Ford's XR8 performance sedan got ripped off. From its very conception it started behind the 8-ball, as it lacked the rivaling Commodore's IRS and even the extensive Tickford enhancement Ford themselves threw at their own XR6. But few people realised the enormous potential that still lurks under the hood of the ex-ar-ate. The guys stateside have been breathing on these 302 bent-eight motors since the dawn of time, so its no surprise there are a pile of aftermarket tuning tweaks around for them.
One smart-cookie that picked up on this potential was Michael Willson of South Australia. Michael's dead-set keen on having some sizable mumbo lying beneath the accelerator pedal, so after purchasing this Heritage Green example around 10 months ago, barely 24 hours had slipped by and the car was already modified!
The first step was to give the stockie exhaust system the boot in preference of a custom dual 21/4-inch stainless system with twin high-flow cat convertors and two rear muffler boxes. It was bye-bye to the standard sorry-for-making-a-noise pipe and hello to the unmistakable roar of the free-breathing V8.
The rolling stock was next on the agenda, with Michael opting for a set of 17x8 AJR (Allan Jones Racing) rims wearing wide-load 255/40 Goodyears at the rear and 235/34 under the nose. Michael was having a few annoying problems with the wheels at the time of the shoot, as a recent wheel chroming job had gone a little sour - but Michael's not going to rest until that matter's 100% fixed!
With the extra room to move behind the big AJR rims, it was an ideal opportunity to install the EL Falcon GT front discs that measure an impressive 330mm. The EL GT 2-pot front calipers were also fitted to round out the front braking department, while the rear is effectively anchored by a pair of DBA drilled, slotted and vented discs. Standard issue Ford pads are used at the front while the rear uses Bendix items. And being a modern performance vehicle, it maintains full driver control under heavy braking with its standard anti-lock braking system.
Lowering the wide, aggressive body is a full Pedders suspension kit that reduces ride height by 30mm and includes a matched set of springs and dampers. There is also a castor and camber kit on the front end to ensure the Falc gets around corners with a minimum of fuss.
Then it was the mighty 302 that received all its Christmases at once. Built by Mike at Adelaide's RPM Performance Centre, the package uses a completely standard bottom-end (extra strong ex-factory) crowned with a pair of aftermarket GT40 aluminium heads. Peter Scheafer of Performance Techniques cleaned and match-ported these light-weight beauties up for maximum flow, and they were then assembled together with 1.6 ratio Crane roller rockers, Crane heavy-duty valve springs and, of course, a different cam was fitted as well. This is a FMS (Ford Motor Sport) hydraulic camshaft that delivers 288 degrees of duration and 512thou of lift at 50 thou lift. Michael informs us this is probably a little more radical in profile than most people would want on the street, but it does give the engine monster torque from 2800 rpm all the way to 6000.
Mike of RPM can recall installing the cam and running the engine up for the first time. Apparently it was a bit chugga-chugga cammy, but as the cam bedded in and the engine's standard ECU started learning how to walk again it all came good. The EL XR8 scored the current generation EEC-5 management system which, according to both Michael and Mike (?), is very intelligent and a far cry ahead of the old EEC-4 ECU. Thanks to the cam creating less intake vacuum, the XR8 does tend to "hunt" slightly at idle, but it runs the right mixtures and ignition timing throughout the rev and load range making a really flexible engine.
All the good stuff from the US was called in to liven up the intake side, with a kit comprising of injectors and a larger airflow meter offered to the Aussie engine. A 70mm Ford Motor Sport airflow meter plugged in for an effective flow gain, and a correctly-sized set of eight 24lb injectors were inserted to maintain enough fuelling under extreme conditions. Other than the injectors the fuel system is stock - and why change it if it works perfectly?
Induction air initially gets filtered by a K&N panel filter within the XR8 airbox and then gets squeezed by 70mm Edelbrock throttle body, which required the machining of the factory EGR spacer to suit. The intake manifold sure isn't what you see after popping the hood of your average XR8. Once again, American know-how came to the fore with a high-flowing 2-piece GT40 intake manifold. It's tactually the same manifold as fitted to the local limited-run EL Falcon GTs. Michael has also followed the American's lead by installing a ½-inch Verolex spacer plate to the intake in order to "cool the intake charge".
Backing the torque-stomper is a Ford 5-speed gearbox that now incorporates a Cobra-Mustang heavy-duty clutch plate and a sweet shifting B&M Rippershifter. The latter improves the shift into third gear tremendously. At the opposing end, a non-standard 3.7:1 ratio LSD has been fitted up by SA Race to encourage the bulk of the big Falcon to get on it's way extra-swiftly.
So enough jumbo, how much mumbo does it put out? Well, it almost seems that every time the car goes onto a chassis dyno it picks up a few more kilowatts, but the latest graph plotted on RPM's Dyno Dynamics rollers indicates a healthy 183kW at the wheels. Mike's pretty confident that's about the limit of the current configuration, as with any more ignition advance there was traces of detonation.
And performance times? You can trust this car to be good for an easy mid-to-low 13 second quarter. But if you could give it total traction, who knows - 12s maybe?
But what makes this XR8 stand out in traffic (other than the wheels and the exhaust burble) is how immaculately detailed it is. Draped in its factory Heritage Green paint, the car's shine is always kept at premium. There isn't a mark on the car, and deep green colour really turns it into an elegant vehicle. It retains the original mild Tickford body kit, and the only other external mod we haven't mentioned is the tinted windows.
Thanks to this darkened glass, the interior remains cool in the face of scorching summer rays and protects the vast expanse of the Falcon's modern interior. Michael's kept the standard seats and all the gear, with changes limited to just an Autometer shift light, and hands-free car phone. A CD stacker, Momo leather steering wheel and gear knob is all standard fare.
Not surprisingly Michael's happy with the car at the moment - but as with most modified vehicle owners, there are always a few ideas on the horizon. Namely, a big-cube stroker kit and (not or) a blower kit to boost its brains out. Although we're not sure how long off this step might be, as Michael had to take a bit of a sideward glance at his wife Andrea when he told us... He say's she's the "finance department", but we're sure Michael's been a good boy...
Contacts:
RPM Performance Centre
+61 8 8277 2266
Performance Techiques
+61 8 8395 1107
SA Race
+61 8 8396 1688
Rebel Ford (supplied Ford engine parts) +61 8 8255 7800
