaper.

maybe someday i'll stop by steeda and toss them my ideas and see what they say.