Mercury Pro XS V8 4.6 Ltr. Product Release

This is a monster and the V8 is a surprise to the outboard community. We had knowledge of this engine some time back and we have a significant number of miles on the steering wheel. From an outside perspective we have a lot of time on the 250 Pro XS version. The engine was pretty much complete when we got our hands on it. We were aware of the development and details going back several years they were operating the product and designing the next version. They acquired a new Puma FTD a few years ago for development on this project. Late in the summer of 2017 we built an Eyra for Mercury to test the engine on and the location was Lake X in Florida. The integration staff spent thousands of hours final detailing specifics of the engines. Very early in November Mercury held a full disclosure day at Lake X for a very limited dozen OEM builders. There were other more open meetings that week outlining the engines to be released in Miami (February 15) I-40 and V6 engines. The limited group of a dozen people (12) to see and feel the V8 versions included only two people from the bass boat world. Only two of us got to look inside that box. After that we sent other boats and products to Lake X for many test sessions and final tweaking of several aspects. Lake X facilities are being restored and they are back at Lake X in a major fashion. No, it’s not the facility we once visited, though it is refreshing to see the Keikhaefer heritage revisited. We won’t go deep into how much testing we did on the product with Mercury or how gracious they were opening up to us in these final stages. They wanted this one right and from John Pfeifer (President – Mercury Marine) on down we’ve had very candid conversations from them on it being right from the start. They opened up their toy box for us and we got to look inside their world. Now, how about the engine. Shifting is like butter as the onboard digital shifting and throttle is silk smooth. Using the same cable technology to activate it. Top end and fuel burn is very similar to the existing Pro XS line, and NO oil burn. We saw GPH of 21 gallons an hour on top end, virtually matching the 2 Stroke. Steering is conventional mid section with use of present SeaStar for us. Weight is right in line with the existing 2 stroke and it is extremely close in weight to existing Pro XS. Amazing when you consider the added cubic inches and two (2) cylinders, that they achieved this. They really worked hard to match the weight for a weight advantage over other four strokes and offering more cylinders. Hole shot is greatly improved over Optimax 250 2 Stroke. They focused heavily on this the last few months and tweaked timing and product in baby steps. Mid range torque is off the hook as it really develops power once it gets launched. They made a major step in the exhaust as they chose a tuning system from an exotic sports car and it has a rumble and sound that won’t mistake its here to play. This exhaust sound and tuning was specifically chosen for the V8 Pro XS version. Top end was set at 6200 RPM’s and the rev limiter will not be noticed by very many people as they have it subtle. The hard line stall on top is gone of previous engines. When you Top this one out, very few will notice the rev limiter though it’s there. We ran the Eyra as fast as mid 80’s and when tuning was settled in on horsepower it ran a capable high 70’s MPH to 80’s MPH with a 25” Fury propeller. Our initial thoughts are it will perform well against the Yamaha SHO that has its own proven track record now, when you can get them… Before the tuners and tweakers get to arm chair quarterbacking, dozens of combinations of many products were tested, though settling in on the existing product as presented was determined. They have tested more variations than any of you have ability to test on this engine. Now the verdict… would we buy this engine. ABSOLUTELY! It is heads and shoulders over the existing product line and from V6, I-4 and the new V8 Mercury has knocked one out of the park! We do have a few dozen Optimax 2 Stroke engines in stock for those who are hesitant to be the first with new product. The engines have been in our facility and we are soon going to be shipping them. The 2 Stroke is dead in the black engine line. There will be a gross amount of speculation, people who claim to have known all about it. Claims of what it will do and how it runs will be numerous by people who have as much experience as those reading this. From our perspective they did a wonderful job and we can’t wait to run them with decals and in final form!Rick Pierce