Devin's 2017 MKZ

[DeviLSh]

Hi everyone -

 

Starting a new thread to track progress of the next/second MKZ for me. I had my 2014 MKZ since early 2017, thread on that car here.  Loved my last one, but once the 3.0T's came down in price, and I test drove one, the bug bit hard! I was still in love with the 2014, but really wanted to get into a new one if I could. I would give my 2014 a B+ as an overall grade, and it was a great car for me, but the 2017 I have now is an A+ for my taste, style, and fun factor. It is everything the last one was, plus more. After listing my 2014 for the 3rd time I finally found a buyer, and a week later got myself into a 2017. 

 

This second time around looks and mods will be mostly the same. This is my daily driver, but I will still be modifying it like I do all my cars! My goal would be to get an 11.99 or quicker while keeping it daily-comfy. 

 

Specs on the car: 

• 2017 Reserve - Magnetic Grey/Ebony Interior
• 38k, $26k OTD, CPO'd.
• Drivers Package, Climate Package, Revel, Moonroof 
• Came with 20% Tint, and Non Driver Pkg Wheels from prev. owner 

 

 

 

 

 

Initial Impressions:

My favorite part about the car so far is the power and attitude. It is a great definition of sleeper, and I am pretty amazed Lincoln made this car put out what it does. Very impressed with it, as is everyone I have given a ride to so far! I am really looking forward to how upcoming mods and enhancements will take this car to the next level. Second in line would be interior. I have always loved CF trim, and having a Lincoln with that "look" is just very different. Something I have always liked having in cars is a different perspective and uncommon theme. The seats, trim, and all black headliner to me are really well executed and give the car another hint of whats happening without being over the top aggressive. I am probably in the minority, but I do miss the slide controls, mostly because of the minimalist look it gave the interior. However, having dedicated buttons for HVAC and not having to go to the menu is nice. Other than power train, interior, brakes and looks - most of the car is the same. There is now a trunk button next to the 3rd brake light I guess. 

 

Future Mods/Ideas in the works:

I definitely learned a bit from the first car about what it needs and what to look out for. Thankfully, not too many things I did turned me off. So although I'll be paying twice, I plan on taking a very similar approach and doing some repeat mods this time around. I like to save weight where I can, loving how that affects a car's dynamics when done correctly. I want to add power but keep things reliable and consistent. And finally, this chassis is pretty underrated, so some suspension tweaks to take the Lincoln smooth out will definitely get me smiling more and handling the boost in power with more confidence. Here is a loose wish list on the car

 

Chassis:

• Upgraded/Light-Weight Wheels
• H&R Springs
• Steeda Sway Bars & Links 
• Front Strut Bar/Chassis Brace
• Front BBK w/ lightweight calipers and rotors

 

Performance:

• Engine/Trans Tune (SCT) 
• Cold Air Intake
• Diverter Valve Upgrade
• FMIC
• Catted Downpipes
• Custom cat-back (light sound, less weight) 
• Throttle body/Ported Manifold(s) 
• Temperature/heat management

 

Cosmetic & Appearance:

• Considering De-Chroming front grills, monochrome style
• Debadge rear emblems 
• Front plate delete
• Tinted front windshield 50%
• De-chrome tail light trim/red overlays
• Black vinyl the roof

 

Couple things already done on this list in my first two weeks, (thanks Black Friday!) and will be updating as I go! 

 

Thanks as always for reading

 

-Devin 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by DeviLSh
spelling

[DeviLSh]

First Mods - Small appearance changes.

 

1 - Removed front plate bracket and filled holes with some paint matched plugs, from bumperplugs.com

2 - Removed Rear emblems to clear up the back of the car. The ghosting was pretty bad, so I had to spend some considerable time on this buffing/polishing. Result looks good though. 

3 - Not pictured, matte black license plate frame with hidden hardware. 

 

 

 

 

 

[DeviLSh]

Some first purchases!

 

Breaking this up by post, easier to edit and reply to that way - Black Friday got the best of me, and I made some progress on the list of wants. 

 

Ordered GFB DV+ and an SCT X4 from Torrie, Sway/Strut bars, intake and hood strut kit from Steeda, took the plunge on some wheels for this car, and finally - got a great deal on a used UP FMIC from a member on the fordfusionsport forum. Just heard from Torrie though that my MKZ's ecu strategy is not yet in the system. Hopefully that doesn't become a headache, either way, I am still going to but putting the hardware on soon to to get the car ready for the added demands of the tune and driving. I can already get a sense of this car's torque management and heat soak tendencies. Back to back pulls is where it is most noticeable. 

 

Wheel Specs:

• Neuspeed RSe102
• Focus RS fitment, 5x108, 63.4CB, M12/oem lug compatible (need to drill these out to accept 2017 MKZ M14 update) 
• 19x8.5, et45
• TPMS compatible
• est. 20lbs per wheel ?
• Satin gunmetal
• Tires TBD, will be oem sizing, just cannot decide on type yet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by DeviLSh

[DeviLSh]

Steeda CAI & GFB DV+ Installed 

 

Not the first to run this, big thanks to Zalvern for some guidance here. Was able to get my CAI on last night and at about 95%. Still need to finesse fitment and clean up my heat management applications. But overall took me 2min to get the stock stuff off, and about 3 hours to get the new parts one. For anyone looking to do this, the fitment is super tight. Battery box prevents the Steeda airbox from setting in nicely. I choose to trim the front of the box, where it attaches to the oem scoop to shorten the length. I also carved a clearance section to prevent the box from bowing under stress. The downside of this approach is the IAT1 sensor gets very close to the front clip. I  barely got this to fit. 

 

GFB DV+ was a pretty simple install. Had to use two nuts to remove the oem hardware, as I did not have the correct socket for removing these. And the plastic diaphragm was a bit stubborn to remove, but all-in all, 20min for this. 

 

Some pictures! 

 

Before & After:

 

 

Close up of front box trim & clearance slot:

 

 

 

Trimmed upper corner for hood strut clearance:

 

Insulation to interior and bottom of box (may try some different things here after I get some drive time.) 

 

 

 

And finally - a picture of the GFB DV+ installed

 

 

 

 

[drolds1]

Early Christmas at your house, Devin. ?  I look forward to your reports. We have almost the identical MKZs and I'll live vicariously through you.  There's stuff I'd like to do but mine's leased.

[DeviLSh]

Darkstar/UP FMIC officially installed.

 

Took me about 6-7 hours (alone) on Sunday night to get this done. Used the fusion DIY as a guide, along with some tips from Zalvern via PM. (thanks again!) My MKZ does NOT have adaptive cruise, so its unclear if this would be possible on a car that does, the active grill shutters were retained, just cannot run the lower bolt on the wishbone bracket as it would rub the fins of the new thicker FMIC core. Driving impressions so far are great - car no longer starts to "give up" on a long pull, and back to back pulls feel the same, no more one-trick pony. Granted - it is cold right now in Chicago, so ambient temps are helping things. But my god this car rips..... I am somewhat perplexed in how a tune will make it even stronger. (and slightly nervous!) 

 

For anyone looking to do this, the job requires bumper removal. So a light walk through of that:

1) Jack up car, remove front wheels

2) Remove lower belly pan hardware - series of 20 or so 10mm bolts and 7mm screws

3) Remove fender liners. You can do just the front portion and hold them back to access bumper hardware 

4) Undo 4 8mm bolts that secure bumper to fender, hard to reach but no swivel needed

5) Remove radiator panel and upper grill hardware (10mm bolts here too) 

6) Remove 3 more 7mm screws and phillips fender light screws on each side 

7) Unclip DRL harnesses, main BUS connector near trans cooler, and grill shutter harness 

8 ) "pop" bumper off clips, grab a friend and unclip wiring pins. 

9) Once the bumper is off, you can remove the active-grill-shutters. A series of 10mm bolts around the perimeter secure it to the car, and three 8mm bolts keep the rear wishbone bracket attached to the front shutters. This is probably the most "difficult" or tedious part honestly. 

10) After this, you have full access to the stock core, it attaches to the car with three bolts, and rests on a bracket. Undo hose clamps and "Massage" the core out. Be careful to not bend the passenger side A/C line that is near the MAP sensor. 

 

Pic of stock core before removal.:

 

 

 

Picture of said wishbone bracket and where it attaches to the grill shutters - NOTE, position this behind the crash bar BEFORE you mount new core - much easier than forcing it in after the new core is mounted

 

 

Some comparison pics of stock vs UP's core. (garret version). Stock is 6lbs, UP's is 18lbs. Substantially larger, and the fins are more dense. 

 

 

 

 

Fitment to show AC line fitment, and my anti rattle solution ? 

 

 

 

Install the MAP, and hose clamps, make sure its all tight and good!

 

 

 

Re-Install grill shutters, see close up of no bottom bolt due to tight tolerance. (this part still clips in, so low risk of separation. 

 

 

 

Unused parts after install include: 

1 - Lower bolt for AGS and two lower bolts that secured bottom panel cover to grill shutter

2 - Side "flaps". I trimmed these to still use them up top, but there was no room for these air seals on the sides of the radiator between FMIC and rad core

3 - Lower radiator cover. You can still attach the bumper belly pan though, so not a huge deal. 

 

Looking forward to being "tune ready" now with the air and temp management being under control. Let me know if there is anything else I can answer! 

 

Final note - watch when reinstalling the grill shutters as there is some wiring by the passenger side headlight that can get pinched. after install I noticed my hood ajar light is on, and the hood is definitely shut... so I think i need to double check the wiring and see if something got accidentally cut. 

 

 

 

 

[Blackhawk]

Looks good, I plan on putting one on this spring.  I am in the Chicago area as well near Arlington heights.  Sunday was a really nice day out.

[Blackhawk]

Damn just noticed you scooped the IC up off the fusion sport forums, I made an offer on it but he said he was already dealing with someone.   I have a magnetic gray 2017 drivers package as well, cant wait to see how the wheels look as I was thinking for going with darker wheels as well.

[DeviLSh]

5 hours ago, Blackhawk said:

Damn just noticed you scooped the IC up off the fusion sport forums, I made an offer on it but he said he was already dealing with someone.   I have a magnetic gray 2017 drivers package as well, cant wait to see how the wheels look as I was thinking for going with darker wheels as well.

 

Did we just become best friends? 

[Blackhawk]

?  There are a bunch of Ecoboost guys in the area, There is a meetup at Great Lakes Dragway Apr 8th set up on Facebook.   Right now I have a tune from Torrie, GFB, and Steeda intake, hope to get an IC and possibly the upgraded XDI HPFP by that time.

[DeviLSh]

Awesome, great to hear. What is the FB group because I would love to join and go to GLD with everyone. Come spring we will have similar mods then, I am waiting on Torrie for a tune as we speak, they dont have my strategy in the database yet. 

 

Havent heard of the pump upgrade. 

[Blackhawk]

The new HPFP gives 35%(or 50% for more $$$) more fuel so you can run a higher ethanol mix.  When it's not winter I run a E30 mix tune.  I'm on so many facebook groups these days but these are the ones I would recommend.

 

 

Ecoboost Community (Home of the fastest EcoBoost 1/4 mile list)

Wisconsin SHO and EcoBoost Owners

Midwest Ecoboost

Lincoln MKZ Enthusiasts

Lincoln Continental and MKZ 3.0 - Got Boost?

[DeviLSh]

Thanks - I need to look into the EXX mix and setups soon, might be a great thing to consider. I am a newbie when it comes to WMI or any sort of fuel system enhancements. I have always just ran 93 based tunes and setups on my cars, so this is a learning opportunity for me. 

 

Joined the FB groups, thanks for the recommendations. 

 

Visited a friend of a friend today and got my new wheel's lug holes enlarged for accepting the MKZ's M14 hardware. Everything checks out ok, and the wheels fit perfectly on the centerbore. Fitment looks like it will be very flush with fenders, hopefully not too much once a tire is on there. At +.5" and et45, it is roughly about 13mm more poke than the stock 19x8 @ et55. My best guess is the oem wheel weighs about 29-31 pounds without the tire. So fitting these with a similar size tire should net me about 9-10 pounds less per corner. That should feel pretty good! Also, I think I am going to love this satin gunmetal finish on the magnetic grey. 

 

 

My Steeda front strut brace showed up in the mail last week as well, and install took about 30min (mostly because of having to modify the OEM hood support bracket). I was able to do what others have done, and unbolt the bracket, shift it forward by using only one of the pre-existing studs, and shave/cut off the corner of the bracket, on the upper/firewall side. This allows the strut to still operate at the correct length when the hood is closed, and allows the strut to clear the brace. 

 

Overall - I am pleased with the fit finish, and results of the bar. The car had decent bracing from stock, but anyone who has done one of these before knows that reducing flex is always good! The easiest thing to notice post-install, is the steering response and turn in. The car reacts quicker and sways a bit less. For $100, I cannot complain! 

 

**NOTE** - The steeda hood strut kit pictured below was purchased separately, and does not fit the 2017 MKZ. The brackets designed for the hood side do not line up with the oem mounting position. See my first pic of holding up bracket... I was planning on running this kit and deleting the stock bracket & strut. But was unable to do so. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TomV]

Looks good! I mounted mine like one of the reviewers on the Steeda site did. 

[Zalvern]

Boy, look at you go with the mods. Haha, nice job there and glad you're enjoying all the effort.

Hope it carries all well for you.

 

Oh and for the FMIC, it does work with Adaptive cruise control since my MKZ was fully loaded Black Label. That's the main reason I supported Dark Star's design. But it is more tricky to slide that cooler in without removing the radar box (otherwise you have to do the retraining ACC progress if the box gets removed). I forgot how I did it alone, but it was done somehow!

 

I didn't get to the Steeda Front Tower Brace Bar, but a clever work around you guys did. Had it on my old 2014 Fusion. The MKZ even with AWD, still is FWD based, so its helpful.

[Blackhawk]

Are there any benefits to the Steeda hood struts vs the MKZ stock one?   I thought the Fusion Sport guys did them because they didn't have them at all.  I'll probably pick up the brace as well.

[bbf2530]

4 hours ago, Blackhawk said:

Are there any benefits to the Steeda hood struts vs the MKZ stock one?   I thought the Fusion Sport guys did them because they didn't have them at all.  I'll probably pick up the brace as well.

 

Hi Blackhawk. No, there is no "benefits" to the Steeda struts. As you assumed, they are for Fusion owners (and earlier MKZ model years) that only had prop rods.

 

Good luck.

[DeviLSh]

hi! 

 

The car is now Tuned. SCT finally released my strategy so Torrie emailed me my tune (93oct) last night. Went for a 60min test drive, very pleased. I wish I had more details on what the tune changes, but from what I can tell - here are changes I noticed

 

- Shift points and feel, quicker and firmer. (this was the first thing the lady noticed too) 

- Throttle response and character. Car is way more eager to engage and accelerate. This was very welcome, Sprint booster may still be in my future 

- Added power/Tq. The best part right? 100 comes quick. The car squats on heavy load, and it just rips. breaking the tires loose from a roll is effortless and the powerband is similar to stock, just stronger throughout. 

 

Looking forward to more seat time - but wanted to check in, say hi, and report there is another tuned 3.0TT MKZ out there. 

 

Update on other stuff -

Looking into new tires as Spring comes near to put on the Neuspeeds. 

Ordered H&R Springs as well, I really miss the way my '14 felt on those, so I have ordered them and will be planning an install day in May/June most likely 

Scheduled my first Trans service - PTU and Trans (Car is at 41k and I am not sure what the PO performed) 

Any other fluids I should look into changing? Rear Differential? Brake Fluid? Any recommendations would be appreciated. 

 

Stay safe out there everyone

Edited March 14, 2020 by DeviLSh

[DeviLSh]

Hope everyone is doing well, small update for the MKZ.

 

- Got tires for the new wheels - Michelin Pilot Sports 4S in 245/40/19. Total weight is now 45lbs per corner, (12lb less than stock!)

- Also picked up black lugs for mounting and am working on custom center caps to complete the setup. 

- Cleaned and sealed the new wheels with some Matte-specific products. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Waiting for consistent warmer temps before these get mounted, but looking forward to the performance improvements and getting this cheaper rubber off the car. 

 

Ordered all new hardware, mounts, and oil change supplies from Tasca this week for both the Spring and Sway Bar install. Also ordered a new bolt for the cpe RMMI pulled from the last MKZ. Looking forward to getting all these things on. 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by DeviLSh
image link issues

[drolds1]

Got a "Page Not Found," Devin.

[Multitask]

Yup me too... though I don't care, can't do it...  ?

 

[DeviLSh]

Was just checking on you guys to see if you were reading - ?

 

my normal image link c&p was not working, so I had to use the insert media link option instead. 

[MKZMark]

I'm looking forward to seeing some time slips! How many Hemi Challenger owners are you going to piss off? ?

[DeviLSh]

@MKZMark - You and me both. Even if it is just ONE Hemi owner I suprise, that'll be a win. With how well this car gets off the line I think its doable. This past summer, when I had the other MKZ out for fun, my buddy and I met a really appreciative Challeneger owner that was ectastic about the cars we brought out (mine and my buddy's Gold Sportwagen running a 13.7). Cannot wait to get this car out there. 

 

Temps are more consistently high now, and with WFH - I had some time to get the new wheels mounted. The lighter wheel & tire combo feels great. Car is overall very responsive now, and lighter on its feet. The momemtum is most noticeable whel accelerating and braking. On top of that, these tires are incredible. I havent even pushed it yet, but can feel a major improvement so far with how sticky and confident the car has become. I no longer fight for traction in 1st & 2nd, but a nice firm chirp, squat and dip and the car is just gone. 

 

Next step is to get the springs and sway bars on, I think that will enhance the look even more. Waiting on some OEM hardware from tasca before I can get those installed. 

 

Enjoy the pics - curious what everyone thinks about de-chroming the widnow trim, mirrors, and lower grille trim. I kinda like the upper grille as-is and do not want to overdo the black out theme. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Izzy3906]

I think it would look good if you dechrome it.  

Would it be something you can reverse if you don't like it?

If you leave the grill chrome I would also leave the door handle chrome too.