Motor Magazine
Herrod Vs Walkinshaw February Edition of Motor Magazine
When it came to doing a road test on the new Walkinshaw Supercharged Maloo, Motor magazine needed something to compare it with.
As we know Holden has HSV, HSV has Walkinshaw. With Ford they have FPV, but what does FPV have?
So Motor Magazine contacted Herrod Motorsport to see if we could get hold of a supercharged Ford Ute in a hurry.
Rob Herrod said as it was the week before Christmas, the only vehicle we could offer was our 60,000k XR8 work ute.
So with a bit of car detailing and a set of new GMAX 19” wheels and a set of sticky Dunlop Sport MAXX 245 front & 285 rear tyres “the ute” was off on its test drive with Motor.
The day the vehicle was tested was a stinking hot 38 degree day. After a morning of a few photo’s around the back blocks of Melbourne, the 2 utes were taken out to Melbourne’s Calder Park raceway for some more flogging.
As our Ford Ute is basically a stocker in the engine area, it only has a set of our headers & hi flow cats, and our stainless cat back exhaust. Then with the addition of the 6lb boost Yella Terra blower kit, a cold air box and a tune to suit daily driving, it held up well to the heat & hard driving by the Motor Magazine scribblers.
On the vehicles return, the Motor Magazine crew were impressed in the way that the Ford ute performed in the power & handling area. The Tein adjustable suspension, not only gives the vehicle a tough stance, it gives a comfortable ride while helping put the power to the ground. Their comments on the braking were forthcoming in the way that the vehicle could be driven flat out and stop every time, with out a hint of fade from the awesome PBR 6 piston calipers & 355mm discs front and single piston calipers & 325mm discs on the rears.
The Motor Magazine guys were impressed in the way that not only the ute drove, but the fuel consumption was comparable to a stock XR8 being thrashed.
On a highway drive, it is nothing for the Ute to get around 600k’s from a tank of Shell V Power, and around 480k’s around town.
After a few hours of heavy use and abuse & the occasional burnout & drift photo shoot, the vehicles were tested over the π mile.
This is the only area that both the vehicles had trouble putting down decent times due to the heat build up in the vehicles and the temperature of the day.
The temperature was at 38 degrees Celsius, so the times ended up comparable to stock standard Ute times.
Posted February-2008
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