00 Continental performance

[dsnider8818]

I just bought a 00 Continental. In researching it I noticed the 4V 4.6 is only rated 275 HP in the Continental, whereas the Marauder and Cobras were rated at over 300 HP. Does anyone know what differences there are in the engines that other models were able to make +25 hp? Also, Im sorry if this has been addressed before, I searched through the forum a little bit but didnt see anything.

[Dan Szwarc]

There is very little post-1995 Lincoln information here. We consider those "modern" Lincolns. The bulk of posts here are for "classic" lincolns, 1940s to 1980s. Sorry.

I recommend you try one of the other Lincoln forums.

[dsnider8818]

There is very little post-1995 Lincoln information here. We consider those "modern" Lincolns. The bulk of posts here are for "classic" lincolns, 1940s to 1980s. Sorry.

I recommend you try one of the other Lincoln forums.

Gotcha, thanks.

[TonyC]

Just to clarify something, we welcome Lincoln owners of all years, especially if they have knowledge to share with the Forum. However, the newer cars–because they were not the primary center of interest when this Forum was stood up–don't have a lot of support. It's not because we don't like them; it's just because they have not been considered to be salvageable antiques worthy of study and preservation/restoration until, like, the day before now.

If anyone has details to share, statistically or historically, we welcome input. For right now, however, we have very little to offer. If I were to harbor a guess, I'd say the horse differences were for the same reasons there were horse differences in the iron block the 4.6 replaced–whether you called it 302-cid or fivepointoh, it was the same engine...yet the application in GT Mustangs gave off more power than the application in Town Cars.

---Tony

[1Bad55Chevy]

The main difference is when you open the hood... if you pay real close attention you will notice something dosen't look right with the engine... its mounted sideways! Lol

Ok on the serious side the Cobra has a totally different exhaust, intake manifold, and performance tune. The sideways engine joke sounds stupid at first until you realize the Mustangs, Mark VIII, F150s had the 4r70w trans which is an awesome unit and is much stronger then the FWD trans axle in the Continental.

If your trying to make this thing run real hard I would scrap that project and start looking for a Mark VIII. The Mark VIII also has the 4 valve motor but is RWD. The real benefit of the Mark/T-bird of the era is the rear axle is the IRS 8.8 which is the same unit found under the supercharged Cobra in 2003!

[dsnider8818]

The main difference is when you open the hood... if you pay real close attention you will notice something dosen't look right with the engine... its mounted sideways! Lol

Ok on the serious side the Cobra has a totally different exhaust, intake manifold, and performance tune. The sideways engine joke sounds stupid at first until you realize the Mustangs, Mark VIII, F150s had the 4r70w trans which is an awesome unit and is much stronger then the FWD trans axle in the Continental.

If your trying to make this thing run real hard I would scrap that project and start looking for a Mark VIII. The Mark VIII also has the 4 valve motor but is RWD. The real benefit of the Mark/T-bird of the era is the rear axle is the IRS 8.8 which is the same unit found under the supercharged Cobra in 2003!

The transmission was my only concern when buying the car. I've heard the horror stories about the AX4 transmission. With that said it was too nice of a car and too good a deal to pass up. I'm not looking for a project car at the moment, but if I can make 300hp relatively easily without sacrificing reliability then I think it's worth pursuing.

[1Bad55Chevy]

I think it would just take time to fab up a different exhaust. FWD v8 cars are a total nightmare building exhaust systems for because the bank 2 pipe has to go underneath the oil pan.

If you could figure out a solid solution for the exhaust system you could always bolt a supercharger on that 4 valve motor. All the internals are the same as the supercharged cobra.

[blaroche]

I agree with 1Bad55Chevy, I think the main difference in power is attributed to the orientation of the engine and the use of a transaxle. Perhaps the Ford engineers determined the transaxle wasn’t up for the 300 plus horsepower. Oddly, our Aviator uses the same engine found in the Marauder and Mach 1 and is rated at the same 302 horsepower, but it utilizes a single exhaust vs dual. Perhaps they tuned the ECU slightly differently in the Aviator to maintain the same power output. Maybe a tune would be an option for you to get more power out of your Continental, but it might be at the risk of the transaxle.

[LithiumCobalt]

The limiting factor with this car is the transmission. It is a warmed over version from the Taurus that was barely adequate to begin with. Strap a marginal transmission onto a V8 and you're already pushing your luck with the stock 275hp. Agree with Chevy on this one. If you want a performance car with same engine, go with a Mark VIII.