05PewterE55

I have a bone stock E55 and my son has a very lightly modded (full exhaust intake and a tune) 03 Cobra that is putting down 430/400 to the wheels. When we race it is very close with the E just barely beating out the Cobra. Ford did make the GT500 way to heavy but I think that a run from stock to stock on the 1/4 would give advantage to the Shelby. We have a guy from so cal who just got his GT500 and took it to get tuned with 200 miles on it and went from 415rwhp to 480rwhp with just a tune. Ford tuned these cars pig rich out of the factory. Just my .02.

enzom

I've seen two GT500s at Englishtown. Neither was even able to get into the 12's. Their traps were somewhere south of 110. I was not very impressed.

WayneE

Driving a high HP manual tranny car isn't easy. I'm just giving my opinion based on my own seat time.

Have you raced a manual tranny car on street tires and DRs?

FASN8N

It doesn't take much to get the GT500 into the 10's. You know that most Shelby owners won't leave them stock...

http://www.evoperform.com/GT500/10sec.wmv

Frankster

ProjectC55

I never said that it was easy as many have a hard time launching Z06's. Yes I do know that it's a challenge! But a good driver in the mustang will give the E55 a run for the $$ according to the #'s. Screw the MB bias! I own one too and love it! Race a GT 500 with your 55 and then talk! Until then,you're only giving me conjecture!Wicked vid!

enzom

I will try to line up against one next time I go to etown. As I said, last time I went down there, I ran a 12.20 at 115+ in my 55 and the best time I saw for either of the two GT500's was a 13.1 at less than 110.

ProjectC55

I raced a 2006 Corvette C6 against my C55 and he ran 13.6 vs my 13.4! He could not drive it for crap! The car is capable of running high 12's so to use the ex of the 2 GT500's you've seen race at e-town,could'nt this very well be the case as well?
I've seen guys run low 14's in E46 M3's at E-town while I ran a 13.6 at 104mph in my modded N/A E36 M3! So go figure!

Right on your desktop screen or laptop screen in this thread of a modded GT500 running 10's! I mean cmon! Give some kind of credit where it is due.

500hp 32V S/C 5.4L V8. Sounds pretty capable to me.

WayneE

I don't think you're reading the thread. A GT500 is easy to drive and will give any E55 a run for it's money. The cars you saw at the track were obviously not GT500s. Please stop polluting the thread with such nonsense.

ProjectC55

I guess the E55 is GOD! Hello M5!! Oops I forgot ,the dark side thinks that, that car is God as well!

vader

Its a friggin Ford Mustang...when **** starts falling off it in a year then what ?

enzom

Spend some time at a track with real owners in their cars, and see how they do. Quoting a time from the manufacturer's own webpage, or a magazine dedicated to building frenzy for a brand is far from objective.

In the hands of the right driver at the right track, a stock GT500 MAY give an E55 a good run. In the hands of the average driver - BASED ON WHAT I HAVE SEEN WITH MY OWN EYES - it is not.

When I see some bone stock GT500's (which I think are not much lighter than our E55's) running 12.2's at 116 mph, then I will stand corrected. I am prepared to look at slips from bone stock GT500's if someone wants to share them. I won't lose a minute of rest if it the GT500 is faster.

Nobody is saying the E55 is God. What I am saying is that I was not impressed by either the e.t. or the traps of the two GT500's that I saw run on a day when I ran a 12.20 @ 115+ in my E55. Maybe they were the slowest GT500's ever produced driven by the worst drivers at the track. Or maybe they are very, very difficult to lauch and drive down a track.

I had a C5 Z06 and saw many a high 12/low 13 second pass by many a Z06 driver. We all knew it was a low 12 second car, but none of us could really get that kind of performance regularly, if ever, without drag radials. Spec sheets and power/weight ratios are interesting, but that's why you run your car at the track.

And I am sure anybody can turn any supercharged car into an 11 second monster with the right mods and tires, but I thought the discussion was about bone stock cars.

medici78

Here's the reality. It's a 2 door, 2+2 (just try fitting 2 adults back there, lol), 6-speed manual trans car that weighs almost as much as the E55. While you would think a 500hp 2+2 coupe should obliterate a "469hp" sedan, stock for stock, it can only muster similar performance. That's also assuming the GT500 driver can really drive. Sorry, I'm simply not impressed. I should also mention that this MUSTANG sells for only a little less than a new discounted E55?

Personally, I can do without the GT500 right now. I'm not saying its a bad car by any means. However, the "value" argument is pointless because the GT500 is selling for $20-25k over sticker. The cars are selling for well into the $60k+ territory. For that money, you can pick up a clean low-mile 2004-2005 (maybe 2006, if you're lucky) W211 E55 with plenty of warranty. The GT500 would be a great car for the money at sticker price, but at the current $60-70k price point, its overhyped and overpriced.

ProjectC55

For some reason I could swear that we are both saying the same thing somewhere! Yes,No?I can see where you raise some valid pts as well(price/value/peformance) but I feel this car should be a good running car especially in the right hands in the 1/4 mile.I'm sure on the hwy this car should be able to speak for itself. Does anybody agree?
It's also lighter than the M5 which buries the E55 topend according to many sources on our own board.I'm optimistic about ths car and would not mind having it and the E55 in my current stable. Mustang is probably muh more fun to drive I bet.Especially in road racing!

medici78

I guess I should ask:
What prompted the urge to compare a Mustang to a Mercedes-Benz E55 or even the BMW M5?? They are COMPLETELY different cars with COMPLETELY different purposes and in totally different leagues with respect to build quality and components. Seriously, WTF is your point with this??

The GT500 was designed with only one goal in mind: HAUL ***
The E55 was designed to HAUL *** in complete comfort with the capacity of carrying 5 people and luggage. If you want to compare which car succeeds better in its mission, considering the E55 and GT500 are comparable in straight-line speed, the E55 wins in that department.
As for handling, have you bothered to look at the weight distribution of the nose-heavy GT500?? Clearly the car was rushed through development, as they simply wanted a straight-line car with handling taking a backseat. How else do you explain the poor, nose-heavy, weight distribution and the use of a solid rear axle (as opposed to IRS in the previous Cobra Mustang)
Don't get me wrong, despite the shortcomnings, I like the GT500.
If the GT500 was selling for sticker price (around $40k), it would be a good value. But as-is (market price of $60k-70k), its a terrible value when you can buy a Z06 (which is a MUCH better car in every aspect, minus the lack of rear seats) for a small amount more.
Nobody is denying the GT500 is a decent car with good power and potential. But you're really reaching here when you bring it into the fold with the E55, which has nothing in common with it other than straight-line speed.

zdkdeeier493

I think its more of the fact that not many cars can compete with an E55 period. Whenever a new one comes out that can, we jump on it and start poking and prodding to see what we're up against. We're in no way saying we would choose a GT500 over an E55, we're just comparing the two.

Anyway, whether or not the GT can compete with an E I think is irrelevant. Throw 1 maaaybee 2k into that car and you've got yourself easily into 11s. Those things are cheaper to mod than a bicycle.

ProjectC55

5.4L 32V S/C V8 500hp 12.27 @ 117mph stck! There is your answer. Nothing else! Plus the cars(GT500) that I have posted from drag times.com! That is TFRY! Happy!

Or is it that serious?

ProjectC55

THANK YOU! My point exactly.

But just like the BMW guys , How dare you compare that car or any car to GOD(E55,M5)!

WayneE

I think it's a good comparison if you're looking purely at performance. They both weigh about the same and put out about the same HP. I still think the E55 will win (at least EnzoM's experience shows that) and it has nothing to do with any MB bias on my part.

I have vehicles faster than my E55. You just need the right tool for the right job

I still think the GT500 is a turd.

medici78

Agree to disagree, I so right back at ya, lol.
I still think its pointless to compare a Mustang to an E55 even if the performance numbers are matched. Why no Vette comparison, while we're at it? There's so much more to a car than just numbers. And I don't ever claim to say the E55 is "ALMIGHTY". I'm well aware its not the fastest thing on wheels. Just ask my friend who spanked me with his heads/cam/nitrous GTO, not to mention the Supras I've owned which were faster than the E55.
However, the GT500 will never be as luxurious, nor ride as comfortably, while running consistent 12s 100% stock. Unless it can seat 5 adults and carry a week's worth of groceries, the E55 is a much better all around car than the GT500, IMO.

ProjectC55

Umm !Thanx for explaining to me the obvious!I don't think they were built with the same things in mind
But neither was a Vette or a 997TT meant to be as luxurious or comfy However it's funny how lots of folks take the E55's,S65's to the drag strip to be drag raced.
E55 better all around car in your opinion? Yes you're entitled! God Bless America!

But here are the facts:12.27 @117.8mph take it or leave it!

Do or think whatever you want.That's what they can run! That is my whole point.

Yellow R1

When you look at data, you look at the representative data - not the 6 sigma outliers. ONE guy pulled a 12.27...every other GT500 pulled a high twelve to thirteen. The 12.27 does not look representative of what most people will get, neither is the 11.84 for the stock E55 (most times were low 12s). As I & others have clearly said, ithe GT500 is a high 12 sec car vs a low 12 sec E55.

-Matt

enzom

Exactly where I was going on this. Cool - that magazine time does not make it a low 12 second car. You really need to look at what actual owners are getting their cars to run. As I said, if more and more of these cars start hitting the strip and start running low 12's at 117, then it is a low 12 second car. I am still not aware of any actual owner taking his or her bone stock production GT500 to the strip and running that sort of time. I have not searched for any such time slip, but you would have brought it to our attention, I suspect.

And so we are clear, for me at least - this is not about daring to challenge the almighty E55 on this board. I will give ANY car its due - no excuses. But what I have actually seen with my own eyes has left me unimpressed to date.

zdkdeeier493

Dude, its beside the point. There have been numerous comparisons to the new C6 and Z06 when they came out, respectively. What we want to know is, when a GT500 with a guy with long blond hair wearing a bandana around his head blasting Guns N' Roses pulls up next to us at a light, whether or not we're going to be able to leave him in the dust. Whether or not we lose doesn't change the fact that we're sitting on plush heated leather seats with suede headliner above our heads in a climate controlled environment. So yes, there is no comparison in that sense, but you'll really feel like the tool if you laugh at him and before you know it all you're seeing is taillights.

medici78

Well, to avoid looking like a tool, don't talk **** and don't street race.

And whats wrong with Guns-N-Roses?

Stock for stock is one thing, but once modded, all bets are off. And, like you said, they are cheaper to mod than a bicycle, so EXPECT that GT500 to be modded. Once the market calms down and Ford dealers put the **** lube away more people will begin getting brave with mods since it will no longer be a $60-70k vehicle.
So, stock for stock, I stand by the E55 having the upper hand (auto tranny and ESP go a long way towards a good launch), but even with simple mods, the GT500 will be packing SERIOUS heat.