2004 LS8 acceleration sluggish

I recently traded in my 98 Taurus SHO for a 2004 LS8. Love the car, but I've found that when accelerating from a dead stop, the car seems a bit sluggish. I have the AdvanceTrac turned off, so it's not the traction control. It seems to only be an issue in first gear. The engine makes a slightly different sound, almost like the timing is retarded. As soon as the transmission shifts, the engine sounds normal.

The car is still fast, and runs well. Smooth idle, etc. I suspect this may be programming in the PCM to prevent the car from dumping a bunch of torque through the transmission and drivetrain.

Is this normal for a 2003-2005 LS8? Unfortunately there are not many of the 03-05 LS8s around here for sale, so I haven't been able to test drive another one to compare.

-Rod

I have the same complaint with my 2003 V-8 Sport. What I have found out is the drive by wire throttle is the problem. I am planning to go with the Xcal2 chip. From what Torrie at Fast Parts Network has said the aftermarket programming can relieve this to a great extent. Maybe not 100% but a big improvement. Be aware you might have a issue with the DBW set up too?
Can the car light up the rear tires without the TC on? It should!!!
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Be aware that misfires from coils can also have a hand in this. It's not easy to determine if the coils are misfiring. Ford now has a COP (Coil on Plug) stress test that can be run at the dealer.

Thank you for the reply. Nope, the car will not light up the tires with the traction control off. Have you driven other 2003-2005 LS8's that will? Mine is still under warranty, I wonder if the local Lincoln dealer will take a look at it as a warranty claim....

Using my OTC Genisys scan tool, I've checked the misfire counts after drives and there are no misfire counts, so I don't think the coils are the problem. Since I bought the car with 30k miles and I don't know the history of those 30k, I put a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the tank last night. I'll see after a couple of days if that makes a difference.

I'll be very curious to hear your review of the XCal2. I hope you will post a review if you decide to purchase it.

-Rod

Well, clubairth, you were correct. I put the scan tool on the LS again and noticed that in fact there are misfires and the knock sensors are picking the misfires up as well. They are not so frequent as to cause the CEL to illuminate or set a code, but frequent enough that I can watch them in datastream mode and now I can even feel them at idle. I suspect they are the reason for the sluggish acceleration.

I pulled one coil and plug. Everything under the coil cover plates looks clean and brand new. There were no signs of oil on the one coil I pulled and the plug looked good and the gap is well within spec. Since it's still under warranty, I made an appointment with the local dealer for Monday. We'll see what happens.

-Rod