Nate and I spent a couple hours the other night mind melding with my DSM ECU via the GM translator. We were trying to get her to give up the goods. It sucks when you know they are there and it just seems like you're trying to solve a Rubic's cube with alternating colors. Alas.... we finally find the perfect combination of fuel, knock (yeah you heard right) and what ever timing the ECU will give up at 18psi. In the night air the Talon is pulling HARD all the way to 7K! Satisfied with our victory over the fickle DSM we call Spy to share in our intent to abuse the re-found power. He's not available for the fun, so Nate and I head to town on our own. Being an odd night, we find there is little action to hustle.

After a while we found a friend and decided to chat at the Will.. gas station. As we shot the breeze about bad movies and the like, my attention was drawn to a new gleaming black Ford Lightning that slowly prowled the parking lot road looking for victims. Nate and I looked at each other, nodded and bidded fairwell to our friend.

We got turned around as fast as my spooled driveline would allow and headed toward the Lightning's last visible location. ...nothing...he was no where in sight. Undetered we make a guess and take a left. After a few miles of normal driving I spot some distinct tail lights. closing the distance between, the unmistakable beauty of the black Lightning becomes obvious. Our new predator/foe graciously slides over into the slow lane to make room. I release the gas pedal making our presence known with the gurgling of my raunchy rice exhaust. Both our eyes are pearing into the drivers window and we get a 'Oh WTF are you pions looking at' glare from the mighty Lightnings pilot. Intent on pushing this guys buttons, I ride side by side with third gear rapping out to an obvious length.

Low-n-behold the MRC gods blessed us with a yellow and red traffic light. My intent was again made obvious by the exhaust roaring down shifts, as we made our approach. Both of us were within 10 ft. of the stop line, rolling side by side as the light turned green... I waited a split second to see if he would make the jump, without any provocation I flatened the go pedal in first gear. Our 'foe' now fully engaged his supercharged 5.4 Liter V8 with malliscious intent. I eaked out a half car lead in first. Once I slammed second we pulled an additional half of a car. Then third was applied just as quickly throwing us another half to full car length away from his screaming Ford! With the next intersection approching quickly and a feeling of a secure lead, I lit up the brake lights for our new loser. Applying the binders quite agressively, the tires chirpped a few times, but I didn't see the black monster anymore. A query to the co-pilot revealed that the intrepid Lightning pilot fled the scene of his embarrasment in a hurried right hand turn...

Heh heh...I know that Lightnings are still trucks, but that was an awesome race and beating a 13 second vehicle without the benefit of an AWD launch is pretty sweet on a pump gas fed 4-banger with 18psi, and some good tuning!

That was an awesome kill. Just what we needed to put the tuning to the test.

wErd


so what is your knock reading?

The knock is currently running in the teens-20's in first and second gear at WOT, and in the 30's in third and forth at WOT. Keep in mind this includes a healthy dose of injected water to even keep it down to these levels.

You know what they say...It always seems to be running it's best right before it blows up. So I've made it my goal to find and run on this rather unforgiving but potent ragged edge of destruction because it's so much more powerful than being conservative. I mean hey...the performance is why I have this car instead of a slow gorcery gettin daily driver.

Well that and I like working on cars...

Are you talkin' to me?... You talkin' to ME!?

Wow...the detail and enthusiasm implied in your story resembles another member on this forum that types novel-like kill stories.

That's a compliment, by the way.

GOOD KILL

Heh heh...No I'm not refering to your Mitsubishi breakin', mountain road carvin' Focus.

Thanks for the compliments buddy!

That's the only way to do it when you're running that fast on the stock turbo and stock IC. And I do mean fast. With the quick spoolup of the 14b you feel like you're talking off in an F-16, wide-open afterburner. I think we finally found the consistent state of tune that your car has been waiting for (or maybe dreading).

Thanks Buddy! Hmmm...sounds like a DSM owner that is awefully secure with his own performance levels. I wonder what's up your sleeve...

Nothing at all. Just happy with our tuning results.