Lectrocuted....you are right. But both the SS and the Cobra are the same price, and they both have a factory warranty, so supercharged or not the Cobra is the way to go.

And my Z28 weighed almost exactly the same as my Mustang GT did, so the cars are equal in that regard. As far as the engines go, a LS1 is aluminum, so even though it is a larger engine, it probably is not heavier than a Ford 4.6 I wouldn't think.

 

The 4.6L is much larger than the 350. It seems about as big as my 390.

 

thats because the heads are so wide to accomadate the cams over the valves instead of in the valley.

and for what its worth:
will a z28 camaro take out a Stang GT? itd be close, but probably not, bring it to SS vs. GT, and the SS walks away hands down, but not by so much. now put 99 or 01 cobra vs an SS and you get about the same thing, the SS will have more torque down low cause of the cube advantage, but that DOHC 4.6L will pull a lot longer.

also remeber that the pre-96 stangs still used the 5.0L, and the 87-93 cars were quick little SOB's, and can regularly run high 12's-low 13's, just a bit slower than an 01 cobra or an SS.

is one better than the other? no, not really, both are reliable and strong motors that are used as workhorses by each camp.

 

i couldnt have said it better chuck..hands down i think you have just answered alot of questions..
mike

 

The quickest stock GT's were in the low 14's. These were the 91LX and the newer GT's. None in the 13's in stock form but it takes very little to get them there. The newest camaros are slightly quicker than the GTs but none can keep up with the new Cobra.

 

Yeah, the '03 Cobras are bad machines. The Corvette Z06 and the Viper GTS are twice if not three times more expensive, and even they have their hands full when they tangle with the '03 Mustang Cobra. Ford has really done it's homework on the 'Stang lineup for this year. Wish I had the money to get another one. I had to sell my '94 GT to get this truck

 

99 and up cobras are 32v not 16v. thats why they sound so good they have the bigger head than the gts.

 

You're a stubborn cuss!!!! LOL!

The fact is that technology will compensate for cubes.

The current 260 HP 4.6 SOHC GT motors are a match for the LT1's in the pre '97 cambirds with 270 HP.


The DOHC WITHOUT supercharger in the current Mach1 is pulling equal if not better times than the now defunct LS1 cambirds.

Forget about the current supercharged Cobra.....we all agree it'll stomp the the last of the LS1's and is a match for the Z06.

IMHO I don't think a 2 valve SOHC 4.6 can be made to perform with a modern LS1 mod for mod but I do believe the DOHC 4 valve 4.6 can and does run with a bigger 5.7.

 

Actually, the '96 and up Cobras have the 4 valve head.

What's ironic is in stock form the '97+ pushrod GM motors had a stronger top end rush than the 4 valve Cobras. The Cobras would be even or ahead at the 1/8th and then the LS1 took over. In theory it should of been the opposite. 4.30+ gears and or a shorter runner intake put the smaller 4.6 even or ahead depending on driver.

 

i have a 99 cobra with 4.56 gears, flowmaster exhuast no cats, timing adjuster, power pullies, 87mm mas air intake, cold air intake, short shifter. i have raced and beat a z06. the guy who i beat couldent believe it and was pissed. it was awsome.

 

Come on now, how are we gonna go and compare these 2 engines at all? There are so many variations and you cant say "oh well my 03 cobra beat up on an SS" cuz back in 02....the SS would be doing the *** beating :P of course a 420hp car is gonna beat a 325hp car....whats so cool about that...you have 100hp on the dude. and even that is bs...was the topic "naturally aspirated 350 vs blown 4.6" why not put just the engines up vs eachother. or how bout since you wanna single out the LS1...lets go back to 1992 and put a 4.6 crown vic up against a 405hp ZR1. what happens then.

theres a million different ways a 4.6 can beat a 5.7 and vice versa..who cares..

everyone should buy a 300 -6 f-150 like me and not even have to worry about going fast :P

 

My .02:
Having been a die hard Mustang fanatic my whole life and parking my '72 Mach 1 with a 351C and the 3rd blown C6 on less than 3,000 miles on the engine (lb for lb the best engine ever out of Detroit) as I joined the Marine Corps. Fast forward 15 years later. Getting the itch to go fast. Been out of the "scene" for the same amount of time. Go out and buy '97 GT (used). Buy Mustang magazines and dream of making it fast like the '72 Mach 1 or at least like the '89 GT. Should be easier, newer technology right? Wrong. Sorely disappointed in the 4.6. Over head cam should of equated to quick reving. Doesn't. Check out mods. Not much for heads and cams and what there is, is awful pricey. Install 3.73 gears. Now I can at least beat souped up Honda's. Check some more. Realize I need to fix '68 Chevy Stepside (350/350) with cam in 4 pieces to make room in garage. Think about modern fuel injected engine and research. Buy LS1 ('98 5.7, 346ci) and T56 (6 speed manual tranny) off ebay. Fact: stock, good for 310hp give or take at the REAR WHEELS. Fact: Head and cam cars are now approaching the 470 RWHP mark. On STOCK bottom ends. Fact: Low 400hp, high 300hp (RWHP) with cam, exhaust, free mods and LS6 intake (intake stock on late'00 and up). GT's can't even come close. The new Mach 1 won't either. The new Cobra's look promising but there is too many modded LS1's out there. And it doesn't take much to get the LS1 beating the Cobra easily. And yes I know you can mod the Cobra, but it will always be playing catch up. Fact: The F body's will be back and will be bad when they are. Fact: I'm still wondering how the Cobra will hold up with the production line being shut down, what 3 times for major engine concerns (reliability). Fact: The IRS on Cobra's has already to be found to be a major weak link (already seen quite a few break half shafts off the line). Of course the same can be said of the GM 10 bolt in the F body. Did I mention with the 430RWHP I'll be making with the LS1 in the truck that with the 6 speed I'll still see better than 20MPG! I'm not pro Chevy nor pro Ford. I still love Mustangs but Ford REALLY screwed up with the 4.6. And not that it's a bad engine. I've got one in my '97 Expedition with 85k and I love it. But the Mustang was it. The 5.0 ruled the street. Why take a step (or ten steps back) when your at the top? I guess I'm still upset with Ford. Not enough to buy a F body but you can't deny what the LS1's are capable off. I think the 4.6 SOHC and the LS1 is a fair comparison. GT to SS/Z28. It's been that way for ever. I just hope Ford let's the SVT guys in on the next gen GT engine. Hell, give me a 5.4 at least. Or make the 4.6 and 5.4 more alike, similar to the 5.3, 5.7 and 6.0 LS1's where you can inter change parts but Fords never been very good at that have they?

 

My Brother In law is a state trooper.. He runs both the crown vics and the caprices.. He said the crown vics were not real far off of the caprices up to 100 (keep in mind police versions), but from 100 on up, the crown vics were just VERY sleepy and if someone chose to run from them,, it was very real they could get out run.
The Caprices, were Far better from 100 on up.. Its CUBIC inches..
The old addage, theres no replacement for displacement!

 

You know, if you think about it, this guy does have a point. Who really gives a flip about quarter mile times? Very very few people who own these cars ever take them to the track. What matters is this: the car should be fun to drive, dependable, and easy to maintain. The Ford 5.0 excelled in this area and now the 4.6 is doing the same. That's all that really counts, right?

Of course, there were those occasional times when you would meet a Z28 at a redlight in your GT and get embarrassed (1993-2002). But even those days are over with now. GMs horsepower was no match for Ford's better design and dependability. People got tired of being charged $440.00 for a spark plug change, etc. etc. so the GM F-body cars are gone.

All that really matters is, do you enjoy your car? Do you like owning it? I think when it comes down to it, the 4.6 will get the job done just fine. If GM decides to get back in the market to compete again I'm sure it will get the job done as well.

Cars are one area where I'll agree, you'll find good and bad in both brands.

 

you shouldent compare the gt4.6 to the ls1. i had a souped up gt and i was around 260hp. once i bought my cobra i could not believe how much more power and accleration it had. my cobra is stock 320hp. i dont see how you say ford is behind chevy. cause most the times ive raced a chevy they have been behind me!