You can put a Roush SC in and STILL have factory warranty- it's always been like that. But then you've got to pay out 6k+ for the SC.

And they also make SC's for Challenger's and Camaro's.

 

Yes to the 315 HP and 3.73 gears, but what makes you think the 2010 will weigh less than the '05 - '09? I'm guessing the 2010 will weigh more, not less.

 

What you fail to realize is- they've spent quite a bit just redesigning the car. They spent money designing the Bullitt- which is the basis for much of this car. So putting a few bucks into boosting the engine doesn't seem all that costly to me. The Ford Hot Rod Cams already exist, drop them in and you're at 345-350HP.

 

I don't like it...but I'm not complaining about the HP at all. I just don't like the styling. The HP doesn't really matter to me because my cars tend to get modified to produce more power. But if the styling doesn't satisfy my tastes, then there's no point in owning the car.

 

The 2010 GT weighs 15 lbs more than '09. So not really much of a factor. Still big weight difference between Camaro and Challenger.

 

Where are you getting your information? I just read in another thread that Ford's press release says a 35 lb increase for the GT.

 

Exactly - they already invested in R&D and mass production methods for the bullet spec engine. But it's not just a few extra bucks to get to from 315hp to 350hp.

Maybe it is my annoyed and condescending tone that is causing resistance to this viewpoint. I'm a different person when my stomach is empty. I apologize and will try to present my case a different way.

1) Mustang enthusiasts are not going to buy the 2010 whether it has 315hp or 340hp. We all know the 400hp 5.0L is coming out in 2011 and we will wait for it. They ALREADY lost our sales for 2010 no matter what (but will get them in 2011).
2) People who dont know better will see that 315hp is more than 300hp. This satisfies the general ignorant masses who want more power than last year. They will still buy a mustang, not knowing about the 5.0 - or caring (the fact that the V6 sells more than the V8 is proof that most mustang buyers don't care about HP).
3) A small subset of the non-mustang enthusiast people will buy a camaro instead. THESE SALES ARE LOST.

In order to make a new engine, Ford will have to spend millions of dollars on re-engineering an engine and retooling a factory to mass produce it. Also, they cannot just "use" the 350hp engine like you see in the Ford catalog, but they must redesign it so 100,000 units an be built cheaply. This means they must re-allocate an engine-producing-factory, either stop making a different engine or hire thousands of more people and create a new assembly line (not something that would happen). Chances are, they are able to shoot out 1,000 of those 350hp $7000 engines, but cannot easily scale it up 100x times. In addition to that, that engine probably does not come with the same 5year/60k warranty, because it has not been proven to be as reliable and also probably does not meet emissions in all 50 states.

If you disagree, please disagree with specific things I said in my post and show why I am wrong. I think intelligent debate on this subject is a good thing and we can all learn from each other.

 

Going from a crate motor to something that is mass produced for a production vehicle is not exactly something easy to do. Does that motor pass all 50-state emission standards? What is its fuel economy? All key decision making points on whether to simply drop it in.

 

The V6 jumped 35 lbs, the GT went up 15.

 

I read just the opposite.

 

From http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...l_economy.html#

 

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. An improvement is an improvement. "Ignorant masses" is a little harsh, if you ask me. Not everyone is afflicted with ***** envy. Not everyone is out to go faster than the next guy. Not everyone has to have a car that is capable of laying waste to the competition. They just want a good looking, fun, fast car. And the Mustang will always fit the bill.

It's not like the other guys will sell enough Camaros and Challengers to threaten the pee-pees of too many Mustang guys anyway.

 

You have to keep in mind what defines a "Mustang enthusiast"

I'm probably one of the biggest Mustang enthusiasts on the planet. I've always loved Mustangs since I was just a little kid. I love all Mustangs from day one. Yes, even the Mustang II, which is my least favorite Mustang, but I still have a soft spot for it because it is a Mustang.

From what I see so far, I'm not a fan of the 2010 styling either. The HP doesn't matter to me. Many "Mustang enthusiasts" like myself will modify our cars for more power. Therefore, the base HP is pretty much insignificant. A true enthusiast can make his car as powerful as he desires....

I also think it's important to realize that a 400 HP 5.0L engine isn't written in stone. It might not happen at all. It will be nice to see the return of the 5.0L Mustang if it does in fact happen.

 

Yeah, that's true. HP isn't king. I apologize for "ignorant masses." I really meant "the masses" but the phrase just rolls off my tongue (fingers). Just trying to support my claim that 315hp for 1 year isn't the end of the world.

 

your funny

 

Not trying to be funny... just being real. Nobody here knows for sure whether or not it will happen. At this point it's all speculation.

 

Why did everybody think the 4.6 was going to have 350+ hp? We all knew it was just going to be a carryover with a little more power.

 

sure

 

I think its a crying shame that Ford is over 100 hp behind the competition despite other improvements. When was the last time they were this far behind? I have not been excited since 03 when the mach 1 and blown cobras came out. Power does matter to some of us and I honestly have no desire to get a new mustang until Ford steps up their powertrains to be competitive. It may effect sales more than some of you think.

 

Yes, Ford made good decisions at one time or they wouldn’t have been business.

I would define “long term” as 5-7 years in the automotive industry. A new model takes roughly 36 months, so that’s basically 2 generations of product.

I do love the Ford faithful and how they will argue anything. Anyone with half a brain knows that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. When you invest your hard earned dollars, I am sure you diversified your risk. Ford simply failed to do this.

Secondly, the Big 3 were arrogant in thinking that oil wouldn’t increase. The big 3 should have seen this 3-5 years ago. With China and India ramping up, demand was increasing. It doesn’t take Albert Einstein to figure out what was going to happen with the cost of gasoline. Again, this is another failure of Ford (& GM/Chrysler) for not forecasting into the future.

Ford is a poorly run company with a ton of overhead & legacy costs, hence they are asking for a chunk of the bailout and why they are currently trading at 1.74 a share.