ZombyWoof wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 10:48:58 -0500, "Michael Johnson, PE"
> > wrote something wonderfully witty:
> <snip>
>
>>>Tough bill to fill. I hope they can do it.
>>
>>I think they can. At least they are starting out with a good chassis.
>>If they keep the '03-'04 Cobra brakes, improve the handling over the GT,
>>use the T-56, use the blown 4V 4.6L motor tweaked to 450 hp and design a
>>decent IRS then I think it will be there. They should be able to keep
>>the price about the same too. IMO, the '03-'04 Cobra drive train was so
>>good that they could use it virtually unchanged except for the IRS.
>>This saves a ton of money on R&D.
>>
>
> Why not step up to the 5.4 and load that baby up with some more torque
> to further differentiate it from the GT? Yeah HP is great, but I've
> always loved low-end torque for a good launch. It was one of the
> things I simply loved about my Goat and its 455 HO SD. A decent
> launch would catapult me half way down the track. I would
> consistently post lower MPH trap times yet get great overall ET
> compared to the guys with the small blocks. Left a lot of guys
> scratching their heads as to why they lost against me when I never
> even broke 100 mph but had a trap time of ~ 12 seconds.

They already have the low end torque with the supercharged 4.6L engine.
Also, the 5.4L is wide at the top of the engine which makes for a
multitude of packaging problems and is why it is mostly installed into
trucks and SUV's. Plus, Ford can make more than enough hp/torque with
the 4.6L engine. With the hp raised to 450 I would expect it to have
350-400 ft-lbs at 1,500-2,000 rpm's. The '03-'04 Cobras are dipping
into the low 9's in the 1/4 mile with very few engine mods. Ford could
get 450/450 hp/tq from it with little effort.

I love low end torque too. Hence the reason I have a Kenne Bell blower
on my '89 LX making 460 rwtq at 2,500 rpm. It makes for a fun ride.