Skylar

Which would you choose, and why?

dgc333

Personally I wouldn't choose either. I would get much more satisfaction building a GT into something equivalent and save 10's of thousands of dollars to boot.

Stage_3

I would LOVE to build my own S550 and have thought about it. But, it would cost so much money. Well, my build would. I have calculated it all out already. (Always go on the plus side and it if it's less,...you make out.) Supercharger, and wheels/tires alone are close to 15/20k. And we haven't even spoke of upgrading the brakes, clutch, half shafts, suspension, and so on.

To answer the OP's question, you really can't go wrong with either car. Both are beasts. I think the GT350R is harder to come by and will have a higher ADM because of that fact. I would love to own a brand new Roush Stage 3 with phase 3, when it comes out, someday. I probably will.
GOOD LUCK!!

1 Alibi 2

If you're looking to / for a track car - GT350 R.
If your primary use is the street - Roush Stage 3 ( w/ 670 upgrade )
.

Joeywhat

Let's see, buy a factory car with a factory warranty and zero work involved, or pay the same price, get the same performance and have a much more limited warranty....


In response to the original question, I'd take the 350 all day every day. I feel like it'd be way more fun to drive, and the roush will only be fun for burning tires.

tom281

I'm not sure about the same performance statement...., the Roush will have about 150 more horsepower and loads more torque down low. And with the stage 3 suspension it won't be that far behind in the turns and will out run the 350 on the straights for sure.

Tough choice.....

Joeywhat

I seriously doubt the Roush will be anywhere NEAR the 350R on a road course...but I'll eat crow if someone actually cared to prove that wrong...

I think you'd need a VERY excellent driver to get that Roush even close to the 350R, and I imagine the Roush will also weight a bit more....still might have plenty of power to overcome that on the straights, but that don't help any in the corners.

In either event, I feel my original point still stands...the 350R will feel much better around corners, and the Roush will be a straight line sort of car. If that's your thing, then awesome...I don't see the point in going fast in a straight line, and if I did I can think of many different vehicles to do that then the Roush Mustang.

=HYPERDRIVE=

GT350 just because of the engine, a supercharged 5.0 this day and age is nothing new or special, people are pulling crazy numbers thats for sure, but a lot of them already exist,either from shelby,roush,steeda and anyone willing to slap a turbo or supercharger on their GT. Same way I would rather have a Hellcat then a Roush, The engines make Hellcat or GT350 stand out and be more desirable in peoples eyes in my opinion.

Stage_3

That is true Tom.
I will still give the upper hand to the GT350R in the auto-x/road course department though.

dgc333

There is nothing special about the GT350 suspension that can not be duplicated or exceeded with aftermarket parts.

dgc333

Not sure what supercharger and tires/wheels you are looking at buy that is awfully high.

The Roush Supercharger kit is $6800, Hellion single turbo kit is $6300 and the twin turbo (800+ WHP) is $9000. There are other supercharger kits in the $5k range.

Add $2k for tires/wheels, $2k for brakes and $2k for suspension upgrades.

For $13k over the price of a GT you can build a GT350 eater or a Roush Stage 3 equivalent.

With anything with the Shelby, Roush, Petty name on it you are paying a huge premium for the name.

Stage_3

Exactly.
Either some Forgeline wheels or HRE wheels and then tires. That's close to 10K right there. Add supercharger, and well, you get where I'm going with this. lol (If I'm doing a build, I'm doing it right.) Don't forget suspension, half shafts, clutch, and so on and so on. Either Baer or Wilwood brakes = BIG money.
So yeah, my build would cost more than a brand new Roush Stage 3 or a brand new GT350R. Not to take away from either car, because they both are very awesome and I wouldn't mind owning either one.

Joeywhat

Don't forget the install costs. Even if you have a full shop with every single tool needed to get the install done, your time ain't free. Wheels are easy, a supercharger is gonna take a little bit of work...

GT_Dave

Don't forget the Magneride system , that will add significant $$ to building up a GT. Not totally necessary , but not quite the same without it.
Besides The engine, It's one of the main reasons I ordered a GT350.

dgc333

A supercharger is easy too, especially with the kits they are selling these days.

My time is free to me. Doing the work yourself is what the hot rodding hobby is all about.

tj@steeda

Don't sleep on the Steeda & the suspension systems that we have/are still developing! We have been know to take the best handling vehicles from the factory ... and make them better!





TJ

elfiero

If I understand it correctly, doesn't the "R" come with carbon fiber wheels? Those babies are about 2k per corner? That would answer the question about the "DYI" version right there. Start with a gt and add a blower kit, electromagnetic shocks, lightweight parts, and carbon fiber wheels, and I'll guaranty you will be WAY over the cost just buying a gt350r- including dealer markup.

O, and your homemade hot rod would still weigh more than the real deal, and have like, zip for resale. Meanwhile, the real deal will likely skyrocket in value as the years pass..........

Mustang Freak

I drove the 350R and all I can say is it is wicked fast and sticks like glue. By far light years ahead of the previous models! It might not win all the drag races but throw in some twisties and it will run if not out run everyone else. :-)

Skylar

I went with the GT350R over the GT350 for the comparison because of the horsepower gap between it and the Roush. I'd love to have either one, but I wouldn't want to modify them being special editions and all. I've always dreamed of building my own GT up exactly like I'd want it in the future.

CiniZter

it wont be long before we will see heads up video between this two. already saw yesterday a mash up on youtube. linke below.