alright here is the deal...



Last night I was heading home ok so I was driving a bit fast but I was in my GT. So I go around this Camaro and Mustang which seem to be playing a bit. All of a sudden the Mustang breaks off comes flying up on me and into the other lane and hits his breaks. From what I can see the Mustang is lowered sounds like it has an off road h pipe and mufflers. Well he runs beside me we both drop it. We started out in third gear. I pulled on him in the beginning then as my revs got higher he caught up then I shifted into 4th and pulled another 4 feet on him as my revs got a bit higher again he gained back 2 feet. Well at this point we are doing about 125mph. So I shut down and tap the brakes declaring a win. At the next stop light he signals for me to follow him so I do. We pull into a parking lot and he pops his hood I pop mine and we start talking. Well he had 3.55 gears a short throw shifter a mac prochamber exhaust and mac mufflers. He also had a superchip. He looked under my hood and seemed kind of put off. Yep only cold air intake. No other mod. Stock exhaust. Stock shifter. Stock 2.73 gearing. He asked why I was able to beat him. I really didnt know. His car was a 97 Model GT. I know they require a full exhaust just to catch an older 87-95 5.0. But I mean everytime in the lower revs I would pull on him. Everytime in the higher RPM's he would gain back some of it.

But he was really cool about the race. His car sounded wicked!!!





Any ideas why this race went this way???

Wonder if he needed a tuneup? I know I do! lol



I know the 4.6's are a bit low on the torque side. I thought he would of beaten me.



He should of won by weight alone. I weigh more than he does. His car didnt have leather or power seats or even power windows. My car has power windows power locks power seats power top. Oh well it was fun but scary and rough ride. Kind of bottomed out... and at 125mph that aint fun.

 

good job. i personally think them 4.6s are a pos. they seem like the domestic hondas. loud and slow. of course ive never raced one. this is just my opinion.

 

the 4.6 i raced gave me way more of a race than the 5.0 did, so i think he should have won, maybe ur car's engine is in really good condtion?

 

IF he wasnt bullshitting about his gears, his gears might have hurt him upstairs. Off the line he would probably have done better ( if he did in fact have 3.55's. Perhaps 3.55 gearing isnt a good choice for these 4.6's, maybe it screws things up with the torque curve. His work done on the car probably gave him about 10-15hp at the wheels, obviously a shifter wont do him any good for more power, maybe he just didnt know how to drive and shifted too early? The 5.0 was/is a better motor then the 4.6 anyhow, better torque.

 

There is a guy that lives real close to me, he is a HUGE Stang nut and he told the the 89 5.0 was the best motor. Its been a year or so since we talked about it and I'm no stang buff so I really dont remember the spacifics at all. According to him they changed some things in 89 that really improved over the 88's and earlier but then in 90 they changed some things that made it worse. Anyway, it works out that the 89 motor got all the good stuff with no crap. Seems like this had to do with the rockers and and other stuff, I really cant remember but I do remember him saying the 89 got the best of both worlds and at the time (a year or so ago)was the best motor to date (probably not counting the old muscle car era stuff).



Interestingly enough I think it might have only been in the LX model that year as well but cant remember for sure.



Anyway, he used to have a 89 that was totaled and he got a 93, every since he's been looking for another clean 89, or a 89 motor. I think they are also easier to make fast.



It would make since according to your stories.



Later,

STEPHEN

 

The 89's are one of the better years..



In 90 they added an air bag to the car and I believe switched to different (weaker) pistons. When the change from 88 to 89 happened ford installed mass air into the Mustang V8's. The 88's did not get they got speed density.

The motor in the LX's and the GT's are the same. The LX's usually just have a bit less weight to carry around. Since the GT's got the bodykit and usually every option.

The Fastest Fox body mustang was actually an 88 Coupe 5 spd 5.0. The speed density in stock form is actually worth a few more hp. But it does not like any kind of modifications. But watch out For coupe 5.0's. Stock they are capable of 13.9's. So a modified 5.0 Coupe Mustang 5 spd can make ya think twice. I have raced one in my Convertible. It was signicantly faster for being all stock. As for the 4.6's in these mustangs I am slower starting to like them. They are actually a better motor. Put together a lot better and so much smoother of a motor. But they just do not make the kind of torque the 302's did. But they are nice motors. In 99 Ford upgraded the current 4.6 SOHC from 225hp to 260 and gave it better cams and a better intake. Trust me it makes a difference. The 99's I just hang with. The 98's and down I beat usually....

 

I should scan and post a pic of my friends Mustang doing a wheel stand at the track, on the way to a low 9 second pass. From a all motor carburated small block no less.