What are the pro's/con's of the 5.0 and the 4.6?

 

5.0 Easy to upgrade, usually cheaper in their natural bodies.

poor emissions, trouble maintaining daily driver without some mechainical savey attention first time.

4.6 easyer to make bigger numbers, more Supercharger\Turbocharger Options for street apps

Alot of work to crank above the usual Stage 3 950 numbers, issue with Tuning computers.

Both are strong motors, lot of love, but you have to weigh how much you can participate.

I'm going for a Modular 5.0 and I'm rodding the hell out of it, but I know what to expect, and neither motor is really impossible to learn to manage, it's just more difficult with the newer motor to get the parts to work off the shelf. The 5.0 will require only minor if any tuning, and the 4.6 doesn't need a smog pump, so it's much more efficient, but the 5.0 will easily run away from the 4.6 when the modifications come out at the time. There is few if any good 4.6 Intakes and Heads

 

The biggest advantage of the Windsor engines over the Modular family, is the huge array of aftermarket parts availability, which has kept the cost of Windsor family engines lower to build. In the end it's really all about how much money you have to spend. With an unlimited budget you could get a riding lawnmower to be faster than a fire breathing street beast that was built with a budget of some sort.

 

That's what I've heard. I've heard the 5.0's respond alot better to bolt-on's than the 2V 4.6's too. Is that true?

 

very true, 5.0 bolt ons are cheaper also. If you're going 4.6 go with a DOHC or the new 3v.

 

What the guys above have said is true, but the engines also perform a little differently too. The 5.0s have better low-end power but tend to fall on their face above 5000rpm (unless it's cammed for more of course ) while the 4.6 engines love to rev high but are sort of weak down low. 5.0s are not tooexpensive to mod for n/a while forced induction is really the only cheap and practical method of making power with a 4.6. I think the 5.0s have a nicer exhaustsound too, but that's only an opinion really...

 

I you want to go around 12's or 13's the 5.0 is cheaper but if you want to go really fast get a 4.6 4 valve, the already have good heads and if the block came out of a terminator they are bullit proof. As far as speed vs mpg you will get better gas milage with a 4.6 if they have similar mods.

 

yea the 5.0 is much easier to work on and is also so much cheaper. i have actaully found them to be more reliable too but others may disagree with that. the best part of 5.0s to me is the low cost and simplicity of finding and installing every part. however the 4.6 is a bit better on gas(barely noticable)

 

The 4.6 is better on gas, but not enough to make that the deciding point b/t the 2. I'm thinking on the order of 1-2 mpg on average. My 5.0 is rated at 17 city and 25 highway (I still have the original window sticker ) and from experience that is almost right on. The 4.6 GTs are rated at something like 17 city and 26 highway IIRC.

 

Yeah 2mpg wouldn't be a deciding point for me. Is there any "bad years" of the 5.0? Someone told me the 1988's were horrible, but my Dad had an 88 GT and I fell in love with it.