Feb '06 5.0 M&SF Shelby GT500 article

[cobradude]

Hey my last gf weighed 2 tons!!! I'll just put that Bitch on a diet!

 

[GTSpartan]

I remember people saying the same about 03/04 Cobra's prior to their release, worse in some cases because of the IRS. Thankfully cars don't always perform the way they appear they will on spec sheets.
Will everybody be able to run down to their local track and run an 11 in a bone stock coupe? Probably not, but it won't be that much of a rarity either.
Hell, even the 4500+lbs twin screw 5.5L Mercedes can trap 116 through an auto bone stock. It's about TQ and avg. HP which the GT500 motor has in spades. The 3 link will help with wheelspin more than you'd think.

Agreed, but the benz has the added benefit of computer nannies and a hella sweet auto to create sweet hole shots and no wheel spin.

 

[Dave Schotz]

Guys... this is tough on me... I am number one on a Dealer list for this car @ MSRP...and am having 2nd thoughts about owning a 4,000 lb mustang! Truth is... the 3,650+ of the '03+ SVT's were why I ignored them!

I thought the Shelby Name, and GT Heads/Motor would be enough to sway me... but man... I am all about handling... and fun... and although I believe this car, with just a tune, and a cat back will shatter 500RWHP... it still will wiegh almost 4,000lbs! That is unacceptable...when 4 DOOR BMW'S & MERCEDES do not weigh that much!

Help me with this one guys... what makes this car different than a 4,000 lb Marauder??? Which is something I WOULD NEVER Consider!

I am strongly considering C6 now (although w/ wanting back seats)... more like V8 M3!

Help!

 

[1993cobramustan]

Guys... this is tough on me... I am number one on a Dealer list for this car @ MSRP...and am having 2nd thoughts about owning a 4,000 lb mustang! Truth is... the 3,650+ of the '03+ SVT's were why I ignored them!

I thought the Shelby Name, and GT Heads/Motor would be enough to sway me... but man... I am all about handling... and fun... and although I believe this car, with just a tune, and a cat back will shatter 500RWHP... it still will wiegh almost 4,000lbs! That is unacceptable...when 4 DOOR BMW'S & MERCEDES do not weigh that much!

Help me with this one guys... what makes this car different than a 4,000 lb Marauder??? Which is something I WOULD NEVER Consider!

I am strongly considering C6 now (although w/ wanting back seats)... more like V8 M3!

Help!

Hi Dave... I am a Powerlease customer, who has an option coming, and I am considering a switch to the C6 next year, because of the same concerns you have....The 2007 Model year C6 will probably have 425 to 450HP ratings, and based on weight, and vastly better fuel economy, I may go back to bow-tie on this one......I hope the numbers are going to be better than I think.....

 

[crispy23c]

It's the norm for passenger cars, yes. Not for sports cars. Vettes, vipers, ford GT, and any other is a full frame car. You can build a strong central frame and surround it with light weight components.

However, full frame cars are not as economical as unibodies and are more specialized to the car it's designed for. A unibody can be modified extensively to be used in a multitude of different cars.

Yes, exactly. The Mustang was born as a passenger car--as all the others mentioned. This is a sporty passenger car. I need 4 seats, otherwise, a vette/viper or something else would be high on the list.
PS, I think I might agree w/4cam re: 1/4 mile times. Mebbe I'm just hoping! :rollseyes

 

[cobradude]

Guys... this is tough on me... I am number one on a Dealer list for this car @ MSRP...and am having 2nd thoughts about owning a 4,000 lb mustang! Truth is... the 3,650+ of the '03+ SVT's were why I ignored them!

I thought the Shelby Name, and GT Heads/Motor would be enough to sway me... but man... I am all about handling... and fun... and although I believe this car, with just a tune, and a cat back will shatter 500RWHP... it still will wiegh almost 4,000lbs! That is unacceptable...when 4 DOOR BMW'S & MERCEDES do not weigh that much!

Help me with this one guys... what makes this car different than a 4,000 lb Marauder??? Which is something I WOULD NEVER Consider!

I am strongly considering C6 now (although w/ wanting back seats)... more like V8 M3!

Help!

Can I have your spot then? Really!!! LMK :coolman:

 

[badsube]

so guys let me ask this. where does the additional weight come from beside the motor when you compare it to the 03-04 cobras? is it the live axle? where's the approximate 500 pounds in the car?

 

[03Terminator]

I trust Fourcam's judgement on the performance of this car but I still can't help having a little doubt that a 4000 lb car such as the GT500 will run 11's. But then again this is all just speculation so we will have to wait untill we have some hard performance numbers.

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

well lets see, the entire car is bigger, and the entire car is stiffer, and did i mention its bigger? and its also a modified chassis thats based on the lincoln LS meaning its bigger and beefier. now what the hell do you mean where does the additional weight come from?!?!?!?!?!

 

[03Terminator]

so guys let me ask this. where does the additional weight come from beside the motor when you compare it to the 03-04 cobras? is it the live axle? where's the approximate 500 pounds in the car?

Actually the two cars are only about 300 lbs apart, 3880 for the GT500 vs 3650 for the Terminators. Most of this probably comes from the motor but it can also come from the increased sound deadening, larger wheels and tires, and the fact that the new car is just plain bigger than the 03/04's.

I say get rid of some of the sound deadening (I like to hear the motor and exhaust any way!), use an aluminum hood and trunk lid (car may already have an aluminum hood), and ditch those ugly wheels for some lighter ones!!! This would help shed some of the pork off this pig!!!

 

[LR 01 Cobra]

well lets see, the entire car is bigger, and the entire car is stiffer, and did i mention its bigger? and its also a modified chassis thats based on the lincoln LS meaning its bigger and beefier. now what the hell do you mean where does the additional weight come from?!?!?!?!?!

I would have said it a little kinder, but yea that’s some of the extra weight. I have enough info on the car. Some things I like, some I don’t, but I’m gonna wait until I drive it before I judge it. When my car comes in, I’ll either keep it, or leave it! It’s that simple.

Tim op:

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

yea, stressful day. just got back from doin a lot of crap all morning when i typed that.

 

[broeli]

How about lightweight seats instead of crappy heavy seats with terrible bolsters? Throw some Recaro's or Sparco's in the thing, get rid of the sound deadening, stamp out some of the panels in aluminum, etc. It would be so easy and cheap to make it several hundred pounds lighter. It'd be worth closer to 40k to me if they at least showed some EFFORT to lighten the thing.

 

[broeli]

Stamping out the hood and fenders in aluminum would help reduce front end weight where it needs to come off the most. You should feel how light the aluminum Evo fenders and hood are..the fenders are lighter than the box they're shipped in. They could also make the door beams out of aluminum for reletively cheap. The new Evo's switched to aluminum door beams to further reduce weight of the doors. Just thought I'd throw some examples of things that could be done cheap by the manufacturer to make us happy

 

[crazyhorse06]

Actually the two cars are only about 300 lbs apart, 3880 for the GT500 vs 3650 for the Terminators. Most of this probably comes from the motor but it can also come from the increased sound deadening, larger wheels and tires, and the fact that the new car is just plain bigger than the 03/04's.

I say get rid of some of the sound deadening (I like to hear the motor and exhaust any way!), use an aluminum hood and trunk lid (car may already have an aluminum hood), and ditch those ugly wheels for some lighter ones!!! This would help shed some of the pork off this pig!!!

Isn't that 200 lbs?

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

sparcos/recaros and aluminum body panels cheap? wow, i would really like to know your suppliers

 

[GTSpartan]

sparcos/recaros and aluminum body panels cheap? wow, i would really like to know your suppliers

Plus, insurance companies don't like aluminum body panels. Too expensive to repair, and to put them on a car with more $$$$ insurance than my viper would make it un-affordable to insure.

 

[broeli]

What makes them sooo much more? They pay for the material only and stamp out the things. If they were so expensive to use, make, and insure cars such as a $30k Evo wouldn't be using them would they? That's bs. Once the mold is made for the body panel the extra cost will only be the price difference of the material.
Why can limited production $30,000 cars use carbon fiber, aluminum, thinner side glass, lightweight suspension, have adjustable hid headlights, lightweight Recaro seats, etc., but a $40,000 car from a MAJOR manufacturer can't? Help me understand that. This isn't a $20k car we're talking about. Does the engine alone make it worth $15k more than a Mustang GT?? No.
Sorry, there is no excuse in my mind..maybe I'm just craze

 

[Fourcam330]

Agreed, but the benz has the added benefit of computer nannies and a hella sweet auto to create sweet hole shots and no wheel spin.

That's why I stated trap speed not ET.

 

[Fourcam330]

Guys... this is tough on me... I am number one on a Dealer list for this car @ MSRP...and am having 2nd thoughts about owning a 4,000 lb mustang! Truth is... the 3,650+ of the '03+ SVT's were why I ignored them!

I thought the Shelby Name, and GT Heads/Motor would be enough to sway me... but man... I am all about handling... and fun... and although I believe this car, with just a tune, and a cat back will shatter 500RWHP... it still will wiegh almost 4,000lbs! That is unacceptable...when 4 DOOR BMW'S & MERCEDES do not weigh that much!

Help me with this one guys... what makes this car different than a 4,000 lb Marauder??? Which is something I WOULD NEVER Consider!

I am strongly considering C6 now (although w/ wanting back seats)... more like V8 M3!

Help!

Best advice I can give you Dave is to remain on the list, then take her out for a test drive when she comes in. If you don't like it, tell the dealer to get bent, as they'll have no problem unloading it to the next person in line. Shouldn't be too big of a deal.