XR6TWolf

I'm still lurking in the Wellington area. The trusty BA is still going strong although I have been neglecting it and focussing on other projects for the last year. I've really gotten to a point where the appalling build and reliability quality of the BA has got me ready to change. Turbo - failed due to Ford dealers neglecting to change feed line filter during every service up to 100,000km Mixer shaft - no surprise there BEM - no cause found, just failed Rust in boot channels, repaired and already returning 2 yrs later. Being fair and considering what I paid for it I cant really complain however faced with the options within my budget I see it like this. FG F6 - is there any guarantee that this will have better reliability, build quality and most importantly, after sales service? Certainly not in my part of town for the latter part of the question. FG 335GT - every report I have read has suggested issues that are quite frankly unforgivable in a new car. FG XR6T with extra to spend on suspension, brakes and a little more puff - HA, try talking to the local Ford dealer about a new XR6T and they look at you like an alien and suggest a bloody Mazda. However, for roughly the same sort of money (give or take a couple of grand) I can have an 18 month old C63 AMG that has equal or better power output to a GT335, 5 times the build quality, bullet proof reliability and frankly over a 5yr ownership makes more sense. Sadly I can see with total clarity WHY the Falcon has reached the end of its lifespan - Ford have not the faintest clue what quality control, build quality, customer service are about. A couple of months ago I went to Manfield with a friend and did a good number of laps in his GT335. Fun car - then I was taken out for a few laps in a C63 and HOLY HELL. If I had just shelled out the coin for a GT335 I would have been in tears. This isn't all about power or speed, frankly I doubt there is much in it point to point> Lap times favoured the C63 by 4 seconds although the driver was no doubt a factor in at least half of that. But the Merc made it seem easy, with the windows up you hear the engine growl but there is almost no road noise, no fuss and everything seems surreal. Seriously guys, drive an FG XR6 (turbo or not, doesn't matter) now jump in a similar age C350 Merc and you start to understand that the Falcon is (for all it's likeable features) somewhat agricultural. In years past I would have argued that we should compare apples with apples but the truth is that an 12 month old C63 can be had for LESS than the price of a GTP and roughly the same as a GT.

Just thought I'd update this as I had a number of PMs suggesting various things. He managed to find a second hand cat locally for a mere $30. Had it fitted and INSTANT cure. What caused it to block is another matter. I have no idea if "it just happens over time" or there has or is another causal factor. Two PMs recieved suggest cats dont just block - I just sliced the end of this one tonight and I can assure you....they block! Were this my car I'd have happily headed to one of only two tuners I'd trust in this country, fitted a decent exhaust with high flow cat and tuned it accordingly. It wasn't mine and its owner is happy with factory performance as he has been for the last few years -- I.e. he didn't want to increase power, torque or anything else. I have to admit it is pretty shocking that when a cat blocks the owner is left with little option but to HOPE for a second hand one or spend rough enough to $2000 to modify a car he didnt want to modify simply because Fraud are happy to stick it right up their customers.

Might be cheaper to get a tune in Oz but over here in NZ it is still roughly a grand + the flash tuner.

A mate has a BA turbo that has collapsed the guts in the cat. The car is bog standard other than an F6 Airbox and K&N Panel filter and he has no intention of modifying it - he has had it 4 yrs so it's a fairly safe bet he wont be bitten by the same bug. So - the big question. Is there a bolt on replacement cat that can be used safely without the need to go to the expense of a flash tuner and tune? Ford NZ have quoted $3900 for a factory cat so that option is cost prohibitive. Any ideas or advice appreciated.

I'm with Erko on not adding bigger bars to the rear simply to "unstick it"....the thing was "stuck" in the first place for good reason. Camber has always worked for me...in the case of the BA I have gone beyong -3.0 to get it where I want it. Oddly I still get even tyre wear Other often forgotten things which have dropped my circuit times dramatically are decent wheels (read: lightweight) and trying to shift a little of the weight the BA/BF has sitting in all the wrong places.

Well I suppose it had to happen. The BA turbo died some time ago as a result of the pitiful oil screen setup from factory being clogged. I imported a brand spanking one from the sunny land of Australia and then stumbled on a second hand one here in NZ for $400. Too good to be true I thought but took the opportunity to leap in the FG and head 300km to take a look. Sure enough it was mint and had previously hung on a BF2 which had managed to attempt to drive on its roof at the hands of its 17yr old owner...a mere 40 kilometers after he bought it. Gee I wonder why Faced with a brand new turbo and one with less than 20000km on it I figured I'd be brave and fit the 2nd hand one along with new oil feed and inline filter and sell the brand new turbo. No problems selling that...one phone call and it was gone. Fitting the 2nd hand one however proved a nightmare. After skinning knuckles, swearing and losing my temper more than once (unusual for me when working on cars) I figured the next best option was to take the beast to a garage and let them do the dirty work. $300 labour later and the old girl is happy once again. Treated it to new oil, filter, fuel filter and the difference is quite astounding. I have to wonder how much power had been robbed with the old turbo as it progressively grew more tired. There is certainly no question that the 80k to (well more than 80k) sprint has become much quicker than it ever was before and that nasty little tc light just keeps flashing away merrily. So all in all a happy result, just got to rid myself of the partially siezed old turbo and consider what the best move is for the old girl now.

Boge have some pretty good quality gear. OE stuff on Euro vehicles. I still feel Bilstein would be a far better bang for buck solution if that quote was for shocks only.

Cant speak for how they go on Falcons but Mintex are anything BUT a leap of faith. I've used the M1144 compound in heavy cars for dedicated circuit use before with great success and the brand is well known throughout Europe with over 100 years history of producing friction linings. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again!

That is my point entirely. What is often measurable as truly miniscule runout on a rotor is magnified many times over. Talking to Race Brakes NZ a while back they also commented that a great many of the BAs they have done have had pretty bad glazing issues which wont be helping the issue. Obviously something easily sorted with slotted rotors.

I've fixed this problem several times. On my BA I founds a nice set of APs cured it and provided somewhat superior stopping at the same time. Pricey way to stop shudder though. I fitted a set of Znoelli slotted and dimpled rotors (front) and slotted (rear) to a friends BA turbo a few months back. Replaced front hubs at the same time as cost was not much more than a set of pads and considering the originals had close to 100000km on them it seemed logical. We went this way due to the lack of availablily off the shelf of the DBA product here in NZ and the inflated pricing compared to that in Australia. Since then the car has done 15000km including 2 track days, one of which had rotors glowing and it still stops dead straight with not an ounce of shudder. There are two things I think are too easily overlooked in the ongoing brake shudder conversations. 1. The weight of the Falcon means the standard brakes are inadequate. Add high quality rotors, decent pads and they will do a lot better. (In my view there is little point in bothering if you are not going to pay attention to the various suspension components that hold the whole thing together) 2. The vast majority of BA/BFs are now moderate to high km cars. I've seen 100000km examples with 20" wheels, lowered suspension, Bilsteins or better, DBA rotors and fancy pads yet nobody had thought to replace some relatively inexpensive suspension bushes. Try finding a 100000km BA with factory bushes still in place and take a long hard look....they will be rooted. Now think about it....if you are getting 0.5mm movement in an inner bush then the outer end of that arm is going to flop around like a cock in a sock. The slightest shudder or vibration is going to magnify. The other big issue I have found is the impact of big, heavy wheels. They may look sexy but they represent massive rotational mass and consequently cause elevated pain to brakes. I've seen two IDENTICAL cars...both factory spec, both one the same tyres, both with the same rotors and pads. One had cheapish 17 x 9s on it and could get no better than 4 laps before brake fade set in. The other had Volk TE37s, still 17 X 9 and could stay out all day without fade. Sure, it was probably right on the edge but it was the most graphic demonstration of the impact 3 or 4 kg of rotational mass can have that I have ever seen.