More magazine articles

[Alloy Dave]

Went to the store today, and decided to look for any GT500 articles in the magazine aisle. I found three as shown below. There were some OBVIOUS errors, and some other areas where the info differs dramatically from what we've been seeing so far.

 

1. MM & FF August issue (yes I know it's not August yet, tell THEM that lol
   
2. 5.0 Mustangs & Super Fords August edition (yes, I know it's not August yet, tell them that too lol)
   
3. Automobile July edition
   

 

MM & FF Comments:

• Generally good comments about the car
  
• They say Ford will make "8,000 or so" per year for FIVE years (this is different from what we've heard)
  
• The aluminum block (from the GT) was not offered because the cost would be so high to engineer it for the Mustang chassis that there is no way they'd be able to pass the cost on to the buyer
  
• The 500 HP is reached at 6,000 RPM. Max torque of 480 lb*ft reached at 4,500 RPM.
  
• Redline set at 6,250 RPM
  
• First time Ford has used an "X" pipe in a factory car (Mustang GT uses "H" pipe)
  
• They say the use of 3.31 gears prevented the gas guzzler tax (appears they were wrong on this one...maybe it merely REDUCED the gg tax)
  
• Reason they don't offer an automatic ... they don't have one that can withstand the power
  
• Clutch pedal pressure required is about 1/2 of what the previous Cobra required
  
• They said that at the end of the day of testing, the car was "in serious need of pads" (brake pads)...... huh? I guess I'm just surprised you could wear out a set of pads in one day.
  
• Steering wheel has indentations for your thumbs (good thing we have opposable thumbs lol)
  
• Front fascia has provisions (not hooked up) for brake cooling ducts. The plastic pieces are perforated on the backside for easy punch outs.
  
• Several drag runs with TCS turned "off" resulted in times ranging from 12.26 to 12.61 in 1/4 mile
  
• In the "specifications" section they made an obvious typo...they say the engine size is 4.6 liter (lol)
  

 

 

5.0 Mustang & Super Fords

• Somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 production (they don't say how many years)
  
• They also noted the much softer clutch pedal effort than previous Cobras
  
• Said the car didn't feel as fast as they had hoped. They attributed this to "heat-soaked blower and unrealistic expectations" lol
  
• What DID surprise them was the handling...didn't think it would be this good for such a heavy car
  
• They called the shifter a "damp noodle"
  
• A quote about ADMs... "if you want one right away, you'll have to be willing to pay and early adopter tax that we've seen range from $5k to $25k over MSRP. That has pushed the car into unfair comparisons with the much lighter, much pricier Corvette."
  
• Silver-faced gauges are much easier to read than the base GT gauges
  
• The Tremec TR-6060 is better in almost every way than the T56. Higher torque rating from moving to a 26 spline input shaft. Countershafts are two-piece. Gear faces are wider (they have a photo..obvious).Triple synchros on 1-2 and 3-4 vs. double on the T56. Double synchros on all remaining gears vs. single on the T56. Synchros upgraded from previous carbon-particle paper to sintered-bronze. Synchro hubs are narrower, resulting in shorter throws than the T56. Hub system uses ball and coil spring struts rather than the previous hoot and stamped type.
  

 

Automobile

• Much of their info is same as previous mags...so I won't repeat
  
• They counted 7 snake emblems, 7 SVT logos, four GT500 badges, 3 Shelby escutcheons, and 2 Ford blue ovals (sounds like a weight reduction opportunity - just kidding)
  
• The "Falcon-esque" numerals on the GT gauges have been replaced with more legible numerals
  
• Chief Ford engineer Jay O'Connell "acknowledges that resonance chambers capable of quieting the (blower whine) were considered, but rejected because of the void they left in the Shelby GT500's character"
  
• Cornering force improved to .95g from the base GT's .87g
  
• The rear tires "melt in first gear on demand"
  
• 0-60 time of 4.9 (with TCS "ON"...they say it's difficult to beat with it turned off lol), 1/4 mile in 13.1
  

 

Enjoy...and remember...I didn't WRITE the articles...I just reported them as I read them.

 

P.S. Sorry, I don't have a scanner...you'll have to live with my summary or buy them yourself. :happy feet:

 

Dave

[wildosvt]

The 00R came with an X-pipe.

 

I wondered why they put that (I have the MM&FF too)..

[flattusmaximus78]

An x pipe makes the car breath a little better, and picks up osme nice rear wheel horses.

[ColdwaterHotrod]

I want to know if their is room for headers. when you look at the photos from the detroit auto show with the motor on the stand their is a big difference btw. them & the GT40 motor.