Blacksmoke

Ok. So people have been telling me to just mod my 06 GT and make it faster than a GT500.
If the GT500 is 500hp and with out GT's we can only get about 450 SAFELY... how is one supposed to pull this off without spending the same amount of money as a GT500 would cost?
PS.. I can get the GT500 at MSRP because of a UNIQUE family hookup with total options Im looking at 48 grand.
If I wanted to do my GT would I not have to do some REAL HEAVY things to it.. ?
Im considering both cost.. safety to the GT.. and overall effort and knowledge needed.
I am not very knowledgable.

spyder7724

are you talking about beating them at the track? drag strip i take it? thats not a problem at all since those cars are going to be heavy they aren't going to be quite as quick as evryone thinks. motortrends test said 1/4 mile in 12.70.........

spyder7724

but with some work to a regular GT you can easily run mid 12's....now if the shelby goes on a diet gets a tune,pulley and slicks you are smoked.

classj

Well the FRPP whipple charger is claiming 475 RWHP. That I have to see to believe if it is safe but that is what they are claiming. They are also saying high 11's in the 1/4 with some type of slick.

I have heard that 450 RWHP is max for our cars if I have it right. Figuring 18% drivetrain losses. You are at 550hp net at the crank.

The GT-500 is pushing 500hp AT THE CRANK. So even if you go with a more conservitive tune and run something like 410 RWHP, that is 500 at the crank.

In a car that weighs 450-500 lbs less. Thats alot. So there is definatly room to play. And I think the modified GT's are really still the performance ticket.

But some other parts will be needed to support the new motor. Nothing major, mostly tires and clutch. And probably some brake upgrades and a modest suspension upgrade might be nice. I would say that would make a car that would be as fun to drive and faster than a shelby.

BUT, if you can get a shelby at MSRP. A couple ideas. First off you could buy one, dont title it, and flip it for a profit, and that would certainly pay for your GT mods.

Or, just get one if you arent concerned with the weight and enjoy the hell out of the car. Factory cars are always somewhat nicer IMO. And if you dont like working on cars or are not knowledgable, you may not be interested in such things. With some work the shelby will still be a beast. It just isnt my cup of tea looks for performance wise for the money.

Personally, the only thing I am questioning at this point is my sanity when I am actually trying to justify a daily driver that is faster than high 12's. (supercharged GT vs. just NA mods)

NewRoushPonyOwner

hell yeah! thats an opportunity too sweet to miss!

CrazyAl

I think Classj hit this pretty good, but I've got a few comments to add.

You said you could get the GT500 for $48K. A regular GT is about 28 sticker. So that leaves you $20,000 for mods. That total increast even more if you're trading in your GT becasue you'll be down some money since it's a used car. So, realistically you're looking at 24,000 or more. That goes up even higher when you consider financing costs and taxes.

Like Classj said, for about 5-6 grand you can have a supercharger or turbo and be making very similar power to the GT500. Add an extra two grand for gears, clutch, rear LCAs, tires & misc mods, and you've got a "sleeper" that should take the Shelby in the 1/4 no problem. You've got comporable HP and you've got a big weight advantage. That's $8,000, leaving you $12000 or more in the bank.

If you want to really do it crazy, figure another $2000 for supsension. You can do the whole package--Toicko shocks, all new rear components from BMR, subframe braces, sway bars all around, springs, etc. Also, you can swap out your engine internals for forged (I belive that's $3,000 or so). Now you can run that blower at higher boost! You should be able to hit 500, 550, or more AT THE WHEELS for about $13k, maybe 14. At this point you'd be clearly better than the 500 on both the strip and the road course...and you've still got $6000+ saved.

You can simply save it, or keep spending it on whatever floats your boat: more HP, custom paint job, bodywork, wheels, brakes, interior, stereo, etc....

troystoy

If you have the ability to get a GT500 for msrp go for it! The money you stick into your GT to bring it up to the performance of the shelby might be less but you'll still have a GT. I guess what i'm trying to say is either way you'll have an awesome car but when it comes time to get ride of it for a new one you will loose alot of your mod money you put into your GT as they will only give you book valve of a unmodded GT or less (some think modded sportscars were beat too hard and don't even want them). The Shelby on the other hand will always bring a premium price (unmolested) and you won't loose much on it if you aren't paying any dealer mark-up.

johnnyv8

My dealer told me they were going to be geting 60+ for the cobras. So by all means, buy one for msrp.

Like everyone been saying; you dont need 500hp since the gt weights so much less. But i read in mustand and fast fords that they got a 12.4 1/4 mile and even one 12.2. So the cobra w/ a good driver and modds is going to be a hard car to beat.

bl1nk

I believe Chevykiller said he has payed $58k for his car... $35k for the base car and $23k in mods.. if Im not mistaken his car has close to 600 at the crank?? (If Im wrong someone please correct me and let us know the real HP). From what Ive seen most all Shelbys are going for around $55-60k... now you could pay that much for the Shelby with 500 at the crank... or mod your GT and get 600 at the crank.. not to mention have a customized car that you had a hell of a time building yourself. If you were that worried about money, you could always go with a base model GT at $28k without all the upgrades like interior and stuff, which would bring it down to 51k with all the mods. That my friend is a Shelby killer. Wouldnt you love to drive a car knowing you spent less money than your prey?

blowngt

^^^ I have seen mark's car many times at st motorsports. My shop did the squirt kit on his block. His car made around 600 hp to the crank on the stock motor for about 12K less than what he's got into it now with the new motor. He's got around 60K in it now and the car makes over 700 hp at the crank so yeah, definitely a shelby killer for less. Realistically, you should be able to have a shelby killer for around 45K.