Recently it was announced that the new 2011 Mustang GT would return to the 5.0 (302cid) V8 formula for power delivery. I don’t get what the big deal is going from the current 4.6 liter to a slightly larger 5.0 liter. I don’t even get what the massive nostalgia is towards the old 5.0 that came in the fox body.
Going back to the late 1980s, the old mustang 5.0 liter engine used all of it’s massive 4.9 liters of displacement to deliver a whopping 165horsepower. The heavy cast iron block, coupled with cast iron heads meant that the power train on the car was not only quite heavy but also not very power friendly as cast iron heads severely limit the amount of boost and timing you can put into a motor before the cylinder head starts to become a limitation on cylinder cooling and extracting enough heat transfer out of the combustion chamber to maintain safe power operation.
Sure the 5.0 was later updated to make 205 hp with different heads, a newer cam, and newly experimented fuel injection rather than the old 2 barrel carburetor but still… what is the big deal?
Even more interesting is looking at some of the new OEM offerings such as the Charger SRT-8 coming in with a massive 6.1 liters of displac
ement to work with….
Have I lost you yet, mustang fans? Are you hating on me ?
Before you lash out against me and send me that nasty email … hear me out.
I am actually excited about THIS version of the 5.0 because it is not just attractive in that nostalgic yet unjustifiable way as the OLD underpowered 5.0 … I am excited about the new 5.0 because although it is 1.1 liters less than the SRT-8 , it delivers a sold 412hp out of the factory compared to the SRT-8’s 425 hp. I’m excited because this version does not come with cast iron heads which means it will be boost friendly. I am excited because I know for sure that there is ALREADY one in Vortech’s R&D being supercharged and that this engine with a basic 15psi supercharger kit will put down around 820 hp which is insane considering it could be a bolt on affair. I have no doubt in my mind that it will not be long before we see the first 2011 mustang GT break into the
10s…
Last but most importantly, I am excited because, in a post 9-11, post Iraq/Iran/Afghan war, post the Economic recession, post BP oil spill, post almost bankruptcy by the big 3 auto companies that a company like Ford, in opposition to the current auto thinking of smaller displacement + supercharger … despite all of that
Ford is STILL Delivering a larger displacement motor to stay true both to the mustang branding, to the solid V8 recipe, to try and acquire some nostalgia sales from the 5.0 mark to re-charge their sales figures, and to give all of us a more flexible platform to build up on in the aftermarket tuning c
ommunity … all the while , still passing emissions, noise, and mileage regulations required to put out such a beast.
I am also excited because I knew, the second I heard about the come back of the 5.0, that Ford had fore sure dipped into their bag of tricks and used technology to justify the move to the larger engine and I was right:
The modern 5.0-liter four-valve Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) V-8 engine in the new Mustang GT will deliver 412 horsepower and 390 ft.-lb. of torque. At the same time, fuel economy is projected to be better than the previous model and unsurpassed in the segment.
In a world where I think 5 to 10 years down the line we will be trying to figure out how to get more acceleration out of electric cars, I think that a move like this is a nice tribute to an older simpler time…. a time where it was not only OK but also MAGNIFICENT for a 5.0 liter to put down barely 200hp… Yes this is still a small block Ford, and Ford has bigger blocks that they could have offered here… but still this is a Big move from a small block.
Check this out… 5.0 with technology, vs raw 6.1
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJHqbqGCCMc
There really is no replacement for technology….
WOW! Guess you never had a old 5.0 or were in the car scene back then. I will try not to get into too much of a novel here, but it probably can’t be helped.
In the late 1980′s-early 1990′s, there weren’t a lot of cars you could buy that would run 14 second 1/4 miles stock. The 5.0 was kind of the beginning of technology brining back performance after years of almost no performance unless you could afford a turbo Porsche. The mid 70′s-80′s where times when Mustangs, Camaro’s, and even Corvettes were under 200hp, 16 second quarter mile machines. Sad times for american muscle. The 5.0 was that start of the comeback, along with the IROC Z28 Camaro’s of the time.
A big reason the 5.0 is a legend is how HUGE and affordable the aftermarket parts selection was. In the early – mid 90′s, you could pick up a couple year old 5.0, and slowly modify it to your desired level of performance based on your budget. Exhaust, a cold air intake, and some 3.73 gears would have you well into the 13 sec 1/4 mile range. Get into the literally hundreds of cam, head, and intake combos and you could be in the 12′s or even 11′s real quick. Or save $3k, slap on a Paxton or Vortech Supercharger one afternoon and be done! No pulling off bumpers, fender liners, and fenders to put a supercharger in an old 5.0. Basic knowledge and hand tools and it could all be done with just the hood open. Superchargers galore, nitrous, everything was available and relatively cheap for the 5.0. And because it was a fairly simple old push rod engine, most enthusiasts could work on the car themselves.
The 5.7 IROC Z Camarro and Trans Am were about the only other affordable V8 performance cars of the time. They were a little faster than the 5.0 stock, but not nearly as aftermarket part friendly, or easy to work on. Plus due to emission laws you could not get the 350 chevy (5.7) with a manual transmission. If you wanted the manual in the camarro, you had to go with the 305 engine which was not at all modification friendly. Another huge appeal of the 5.0 at the time
So whether a 5.0 fan or not, i think ALL performance car enthusiasts today should be aware of the history and happy about what the 5.0 helped do for automotive performance, especially for america. The 5.0 was in some ways the start of the “comeback” of the power people wanted. Did you know what was the Ford Probe was supposed to be the next generation Mustang in the late 80′s? But the 5.0 was so popular, they realized a front wheel drive V-6 Mustang was not going to fly.
Hope that info helps you understand more about why the 5.0 is considered such a nostalgic theme to it, it is really kind of a legendary motor in it’s time. Much like old Hemi Chrysler’s, Cobrajet Fords, and Tri Pack Chevys of the old muscle car days of the 60′s.
The 4.6 has come a long way too. When it came out in 1996 it was a DOG! The Cobra had the 315HP 32V version but for young people at the time almost $30k for a Cobra was out of the question for most. The aftermarket was weak for the GT 4.6, and the days of swapping cams, heads, and intakes in the driveway were gone. So for those of us that had 5.0′s or at least got to work on and drive them back in the day, the memories are good……