ilmore vs merc.

[milkmoney]

a few questions on what package you get or you chose or you dont have a choice..
1. when you bought your boat, were you given a choice of which you could have.
2. if not, why?
3. are manufactures contracted with either marine engine manufacture.
4. if yes to # 3, why is ilmore not more aggresive in the smaller boat(21-27) size..
5. if no to # 3, then why does everybody jus go with merc.
6. when i purchased my boat i could upgrade from the 496 to 525 etc, but it was only merc. motors...

i have seen ilmore in the bigger cats and know of a few that have or do own them. i am a ilmore fan and also like merc as well, if we have so many or did boat manufactures to choose from, why not have all three to choose from, that would be merc, ilmore and volvo..

i know volvo doesnt belong in the said boats above..they have their purpose and place. i understand that..

would it have been wrong to put a ilmore in most members boats here, again (21-27) v- bottoms, why not have a 6.0,6.2 or 7.4lt ilmore in a 24' schiada, they have a 496 merc in them.. what about a 625,725 ilmore in a new bitchen 27 speedster from elimantor...?

respectfully yours, no look dave...

 

[BMABITY]

When I built my F29 with a single 700Sci (Merc) and not an ilmor, I wanted Merc power because of past experiance with their products and I wanted the NXT drive. I knew because of the size boat I was building the Bravo style drive was not going to cut it.

I also have the Volvo 5.7 Penta package in my Tritoon and love it.

 

[Joker]

a few questions on what package you get or you chose or you dont have a choice..
1. when you bought your boat, were you given a choice of which you could have.
2. if not, why?
3. are manufactures contracted with either marine engine manufacture.
4. if yes to # 3, why is ilmore not more aggresive in the smaller boat(21-27) size..
5. if no to # 3, then why does everybody jus go with merc.
6. when i purchased my boat i could upgrade from the 496 to 525 etc, but it was only merc. motors...

i have seen ilmore in the bigger cats and know of a few that have or do own them. i am a ilmore fan and also like merc as well, if we have so many or did boat manufactures to choose from, why not have all three to choose from, that would be merc, ilmore and volvo..

i know volvo doesnt belong in the said boats above..they have their purpose and place. i understand that..

would it have been wrong to put a ilmore in most members boats here, again (21-27) v- bottoms, why not have a 6.0,6.2 or 7.4lt ilmore in a 24' schiada, they have a 496 merc in them.. what about a 625,725 ilmore in a new bitchen 27 speedster from elimantor...?

respectfully yours, no look dave...

Are u making the move?

 

[Mrdeadair]

I thought Lee put an Ilmor in that carbon fiber 24 schiada but I might be wrong.

 

[pronstar]

When I built my F29 with a single 700Sci (Merc) and not an ilmor, I wanted Merc power because of past experiance with their products and I wanted the NXT drive. I knew because of the size boat I was building the Bravo style drive was not going to cut it.

Did you consider an Ilmore w/Indy drive for your DCB?

 

[2FORCEFULL]

Are u making the move?

i thought he all ready made the mooo..ve

 

[fmo24]

i thought he all ready made the mooo..ve

 

[throttle]

ever heard of length/rpm ratio?

the price of an Ilmor motor and drive would have been as much as your brand...

 

[mjc]

I think most manufactures got a better deal the more they ordered and when you put smaller stuff in most boats it helps with the deal on the big stuff. they use more 350's and 496's than the bigger stuff.

 

[2FORCEFULL]

ever heard of length/rpm ratio?

the price of an Ilmor motor and drive would have been as much as your brand...

 

[Froggystyle]

Coming from the perspective of a failed boat builder, I can only comment with regard to pricing...

The Ilmor package, base model (550), when equipped with an appropriate Teague/Imco drive was dollar for dollar similar to a 525 Merc, but lighter, more powerful and "tricker" in most aspects. It also was color-matchable and the new hotness. I also got great mileage per gallon, and a super cool sound. It also cost $15K more than a full up base model 21 Ultra at the time.... To add a 550 would damn near double the price of the boat if you added steering and the "normal" upgrade goodies.

I built a 28' instead of a 24' for this very reason... you can't get any money out of the smaller boats. By the time you get done adding the cool stuff, the boat was the cheapest part of the equation.

 

[milkmoney]

Are u making the move?

so if you ask a boating or motor ? you think i am making the move to another boat.hmmm

ever heard of length/rpm ratio?

the price of an Ilmor motor and drive would have been as much as your brand...

if i understand, if i wanted a ilmore in my boat it would cost more than what my boat cost, so either a slam or reality, not sure..

Coming from the perspective of a failed boat builder, I can only comment with regard to pricing...

The Ilmor package, base model (550), when equipped with an appropriate Teague/Imco drive was dollar for dollar similar to a 525 Merc, but lighter, more powerful and "tricker" in most aspects. It also was color-matchable and the new hotness. I also got great mileage per gallon, and a super cool sound. It also cost $15K more than a full up base model 21 Ultra at the time.... To add a 550 would damn near double the price of the boat if you added steering and the "normal" upgrade goodies.

I built a 28' instead of a 24' for this very reason... you can't get any money out of the smaller boats. By the time you get done adding the cool stuff, the boat was the cheapest part of the equation.

i dont consider you a failed boat builder, but thank you for your response that makes sense..:thumbsup


also tryin to add boating content..

 

[Uncle Dave]

Coming from a lifetime of Merc, and to a much lesser extent Johnrudes, I have always been pleased with my merc products. I like Merc, so it was hard to make the choice for Ilmor - after owning one can say for certain if you can swallow the dollars is first class power.

Merc/they did not have what I was looking for when I built my 2750.

I wanted high HP high(er) RPM injected mill- I dont want a blower been cleaning up after blowers my whole life and I was done at this time.

When I bought the 700 merc would have "forced" an NXT drive into the kit which doesnt work well on my boat. I packaged mine with a Teague Platinum (beefed up Bravo 1)

I like the Indy Drive as well, but dont know if it has the differently spaced lowers available yet.



Uncle Dave

 

[throttle]

if i understand, if i wanted a ilmore in my boat it would cost more than what my boat cost, so either a slam or reality, not sure..

also tryin to add boating content..

do you really think that was a slam? not what I am here for, sorry thats just a waste of my time.

btw, since I would rather be here to help lets get the spelling right (Ilmor)... so the corporate guys at least think we are only half stupid.

 

[Uncle Dave]

1. when you bought your boat, were you given a choice of which you could have.

Yes - 100% whatever I wanted (I was advised heavily on what was proven to work)



2. if not, why?

Curious to see if other than used.

3. are manufactures contracted with either marine engine manufacture.

Sometimes, it's usually more subtle than that but its a sales game for sure.

4. if yes to # 3, why is ilmore not more aggresive in the smaller boat(21-27) size..

Its a tiny bit harder to fit a v10 in- if the mold is prohibitive then it can be pain to put an ilmor in.
Smaller boats suffer this more than bigger boats, that said many many guys have shoehorned them in.

From 0-hero in how many years? Hard to argue with their sucess, but they dont "buy" business from what I can tell. Roger Penske - dont need dat.

5. if no to # 3, then why does everybody jus go with merc.

Because their sizes and packages although excellent do not " fit all" .


6. when i purchased my boat i could upgrade from the 496 to 525 etc, but it was only merc. motors...

You should be given a wider selection of choices. Not every builder has a dealer contract with a major Manufacturer so they only do what they sell as a dealer.

The High end guys in So Cal can and have done em all.

The list usually goes "something like this"


Merc

Ilmor

And depending on where your builder is located these guys-

(West coast guys) Boostpower, Teague, Brummett, GT

(East Coast guys) Sterling, Chief, Young, Crockett, Potter, Zul,

- the custom engine guys (there are a few more) with real chops and experience.

Bigger shops pair a good deal on the drive and installs.
....and by far and away their last choice - is you bringing in your own usually half working half ready to install shit.


UD

 

[mariley85]

mind you, i haven't read the entire thread, but i saw something about small boats and ilmores and thought i could contribute.

here's a small boat with a v10.

 

[RiverDave]

I thought Lee put an Ilmor in that carbon fiber 24 schiada but I might be wrong.

They did..

I'd kill to have a 710 pkg in my 21 Schiada.. Be 90+ reliable mph and not tail heavy mph.. Maybe one of these days I can talk them into giving me one as a marketing boat..

Love that boat.

RD

 

[throttle]

mind you, i haven't read the entire thread, but i saw something about small boats and ilmores and thought i could contribute.

here's a small boat with a v10.

:bowdown: now we are talking! that is indeed a good reason. I am in, however my checkbook wont agree.

 

[Uncle Dave]

mind you, i haven't read the entire thread, but i saw something about small boats and ilmores and thought i could contribute.

here's a small boat with a v10.

Yes - and notice that it doesn't quiiiite Fit.

That Engine bay is glassed and sized for a BBC hence the stuff sticking out the front into the passenger compartment where ideally it would be enclosed.
Im not saying the effect they pulled off doesnt look cool- but if you wanted a fully enclosed ILmor V10 in that Rig it'd take some rigging.

This is another reason why you dont see a lot of retrofits and even original installs. (Well this and the price of these mills)

Tbulger - pretty amazing how these things can sip gas isnt it?
With your rig Id probably be in it all the time though.

UD

 

[mariley85]

i, for one, wouldn't buy an ilmor. this isn't really based on anything more than opinion, but they just seem gimmicky to me. i'm sure they're great, and it's definitely cool to say you have a/some v10(s), just gimmicky. but that's just my $0.02.

 

[coz]

would it have been wrong to put a ilmore in most members boats here, again (21-27)

Mastercraft moved from Indmar to Ilmor engines in their boats :thumbsup

 

[BMABITY]

Did you consider an Ilmore w/Indy drive for your DCB?

No, I did not trust the Indy. I'm sure the Indy works great but I wanted a drive with more applications floating in the water. The NXT so far has been stout, glad I made the choice I did. FYI, the cost of an Ilmor 710 with Teague/IMCO drive was more in cost by the time you add the standoff and full hydro steering, which the NXT has all built in, and the drives listed are not as dependable and can't accept cleaver style props. Plus the 700SCi from Merc is cheap to add some more HP and in my application the drive has handled the extra power with no issues. Yes the Ilmor leaves the transom much cleaner after a day in boating but to me that was not a major concern. Both products IMHO are amazing and well thought, it comes down to preference.

 

[pronstar]

Mastercraft moved from Indmar to Ilmor engines in their boats :thumbsup

Yeah but I think those are loosely GM-based like Merc so nothing really new there.
The V10 is their legitimate claim to fame IMHO.
Something different, and seemingly lots of happy owners so far.

 

[RiverDave]

i, for one, wouldn't buy an ilmor. this isn't really based on anything more than opinion, but they just seem gimmicky to me. i'm sure they're great, and it's definitely cool to say you have a/some v10(s), just gimmicky. but that's just my $0.02.

All aluminum lightweight high hp is "gimmicky" ? Lol

 

[coz]

Yeah but I think those are loosely GM-based like Merc so nothing really new there.
The V10 is their legitimate claim to fame IMHO.
Something different, and seemingly lots of happy owners so far.

I'm pretty sure they're is something new here

http://www.mastercraft.com/qai/parse/mcpower/

 

[BMABITY]

I'm pretty sure they're is something new here

http://www.mastercraft.com/qai/parse/mcpower/

Just another push rod LS series based motor. When will the single or dual over head cam come into place, iknow the twin turbo Merc stuff has it but why not others on NA motors. Taking the push rods out, for such applications like wakeboard boats with high loads, would make the longevity in these motors even better. The LS is a great setup and has proven itself many times, personally I would like to see something different though.

 

[Uncle Dave]

No, I did not trust the Indy. I'm sure the Indy works great but I wanted a drive with more applications floating in the water. The NXT so far has been stout, glad I made the choice I did. FYI, the cost of an Ilmor 710 with Teague/IMCO drive was more in cost by the time you add the standoff and full hydro steering, which the NXT has all built in, and the drives listed are not as dependable and can't accept cleaver style props. Plus the 700SCi from Merc is cheap to add some more HP and in my application the drive has handled the extra power with no issues. Yes the Ilmor leaves the transom much cleaner after a day in boating but to me that was not a major concern. Both products IMHO are amazing and well thought, it comes down to preference.

The NXT is a great drive for sure and shipped years sooner so I can understand why you'd have chosen it.

BUT It has more parasitic loss than the Indy (indy has 14HP of loss) and is rated to hold less power than an Indy so ultimately the Ilmor can stand by their claim it is a better engineered drive than the Merc.

Indy lands above the NXT and below the #6.

1.38 HP per cubic inch naturally aspirated and all aluminum with 600 hundred hours expected meantime before any service work the ilmors numbers flat blow everyone one else out of the water.

The Merc 700 is a GREAT mill, and can be made to produce major power, but at 250 + hours there are many on the boards coming apart for valve jobs (and you can hear the bitching for miles) and top ends as well as seem to have a string on computer failures. The more its leaned on the shorter it lives. (like anything else) Bottom line is that it flat out needs more work at lower hours than the Ilmor.

Uncle Dave

UD

 

[mariley85]

All aluminum lightweight high hp is "gimmicky" ? Lol

That's why I qualified my opinion


Sent from somewhere in the United Soviet State of Kalifornia.

 

[New to boating]

a few questions on what package you get or you chose or you dont have a choice..
1. when you bought your boat, were you given a choice of which you could have.
2. if not, why?
3. are manufactures contracted with either marine engine manufacture.
4. if yes to # 3, why is ilmore not more aggresive in the smaller boat(21-27) size..
5. if no to # 3, then why does everybody jus go with merc.
6. when i purchased my boat i could upgrade from the 496 to 525 etc, but it was only merc. motors...

i have seen ilmore in the bigger cats and know of a few that have or do own them. i am a ilmore fan and also like merc as well, if we have so many or did boat manufactures to choose from, why not have all three to choose from, that would be merc, ilmore and volvo..

i know volvo doesnt belong in the said boats above..they have their purpose and place. i understand that..

would it have been wrong to put a ilmore in most members boats here, again (21-27) v- bottoms, why not have a 6.0,6.2 or 7.4lt ilmore in a 24' schiada, they have a 496 merc in them.. what about a 625,725 ilmore in a new bitchen 27 speedster from elimantor...?

respectfully yours, no look dave...

Unless you are keeping the boat forever another question you should have on your list is marketability upon resale. Boats wth the Ilmore package sit, and sit and sit. There is esentially no awareness of the brand outside of the west coast. Mercury Racing branding spans not just the US, but the world.

 

[Uncle Dave]

Unless you are keeping the boat forever another question you should have on your list is marketability upon resale. Boats wth the Ilmore package sit, and sit and sit. There is esentially no awareness of the brand outside of the west coast. Mercury Racing branding spans not just the US, but the world.

I have heard from reasonable sources around the world (well us and Europe) that statement just isn't true.

Ilmor boats often sell at a premium to Merc powered boats (rightfully) and often times cheap stuff sells before premium stuff but they dont languish in showrooms because clients are afraid of them and dont know them.

The guys at Outlerlimits dont seem to have a problem moving them.

The "it wont sell tactic" is one to pull out when the numbers dont go your way.


Uncle Dave

 

[Uncle Dave]

Just another push rod LS series based motor. When will the single or dual over head cam come into place, iknow the twin turbo Merc stuff has it but why not others on NA motors. Taking the push rods out, for such applications like wakeboard boats with high loads, would make the longevity in these motors even better. The LS is a great setup and has proven itself many times, personally I would like to see something different though.

Because of the cost. I think DOHC's are cool too and would like to see more.

Will I buy one- not for loong time maybe never.

DOHC Marine engines are way less than 1% of the market.

Ilmor can design any engine to win anything from scratch- and build it in house. It's what they do and have done for decades and why they are so successful as an engineering company.

Its a business issue.

UD

 

[Outdrive1]

I've owned Teague, Mercury Racing, Ilmors, Peto and Boostpower. I've yet to have a failure on any of them.

Teague, Ilmor, and Boostpower will answer the phone for questions any time. Good luck calling someone at Mercury Racing.

Point being, any of the reputable builders can and will build you a reliable motor.

I personally like the attention to detail from Alexi and Ilmor. They both build pretty motors.

 

[milkmoney]

do you really think that was a slam? not what I am here for, sorry thats just a waste of my time.

btw, since I would rather be here to help lets get the spelling right (Ilmor)... so the corporate guys at least think we are only half stupid.

no i dont think it was a slam . jus givin you a hard time cam(crappy brand) take your medicine today..lol and yes i am half stupid thats why i put the "e" at the end of ilmor everytime...wow..

for the rest of the post, thanks for your info in regards to my thread..:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[Froggystyle]

Unless you are keeping the boat forever another question you should have on your list is marketability upon resale. Boats wth the Ilmore package sit, and sit and sit. There is esentially no awareness of the brand outside of the west coast. Mercury Racing branding spans not just the US, but the world.

Respectfully, there is nothing accurate about this statement.

And it's Ilmor... drop the last "e"

The Ilmor is a phenomenal package, built by engineers that get what it takes to make a motor live, and a client happy. From a builders perspective, the kits were flawless, and were packaged beautifully.

To "certify" a motor, they put it on a dyno, zip tie the throttle wide open, set the dyno brake for maximum engine RPM and come back several days (100 hours) later... That's what it takes.

The ones I have installed were extremely high performance, beautiful, bombproof and lightweight.

Nothing gimmicky about that.

Not to mention the company was an absolute treat to deal with, all the time. The slightest issue was resolved immediately, both before and after the sale, and even after I folded up they have been providing outstanding service to my clients.

Two thumbs way up from me...

 

[milkmoney]

hey easy on the damm spelling, i started that crap by puttin a "e" at the end. i will take the blame for that one...

i looked at a 32 dcb and it had ilmor (no e that time) package, which did not bother me. the person selling this boat said it would of been gone if it had the merc's in it. he stated people dont want ilmor, which i thought wow i would like it cause i thought ilmor was and is a great motor package..

which is funny , that is the boat that went back east. i think south carolina, where the owner was posting up some real good numbers with all his different testing of other props and adjustments to the drives. etc..

 

[Froggystyle]

he stated people dont want ilmor, which i thought wow i would like it cause i thought ilmor was and is a great motor package..

Opposite of what I know to be true from my now-removed perspective on the business.

They make great motors, and I would certainly consider an Ilmor (maybe start capitalizing now that you have the "e" thing figured out... ) to be a premium over Merc, with lighter weight, better looks, more exotic and better factory support.

Merc does nice stuff, but I haven't seen anyone opposed to buying a nice boat with either Merc or Ilmor. Doesn't seem to be a negative criteria either way.

 

[matt]

I've owned Teague, Mercury Racing, Ilmors, Peto and Boostpower. I've yet to have a failure on any of them.

Teague, Ilmor, and Boostpower will answer the phone for questions any time. Good luck calling someone at Mercury Racing.

Point being, any of the reputable builders can and will build you a reliable motor.

I personally like the attention to detail from Alexi and Ilmor. They both build pretty motors.

:thumbsup x2 it is nice to actually get the person that built the motor on the phone if you have any questions Alexi always returns your call and will drive up to your house or lake to tune or show you what you need to know.IMHO that kind of support means alot!

 

[milkmoney]

Opposite of what I know to be true from my now-removed perspective on the business.

They make great motors, and I would certainly consider an Ilmor (maybe start capitalizing now that you have the "e" thing figured out... ) to be a premium over Merc, with lighter weight, better looks, more exotic and better factory support.

Merc does nice stuff, but I haven't seen anyone opposed to buying a nice boat with either Merc or Ilmor. Doesn't seem to be a negative criteria either way.

i agree 100% i wanted to buy that boat with it jus for one reason it had ilmor motors...:thumbsup

edit: for the record i have a 496 merc in my sled, and i am not sayin anything bad nor tryin to say who is better or worse. my merc is flawless for 5 years straight..

 

[BMABITY]

The NXT is a great drive for sure and shipped years sooner so I can understand why you'd have chosen it.

BUT It has more parasitic loss than the Indy (indy has 14HP of loss) and is rated to hold less power than an Indy so ultimately the Ilmor can stand by their claim it is a better engineered drive than the Merc.

Indy lands above the NXT and below the #6.

1.38 HP per cubic inch naturally aspirated and all aluminum with 600 hundred hours expected meantime before any service work the ilmors numbers flat blow everyone one else out of the water.

The Merc 700 is a GREAT mill, and can be made to produce major power, but at 250 + hours there are many on the boards coming apart for valve jobs (and you can hear the bitching for miles) and top ends as well as seem to have a string on computer failures. The more its leaned on the shorter it lives. (like anything else) Bottom line is that it flat out needs more work at lower hours than the Ilmor.

Uncle Dave

UD

Yes the Indy does take less power to operate but I figured I could make that by upping the power, Whipple kits. Plus I would rather have a drive that can accept a #6 as a bolt on application if necessary.

My boat before the F29 had 8 years and 407 hrs. when I sold it and I felt like I boated often. For the amount of boating I do 250+ hrs., it takes time to get to so I was not as concerned about the maintenance cycle. I will agree that if you do not plan on making any more power in the future and you boat 100+ hrs. a year the Ilmor is hard to beat. But remember, the price of the Ilmor compared to the price of the Merc 700, at the time i purchased my boat, with the Ilmor you have already paid for the first (2) valve jobs on a Merc in the original purchase of the Ilmor.

Believe me UD, Im not arguing with you, I know you built your Lavey as a purpose built rig, and it turned out beautiful. I am just a SC guy at heart and I feel they belong in a boat and at the time when I built the boat the Merc 700 was my favorite/trusted route and personally I would make the same choice today.

On another not about the SC, I almost always boat in 100+ degree temps and I still definitely loose power with my Merc but I know the Ilmor or any NA engine would have been much more drastic.

 

[Uncle Dave]

Yes the Indy does take less power to operate but I figured I could make that by upping the power, Whipple kits. Plus I would rather have a drive that can accept a #6 as a bolt on application if necessary.

My boat before the F29 had 8 years and 407 hrs. when I sold it and I felt like I boated often. For the amount of boating I do 250+ hrs., it takes time to get to so I was not as concerned about the maintenance cycle. I will agree that if you do not plan on making any more power in the future and you boat 100+ hrs. a year the Ilmor is hard to beat. But remember, the price of the Ilmor compared to the price of the Merc 700, at the time i purchased my boat, with the Ilmor you have already paid for the first (2) valve jobs on a Merc in the original purchase of the Ilmor.

Believe me UD, Im not arguing with you, I know you built your Lavey as a purpose built rig, and it turned out beautiful. I am just a SC guy at heart and I feel they belong in a boat and at the time when I built the boat the Merc 700 was my favorite/trusted route and personally I would make the same choice today.

On another not about the SC, I almost always boat in 100+ degree temps and I still definitely loose power with my Merc but I know the Ilmor or any NA engine would have been much more drastic.

I totally agree with and understand the heat loss- the Ilmor takes a hard hit at altitude and heat that the Merc does not nearly suffer so much from.

I lose 5MPH in the summer - easy. Heat and altitude- 10 at least.

On the ocean though (cool sea level) Im getting full power and thats where I spend at least half my time - the blown 800's kill me on the high hot lakes.

Although I have no issue running this mill at High RPM for looong periods of time.

I also totally agree on soup up potential- its waaay easy to get another HP from a 700 Merc and the blown packages make way more torque- especially modded with a stage 2-3. the only known way to soup up an Ilmor is to take it to Alexi for a +100 HP rebuild (24K)or a (I dont even know) 850 HP blown V10 setup- both brutally expensive.

I dont agree on out the door cost - When I bought and based on what I can find out it was a wash at 650- to 600 and
710 to 700 were within a grand of each other.
The 725 Indy package seems equally competitive.

Not anywhere close to 2 valve jobs especially considering time and hassle.

I totally get why one would choose the Merc 700 though and think its an awesome mill- just a different set of compromises and choices as an ownership experience. After a lifetime of blower engines I was ready to do injected basic.

Good dialog BMABITY!

UD

 

[milkmoney]

bmabity and ud, great info, thank you..:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[Joker]

bmabity and ud, great info, thank you..:thumbsup:thumbsup

Youre welcome.:thumbsup

 

[plaster dave]

I am helping a friend build a twin engine cat right now. He decided to go with Merc because of the growth you can do later on as in blower or turbos.

 

[mariley85]

I am helping a friend build a twin engine cat right now. He decided to go with Merc because of the growth you can do later on as in blower or turbos.

That's another reason I'd go with merc.


Sent from somewhere in the United Soviet State of Kalifornia.

 

[Outdrive1]

If you planned on upgrading later, why not got with Boostpower or Teague? They can take their motors back, retune, add boost etc.. Why try and hack into a Merc computer where you won't find anyone to stand behind the motor?

I think if you buy Ilmor or Merc, you leave it stock. If not it hurts your resale IMO.

 

[Uncle Dave]

If you planned on upgrading later, why not got with Boostpower or Teague? They can take their motors back, retune, add boost etc.. Why try and hack into a Merc computer where you won't find anyone to stand behind the motor?

I think if you buy Ilmor or Merc, you leave it stock. If not it hurts your resale IMO.

As outdrive states - there is no "upgrading" a merc with support.
If you want an upgrade you buy a new one.

Id say Alexi at BP gets the nod on this one as he has a wider range of packages than Teague does.

UD

 

[pronstar]

If you planned on upgrading later, why not got with Boostpower or Teague? They can take their motors back, retune, add boost etc.. Why try and hack into a Merc computer where you won't find anyone to stand behind the motor?

I think if you buy Ilmor or Merc, you leave it stock. If not it hurts your resale IMO.

As outdrive states - there is no "upgrading" a merc with support.
If you want an upgrade you buy a new one.

Id say Alexi at BP gets the nod on this one as he has a wider range of packages than Teague does.

UD

I think there's an "upgrade garage" thing that goes on with a lot of people, it's a pretty common phenomenon.

For example:
I'm buying a diesel truck because I know I can simply add a programmer, bolt on a bigger turbo, to get big power from it.

So I'm buying a Merc 700 because Whipple makes a kit that will bolt right up, an upgrade to get big power.

Not knocking Teague or Boostpower at all, but I don't think the average Joe knows enough about them to want to take the plunge. Merc is a huge brand that you see pretty much anywhere there's water.

 

[Outdrive1]

I think there's an "upgrade garage" thing that goes on with a lot of people, it's a pretty common phenomenon.

For example:
I'm buying a diesel truck because I know I can simply add a programmer, bolt on a bigger turbo, to get big power from it.

So I'm buying a Merc 700 because Whipple makes a kit that will bolt right up, an upgrade to get big power.

Not knocking Teague or Boostpower at all, but I don't think the average Joe knows enough about them to want to take the plunge. Merc is a huge brand that you see pretty much anywhere there's water.

Who warranties the Deisel or the Merc 700 after you alter it?

If I have a Boostpower motor, then I have Boostpower go through it and make upgrades, I'd expect him to stand behind any running issues.

I'm not just talking catastrophic failure. Could be a computer problem. Merc is gonna tell you to pound sand, so is Whipple when you bought the kit and bolted it on in your garage. So is the Dodge dealer for that matter.

 

[Froggystyle]

For example:
I'm buying a diesel truck because I know I can simply add a programmer, bolt on a bigger turbo, to get big power from it.

So I'm buying a Merc 700 because Whipple makes a kit that will bolt right up, an upgrade to get big power.

No comparison. You are buying the most powerful truck available, and are forced to add power-adders to get what you want.

You don't need to do that with marine engines. You point to Bob Teagues catalog and grunt.

If GM made a truck with the Edge programmer as the stock setup, everyone would buy it... No question. We don't get that luxury though.

 

[pronstar]

Who warranties the Deisel or the Merc 700 after you alter it?

No one warranties it.
That's the problem...and I agree with you.
But upgrades are a huge market.

No comparison. You are buying the most powerful truck available, and are forced to add power-adders to get what you want.

You don't need to do that with marine engines. You point to Bob Teagues catalog and grunt.

If GM made a truck with the Edge programmer as the stock setup, everyone would buy it... No question. We don't get that luxury though.

I think there is a comparison, just look at all the boats for sale with Merc SC engines...at least half of them have Whipple upgrades. And your last statement makes my point.

Here on this forum, we know we can just go to Teague in the first place...but I don't think that's happening in a widespread manner, based on the numbers we see people upgrade their Mercs.

In this thread alone, we have people who want Merc, and only Merc.
And in this thread we see posts from people who want to buy the Merc for the sole reason to upgrade it later.

I'm not disagreeing with you. By the time you buy a blown Merc, then get a Whipple upgrade, you'd have been money ahead to just get the power level you want - from Boostpower, Merc, Teague - in the first place.