My local mechanic installed the pulley set today and said it was a real "*****". They had to pull a motor mount to get the starter out of the way. He charged my $192 for the job, and I feel that was a very fair price. I plan to drop off a $20 out of sheer guilt due to his busted knuckles. It took three of them to perform the 90 after the initial torque spec was reached.

My only performance mods so far are the NW single intake and the 181, but it already feels night-and-day different than what I drove home two weeks ago. The part-throttle power is sick. It easily breaks the tires lose on dry pavement without going WOT. Clearly it's going to be much quicker than before when I really get on it. I'm having to baby it right now due to a dead IC pump and no tuning cable (both are en route).

Hopefully the Eurocharged cable, Johnson pump, and NW catch can will arrive soon, and I'll finish piecing the puzzle together and hit the track. I got a quote of $300 to install the Phantom Grip, so I'm fairly certain that will be next as soon as I explore the XF's current traction limitations.

In summary, this is a very quick and exciting car and I enjoy every minute behind the wheel. No, it's not brutally fast, but it's no slouch either.