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To my fellow 3V owners...

10K views 45 replies 24 participants last post by  Blue_Streak 
#1 ·
How does everyone feel about this brave new world?
Ecoboosts making around our power stock.
V6s making close to our bolt on amounts.
And well bolt on 5.0s are just mean.

But I pose a question to everyone.
Are we still content?
I had a discussion today at my friend's speed shop as he was installing my gears.

And I qoute
"The 3V GT is already becoming the new 2V.
People look down on them because of the vast range of cars with more HP. Granted you still make some good torque. But what are you 40-50lbs higher than a V6?"


We talked on that for a while actually. I argued the 2v built right would still outrun most new cars, due to the sheer lack of weight.
The 3v was still a contender, modded of course.

When he mentioned, what happens when the Base models start taking out bolt on GTs?

Just wanting a polite debate here, I'd like to see how everyone feels.
Because I fear it may be a matter of time when perhaps the new base model camaro/mustang will eat a mildly bolt on GT.
Then again money talks..

Thoughts?
Opinions?
 
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#2 ·
A serious concern of mine is that some girl in an auto v6 will outrun me in a few years at a stop light... I think the best way would be to either supercharge or pay big bucks to have a built motor. But then again, after it's all said and done, the money you would spend on those, you could have used that plus the car trade towards a newer 5.0. I'm trying to prepare, I'm saving up for a supercharger now, but with the way a single income family of 4 is; I will probably be saving up for 2-3 years before I'm able to get a kit. And by that time, who knows? Every few years they are boosting the power and speed, I predict that by 2020 our cars will get whooped by a stock v6.
 
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#3 ·
Put a Forged bottom end in a 3V and your only limited by cash as to how much power you can make. There are 3Vs out there making 800 to 1000 flywheel horsepower on FI and still retain DD drivability. Probably get even more gains with a 4V, but there is so much more to modify to make that work where a 3V was. Not sure if it is really worth it. I guess for me it's about working with what you have. I have a 3V, so I'm going to continue with that platform. If I had a 4V, I would mod that platform until I was happy with the HP.

As technology evolves, I guess there will always be the next best thing that will make more power, it just all comes down to what extent you want to keep up with the latest and greatest.
 
#4 ·
Make no mistake, I wasn't bashing or being discontent.
I have owned 4 of these because I love the styling.
Aerodynamics be damned, they are sexy.

But yeah, we talked for hours today about the times.
I was looking at some blower kits, because...well lot's of money and downtime.

Besides, no Sync, XM satellite radio bump on my trunk.
Just a v8 and rumbly sound. lol I did luck out and land a premium with the 500 system.
More than enough for me.

My only regret is it wasn't a manual.
But for 6k? I couldn't resist. The price of admission was low.
 
#5 ·
There is no solution to this problem. "They" will always be releasing bigger/faster/stronger-than-before cars. Same thing in guns and computers [2 of my other vices]. Bolt-ons will keep you competitive for a while, but the ROI begins to fade after a few years.


I figure there's always someone bigger and badder out there, no matter how large your bank account is. Unless your DD is a Veyron. And if electric car development keeps going....anyone for a Tesla with Insane Mode installed?:surprise:
 
#6 ·
Very true.
I remember in 04 when these came out.
They were being raved about.

Base GT a mid 13 second car out of the box, even the autos. lol
All aluminum, retro, and 5spds for everyone.

I also remember modded new edges tearing them new ones.
Then these started coming into their own.
The 2011s came out, and history repeated.

I do like to think someday the Base GT will be at 500. That'll be a great day.
Not for my car, but mustangs in general
 
#7 ·
Save your pennies and get a Department of Boost supercharger kit... IMHO it's the best kit out there and it's learned from all the mistakes of the other big names.

I'm saving up to put one on my '06. Should be good for 450RWHP with OE reliability.

FYI the kit includes a manifold to use the GT500 blower on the 3v's.

Check it out Department of Boost :: GT450 Stage III

That's a turn-key blower kit for $4350 (minus tuning).

You can buy just the manifold and source all the parts yourself for a lot less. Apparently some have done it for as low as $3000.

That's about the same price as a nice set of rims and really good tires.

Just my .02, but I'm keeping my 06. I love the looks of it vs. the new ones and my transmission wasn't built in China LOL.
 
#8 ·
Idk......I bought this car for me. Not anybody else. Honestly, other cars with the same or more HP really don't bother me. I don't care what the guy/gal has next to me at the light.
When I first got this, I started looking at SCs like most people do. When that phase past, I figured a nice N/A build is what I really wanted for this DD. I love how my car sounds and performs and it attracts plenty of nood nics.
You got a nice build started. Get those cams in, pullies and delete plates......that'll be one badass, respectful 3V.
I hear ya though on the "shoulda got the manual" thing. Lol. Nothing like dropping into 3rd at 65 and listening to her sing.
I'm keeping her too till the wheels fall off. I can afford an 11-13 5.0 now. But when the time comes, I might just get another 3V.
 
#9 ·
Actually one of the things I like about my '06 is that it isn't competitive anymore. I don't want everyone who thinks they're fast challenging me at stoplights and such. I got it because I enjoy the experience of owning and driving it and I love the look of it, regardless of what other people think or do. This car is kinda like me, in a way. It's picked up some dings and scratches along the way, not the warrior it used to be but it can still get out of it's way when it has to. Yeah, I have some performance mods in mind but that's to increase my enjoyment, not make it a better racer.
 
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#10 ·
There are always specific conditions where a turbo'd engine will out perform a NA engine making the same hp/tq, but, in the world of street driven vehicles, the NA engine (with all things being equal) will out-perform (accel), get better MPG and outlive the turbo/blown engines.........................
 
#11 ·
yes, I am still content

and I still want something faster

but yes I am still content
 
#12 ·
I'm happy with mine. It has about as much power as you can safely use on city streets and I haven't taken it to the track. I test drove a '13 GT and wasn't blown away with how much faster it was. The only place I noticed a big difference was accelerating from 40-85 on a highway merge lane. If you're worried about getting stomped in a 0-40 stoplight drag, you should be watching your rearview for Evos and STIs, not the biggest and baddest rear drive muscle car.
 
#13 ·
Had a low mileage 3V last year, rocking a 2V car this year. My 2V feels just as fast as my 3V did and in fact I ran door to door with a 3V car at a cruise last month. So what we see is that Ford made S L O W progress from 1986-2010 in terms of power. Stock vs. stock any V8 Mustang from any of those model years will be fairly close in a drag race. It's sad really when you consider Camaro making nearly 300 HP 22 years ago and Dodge making 345 to 420 HP 10 years ago. Ford was always VERY much behind the curve until the 2011 model year. Except for the 2003 Cobra which was awesome for it's time, the Mustang was never anything to write home about.


Content? I'm still VERY content with my car. It's paid for! And at $7,000 total investment now, it'll run with the new $25K Mustang V6 or EcoBust either one, and I've also man handled a $45K Lexus IS350 recently. So why should I dislike my car? Whipping new cars with an old car is part of the fun. :grin:
 
#14 ·
You just never know when the next big oil crisis will come. HP dropped big time during the early 70's and took a long time to come back. Think Mustang II....could happen again.
As far as the 197 Mustang, it looks great, with a great motor that can take a licking and be easily built for more HP. It will be a Sharp looking Mustang for many people for years to come.
In my book Mustangs when Modded right have looked great for the last 5 models, never loved the Foxbody but many have and do.
 
#15 ·
Nah, I like my car.
Miss the stick, and am looking into that as a swap when the auto goes.

I was just wondering how everyone else felt.
I figure 300 or so with bolt ons. a 100 shot for the rare occasion it goes to the track.

But it's nice to see people not jumping ship.

I saw so many get swapped in when the 11s hit.

Just the talk I had today got me thinking. SOHC is dead tech lol But it's simple. I like simple.
 
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#16 ·
But it's nice to see people not jumping ship.
As a matter of fact, traffic in the 05-10 sections has picked up recently. There's a lot of nice deals out there for these cars.
I don't see people running back to the 11+ V6s.
 
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#17 ·
In 2012 I bought my '05 convertible mainly for cruising with my wife on our date nights, having fallen in love with the body style when it first came out; in '05 we had three kids under 10 and no room for a "hot rod", but by 2012 we had enough disposable income to make the leap into Mustang ownership! We test drove a 2011, but it just didn't seem to have that same '60's muscle car flavor and look that so drew me to the '05-09 design. I do not mean to offend any owners of newer model year Mustangs! These cars, I'm sure you will agree, emit such a visceral reaction to its owner; each has their own unique calling to its designs!
I have been challenged by a variety of vehicles since I bought it in 2012. I'm always happy to think that they want to try me on, (since NO ONE is ever interested in revving engines against me when I drive my '08 Expedition!) I usually nod and wave to the eager beavers and rev the engine a bit, but let them make a lot of noise screeching off the line while I chuckle to myself and cruise on. As NorCal said in an earlier post, there's always going to be someone bigger and badder, so I don't sweat it. I did go up against a 2013 5.0 last week, just to see how my 3v would hold up, having added a JLT intake and a Brenspeed 93 tune. I'm happy to say we stayed pretty close for the most part, but it was pretty clear he had me in the top end gears. So, all that to say this: I'm happy to cruise, with the lovely retro lines of the s197 turning heads wherever we go, and watch them try to discern what I have rumbling under the hood.
"It is best to keep one's mouth closed and be suspected a fool; not open it and confirm the suspicion"
 
#18 ·
We test drove a 2011, but it just didn't seem to have that same '60's muscle car flavor and look that so drew me to the '05-09 design.
I didn't realize how many cues they actually took from the 60s until my 2008 was parked by a 1960s model at a car show last year. There were a LOT of similarities, all the way down to the dash shape. It really made me appreciate the 05-09 cars even more. The Mustang is interesting because a lot of the models over the years have gotten better looking with age. I mean, who doesn't see a clean New Edge car even today and think "that's awesome looking"? Even the Fox body cars still turn heads around here.
 
#20 ·
This is exactly why you should buy the car you want for YOU, not for anyone else.

I've owned more Mustangs than I can probably count, but I know when I had the V6, people said get the GT. I got the GT, people said get the Cobra. I got the Cobra, people said get the 5.0 GT. My brother owns a '10 GT500, people tell him to get the Trinity. I know guys with Trinity GT500's that have people telling them to get a Hellcat. It goes on and on.

Unless you want to be broke and driving a car that doesn't speak to your soul, go with whatever it is you want. I drove the old 3.8L V6 Mustangs and there wasn't much in the way of performance, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I owned a 1981 4 banger Mustang as my first car. Slow as a shopping cart, but I learned to drive stick in it and it was very sentimental to me.

Someone said that before the newer engines, the Mustang was nothing special. I believe that is the problem with today's Mustang owners. People have the "latest and greatest" mindset and wind up being snooty (not directed at the person who made that comment, I'm talking in general) towards owners of older Mustangs. If the old Mustangs were nothing special, they wouldn't have the following they do. Let's please take a minute to remember that when the Camaro debuted in the old days, the Mustang kicked it's head in as far as sales went. And when Ford introduced the 2003 Cobra, it actually, literally, ended the production of the Firebird and Camaro as GM had no answer to give. The only way they could have competed would have been an LS1 making more than Corvette Z06 power, and they were not having that.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. My Mustang is very special to me. I get asked by people all the time why I didn't get a 5.0. I especially like to smile when someone says, "Guess you could only afford the 4.6." My decision was based on what I wanted: No MT-82 drama, a tested and reliable engine which basically provides a known quantity for modifications, Grabber Blue which is my absolute favorite color, and my car is loaded with everything from heated leather seats to navigation...everything but the glass roof option. And I paid $10k less than the cheapest similarly equipped 5.0 at the time I bought it. So, I took some of that savings and modded my car as you can see in my signature so that it is set up exactly as I wanted it to be.

The fun of owning a Mustang comes from making it yours. It should never come from "owning the most powerful V6/V8". The guys that jumped on that bandwagon just see the 5.0 and the 3.7 as the newest iPhone accessory...not as an American legend with more heritage than they could possibly care to take the time to learn about.

Am I content with my car? Well, I've owned a lot of road rockets and this car is not one. But I am very content with it for one very simple reason: It's exactly what I want. People can hate it, people can say "2010 GT owners really got shafted", people can think I'm bitter about having the 4.6 instead of the 5.0....none of it matters to me. When I walk outside on a Saturday, shine up my 'Stang, climb into the comfortable leather seats, fire up the V8 and hear that trademark roar.....well my friend, you better believe I do it all with a big goofy grin on my face that makes me feel like I'm 18 again and heading out for my first pleasure cruise.

These cars, as all cars, are about fun, excitement, and enjoying the drive. Many people never have the opportunity to even come close to owning one of these cars. I am thankful that I can own and enjoy mine, and I respect every Mustang model I see on the roads as well.

The grass is always greener. Enjoy what you have and be thankful you have the opportunity to have it. Sorry for the super long post guys/gals.
 
#23 ·
Remember, no matter what car you drive, or how much money you reasonably put into the car to make it faster (single purpose cars excluded- eg. jet cars/funny cars etc.), someone is always going to be faster than you. So, I would not worry about the car in the next lane, just enjoy your car for what it is - a great fun to have driving machine.
 
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#24 ·
I want a 707hp Hellcat...

But like every one here said, and dad use to say, theres always some one badder than you. I see so many hot rods from around this area its crazy. Tons of nascar shops, I got a guy at where I work who works for robert yates building race engines... I mean.. it is what it is. My wife's car is faster than my mustang but she has a huge car payment. I owe nothing. Even if I wanted to pony up the money for something faster Im not rich enough to have the fastest car in town. Micheal Jordan lives in Charlotte.... Dale Earnhardt Jr. lives not far from here... HAHAHA you know?!

I totally get what the OP is thinking and bringing up conversation is healthy for us all to remember why, our own personal reasons, we drive what we drive. And he asked what we thought about our 3v cars. I think they are great bang for the buck and look awesome.
 
#25 ·
Honestly I couldn't care less if someone's car is faster. I didn't buy my pretty little convertible so It would be the fastest car on the street. The way I look at it, I don't race that much. Maybe once a few months, and its my daily driver. I don't get to play a lot. If I only cared about horsepower, I would have bought another LS1 (sorry guys haha), or a procharged Sn 5.0. But that's not what I wanted, I wanted what I have...and only that.


When I kick it, I don't get a rush like I did with the Z28, I cant take a turn so hard whoever is in the passenger seat ends up in my lap or their face pushed up against the window. I cant slam 4th gear so hard it skips sideways. But I don't care. I'm 27 years old. I bought a Mustang because I love how it looks, I love Mustangs, I love the sound, and it makes me happy. That's what is important to me, what makes me happy. If a new 5.0L pulls up next to me at the stoplight and wants to race, I am going to oblige him. When he starts pulling away from me (assuming he can drive good enough to do so)...I will still be smiling...all the way home.
 
#26 ·
Glad to see everyone is on the same page as myself.
I can't get over the styling.

Just incredible how technology has evolved in the last 4 years.
 
#27 ·
How does everyone feel about this brave new world?
Ecoboosts making around our power stock.
V6s making close to our bolt on amounts.
And well bolt on 5.0s are just mean.

But I pose a question to everyone.
Are we still content?

<snip>

Just wanting a polite debate here, I'd like to see how everyone feels.
Because I fear it may be a matter of time when perhaps the new base model camaro/mustang will eat a mildly bolt on GT.
Then again money talks..

Thoughts?
Opinions?
On the street and in straight lines generally I honestly don't give a rat's ass who's faster or what's in whatever they're driving. I've got a car with minimal nannies that's still fun to drive after 7+ years . . . and it's an absolute hoot to drive around a road course trying to do more with what looks like less.

If the day ever comes where a completely stock base model Mustang or Camaro can outbrake and outcorner my mildly modified '08 GT in addition to pulling away from me down the straights, that's when I might start to feel less than contented . . . or maybe just over the hill as a driver.


Norm
 
#28 ·
Amen brothers. My 06 is modified my way by me and I like it just fine. Certainly I pine for more power, newer S197 styling, hell sometimes blondes and redheads, but my 06 puts a smile on my face a lot. And my kids STI carves circles around me in the twisties but it's not old school muscle. OH and BTW, the new Audi RS2 puts out 367HP from a turb four, 0-60 times of 4.3. There will always be something faster and more powerful.
 
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#29 ·
I don't own a 3V but I do like my Slow.6 2V. It's loud, rough around the edges, uncomfortable, cheap, slow, but it's mine. There are days when I want it to be faster (which is why I went Nitrous) but for my budget it's a nice car that won't quit starting everyday I turn the key. I beat the hell out of it and it runs better than the day I bought it.
 
#30 ·
I am rather tickled at the responses.
I remember a few years back I posted a similar question in the SN95 Forum.
A resounding majority was cause it's paid off...but I wish...
Or the styling.

Maybe I'm just getting older.
I personally have no issue with a 300whp car.
It sounds the way I want it.
As the months progress I will hit my goals.
And then I make her look the part.

But really, it's nice to hear a good deal of mature answers.
Thanks thusfar!
 
#31 ·
I already have the car that I've wanted for years with the 05-09 body style, roaring V8, and manual gearbox. I'd love to have the 5.0 Coyote engine under the hood with a 5.0 emblem on the front fenders, but the 4.6 3v plays all the right tunes for me and 300+rwhp is more than enough power for my needs.
Maybe someday I'll swap in a 302 stroker short block and get those 5.0 emblems anyway but the car will probably stay with me for as long as I'm walking on this earth whichever powerplant is in it. :grin:
 
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