Brennan

First pass on a drag strip in the 2017 MKZ Drivers package... 12.662 @ 109.46 mph. Only had time for one pass. Livernois 91 tune, yes just the 91 tune... no 93 near me ? Michelin Pilot Sport 4's all round Steeda modded intake Ultimate Performance Rear Motor Mount for wheel-hop control Exhaust cutouts open to reduce rear muffler back-pressure Track prep was not great as most cars were spinning significantly. The best a new BMW M4 was getting on that track prep was 13.3 and a fire-spitting Supra was pulling 12.62. I brought the MKZ up against the torque converter to about 50% throttle just before launch to get the turbos spinning. I was scared WOT would wheel-hop. I probably could have gone WOT if the track prep was better to get the boost up even higher for launch. I shifted at about 5800 rpm in first and second as I was worried I was going to get wheel-hop like I do on the street. Didn't get any wheel-hop though. With good track prep, the Ultimate Performance Intercooler and Transmission Mount for a WOT launch, a larger Throttle Body, the GFB DV+ to hold the boost, the 93 tune and fuel, and shifting later... I think this sleeper just might squeak into the 11s! Anyone gone better than 12.5 yet?

Front and rear, that way the brake balance is retained. Hopefully you've got some value out of my research and trial-and-error!

For what it's worth, the brakes on this car, with just those two mods, are insane. I hammered out 160 km/h to 60 km/h braking runs 9 times back to back at night, and stuck a GoPro on the driver's side front fender. The video shows the eighth hard brake application. Still no sign of brake fade... But those sparks are worrying as they could damage my rims. If only the OEM brake rotors did not have backwards brake vent locations where the rotor intake is on the wheel side not the spindle side... Otherwise brake ducts could eliminate the sparks from excessive heat soak. New rotors? ? MKZ Red Hot Brakes_1.mp4

How did the intercooler change the power levels by your butt-dyno? Noticable difference?

So last Saturday I had some time and swapped the OEM rubber brake lines to the Steeda lines mentioned above. Seeing as I had to bleed the brakes, I flushed the OEM brake fluid with new Motul RBF600 fluid through each caliper's bleeder valve. Process is simple. I did some low speed braking to ensure everything was back to normal operation. No leaks. Today I took the car out for some high speed runs. Braked from 200-100 km/h (120-60 mph) six times back to back. First stop was perfect. Second stop fine with a bit of thump. Third stop was fine again, same amount of thump. Fourth, fifth, and sixth stops were all fine, zero brake fade, but some small increase in brake thump. Full stopping power still... As I slowed from the sixth stop, I could smell hot brakes. ? I drove for a while to let them cool down to normal operating temperature. So there you have it. Fluid and lines to reduce the thumping and eliminate the fade. Never out-drive your #2017driverspackage MKZ brakes' thermal capacity again!

I've put 275/35r19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires on the OEM rims and a rear motor mount, but the car still spins at redline in 1st gear. You are hearing the car engaging the rev limiter due to this tire spin at redline. If the car is cold, and you shift under power from 2nd to 3rd, you get a DSG-like burp noise too. I have never heard a North American luxury car sound quite like it!

No switch, just remote key fob buttons to open and close cutouts.

You can see the blue vacuum lines, they go from each cutout to merge into one line, then the vacuum pump is in my trunk beside the spare tire. Open cutouts add enough rumble and pop to make it fun, definitely not obnoxious levels of sound.

So I finally got around to installing my exhaust cutouts on my 17 3.0 Driver's Package Z, and now it has the rumble it deserves at the push of a button. Sounds a bit exotic if you ask me... Check this link for an audio file of it shifting at WOT: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3fbz9fwoghlu25w/2017 Lincoln MKZ Tuned with Cutouts.mp3?dl=0 The best thing about it is if you want a quiet car again, just push the remote button and silence! I'll upload some pics if anyone is interested.

Currently I am running stock brakes (345mm rotors) on my 2017 Lincoln MKZ 3.0 as I wait for my above parts to arrive. I occasionally slow down from high speeds (220km/h down to 100km/h). First slowing is perfect with tons of brake power. But then all goes interesting on the second slowing (30 second cooldown, reacceleration to 220). On depressing the brake pedal, I immediately experience brake pedal pulsing and what feels like rotor warping, with lots of thumping sounds. But no fade. On the third slowing, louder thumping and major fade. Hardly any slowing power. As above, I have ordered and shortly plan to swap to Red Stuff pads to increase thermal stability at high temperatures, and increase pad aggressiveness at slower speeds as I have to depress the pedal quite a bit to gain any decent stopping power. I realize this may increase rotor/fluid temperatures even further. I plan to use the existing stock rotors as they are in great shape. I also am going to be installing the Steeda lines when I install the pads to reduce pedal squishiness, etc. After going to this work, I could still run OEM fluid but am questioning myself. My question is, has anyone run Motul RBF 600 in their MKZ? Any high speed gains on brake system temperature stability? Does anyone recommend against running RBF 600? Any other recommendations? Any other tips or tricks for this situation?