My Interview with Quik LS

lloydrage

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I was looking through the pages of Supercharger LS thread and decided I really wanted to learn about Lou Senko aka Quik LS. It interested me the number of things he customized on his LS as well as constant help to the community. Pretty much every time we have a question he is able to help us out. Well I started emailing Lou and was able to get some more information about why he chose the LS, what he has done, and more about him. Below is my interview I had with Lou, enjoy.


lloydrage: You have probably the most famous LS out there. Your 2001 Premium LS (converted to LSE) has every feature one could think of (and some that no one has thought of before). My first question to you is did you buy your LS new or used?

Quik LS: I bought my LS new from the lot. Funny story on the actual deal….

I received a promotion, and relocated to Austin (from Canada). I decided it was time to purchase a new vehicle – I always like the look of the BMW 5-series sedan. I went looking for a BMW, but in the end decided against it since I couldn’t really afford a nice one.

So I was torn between a Lexus and the Lincoln, did all my research – liked the way the LS looked (very 5-series-ish) and it just own the MT2000 COY.
I went to the Lexus dealer ship took the car for an extended test drive. The sales-guy was very aggressive about contrasting the Lexus against the LS (since I told him that was the ‘other’ car I was looking at). So, I took the test drive to the Lincoln dealership….with the Lexus sales guy screaming for me to pull-over and let him out of the car (like your girl-friend did when you were young…)

So we spent the next few hours – Lincoln sales-guy, Lexus sales-guy and me – testing each car against each other. After hours – I decided on the LS, sent the Lexus sales-guy home with his car and bought the LS at 11pm at night. The dealership was all but closed, me the sales-guy, the finance-guy and the lot manager – who all got a laugh over the ordeal.



LR: What made you choose the LS over other cars out there?

Quik: For its day, the LS was very well equipped, well designed and not shy on power – all for $44k. What really sold me was the car’s balance – the car’s ability to turn, throttle steer and brake were all good surprises. Not the fastest car – but after owning many types of vehicles, I enjoy (and use) a balanced car more.

I read the article about the design of the LS, the team Ford pulled together – and was impressed with the approach.



LR: How many miles do you have on your LS?

Quik: ~65k


LR: As you know the Lincoln LS was Motortrend’s Car of the Year in 2000. Its Engine also was the winner of ‘Top 10 Engine Designs’ for the 2002 year. Ford’s goal with the LS was to compete with the BMW 3-series and Mercedes style of car. Now the car never really hit it off like I feel it should have, I think it still should be in production but as we know the car stopped being produced. What do you think was the downfall for the LS?

Quik: The LS was targeted to complete against the then 5-series - more power than a 530i and more nimble than a 540i.

Couple of reasons the LS never ‘took off’:

- A little ahead of the American performance curve, and when it came back, the LS was not in position any longer

- Expensive platform. The LS was the most expensive platform for Ford ever (at the time), until the Ford GT program. This limited the re-use of the platform and therefore left the LS and T-bird to make enough money to keep the platform alive. They tried to re-use the DEW98 platform for the new (2005) Mustang – but could not obtain the needed price-point – and could only achieve a car in the low $30k and needed to be in the low $20k.

- Ford was in the middle of financial troubles – mostly over the Explorer roll-over lawsuits and the money bleeding from Land Rover, Aston Martin and Jaguar. This limited the money spent on marketing the LS, and the money spent on re-developing the car. In 2003 a fairly major re-fit occurred but really needed more.

- The car’s uniqueness is also its Achilles’ heal. As the market started to require more power, the 3.9L drivetrain needed to be upgraded, however, the 4.6L does not fit into the engine bay form the underside (like they load it in the factory) and building yet another unique powerplant would not be financially do-able. Today – it would have got the new Eco-boost twin-turbo V6 – but that is 4years too late.

- Then of course was Lincoln’s image at the time. Many people thought the LS was a ‘smaller town car’ which hindered it gaining the performance cred it needed early on.



LR: Now that younger drivers are able to afford the LS we are seeing more and more life in the LVC forums as well as the LLSOC forums. Do you think it will breed more after market parts? If so what parts that you have had to make or will end up having to make do you wish were out already?

Quik - Nope. If the aftermarket did not come running with the car was selling in showrooms, it’s not likely to come now. There will be these one-offs pop up from time-to-time – but more by accident than design as there simply is not enough market to justify any R&D, tooling and stocking of parts. It’s a small percentage of Lincoln Owners would want to modify their cars, smaller yet that are will to do more than simple bolt-ons. This is not that unusual; however with such a small population of cars out-there it limits the opportunity even further.


LR: When and Why did you decide to add aftermarket parts to your car?

Quik: I usually convince myself the car is perfect when I buy it and lie to everyone that I will leave it stock – usually resulting in everyone bursting out in laughter and my wife rolling her eyes…

I’m an engineer by training (and personality) so I take everything apart and ‘improve’ it… seem to enjoy tackling high-maintenance challenges (hence my jewish princess wife who I love deeply) – so it was inevitable. I joined the LLSOC and saw many ex-SHO and ex-T-Bird (turbo-coupe, super-coupe) owners talking about handling, mods and autocrossing. Once you start, it’s a journey…



LR: What was the first aftermarket part?

Quik: I started with the LLSOC intake, then exhaust, then wings west body kit. Then the SCT XCal tuning was the first time I tried something not done before. Working with Torrie for the tune and SCT I was able to figured out what systems were interfering with the XCal’s communication with the PCM – and what fuses to pull to disable them.

Steeda actually had an LS in their shop that was unable to take a tune and the SCT support guy conference called us together so I could tell them what I did.



LR: I didnt realize you are the godfather for the supercharger and the SCT programming. Please explain how you found out about Torrie and what was all involved.

Quik: I wouldn’t use the word godfather, rather lucky with the timing of events and just hit it when I could plow the hours needed into it. I started with an XCal1 – and Torrie was one of the LLSOC’s frequent parts vendors that was also a SCT dealer/Tuning shop. So Torrie built the tunes and I worked through the upload interference issues – pulling in SCT Support when needed. I still use my XCal2 to do the tuning, while my LiveWire is mounted on the windshield and does all my datalogging (wideband and boost wired into it).


LR: Your supercharged LS is the most respected LS out there. I am one of the many fans of your car. When you decided to dive in did you expect it to take as long as it did?

Quik: Really is only a couple of day job if you have all the pieces and things like vacuum lines and wiring figured out. Poor timing on my part – the company I work for was in acquisition growth mode, purchasing 5 companies in 9 months – and me being Director of IT, I was always part of the discovery, then landing party and integration team… it was a beating.

During one stint, I spent 11 of 13 weeks away from home. So my LS sat in the garage apart, and even when I was home – it often was not the priority. Figuring out the cooling flow, the vacuum, the wiring all took time – and I may be a little too detailed with it – but like a watch-maker I have 100s of pictures and great instructions as a result.



LR: I didn’t know you were the director of your IT, I am the same I work for a inbound customer service department, do the programing as well as the director of IT. But back to the questions… Overall are you happy with the finished product?

Quik: Yes – the finished product is good. It will never be a 5.0L 600hp beast, but it holds its own on the track, has won many awards, and impresses the people that understand a project like this. I learned a lot.


LR: I know you need at least 5 orders before creating kits have you received any orders?

Quik: I have had nearly a dozen people ready to move forward, but never 5 at once. I am very concerned about me over-simplifying the project – it is difficult and not all the pieces are out-of –the-box bolt-on, unlike like the Saturday morning car shows.


LR: Dont suppose you think you could supercharge my LS do ya?

Quik: Of course, anything is do-able…


LR: You travel with your work as well as work a lot of hours; do you still find time to hit the track on the weekends? When was the last time and how did you place?

Quik: I do. I don’t autocross as much anymore – as I was in E class of Street Prepared (ESP) but my blower put me into Street Modified. The rules changed two years ago, and the SM levels are collapsed meaning they are heavily modified non-street legal cars – which I have no hope of competing with. I tried Touring – with some success – but it involves a willingness to bang fenders and rub bumpers – which is too much for my daily driver, and my modest pocket book.

Austin has a couple of great road course tracks – the Driveway and Harris Hills – and I have friends that race on both – so that is my guilty pleasure now. It only ‘usually’ costs me tires.



LR: What do you suggest people do starting off to increase their performance on their LS? What are some dos and donts?

Quik: Decide on what type of performance you want most – acceleration or handling. There are a lot of things you can do in both areas – the LS is best at balance and turning and those types of mods you can use on the morning drive into the office. Slapping N20 on the car is fun, but not nearly as daily enjoyable for me.


LS: What handling mods do you suggest?

Quik: It’s a heavy car, so it loses time in the corners.

First – great tires
Then – lowering the center of gravity – lowering springs.
Then – stiffening – reduce the roll – shocks, springs, spring rubbers
Then – Brakes. Pads make the biggest difference, but you can do rotors, stainless steel lines, cooling, fluid, …etc



LR: Finally are you going to have another garage day? It sounds like it went pretty well last time. Hopefully I can make it next time.

Quik: Not sure – I usually do on spring and fall. We just did the Lotus one – it was fun, as my Esprit was in the middle of a clutch swap so people got to see it all apart…. August – should be the time frame – I’ll give everyone a couple of weeks’ notice…


LR: Is there anything else you would like to cover?

Quik: The LS is a very capable car to drive fast on a place that highlights its balance and cornering, very fun car to put to the edge of grip – however, being two tonnes and automatic - it is no flash off a launch and somewhat uncomfortable on the drag strip.

The LS has some common issues that are well known and there are documented solutions to each. Parts are expensive and hard to get, but there is support for the DIYer. The drivetrain is the most problematic area to modify, and without aftermarket support it is difficult to do anything past the standard bolt-ons. This boils it down to being a lousy replacement for a Mustang, more in kind to that of a 5 series BMW – where most owners never modify it, and those that do rarely go deep – but the car is great in stock form, and was meant to be an American sporty 4-door sedan.



LR: I want to thank you again for all you do for the community; you have helped us all and are constantly providing extremely helpful information. Finally thank you for taking the time to do this interview I realize you are a busy man, and I appreciate your time. If there is anything you want to add or any questions please let me know.



That concludes my interview with Lou. There was a lot of information given and I want to again thank him for allowing me to do this interview. I wanted to supply the below links as well for more information on Lou and the Lincoln LS.


Motor Trends Article on Car of the Year: 2000 Lincoln LS

Threads
Custom Paddle shifts

The SuperCharger LS Thread


SS Brake Lines Install


Tech Articles – Look under the Lincoln LS Section

Quik LS' LLSOC Page

Quik LS’ Car Domain site

Quik LS’ Youtube site



A little bit of information about Quik taken from his Car Domain site:

• Race in SCCA Pro Solo2 ESP (E-Class Street Prepared) Car #018
• Won ‘Fastest 4-door’ 2003 with my time – 13.9350secs @ 109.04mph
• Won the ‘Texas Top Gun Shoot-Out’ 2002 – 4-door sedan 153mph top speed
• 2006 LLSOC Car Calendar (August)
• 2006 Austin Motorsports Car Calendar (October)
• 2007 LLSOC Car Calendar (December)
• 2007 Steiner Ranch Car Show - Crowd Favorite (June)
• 2007 Mean Streets Car Show - Best in Class (June)
• 2008 LLSOC Car Calendar (August)
• President of the Lincoln Luxury Sport Owners Club – LLSOC.com
• Member

Finally the giant list of Mods:

Driveline:
• Prototype Supercharger from Boosthead.com. Eaton M90 Supercharger, customer manifold, belt routing, cooling system re-work, …etc
• XO2 Intercooler (7”x27”3.5”) with hand-made 3" tube routing
• Ford Racing 39lbs 'Blue' fuel injectors
• Dual fuel pumps
• Magnum Powers 85mm Throttle Body
• SCT (Super Custom Tuners) XCalibrator PCM tuning - Custom shift points / Shift firmness
• SCT (Super Custom Tuners) LiveWire - with integrated LC1 Wideband and MAP external inputs
• Built-in Innovate MotorSports LC-1 Lambda wide-band O2 Sensor
• Granatelli Cold-Air Tuned MAF
• LLSOC custom intake induction
• Green high-flow oiled air filter
• Porsche 944 turbo hood scoop vent
• Hand-made cold induction / ram air
• BMW M3 Paddle Shifts - shift lever set ‘wide’ SMG - larger paddles
• Hand-made shift relay circuit
• SST Shifter
• Dual JDM Sport oil catch cans
• DB Electrical - 200amp high output alternator
• Custom Exhaust - Flowmaster Super 40 Mufflers, Magnaflow X-Pipe, Magnaflow dual double-rolled tips, Custom mandrel bent exhaust piping

Aero:
• Wings West Body Kit
• Middle splitter - Carbon Creations Splitters (middle front with rods)
• Lincoln LSE Rear Spoiler
• Handmade rear diffuser
• JDM Universal Canards

Brakes:
• CC RotorWorks drilled and slotted rotors
• Porterfield Racing Dustless Carbon Kevlar Pads (R4-S High Performance Street and Autocross)
• StopTech Stainless Steel brake lines
• Hand-made Dual Line-locks - Summit Racing Solenoids, custom bent tubing, custom mande mounting bracket
• Full Sythetic 500 degree brake fluid
• Brake cooling vents in lower grill (NACA Vents, aluminum brake spindle hose mount, Neoprene Duct Hose)

Suspension:
• Lowered 2.5” with Intrak Pro Sport Racing springs
• Howe spring rubbers
• Hand-made Strut Brace
• 1.5 degrees camber
• 245/45 ZR17 Goodyear F1 GS-D3
• 50/50 weight distribution – 0 cross-weight differential

Safety:
• Schroth Rallye 3 Harness SCH-14000
• QuickCar Master Electrical cutoff switch
• AEM Fire Extinguisher

Interior:
• Autometer - C2 7163 fuel pressure gauge / C2 7175 air/fuel mixture gauge / C2 7159 boost/vacuum gauge
• Custom LLSOC A-Pillar dual gauge mount
• Pedal set - Ichibaahn ‘brushed’
• 4 sensor Backup Alert System
• Keyless entry door keypad
• LLSOC White Face Gauge Kit
• G-Tech Pro Performance Meter
• X50 Passport 8500 Radar Detector
• WoodTrim Paneling

ICE:
• Sony Xplod Amplifier XM-2165GTX 1000watt amplifier
• Sony Xplod 2 x XS-L1200B 12" subwoofers
• Handmade sub-woofer custom enclosure
• Alpine 6CD in-dash 180watt head unit with Audiophile 12 speaker option
• Rockford 1 Farad Digital Capacitor
• Alpine SPS-570A 2-way door speakers
• Fosgate Rockford FRC3203 - 3.5" Punch 2-way console speakers
• The PIE FRDN-AUX Auxiliary Input Converter adds standard RCA jacks to CD2 input on the Alpine head
• 4Guage wiring, 150amp fuse kit
• Dell C400 Computer mounted on rear seat
• 8” LCD monitor
• Wireless remote
• AutoEnginuity OBD II Scan Tool and Dyno Software

Exterior:
• Hood Vents (1978 Camaro)
• Japanese Lincoln LS version tail-lamps
• Hand-made Mesh Grill insert
• 03-05 Lincoln LS Fog Lamp Retro fit
• E36 BMW Angle-eye CCFL retro fit
• Cleared turn signal corner lamps
• LSKoncepts Vinyl eyebrow kit
• Hand-made Painted Calipers with custom LS logo
• Hand-made M3 style mirrors with hand-made LED V mirror turn signals
• SilverStar high performance clear turn signal bulbs
• 7000K XENON HID Low / High beam lights
• M3 Tow Hook
• LLSOC etched glass logos
• Tinted Windows - 35% driver, passenger / 50% rear


thanks

LLOYD
 
Great thread, and great read. Thanks for posting.
 
Enjoyable read. This sounds like an article that could go into an issue of LVC Magazine :)
 
Wow. That was alot of jnformation. I read about halfway, but it was nice.

Cool thread idea.... Unique.


But i just have one question..... Who the hell is QuickLS????!!!!
 
Its Quik LS and click on some of the links for more information,

he has the supercharged LS
 
LLSOC Connection!

As a member of LLSOC since 2002, I've had the privilege of knowing Lou Senko and following his amazing feats as "Quik LS"

I was also privileged to have met a number of my Florida LLSOC members at a 2005 Florida Meet at the Sebring Raceway.


IMG_0003_edited.jpg
 
Just curious, how much cash do you think is in that damned car by now? As soon as I saw the list of mods I said f*ck and started to dream about making my car nice too.
 
Great stuff, I enjoyed reading that. I had also wondered a few of those questions.

Who the hell is QuickLS????!!!!

Really? Or is that sarcasm.It's QuikLS not QuickLS but, with or without the c there, we know who it is, or I think most do
 
The dealers also had a part in killing the LS. Very few dealers knew what they had in the LS. They tried to sell it to Blue Hairs as a mini Town Car. The Marketing Department also had a hand. It's tough to sell a car that doesn't get air-time.
 
WTF. Sebring is my hometown, moving back this winter hopefully. Good read tho.
 
I cant imagine the kind of money he has into it.

Its pretty amazing the miles for the year on the car.

He is a leader not a follower, no question about that
 
Holy crap thats a lot of LS'
The Raceway was being used that day by drivers to get in some "track time".

During the time we were lining up our LS's for the photo shoot, a few of our group had to move their cars to let Raceway participants or spectators get in or out through the gate! :cool:

We were also "sweating out" the possibility of security or local police driving up and asking, "What the #$%^&* where we doing, blocking the entrance and exit lanes to the Raceway! :dj:
 
Thinking about doing this with another major LS owner. Any suggestions?
 
i'd say alax07 hes done a lot, comes up with great ideas and helps out on here a lot, or pektel hes great with detailing and also helps out a lot
 
Thanks! But I vote for pete, I still have more to go. Maybe if I could do a custom turbo set myself, but not there yet.
 

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