After putitng 52K on an '00GT 5-spd with all the bolt on's,......I am continually surprised at how different this 3 valve engine really is.....it's not just the extra 40 hp - but under certain circumstances you can feel that this engine breathes much better......I was on a deserted stretch of highway (I know rare in SoCal) and at about 70mph I downshifted into 3rd (hit about 4Krpms) and punched it.......amazing what pull this V8 has at higher speeds....it took off like a rocket and I was hitting 4th b4 I knew it........

Of course the intake/exhaust mods certainly help.

 

yep, I agree, it's great for leaving tailgaters breathing exhaust fumes.

 

I was just reminded last night AGAIN how much this car seems to want to RUN at higher speeds - crusing along at 80 on the highway, got on it, and it seemed like I was only doing 40 and getting on it, the way the car was effortlessly pulling....

 

Dave - EXACTLY - couldn't have put it better myself - the "grin factor" just keeps getting better and better!

 

Every car has a "sweet spot". The spot where it just runs in 5th with no effort and your not always needing to slow the car down because its wanting to go faster or the car feels like its got the throttle down because your trying to make it go faster.

The sweet spot on my GT with Auto is 80.

 

I absolutly agree with what you're talking about. I love cruising on the freeway at about 70, downshifting and just taking off. The car does it so effortlessly. The only thing that stinks though is when you shift up to 5th. All other gears climb through the rpm range rather quickly then you get to 5th and it seems to bog the engine down.

I know 5th is basically a cruising gear designed for gas mileage on highway/freeways. Will changing to say 4.10 gears solve my problem?

 

DON"T DO IT! 4th gear will lose your license as it is. Have you noticed that none of the guys with 4.10s will talk about highway gas milelage?

 

You put 52K into an '00 GT? Wadja do to it?

 

ON not IN, mileage not money

 

You beat me to it, i was gonna say "drove it?"....

 

Two days when a Cobra came flying past me on the highway I dropped from 5th to 3rd to catch up. That was the first time I had gone from 5th to 3rd in this car since I've owned it. All I could think to myself was CRAP :shock: ! I was not expecting to be put so far back into my seat. This car is most definitely awesome!

 

If only my fiance did not scream and flail me about the head and arms everytime she rides with me in my 05. Something about, "SLOW DOWN" but the ringing in my ears makes me unsure... Once the Bassani's are on, Today, I will have less ability to hear her and that should reduce the ringing in my ear.

There is hope though, every once and a while she will say, loose this turkey when some dolt is tailgating us or holding up traffic ahead.

 

I've got 4.10's and get 22 mpg at freeway speeds of 75+....no issues here.....Just got back from a Mustnag Club cruise to Brenham and raced a bunch of cars coming back to Houston.....that 75-115 pull is awesome! Drove it hard and still averaged 21mpg on my trip.....not bad....

P.S. The Bassani's did have my ears ringing when I got rolled up the windows and turned the car off after getting home....the tailgaters got a whole lot of the magical throaty tone when i buried them....LOL

John

 

LOL ! I can not help to enjoy your story - a similar things happens when my wife rides with me. The other night she tells me, "It seems everytime I go for a ride with you, people are trying to race you." She is right, it does happen, although I have declined the other drivers because it would scare the daylights out of her. I just smiled and asked her .. "I wonder why they do that ... is there a pattern here ?".

 

Ok, SO I was on my way home tonight and had all four lights a blazin (as usual). I was behind a rust bucket 1902 bronco or something and holding steady at around 4000 on the tach in 2nd gear.

Suddenly I thought, I wonder if I punch it . . . how far up the truck my lights will go. I slammed in the pedal and momentarily blinded the poor guy. Of course, I was giddy as a school kid grinning ear to ear!

I only wish I was at sea level to experience all the power. . .

EDIT: I can't spell