Thanks to Paul Nimz - new 9/5/01
I've been without my '97 since the convention due to insurance and body shop
snafus. Yesterday I got the '97 to bring it home and unfortunately it has a bad
wheel wobble to them. Damn 245/45/16 Kuhmo's. Very difficult to get balanced. I
took it back today and ask them to take them to a shop that balances the tires
while on the car as per Donald Mallinson advice. The shop services both large
trucks and cars which is why they have a on the vehicle tire balancer of good
size. I truly disliked the fact I had to leave it with the body man again. Just
one more time.........
Any way to get back to the theme of taking a SHO for granted I will expound. My
'97 was my first SHO and I loved the car and liked trying to come up with mods.
With the improvements I have made the car is an absolute joy to drive. Between
the sound and the handling it seems you have no regrets using gas that is $1.90
a gallon and rising at an alarming rate. Not a stop light killer but on the road
at anything above 40 mph look out.
The '93 has 150k on it, smokes to the tune of 1 qrt per 500 miles (recently
reduced with an Rislone an oil additive). This car hauls ass and would put the
'97 to shame below 60 mph easily and probably up through the gears. I like the
tighter turning circle the Gen 2 has over the Gen 3. But over all the Gen 3 is
the handling king by far. Especially compared to a worn OEM suspension on the
'93. But a Emerald Green '93 Taurus hardly ever gets a second glance.
All in all the '97 is the car I would keep or choose if I had too. If I wanted
to do modifications and really mechanically play with a SHO it would be the
older models. But I don't even consider getting anything else for now but a SHO.
I'd like to get a cherry '95 mtx at some time and have three SHOs. If the cam
thing worries you then I would by all means find a good welder and do a tune up
at the same time. All communities have excellent expert welders somewhere.
Probably not at a garage though so if you didn't do the engine work then they
would. But removing the valve covers is not hard once the intake is off.
Paul Nimz
'97 TR