Newbie to the 4.6 stuff..
10-11-2008, 05:50 PM
#1
6th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: MD/WV
Posts: 5,736
Newbie to the 4.6 stuff..
Ok, so I'm looking to buy a new Mustang and I thought I should come in here and talk to you guys first. I made the mistake of not asking once before, when I bought my 98 3.8 auto, and extremely regret it. Some stock civics could kick my *** if I ever wanted to race, and the fuel economy SUX! Today a 07 4L rolled in the shop and I was just amazed that the average mpg was 26mpg, since they have like over 100hp more than me. I'm rated at 17mpg.
So, heres what I'm looking for, and you tell me if you think it's a good decision!...
1. Manual! Manual/auto is actually a more important decision to me than v6/v8. I hate my auto, my old stick metro was more fun to drive! And to me, manuals are win in every category there is! Better engine control, better mpg, cheaper, easier to maintain, everything..
2. New Edge! While a earlier SN95 isn't completely out of the question, I think the 99-04 years might be more of what I'm looking for. To my knowledge, which may be wrong, the 94-98 were single-port intakes while the 99-04 were split-port, and that right there make ~35hp for the 232's. Also, 99-04 will tend to have less problems than the 94-98 simply becuase they are newer, and I'll get nifty little things like ABS and TractionControl options, or perhaps a nice stero system. 05-now are out of my price range (10k or less hopefully, and I'd be hard pressed to come up with 10).
3)v8, hell yeah! I've learned through experience that v6's suck even more than normal with Mustangs, and that aftermarket simply isn't there. To mod a v6, you spend twice as much, and get half the results as a v8. So, I plan on doing simple mods till I'm out of med school, and then I can become more serious after that (if you guys think a New Edge 4.6 is a good foundation to make a nice beast out of!)...
4)MPG? And just for giggles, what do you guys get for fuel economy? Like I said, my 98 is rated at 17mpg which is what I get doing nearly all light-city driving. It can get some nice highway, but I rarely am on the highway.
Thanks
Nic
So, heres what I'm looking for, and you tell me if you think it's a good decision!...
1. Manual! Manual/auto is actually a more important decision to me than v6/v8. I hate my auto, my old stick metro was more fun to drive! And to me, manuals are win in every category there is! Better engine control, better mpg, cheaper, easier to maintain, everything..
2. New Edge! While a earlier SN95 isn't completely out of the question, I think the 99-04 years might be more of what I'm looking for. To my knowledge, which may be wrong, the 94-98 were single-port intakes while the 99-04 were split-port, and that right there make ~35hp for the 232's. Also, 99-04 will tend to have less problems than the 94-98 simply becuase they are newer, and I'll get nifty little things like ABS and TractionControl options, or perhaps a nice stero system. 05-now are out of my price range (10k or less hopefully, and I'd be hard pressed to come up with 10).
3)v8, hell yeah! I've learned through experience that v6's suck even more than normal with Mustangs, and that aftermarket simply isn't there. To mod a v6, you spend twice as much, and get half the results as a v8. So, I plan on doing simple mods till I'm out of med school, and then I can become more serious after that (if you guys think a New Edge 4.6 is a good foundation to make a nice beast out of!)...
4)MPG? And just for giggles, what do you guys get for fuel economy? Like I said, my 98 is rated at 17mpg which is what I get doing nearly all light-city driving. It can get some nice highway, but I rarely am on the highway.
Thanks
Nic
10-11-2008, 06:23 PM
#2
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 343
Def get a V8. I have a 5.0 but i would still never buy a v6. You can still easily get 24-25mpg and you have a v8 and nothing sounds better than a v8 and you get a lot more power. I dont have the fastest 5.0 there is but its still a blast.
10-12-2008, 12:49 PM
#6
6th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: MD/WV
Posts: 5,736
Thanks for the comments guys. Maybe I didn't write it clear enough, but I already have a v6 (not looking at buying one!) and thats why I'm so cautious before buying another Mustang. I burned myself once, not looking to do it again. After adding up v6 (cost, insurance, maintance, gas, etc.), I nearly made myself sick with the money put into my car....
Can someone give me the average hp/tq ratings of the 99-04 GT's? How well do they accept aftermarket? Like I said, my model v6 cost twice as much, and give half the results...
Can someone give me the average hp/tq ratings of the 99-04 GT's? How well do they accept aftermarket? Like I said, my model v6 cost twice as much, and give half the results...
10-12-2008, 03:51 PM
#7
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: St. Louis Mo.
Posts: 235
Average hp ratings is prolly around 245 240 at the rear wheels on a stock manual 99-2004 GT. Their rated at 260 at the flywheel stock. hope that helps. And they do well with aftermarket parts, many to chose from in this year range and model.
10-12-2008, 09:08 PM
#8
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 78
Yup 260 HP stock. Most reliable car I've ever owned. Good response to mods. Just make sure you get a tuner when your done modding to make sure all the aftermarket parts are giving you the maximum performance. I get 22 MPG on the Highway 17 MPG in the city babying it.
BBK Cold Air Intake will add 10-15 HP 1-2 MPG
Add gears and you get a massive acceleration gain
Headers add 10 HP ish
Throttle BOddies 12-15 HP (Claim from American Muscle)
GO Newedge for sure
BBK Cold Air Intake will add 10-15 HP 1-2 MPG
Add gears and you get a massive acceleration gain
Headers add 10 HP ish
Throttle BOddies 12-15 HP (Claim from American Muscle)
GO Newedge for sure
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
MustangForums Editor
4.6L (1996-2004 Modular) Mustang
3
10-09-2015 03:27 PM