Sorry if this has been discussed in the past.....I've only had my GT for a few months now and was wondering how you all would describe the present motor's characteristics. How does it compare to earlier motors? What are the benefits (if any) over the older 5.0 that is obviously legendary to many, many owners. Is our 4.6 known as a high-revving motor for a small block? What are the known flaws? For starters, mine seems low on power until it hits 3,500 rpm's, and then hits 6,000 rpm's so fast! Is this motor known to have a high, yet narrow, power band? Just curious.

 

These cars IMO need a minimum of a 3.73 gear, and lots of clutch, to keep the revvs up when taking off hard or you get a real... boggy feeling!

My old '86 with a mild 5.0 and 4.10's... now that was a car that moved out. Just as fast in the 1/4, much lighter... however, a tin can deathtrap.

Tradeoffs!

I can't wait to test out a 5.0!

 

I think at least part of that high revving nature is the stock tune. With my Tillman Speed tune, it does seem to make quite a bit more power through the entire power band. There is no sudden jolt of power at around 4K like on the stock tune. Stock, it doesn't seem to want to go anywhere until you get to at least 3K. That all changed with the tune.

 

I completely agree with this.


It seems that the tunes really wake up the torque or something. I still remember the huge difference it made in the car. It may make 15hp on the dyno chart at peak hp, but its the power band overall that really gets improved. It seems to lack less with the tunes.

These cars respond very well to the custom tunes. I think that with a good CAI and tune, a set of 4.10 gears in the rear, and something like an off road h or even LT headers really wake these cars up without going FI. I know I had plenty of car when I had those three before I added teh blower. It was honestly a very responsive and quick car that was really all you could want in a car for under $30k with incentives IMHO.

Slap a blower on it though and its a fire breathing beast from hell.

 

I agree with the tuning. My Brenspeed tune retains the "rev" nature of the car, but pulls a lot harder down low as compared to stock.

My buddies are always shocked at how hard this car pulls up top. I can break the tires loose a little when I pop the 5 to 3 down shift at 65 or 70.

I test drove a car with 3.55s and felt that it was a bit quicker or torquier than my CS with 3.31s. More gear plays a huge roll along with different computer mapping. I only plan to add an O/R mid pipe and a set of 4.10s and I think I will have exactly what I want as far as pulling power.

I think Ford did a good job at producing a fairly balanced sports coupe. The stock tune is great for most people while an after market tune would scare the crap out of some. My car scares the daylights out of my girl when I nail it but I hated the throttle lag when it was stock.

 

I'd also have to describe it as weak off idle...had a few bigblocks over the years, nothing compares to a torquey motor in everyday driving, and the way they quietly/effortlessly plant your butt in the seat... BUT- the power that these small displacement aluminum masterpieces puts out is just amazing- and the sound is too only bad thing is, you cant 'legally' feel the potential unless at the track, unlike a bigblock thet puts out 450+ ft/lb at under 3kRPM...however- a positive displacement blower could get it close to that I'd bet...would like to find out someday

 

Thanks for the reply's....exactly what I was looking for! Funny, I had a 1970 Chevelle 396 years ago that had unreal power right off idle...I'm talking 1200 rpm's.... and this was with an auto and stock gears. I could break the tires loose at will, just easing on the throttle, with no effort. That was fun! But with all that power, the car couldn't stop or turn.

 

my first car was a 1969 2 door galaxie with the copcar goodies my mom bought when I was 8, promptly totalled it when I was 16...big boat or not, that was the most powerful car Ive ever driven. a buddy had a 455 olds in a transam that was the strongest I ever rode in...get near 500 ft/lb and its a fun car to drive everyday- even if its not 'fast' compared to the new mustang- but like you said, handling wasnt there at all...now my buddies trans-am: it scared me to ride with him someday that same old 429 is going in my 69 fastback- hopefully next year

 

with a proper tune a basic mods, these engines have off idle torque a plenty. I have owned some fast musclecars over the years(65 Z16, 69 Judge, 69 Roadrunner, 87 Grand national) and my Mustang is just as fast in every way.. except for the GN, which ran well into the 11's

 

Personality? Schizophrenic. A seemingly calm and rational demeanor can be turned into a fierce ***** with just a few zillion dollars' worth of mods and the proper tune.

 

Our 4.6's are very different from the big blocks of yesteryear. I owned a '68 Pontiac GTO with a 400 ci V8, automatic, and 3.90 gears. 500+ lb ft of torque that peaked very low like your Chevelle. It would launch super hard, but then the hp plateaued early. Our 4.6's, on the other hand, don't launch very hard, but pull harder as the revs climb. Our peak torque (factory stock) is at 4,500 rpm's.

To bolster the low end punch, I added 4.10 gears and a big aftermarket stall converter. Now my '07 GT launches hard. Added a Vortech blower to complement the high rev characteristics of the motor and the car really woke up.

 

Agree with everyone so far.

4.6's aren't big blocks. There is no substitute for cubic inches. Torque is what throws you in the seat.

But, after having owned big blocks in the past (440-4, 440+6 Mopars, 455 Pontiac, Buick), the 4.6 motors amaze me.

I like to make the comparison between NASCAR and Indy. Both fast but different.

And I'm not convinced that you can make a 281 sound like a 4xx. They just sound different. IMHO

 

I will say the motor does like to spin! 4k to 6k goes by in a heartbeat.....just wish I had a wider powerband. I'm sure a tune will help as others have said.

 

The entire family of modular engines suffers from the same issue: bore size and spacing. The original 4.6L 2V (Debuted in 1991 for the Town Car) was intended for front-wheel drive cars (transverse mounting).

The 3V and 4V heads greatly improve volumetric efficiency, but the larger displacement 5.4L blocks can't rev high enough to really take advantage of the extra valves. This is why Ford absolutely HAS to slap blowers on every Modular to make them "high performance".

I have a 4.6L 2V in the Crown Vic which made a paltry 215 hp stock. The 5.4L 2V in my E-250 makes 255 hp stock, and I have the 4.6L 3V in the GT. The 3V is a lot of fun, but lacks serious low end torque. It's almost as if the VTEC has to kick in at 3000 RPM before it seriously hauls.

Ford's upcoming Coyote 5.0L DOHC V8 is supposed to change all that with proper bore size/spacing to make more low end torque. Since the 6.2L Boss only makes 411 hp or so, the 5.0 Coyote is unlikely to surpass 350 hp by a large margin. Hopefully it makes gobs of low end torque, otherwise we'd be better off with a LS3 swap.

There are ways to make the S197 or any modular Ford more driveable quite easily: gears and forced induction.

 

Thanks for the great reply!

 

You should really look into getting a 93 tune. It make a world of difference. You already have the gears and a good CAI. You will never want to drive it with the stock tune again.

 

You really do not think the 5.0 will make more than 350? Even with all the rumors and inside info of 400+?

 

In stock production straight out of the factory form, I have doubts about the 5.0 making more than 350 hp namely because of Ford's modus operandi (MO) with its engines: make them produce a decent amount of horsepower, but never enough to really push the envelope straight out of the box. In addition, Ford has always incrementally boosted the hp for its engines used in the GT.

96-98 GT: 215-220 hp
99-04 GT: 260 hp (+40 hp)
05-10 GT: 300-315 hp (again, another +40 hp to +50 hp)
11-up GT: My guess is 340-350 hp, especially given the 6.2L Boss V8 is only going to make 411 hp in the F-150 Raptor.

Ford would be hard pressed to make the 5.0 produce more power than the 6.2, given the 6.2 is a physically larger engine that is fit into a much larger platform with more effective cooling (larger radiator, etc...)

I expect the aftermarket to cater to the 5.0 and make that puppy produce 450-500 hp naturally aspirated, but I don't see Ford releasing the 5.0 with much more than 350 hp with the 6.2 at 411 hp.

I hope I'm wrong and we see a 400+ hp 5.0 Coyote, this would shake up the industry.

The 93 tune is a good recommendation, but I've gone this route and all that happens with daily driving is that you get used to the response, the exhaust gets pitch black, and you pay more for 93 octane.

 

stuffing that piggy bank.

 

I have had my intake and various tunes on my Mustang for over 2 years now and over 50,000 miles now. I have yet to drive my car a single day and say, "that intake and tune was a waste of money". The car is simply a joy to drive every day, no matter what I am doing with it. I'm not even joking that every day I drive it I get a caca-eating grin on my face. For a car to do that day in and day out over 2 years and 50,000+ miles is amazing. You would have to pry that intake and tuner from my cold dead hands before I gave it up.

BTW I did drive the car for about 30K miles on the stock tune before discovering the joys of the aftermarket, so I am very familiar with the stock settings. My only regret is that I didn't do it at mile #8...when I picked it up from the dealer.

PS, my exhaust pipes aren't black. At least they are no worse than they were stock. There is still black on the inside of the pipes, but not the outside or around the edges...fwiw.