top speed of 4 seat mirage

[randy 77zt]

need opinion of what top speed should be of a 95 4 seat mirage with full interior,15 gallons of gas,stock 96 2.5 efi,170 lb driver.motor is bone stock.i have radared it but i want to find out about other peoples experiences with this boat/motor combo.

[David_L6]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I sure would like to see some pictures of your boat (especially the interior).

[rob vaughn]

I bet the gun said 103-105 mph...

Damn, I wish I went 170 lbs.

[MODVP22]

How much setback and what's your engine height in relation to the bottom of the boat? 100+ shouldn't be a problem.

[dal290la]

Not enough info but definitely 100+

[randy 77zt]

motor is setback 8" and is +1.5" above bottem of center pod.radared at 102 and change last summer.radared at 100+ on at havasu this year but was running upstream.prop is a 30 merc lab cleaver.the lower unit is a 2to1 fishen unit with a bobs nosecone and blowout ring.motor wont spin prop to the rev limiter(7800).i am about 500 rpm short.need to try some kind of 28 prop.

[patchesII]

at sea level i would think that combo would run around 105-107.

[randy 77zt]

altitude is sea level.usually 80 to 90 degrees with 15 to 20% humidity.a mirage is a rare boat in nothern ca.the 2 other mirage boats that sometimes go out are river racers set up for drag racing.ilike to run in the delta .ramp is 20 minutes from my house or i take the boat to work and go out after work.the delta is great-1000 miles of channels with bars and restaurants.some people have heard stories of getting lost and other bad things so alot of people stay out and go to lakes in the foothills.that doesnt bother me at all-it leaves me lots of places to run at 90+ for miles.the big fad in california is wake board boats-tug boats with a roll bar.my boat is not a social event-it is my form of stress relief.if somebody wants to ride and buy beer thats ok.will work on boat set up a little more.dont want to touch the motor-it runs all the time.need to try more props.

[Raceman]

If you assume that the 30 you have is as good a prop as the 28 you want to try, going to a 28 will likely slow it down on top. Find somebody with a good 32 and give it a whirl if top end numbers are your priority.

[Propster]

For some reason, I had a problem running fast at Havasu too. I could run 96.8 on GPS in eastern washington at 1000 ft elevation at 75 degress, It had more, but it started lifting off the water and I did not have any safety gear. I had a hard time getting over 92 at Havasu Temp at Havasu was over 105 and the water temp was probably 85-88 degrees.

You might be loosing a few mph due to high water and air temps.

[randy 77zt]

havasu was in april.i was happy just to get a 100 mph gun run becuase boat was torn apart last winter and the fuel filler hole + steering cable holes glassed in,marine ply pads glassed in for trim pump ,gas tank,battery ,new 40oz carpet,new rub rail,new winshields.then boat was reassembled with new stainless hardware.havasu was first run of the year and motor was tank tested only with new spark plugs.only adjusted motor height 1 time with new rapid jack.have only ran boat 1 time since havasu -lower unit went out.time for more work-lower unit is on my bench at work .need to win that new 280.

[toyomirage02]

all i have heard is that you shouldnt run cleavers on 4 seaters,and i have only seen a few people do it ,have also known someone to put one on and blow out into another boat,just wondering if i should try it . i also have a 02 mirage.

[Hydroballistic]

Randy,

I have a '92 ski racer and run a carb 2.5L on it. Not as strong as the 260, but does a good job. I have found with mine that a prop with a little more bow lift than the cleaver runs better. I normally run an older 26 chopper (not the chopper II). I ran one chopper II, but did not like it. It may have had too much diameter. I have run one cleaver on the boat, but did not like how it ran either. That prop may have been junk too???? I also run a cut down 24" chopper for more acceleration. 28-30" pitch should work out about right with the 2.0:1 gears for you. If you like the acceleration better may even try a 26". Mine will run 97-102 estimated calculations (never radared). Fast enough top end for me, I just love the punch!!

Have you tried lowering the engine any? I have ran mine close to that height, but did not feel that I gained very much. Dropped it down some and would pull harder and run just about as fast.

Gregg

[Jason Huber]

260+ 98' 2.5 with a GPI modded 28 Chop. will give me 103-104 w/good holeshot retained. Definately more speed there with big-pitch... but unlike most of the S&F crew out here (RE: speedfreaks!-:D) I'm happy with it there! ;)

[randy 77zt]

i am just a little short of horsepower to spin the 30 cleaver to the rev limiter.with a good 28 it might make 2 or 3 more mph + more rpms.the cleaver allows me to cruise at 90 with out a lot of rpm.i have room to run at this speed were i boat.i have a 26 chopper and it kicks the ecm out at about 7800.its a a62 offshore box.i really dont want to try to hop up the engine more-it runs all of the time and california has 91 octane max gas.sounds like i am in the range of speed that the boat is capable of.my other 2 friends that run mirage boats have real fast river racers with not very stock engines.have seen 115 to 117 runs with no nitrous.these boats are stripped down with 5 gallon fuel cells.i am more into a saturday afternoon of high speed cruising than drag racing.

[Jason Huber]

Is holding you back. With the RIGHT box & no other major changes - you can spin that mill safely and reliably deep into to 8's. Call Randy Pierson @ GPI; 320 356 9068 or check him out on the Web; http://www.gpiracing.com/

[O/B Dude]

I have a Euro with a 2.5 hi-perf carb. Stock porting, heads cut (150 psi x 6 cyl). I have run at several different altitudes and it makes a difference. Havasu is 500' above sea level and is the lowest altitude I have yet run. My boat ran 100 even on GPS at 8000 rpm with...get this... a 26 Mazco RE4. Yep, its my 4 blade water ski prop. I ran 96.3 with a 24 ET cut chopper. I just got a 15x30 cleaver to try, but the altitude will be higher...1900'. My boat ran a best of 96.0 at 7700 rpm with the RE4 at that altitude, 98.3 with a 28 ET cut, and 93.1 with a 24 ET cut. About 2 mph loss for every 500' you go up, so if you run at sea level now, you will loose 2 mph at havasu.

I think my hull is heavier than yours and I ran those #'s with 2 anchors, tool box, 15 gallons gas, full cooler, spare prop, beach umbrella, full interior, stereo with kicker box under the bow, other gear, etc... Plus, I outweigh you. I run 8" setback and split shaft 5/8" above the pad. If your boat is lighter, it should be going faster than that. I think you may need less setback, or you may have a fuel or spark problem. If you are running that speed at 7300 (did I read that right...7800 minus 500) you aren't hitting the limiter. Anyone know if his hull is lighter than a Euro?
OBD

[randy 77zt]

ob dude-my 26 chopper runs about 97 before the rev limiter kicks in so your numbers make sense.to max out the cleaver i need another 30 hp or less boat drag.the only reason i run the cleaver is because of the area in run the boat in.many miles of water to run in-lots of time to cruise at 90 or so.i could probably hit 105 with a good 28 prop and perfect motor height.will have to find a 28 prop-any recommendations?

[O/B Dude]

Tunnel boats dont need a lot of bow lift. They have lifting ability built into the bottom design. I think a 15x30 Merc cleaver should do a great job on the high end. I think a 28 would rev higher and not get you any more top speed. I really feel you should be getting more like 105 with the 30 cleaver and a stock 260. I recall STVHelm was getting over 100 mph with a stock 260 on his Euro, and that was with 4 people in the boat. Unless your hull outweighs a Euro, I feel like you should be going faster than you are, even with stock power. I expect a 15x30 to get me to 108 or so. I just dont know that much about your hull except for the bottom design. MTCM has a mirage with a 260. You may want to send him a PM. I am not a fan of choppers unless they are cut to an ET. (Except on boats needing bow lift) A cleaver or an ET is what I feel you should try. You may want to read "Cleaver Shootout" on the STVowners site. www.stvowners.com Anyone else have an opinion????
OBD

[O/B Dude]

Also, I think I agree with Hydro ballistic on the motor height. I raised mune that high with an ET cut chopper and lost speed. Lowered it a bit and gined punch and top end. The Cleaver shootout goes into that also. Cant recall the hieght they found to work best. Might have been 1.5". Remember, with 8" setback, 1.5" is not quite as high as a boat with 6" setback. This is due to transom angle.

Good luck.