CuriousGeorge

Honestly, I have been an SUV driver for the last 15 years so I am kind of...Ahhhhh Naive. Anyways, I just inherited a 1988 Mustang LX 5.0 with 98,000 miles, I have very little knowledge of them other than hearing my uncle preach the gospel about them being the "best bang for the buck" when he purchased it.



My questions are.



1)How much Horsepower should I expect it to have?

2)How does it fair against today's Mustang-performance wise IE...Speed, handling and Braking?



Personally I am excited about having this car, I look forward to having a fun summer car to tool around in.



Thanks a bunch.

91GT5.0

Hp from the factory is rated at 225hp/300tq



As far as stock for stock, newer mustangs (99+) are faster, however, Ford heads and intake during the fox years were choked. Simple mods will make your car much faster, Heads and intake, along with some gears will really wake the car up.

Handling for foxes is not bad for a car primarily used for drag, and once you mod the suspension, handling is a non-issue compared to other, lighter cars (meaning they will outhandle many of these cars).

Braking on these cars straight up sucks. Others will tell you the braking is alright, but IMO, the brakes suck ***** (that's only cause I often get rides in AWD DSM's that can stop on a dime). However, brake kits are available that can cause braking to be another non-issue.

Perhaps one of the greatest things about the 5.0 is the abundance and relatively cheap price for mods, and the cars outstanding responses to them. You can gain almost a second of 1/4 mile ET's by doing the suspension without any other hp mods. Depends on what you want



My nickel minus 3 pennies

CuriousGeorge

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate your time.



A general observation I have is that the '88 sounds fiestier(exhaust)than the newer models...IE Harley vs Rice Rocket.



Again I am pleased with the aquisition and I look forward to not having to build up merging speed when I hit the highway.



Thanks again.

91GT5.0

True, 5.0's do sound considerably different, though a lot of the sound depends on the exhaust system you have. Personally, the gurgle of the 4.6 DOHC Cobra's make me wet my pants, I love the way they sound. However, working on one of those has got to be hell. The ol' pushrod 5.0 is one of the easiest motors to work on, which also drive down cost of modifications if you can do the work yourself. Had I not done this, my car would have half the mods it has on now. Even now I don't have that much. But it's better than trying to scrape money together for parts for a GM.

lloydchristmas

True dat!!!

mustang13

"But it's better than trying to scrape money together for parts for a GM." ---91GT5.0



What do you guys think, is this the quote of the week or what?

noslow50

well udon't have to worry about it givin up anytime soon... those motors go forever...

lloydchristmas

No Doubt on the quote of the week!!!!

91GT5.0

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