Ronny2010GT

I've had my 2010 GT for about a year now (now that I think about it....it really doesn't seem like a whole year has passed! lol!) Anyway, with the new 5.0 mustang out now, I dont wanna be left in the dust by the 11 stangs. So I was wondering about what the limits of the 4.6 motor are.

I want to get a supercharger and im leaning more toward an Edelbrock E-force. I heard that the 3v's are notorious for throwing rods with boost applied. Is that all I have to worry about? If i get forged internals will I be safe to get high boost or will I need a new block too?

Also if the 4.6 isn't supercharger friendly is there any info on the new 5.0 motor yet? If the new motor can easily handle a supercharger I'd rather just wait until I can get a 5.0 rather than blow a bunch of money on the 4.6.

99GTvert

There are quite a few people on this forum that run superchargers on their 3V 4.6's with (apparently) little issue at all. A big key to engine life and minimizing risks is making sure the tune for the supercharger is good, via a low enough air fuel ratio.

I think you would be better off with a supercharger. I have read that, on the stock engine (rods/crank/pistons/etc), power numbers between 380rwhp-450rwhp seem to be the norm with a few bolt on's....and that seems like a safe power level interval. There are always horror stories about detonation/damage, but there will always be horror stories.

If I were you and I had the funds, I would supercharge the car.

stealth_GT

I'd wait and see what exactly the new 5.0 is capable of being jumping on the bandwagon. You could always build the fvck out of the 4.6, supercharge it, upgrade your suspension/wheels and blow a hole in a 5.0...

lighter and less shifting to do.

FastDEW

Actually the 4.6 does very nicely with forced induction. 6 PSI is a no brainer and many guys are running 11 PSI without problems. The tune is improtant, but he 4.6 is a strong package with a supercharger.

The 5.0 is said to be risky due to rods. I dont think there is any realy practical experience of this yet, but Ford themselves say the 5.0 rods will not hold up to forced induction.

So if I were you, I would go for the blower and not worry. Besides, the sound will be much better than either 4.6/5.0 is without one.

Have fun out there......

Tylus

3 guys who are pretty prominent posters blow their motors here on MF...and each blown motor was a different way


now suddently chicken littles are running around screaming that the 4.6 can't handle any boost at all and it's just a ticking time bomb.






I disagree 100%. the 4.6 and 5.4 are solid motors that were over-engineered. They are plenty robust enough to handle 6 psi for a lifetime of use without even noticing.

8-10 psi ups the ante, but again, many many people run the extra boost without any issues at all.



Tuning and maintenance are key. A bad tune can kill a N/A motor. Let alone a Supercharged motor. A good tune will get you crazy RWHP, and be 100% safe. Keeping up on the oil changes and clean filters just makes good sense.


Personally, I suggest you grab a M90 RoushCharger, get custom Dyno tuned for about 400-420 RWHP and be happy. Your entire powertrain will fall under the Roush 3yr/36k warranty and you will have a car that can hold its own easily against a 2011 Mustang or 2010+ Camaro.

Nuke

I have NO idea where you got the idea that the 4.6L isn't supercharger friendly. Anything installed and/or operated improperly can cause issues but the data from the forum proves that the 4.6L is VERY SC friendly...

Toss about 7-8 grand into an SC, suspension and tires and most of those 5.0's will be eating your dust.

siggyfreud

Don't forget to factor in the driver here. Those who run boost typically run their cars a bit harder (harder as in more RPM) and that will also contribute to a shorter engine life.

candymanjl

several things can lead to a blown motor, one recently blown motor was due to a faulty aftermarket cat that clogged and spiked the boost up to 17psi. another one was a car running boost without an intercooler which can lead to very high intake temps and detonation. it's possible that with an intercooler the motor could still be in tact.

to me the #1 engine killer is a bad tune. a bad tune is capable of killing any motor from running lean or too much timing which leads to detonation. detonation causes HUGE pressure spikes inside the cylinder, way more than you would ever get under normal conditions, that's what will bend and destroy our cars' relatively weak rods. even a built motor can be destroyed by detonation.

granted these motors aren't built like the GT500 motors or the 03-04 cobra motors, I don't think anyone will argue that. at the same time that doesn't mean they're not capable of 400-500whp and living a long happy life. I'd be willing to bet that for every blown motor story you read there's at least 10 or 20 guys out there boosted that are fine.

I've got almost 3,500 miles on my car with 473whp and everything is fine. i just went on a 2,200 mile trip raping the car through the mountains and it did great. there's another guy with my same exact setup with the addition of water/meth and he's running almost 550whp on a stock motor for about 2 years now. the tune and avoiding detonation is everything when it comes to a motor lasting a long time.

as far as your car vs the new 5.0 you can go the all motor route and match or get close to the 5.0's power. but all-motor ain't cheap and you'll end up spending about the same as a supercharger kit to get near 400whp all motor (if not spend more). if all you want to do is match the new 5.0 and have around 400whp then get an intercooled Whipple or Kenne Bell kit and you'll be more than fine at that power level. I think that's your best option, intercooled at low PSI and you'll have the power you want with a huge margin of safety. then if you get the power bug you can up the boost later and smoke the 5.0's

I prefer the Kenne Bell, obviously since that's what I bought but the whipple with a good tune is good too, lots of happy guys running both kits. I just don't like whipple's hot air intake and that their kit doesn't move the IAT sensor to after the supercharger. guys usually move the sensor themselves and get a new tune to get around that but why should you have to do that yourself and spend the extra money on the tune after buying the kit? that's just me, do some more research before you spend your money, that's what forums are for, learning from other people's mistakes

cummins cowboy

another thing to consider is the new 5.0 is going to have a really high compression ratio, this is not good for a blower motor and if ford is saying already the rods will not take any boost couple that with high compression and there may be some serious limits to what the 5.0 will take.

if you can get a low mile used gt500 for 32 grand, to me thats too close to the new 5.0 models especially if you get the 5.0 with alot of options.

tx_zstang

I was considering the GT500 route, couldn't find one in the price range and colors I was looking for. So took a 4.6 motor and stroked it to a 5.0 liter, and did some other stuff to beef it up. With a small blower, it'll easily pass the 2011s; it might even be close now, n/a. A lot is in the driver/driving.

But you don't need the fastest car on the block, IMO, to have fun and enjoy the car.