The Dirty Duchess...

[Duece McCracken]

I guess i should re-torque my lugs, and go do some brake boost launches tomorrow! Just to be sure.

[Duece McCracken]

Well, the festoon bulbs in my puddle lights are 170lm. The complete Vled replacement are 400, with a better housing.

 

So I bought them, lol. Won't have them for a bit though.

[CrackedDSM]

1 hour ago, Duece McCracken said:

 

 

I'm always on Sport, traction control off, lol

 

Well, i had traction issues on the 245 Geolandars. Then I installed the CPE rear motor mount.  Dramatically better traction after that, on the 245 Geolandars none the less.

 

So going with literally the best Sport All season tire made, jumping up to 275 width, while much lighter rims work against traction, this setup seems to just have tons of grip.  All with a much sportier ride from the stiffer sidewalls which is awesome.

 

Probably going with H&R springs, Bilstein adjustable shocks/struts, and an Addco rear swaybar at some point.

 

 

 

 

So the CPE mount really makes that

much of a difference? It’s the rear wheels that I break loose worse than the fronts. Wheel hop definitely occurs if I pin the gas on a low roll though so maybe the RMM is in order soon.  It’ll at least help the front wheel hop. 

[Duece McCracken]

44 minutes ago, CrackedDSM said:

 

 

So the CPE mount really makes that

much of a difference? It’s the rear wheels that I break loose worse than the fronts. Wheel hop definitely occurs if I pin the gas on a low roll though so maybe the RMM is in order soon.  It’ll at least help the front wheel hop. 

 

Yeah, motor mounts help get that power to the ground for sure. Eliminating driveline slop is always beneficial. Especially the engine/trans. Tightens up the front end too. Lots of gains here, including cabin noise/vibes. Which some people are super sensitive to. It's the mods only negative.

 

 

[CrackedDSM]

11 hours ago, Duece McCracken said:

 

Yeah, motor mounts help get that power to the ground for sure. Eliminating driveline slop is always beneficial. Especially the engine/trans. Tightens up the front end too. Lots of gains here, including cabin noise/vibes. Which some people are super sensitive to. It's the mods only negative.

 

 

 

 

Worth a try at least.  

 

 

But I'm honestly not worried about the NVH.  I've had a DSM with welded solid motor mounts and no balance shafts and 288 cams.  Lol. 

[Duece McCracken]

1 hour ago, CrackedDSM said:

 

 

Worth a try at least.  

 

 

But I'm honestly not worried about the NVH.  I've had a DSM with welded solid motor mounts and no balance shafts and 288 cams.  Lol. 

 

Its just one mount. Not bad at all.

 

My Focus ST is on full mounts, no balance shafts, 8lbs flywheel, and all sorts of chassis bracing. It can shake martinis at idle. Sets off my Edge's alarm when I start it, lmao. 400whp and just waiting on me finishing my motor build to take it to 650 plus whp. The GF wears ear pro in it, rofl

So im treading lightly with the Edge.

[CrackedDSM]

52 minutes ago, Duece McCracken said:

 

Its just one mount. Not bad at all.

 

My Focus ST is on full mounts, no balance shafts, 8lbs flywheel, and all sorts of chassis bracing. It can shake martinis at idle. Sets off my Edge's alarm when I start it, lmao. 400whp and just waiting on me finishing my motor build to take it to 650 plus whp. The GF wears ear pro in it, rofl

So im treading lightly with the Edge.

 

 

Man funny story, my 1G actually wasn't all that bad with the extra chassis bracing and such it had for the NASA rally's it was setup for even with solid mounts.  My 2G with all it's fancy double wishbone blah blah and almost no chassis bracing vibrated like it was designed to from the factory.  And 650whp in a FWD is gonna be a handful.  My 2G AWD made 647 way back when it was on the HX40 and even on DR's on all four it would iceskate when pinning the gas on the street.  I couldn't imagine FWD struggles.  Lol.  Gonna be gnarly from a roll though.  

[Duece McCracken]

1 minute ago, CrackedDSM said:

 

 

Man funny story, my 1G actually wasn't all that bad with the extra chassis bracing and such it had for the NASA rally's it was setup for even with solid mounts.  My 2G with all it's fancy double wishbone blah blah and almost no chassis bracing vibrated like it was designed to from the factory.  And 650whp in a FWD is gonna be a handful.  My 2G AWD made 647 way back when it was on the HX40 and even on DR's on all four it would iceskate when pinning the gas on the street.  I couldn't imagine FWD struggles.  Lol.  Gonna be gnarly from a roll though.  

 

 

A had a couple 2g, didnt mod them that much before leaving that platform. Lol, who would have thought the 2g would act like that.

 

Yeah it will be. the 400 I have now is super boring though. I dont have traction issues due to spool time and the fact that I built the car with high hp traction in mind makes it super enjoyable, but still too slow. If the 650 plus becomes a pain I can always get a reduced hp map or two. May build the OEM motor for 550ish with more longevity, and swap the more built into another chassis. Either a Rossion q1 or a 15+ Mustang. Rather have the q1 of course.  Got it all worked out, lol

 

I wish Cobb had Accessport support for the Edge, SCT makes me cringe everytime I use it. Lol

[onyxbfly]

46 minutes ago, Duece McCracken said:

I wish Cobb had Accessport support for the Edge, SCT makes me cringe everytime I use it. Lol

 

Not sure what tuner you are going with but the majority of tuners who use SCT also can use HPTuner.  Not saying one is better than the other, as I personally do not have any experience with SCT. Just tossing out an alternative.

[Duece McCracken]

1 minute ago, onyxbfly said:

 

Not sure what tuner you are going with but the majority of tuners who use SCT also can use HPTuner.  Not saying one is better than the other, as I personally do not have any experience with SCT. Just tossing out an alternative.

 

 

Yes, I looked at HPtuners, and didnt like what I saw. I got so used to an AP3, spoiled the shit outta me. Now Im a tuning device snob. Lol

[onyxbfly]

12 minutes ago, Duece McCracken said:

 

 

Yes, I looked at HPtuners, and didnt like what I saw. I got so used to an AP3, spoiled the shit outta me. Now Im a tuning device snob. Lol

 

Hahah I can dig it!

[CrackedDSM]

2 hours ago, Duece McCracken said:

 

 

A had a couple 2g, didnt mod them that much before leaving that platform. Lol, who would have thought the 2g would act like that.

 

Yeah it will be. the 400 I have now is super boring though. I dont have traction issues due to spool time and the fact that I built the car with high hp traction in mind makes it super enjoyable, but still too slow. If the 650 plus becomes a pain I can always get a reduced hp map or two. May build the OEM motor for 550ish with more longevity, and swap the more built into another chassis. Either a Rossion q1 or a 15+ Mustang. Rather have the q1 of course.  Got it all worked out, lol

 

I wish Cobb had Accessport support for the Edge, SCT makes me cringe everytime I use it. Lol

 

 

Honestly if I did it again I’d build another 1G. 2Gs are great for mid 400’s and full interior/full street car because they handle great and high 10’s/low 11’s on street tires makes life a breeze. Once you push them though you start to see the “comfort and handling” has interfered with “because racecar” lol. 

 

My 1G was rock solid even with 500awhp. It would just straight get down, traction everywhere, you could tell they built it tough for rally stages. 

 

 

 

I do wish we had some better tuning options. I love the Cobb AP stuff for sure. 

[Duece McCracken]

On 12/2/2020 at 7:38 PM, CrackedDSM said:

How is dry weather traction with TC off on those tires? Dry weather traction for me is a straight struggle with a brake boost launch on my terrible 245 tiger paws. Those wheels look great too I must admit. 

 

Ok, so I broke in the tires some, and started getting into some brake boost launches. I get just a little chirp once in awhile. So traction is still very good, even with the 40ish degree weather here right now.

 

I'll beat on them some more, and keep this updated.

[Duece McCracken]

 

Well, got the Edge into limp mode today.

 

I merge onto a road, hard right turn, then floor it to pass a slow Transit Connect. Im doing like 20-ish mph. Engine revs up, then trans goes to engage, I get a hard shift and like a shift bang. Not really sure what happened.

 

All the warning messages pop up, engine is barely running. I limp it into the shoulder. Pop the hood, check underneath for rush of oil and coolant, lmao

 

It's all good looking. Hop back in, try to start it. Fires right up. Drives great for the rest of the commute home. Not really sure what caused the bang, but Im familiar with Ford Ecoboost survival measures, and last time I triggered a limp mode was wheel hop many moons ago in the Focus.  I'll try to comb over the edge, and taking it a bit easier until I can confirm I didnt snap anything. Drove great, no noises, nothing. So idk, I guess a trans fluid change is in my very near future. Well, All the driveline fluids.

 

Just hit 45,000 miles too.

[CrackedDSM]

That's crazy.  I haven't had it go into limp mode, thank God, but I have had it pull power out, especially when in sport mode and going WOT/downshift. It only does it when it's fairly cool outside(below 50-40's). So strange how that happens. Honestly what I've forced myself to start doing is easily get on the gas in drive so it downshifts gently, or just use the paddles and downshift myself and then give it throttle progressively.  Helps a ton.

 

Hopefully it was just a fluke though! 

Edited December 8, 2020 by CrackedDSM

[Duece McCracken]

Well, I surveyed the road when I went into limp.

 

Theres a kinda rough manhole right on the center dashes. Rest of the road is mint. So i wound up the trans and as it shifted I cut left into the manhole, which the ecu most likely registered as a huge knock event or something, and went into limp.

 

The Edge has been driving great, no fluid leaks, no sounds, all good.

 

Just a specific set of circumstances that the ecm decided to protect the engine after.

 

Im a little concerned about my new rims, it wasnt a big hit, but i need to really feel it out while driving. Everything feels the same, so its nothing crazy. I may swap the fronts to rears and see if I get any change.

 

Ugh, this is why I cant have nice wheels, lmao

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

yeah the roads are out to getcha!  even Xtra can't get away from these challenges when exercising his demon broomstick.

[NeuroBeaker]

On 12/2/2020 at 6:28 PM, Duece McCracken said:

https://www.vleds.com/shop-products/puddle-lights/ford-puddle-light.html

 

Sum'B! Full replacements. I may get these. I like my upgraded puddle lights, but the ford housings kind suck. Decisions...

 

Hey Mr. McCracken,

 

Did you go ahead and fit those VLEDs?  If so, how'd it go?  ?

 

You're now my Ford Edge Guru, so I'm following the stuff you're doing with great interest. ?

 

All the best,

Andrew.

[Duece McCracken]

13 minutes ago, NeuroBeaker said:

 

Hey Mr. McCracken,

 

Did you go ahead and fit those VLEDs?  If so, how'd it go?  ?

 

You're now my Ford Edge Guru, so I'm following the stuff you're doing with great interest. ?

 

All the best,

Andrew.

 

I just got them in the mail a couple days ago actually. Big backorder on them. I will hopefully swap them out soon. About to be a winter chill fest for the next week though. Not great for finicking with frail plastic tabs on the OEM lights, lmao

[Duece McCracken]

On 1/27/2021 at 4:07 PM, NeuroBeaker said:

 

Hey Mr. McCracken,

 

Did you go ahead and fit those VLEDs?  If so, how'd it go?  ?

 

You're now my Ford Edge Guru, so I'm following the stuff you're doing with great interest. ?

 

All the best,

Andrew.

 

 

Well Andrew...

 

 

 

They are very bright. Camera auto dimmed as much as it could, lol.

 

You'll need some disposable gloves, a heatgun or lighter for heat shrink, an electrical joint compound or dielectric grease.

 

They attach with 3m tape, and have a primer for the plastic. You have to use their adapter and heat shrink it to the oem female ends.

 

Popping out the OEM puddles sucks. You need a small flat to actuate the retaining tab, and gently pry the light down a bit on that side while the tab is depressed. Then work on the complete opposite side with the small flat head to pop the light out of it's hinge/stationary pivot side. The puddle lights have very very frail retaining clippy tab guys. So be real careful.

 

I had some corrosion on my factory terminals. I should have really cleaned them up, but I got lazy. So I may have to get back in there if the passenger side stops working.

 

Also, when you finally go to stick them to the sideview, favor the REAR of the vehicle as much as possible. You can kinda see a little lip action in the front in my pics. I was able to eliminate this on the passenger side by holding it to the rear while sticking.

 

Already hosed them down at the car wash, they are working great.

[Duece McCracken]

 

 

Uniden R7, I drive too fast in my edge, needed something to keep me out of trouble. Super fantastic RD. With the latest firmware and proper programming, I have yet to experience any blind spot monitoring false alarms. Unlike my older Escort Redline, lol

 

Overall, extremely happy with it. Technology has come quite far since I last bought one, in 2015.

[circatee]

Loving all the updates you have done to your car, Mr McCracken; like Andrew said

 

Curious, in a very early photo, you remove the awful front license plate holder. How did you accomplish this? I seriously would love to have this done on mine (2020 EDGE ST).

Not sure why Dealers and the like, insist on installing these for states that do not require them.

 

Thanks 

[Duece McCracken]

1 hour ago, circatee said:

Loving all the updates you have done to your car, Mr McCracken; like Andrew said

 

Curious, in a very early photo, you remove the awful front license plate holder. How did you accomplish this? I seriously would love to have this done on mine (2020 EDGE ST).

Not sure why Dealers and the like, insist on installing these for states that do not require them.

 

Thanks 

 

Drill bit, drill out the rivet, carefully. Not too much pressure. Just enough.

 

thank you for reading!!

[NeuroBeaker]

On 3/14/2021 at 5:58 PM, Duece McCracken said:

 

 

Well Andrew...

 

 

 

They are very bright. Camera auto dimmed as much as it could, lol.

 

You'll need some disposable gloves, a heatgun or lighter for heat shrink, an electrical joint compound or dielectric grease.

 

They attach with 3m tape, and have a primer for the plastic. You have to use their adapter and heat shrink it to the oem female ends.

 

Popping out the OEM puddles sucks. You need a small flat to actuate the retaining tab, and gently pry the light down a bit on that side while the tab is depressed. Then work on the complete opposite side with the small flat head to pop the light out of it's hinge/stationary pivot side. The puddle lights have very very frail retaining clippy tab guys. So be real careful.

 

I had some corrosion on my factory terminals. I should have really cleaned them up, but I got lazy. So I may have to get back in there if the passenger side stops working.

 

Also, when you finally go to stick them to the sideview, favor the REAR of the vehicle as much as possible. You can kinda see a little lip action in the front in my pics. I was able to eliminate this on the passenger side by holding it to the rear while sticking.

 

Already hosed them down at the car wash, they are working great.

 

Thanks so much, that's a terrific write-up and I appreciate your installation advice! ?

 

All the best,

Andrew.

[enigma-2]

On 3/14/2021 at 7:04 PM, Duece McCracken said:

 

 

Uniden R7, I drive too fast in my edge, needed something to keep me out of trouble. Super fantastic RD. With the latest firmware and proper programming, I have yet to experience any blind spot monitoring false alarms. 

This is somewhat unrelated, but high-end radar detectors are almost completely unavailable wirldwide. (Custom chip shortage).

 

Dealers are now saying that they're being told that it could be six months to a year before they have stock. (Seems hit or miss, with big dealers still having or getting stock).