Mercury Racing Unveils 540 Engine

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02-14-2014, 07:19 AM

#31

Knot 4 Me

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Quote:

Originally Posted by C_Spray

Here it is. More than 200 pounds lighter and available off-the-shelf right now. 30 horsepower more than the 540 as well. The higher RPM range (6000) lessens the torque load on those Bravos.

This also addresses Knot 4 Me's thirst for LS-based power.

Familiar with this motor as well as Volvo's offering. Which begs the question why won't Merc at least dip a toe in the LS pool?

02-14-2014, 10:26 AM

#32

thirdchildhood

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 302Sport

As soon as people stop buying it and go with something else!! If enough people boycotted the bravo and demanded Arneson, I'm sure Merc would do something about it. I here enough complaining on OSO about bravos, but people seem to just keep putting them on.

Because they are cheap! A new XR upper can be found for under $4,000. An Imco lower won't usually break.

02-14-2014, 12:55 PM

#33

Too Stroked

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TeamSaris

Not for nothing if your constantly blowing up XR's with anything under 600hp, it isnt the drives fault...

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner! (And it's not the way the drives were assembled either.) Unless you have an incredibly heavy boat, the culprit is no further away that your throttle hand (or foot.)

02-14-2014, 01:19 PM

#34

Pismo10

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It is all about profit margin. These are business decisions, nothing more. The margin on a 1960s BBC is huge for Merc. Forget AL or LSx, all too expensive for Merc to start with these.

02-14-2014, 01:51 PM

#35

glassdave

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Pismo10

It is all about profit margin. These are business decisions, nothing more. The margin on a 1960s BBC is huge for Merc. Forget AL or LSx, all too expensive for Merc to start with these.

very correct. Decisions on what/how to sell is not done by engineers it is done by marketing. Marketing tells eng how, when and what they want to explode and they back it into the product for us to discover later

. . . .

Its not that the LS platform is to expensive to switch to. Its that it is to reliable. Hell even right off the GM parts shelf its pretty robust. Merc would have to find a way to put old school rods and pistons in the thing. Maybe some crappy Chinese import stuff lol . . . . dumbing the thing down would be expensive

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Last edited by glassdave; 02-14-2014 at 01:55 PM.