bterry29

I was reading a posting the other day from a kid who was excited about the fact that his father had let him open up the Mustang and he hit 115. One of the responses was a caution about the drivetrain and excessive speed in a V6. Can someone please explain? If it is true that the drivetrain will break under excessive speed are we talking continued excessive speed like at a track or even the occassional "let's see how fast it will go today" situation? I've been thinking about getting a tuner to go with my CAI but now I'm a little hesitant. My intent with a tuner is for better gas mileage but knowing I'll have more hp I'm sure I'll have to step into it a few times. I'm determined to bury the needle at some point and just haven't quite got there yet.

p51mstg

This has been discussed, and there are forum members who know more about this than I do, but I think the big concern is the drive shaft. The two-piece V6 drive shaft tends to come apart at speeds somewhere in excess of 115 (I think the number was 125 or 130, but can't remember).

In my best British accent, I believe this is a bad time for a drive shaft to point in a different direction that straight ahead (if one would rather opt to survive such a situation).

Hence, the decision by Ford to add something to the V6's brain that the V8 doesn't have - a speed limit. Such a limit can be added to custom tunes, from what I understand, but many tunes remove the stock limit.

ODDYSEY

The 05 models were missing clips on the driveshaft u-joints. This was fixed in the 06+ models, therefore it should not be a problem. However, the problem was listed when you hit speeds of 115+ it caused the driveshaft to come apart. No matter what, if you are wanting to travel at those speeds you should have a driveshaft safety loop anyway.

bterry29

Thanks for the replies. That helps.

my first mustang

The stock BFG 215x65x16 tires are only speed rated to 112 mph. This is the reason the car has a speed limit not the driveshaft.

shb5007

Ohh...good...another reason why people on this forum should use their brain.

Maverickaf17

When the 2005 Ford V6 Mustang was built, the stock driveshaft could barely support 120 mph. Which is why there is a such a huge caution. However, in LATE 2006 and 2007-2009 Ford V6 Mustangs, the driveshaft was built tougher. A newer year V6 mustang driveshaftcan handle up to 135 mph.

But most people get one-piece aluminum driveshafts over the stock two-piece for reassurance and better acceleration. But if you have a 2007-2009, then you don't have to worry about it. I have a 2005 V6 Mustang and I -had- to get replace my driveshaft with an aluminum one. I didn't want to risk the chance of it blowing.

p51mstg

Tires may be a concern for some, but is not nearly as universal as the drive shaft issue. I'd think Ford would've learned their lesson with the Firestone/Explorer fiasco, but who knows. I run the 17 inch Pirelli's.