what are your thoughts on the 2011 aluminum block?

[MrClean]

Years ago I am sitting behind a couple of VPs in our brokerage firm watching the hockey game. The "Budweiser Girls" are on the ice doing their little cheerleading thing. Coincidentally one of these girls also works for one of the VPs.

One VP says to the other, "You do know that ditz you hired can't even answer your phone correctly, right?"

The first VP doesn't skip a beat, "Yeah, but LOOK at her."

Guys, I've decided to TOFTT on this and just order one. Black ,SVT, Electronics (*no* glass roof). Waiting for the DORA on Monday and then hopefully a VIN assignment with a few weeks. Watching some of the bullshit that members here and elsewhere have been through with some of the engine builders, tuners etc. and I decided I may personally be better suited to "buy" vs. "make" in terms of the possible aggravation.

That's not to say there won't be some upgrades....

Frankly, after experiencing vibes with 2 differnt aluminum DSs, honking from the CAI, panel fuses blown when loading tunes, other driveline noise after the 4.10s (not a whine, but another "hum"), sqweaks from two different RSBs, and constant lubing needed for the LCAs, having to heat and refill the freaking NOS bottles constantly, an idle quality that suffered with the plugs required for the nitrous, a ride that was degraded because the springs/dampers weren't optimized for the GT500 wheels/tires I had on it, I agree with you...my new car is fast and handles well, has no sqweaks or other driveline noises, all the up to 145 mph, and feels good at that speed (the NAV/electronics package is awesome too).

Maybe a tune/pulley/tensioner/catted LTs & battery relocation to the rear are in the future, but that will be a coupla yrs down the road and is still a big maybe, because I KNOW there will be some sort of trade-off...like the LT's touching the frame somewhere, having to swap out plugs more often than 45k (std for the GT500), or an idle that is not as butterry smooth as it is with stock. I don't want a street legal race car...my 07 GT C/S felt like that...I want a GT that is quiet enough to be able to talk on the bluetooth phone/satnav while going 90 mph, with plenty power so it'll get up and go in a hurry, and with just enough exhaust noise so that it still sounds like a muscle car. That is what the GT500 is. The mufflers are a perfect balance of sound and looks, with no aftermarket needed in my opinion, given the 4" stainless pipes that fill the appertures in the rear fascia on either side of the functional diffuser. The aero tweaks (splittter/Gurney flap-spoiler/diffuser) on this car are done such that it retains the same frt/rear weight balance at speed as it does standing still, and I can reiterate that when I took it to 145 mph (on a closed road naturally) it felt well planted.

Even though tastes and opinions are individual and everyone has one, just like something else, I support and encourage your decision.

I'm interested to know what the 2011 will weigh, and how much the frt/rear balance changed.

 

[MrClean]

"Yeah, but LOOK at her."

I felt that way this morning when I went to the garage and saw my no-stripe black beauty with dark smoked rims and all black interior....and HIDs (I prefer the positioning of the HID headlights over the conventional headlights, for the life of me, why would anyone get one of these cars and NOT get HIDs?).....I guess I'm WAAAAY off subject here, so back to the aluminum blocks...

 

[2007 GT/CS]

I'm interested to know what the 2011 will weigh, and how much the frt/rear balance changed.

So some quick back of the napkin math:

According to Edmunds the 2010 weighs 3,932 lbs and has a weight distribution of 58/42 (GT has 52.5/47.5).

If we just pull 102 lbs off the nose for the aluminum block that gives us 3,830 lbs total and a new distribution of 57/43. zzzzzz......

Of course we'll have to wait for the *real* figures. I'm sure the upgraded heat exchanger is going to add some back, don't know exactly what the SVT wheels/tires will weigh on both ends, etc. etc.

Anything else we can take off the nose is a plus. Lightweight radiator support, a-arms, k-member, removal of the steel bumper (eek!), mini-me battery or relocation...... She'll just never be a ballerina I'm afraid.

All that said, I'm anxious for Ford to release the SVT equipped 2011 to the automotive press so we can get some additional data points besides, "it's 3 seconds faster on a 2 mile road course"....

 

[MrClean]

3,830 lbs total and a new distribution of 57/43. zzzzzz......

No shit. I'm going to a truck scale to weigh mine with a 1/2 tank of fuel.

 

[MrClean]

Will the 2011 GT500 keep the Tremec tranny or move to the Getrag like the GT?

 

[beefcake]

I speak from experience whe I say, the new Chevrolets are not cars that you or anyone else will own forever. Simply put, they are cheaply made, disposable automobiles. I will bet that your old cars are still on the road and those cars that beat you, have been in a junkyard for sometime now. See, you do win in the long run.



The nice step was putting the 5.4L DOHC, that we all saw first in the Navigator, in a Mustang. This happened in 2000 with the R model. Then they placed it in a production Mustang with a blower in 2007, the Shelby. It was a slow move and I wish they had introduced it in 2005, but you can't win them all.

I like cubes as much as anyone else, but the small Ford modulars with FI are where Mustangs kill the others with drivability. The Mustangs, get killer fuel economy, and IMO are more reliable, hands down. Try camming a new LS3 engine (removing the DOD), adding a blower and see where your MPG is. Also, with the small bore spacing and an enormous stroke already, how would they add more cubes? They could have done a big-bore, but the additional labor probably would have driven the cost higher and may have required a new or more expensive casting. I think everyone knew that the Shelby would get a derivative of the GT's aluminum block eventually and are more than happy with that. These are the cars I dreamed of when I bought my first 4.6L (a 1996 Mystic Cobra) in 1997. I have no complaints, nor am I in any way disappointed. GO FORD!



They have been "leading the way," for some time now.

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/featuredvehicles/138_0402_boss_351_v10_mustang/engine.html

Does anyone remember this car?

My 2008 Cammed / Vortech'd LS3 made 603 rwhp and drivability was perfect and through an automatic it still got 24mpg or better on the highway

stock the engine got around 28 through an automatic,

none of my stangs have gotten the mileage that car did

 

[MrClean]

2011 GT500 wont be subject to gas guzzler tax, and has 10 hp more (550); same torque (510). They changed the rims too... prefer the ones on my '10, but the 100 lbs lighter over the front would have been. My salesman swaers he didn't know about the 2011 when he sold me the 2010...

 

[blacknlte]

just throw on a K-member, a-arms, and radiator support and youve about cut the 102lbs in half..... so then the 2011 is only 45-50lbs lighter. After that its all about the driver!