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Detroit, 8:43 AM
Sun Nov 15
8 posts in the last 24 hours
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03/27/09
03/27/09
Keep her on the road. I find far too many late model SHOs in the yard. :(
On a sidenote, did the torque throw you back in your seat and did it snarl like an angry beast?
03/27/09
Or do you mean that the powertrain isn't sleepy in that it really comes alive when you stomp on it.
I imagine it'd pull pretty hard, but please clarify.
02/13/09
" The B524T2-R has VVT and is turbocharged and intercooled.
Output is 300 hp (220 kW) at 5500 rpm with 295 ft·lbf (400 N m) of torque at 1950-5250 rpm with the 6 speed M66AWD (Ford/Getrag) manual transmission.
Output is reduced to 300 hp (220 kW) at 6000 rpm with 258ft.lb (350 N m) of torque between 1850 and 6000 rpm with the 5 speed AW51AWD Aisin Warner automatic transmission (2004-2005). "
If you take the 2.4 liter Volvo S60 engine, enlarge it by about 50%, and then substantially detune it, you have the Ford engine. Correcting for displacement, the Volvo's 295 lb-ft torque would go to 430 lb-ft.
Even with its mild tuning, I'd pay twice as much for this Ford as I would for that staggeringly bad looking BMW with the patently idiotic hatch. How far downhill they have gone since the days of the 1600 -- from the lean car that essentially invented the sport sedan concept, to bloated, blubbery, whales.
02/25/09
How many engineering degrees do you have? Cause I have one. And ten years working in the auto industry.
02/12/09
I've been waiting for the day I'd have 350lb/ft of torque at 1500rpm again in something that wasn't diesel
02/12/09
02/25/09
02/11/09
02/11/09
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02/11/09
It is a torque mesa.
And while gobs of power is nice - very nice - how's the mileage?
02/11/09
You probably look at a Lamborghini, and say, "Well yes, but it's so hard to parallel-park..."
/kidding
02/11/09
02/11/09
02/11/09
sure you could probably boost it more but you'd end up shreding the tranny, popping intercooler ducting and maybe even snapping a crankshaft if the overheating doesn't melt the piston rings first.
which is why i say...chip it, hold the wastegate a little longer, and eat your wheaties, this will be a lot of fun.
02/11/09
lets see if i can use it in context.
i drove my new SHO down sunset blvd last night, and i glimpsed a financial analyst snorting coke of a shredded tranny
02/11/09
The SHO is an AWD car for northern climates, that can run with an Audi S6. The first time that GXP hits a rain slick road and gets torqued up, it's likely to break loose.
If they set the suspension up with as much care as the Challenger SRT8 got, this car will be both easy to ride in over midwestern "we need Obama stimulus money on these damn highways" roads AND be able to post some killer skidpad numbers.
The CTS-V may push the testosterone button, but this car takes it to the Audi crowd - hard.
02/11/09
I'm not sure about that. One of the things I seem to recall about most reviews of the Challenger was that it didn't exactly handle all that well.
I agree with your sentiments, but I suspect that might not have been the best car to choose for a comparison.
02/11/09
02/11/09
Very impressive. And you know what else? It screams "detuned for marketing purposes"
That engine will probably reliably do something well north of 400 lb-ft.
02/11/09
Also: am I the only one who has a suspicion that Ford has a G8 GXP / RS6 competitor hiding somewhere, waiting to be released until after we've all had our collective cargasms and afterglow cigarette?
02/11/09
The question is how will it hold up, and how overbuilt is it?
I'm doubting it is too much overbuilt, as the cost of eco-boost over similar engines with less tech was quite high. Therefore, I don't think it is like a Duramax or Cummins that comes with 360 hp, 650 ft-lbs but is capable of 500 hp and 1000 ft-lbs with little modification. That is why it is a $7-8K dollar option against the gas engine, it is overbuilt.
02/11/09
"If Ford can warranty an engine with these specs, assuming a buyer might redline it at every stoplight for 3 years or 36k miles, then it should be burly enough to withstand occasional spirited driving at higher forced output"
Otherwise I'd be a little surprised if Ford optimally tuned the Ecoboost right out of the gate, leaving them very little room for tweaks in the next generation.
02/11/09
1. Open hood
2. Stare blankly at all the plastic covers for 20 minutes
3. Close hood
4. Head to Autozone and buy a bunch of stick-on scoops and go-fast stickers
5. apply
02/11/09
02/11/09
Roush was able to build some badass turbo cars for Trans-Am and IMSA GTO in the '80s...I'd bet they're already well underway on developing a package for the SHO. And considering "The Cat in the Hat's" American flag-waving tendencies, they're probably targeting some pretty big (German) fish.
02/11/09
02/11/09
02/11/09
Thought: could this seriously be the new equivalent of the Grand National's Turbo V6? Ford is successfully taking on the V8 crowd with a turbo V6, and that somehow makes me happy. It's not going to have the same wonderful exhaust note of the G8 GT, but I've always had a soft spot for the idea of a potent V6 doing V8 duties.
Next step, put this engine in an AWD Focus RS, and you will easily have a car that is talked of in the same hushed tones as the GN and T-Type.
02/11/09
Or in a Fusion SVT.
02/11/09
I'd alternately suggest the MKZ, but they went and uglified that thing too.
02/11/09