Driving to work this am, I got behind a mustang "GT" according to the badge on the back. It was a left turn from one parkway to another 4 laner traffic was light.
He revved his motor several times waiting for the light to change and it did not sound like a GT. More like a 5.0. I also noticed very/very wide tires and very/very big non-stock exhaust chrome tips. Otherwise, looked like off the showroom floor.
Anyway, he goosed it a bit to make the left hander with me right on his tail. As it was a GT, I did not turn off OD, nor the A/C which I use to heat as well as to cool.
Doing about 45 as we straightened out and he nailed it in second as did I, also in second.
Mine did not shift down for some reason and it was all I could do to keep up with him up to about 80 when I had to turn off. Didn't really get beat, stayed even, but I consider that a very humbling experience.
Question for the group:
As I don't follow the non-Cobra Mustangs, and know nothing about them, is a GT upgradable to the point where it can stay even with a "poorly driven" Lightning? I am assuming this was a very non-stock GT. BTW, his was a manual not automatic.
I went ahead and went to work, but I truly felt like heading for the local watering hole instead.

Bill


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Bill Murray
99.5 Lightning
Oxford White
Bedrug/ARE LSII lid

Tow Package CD Player
Superchip
HobbyTownUSA Graphics
Identical 1/10 Scale Tamiya RC Truck incl. graphics.
Truck interest e-mail:
fastwhitey@myf150.com
4 heavy decals!
Kennesaw (Atlanta) Ga.

 

Hi Bill!

It is entirely possible for a GT Mustang to have a 5.0L V8 and be tweaked to the point of mauling a stock Lightning. I have seen several 450+ hp Mustangs that were quite street legal, and would definitly take a big bite out of a stock Lightning. It is expensive to do, but totally in the realm of being do-able.

That said....the upside is when they can catch up to our power/performance levels, they are getting close to the limit, whereas we are only just beginning to get into our own. Since I have played around w/my baby (you've seen my list of mods ;-)) I am finding some of the Mustangs that played dirty jokes on me and returned in kind, in spades!

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Chuck 'Wyldman' Shelton
wyldman@houston.rr.com
Black 99.5 Lightning Build # 1273, DOB 5-14-99
CD Changer; Tow Pkg.; Lojack; Sal's custom nitrous chip; G-Tech/Pro; SnugLid; BedRug; Invinca-Shield, full kit; NOS KIT 80 hp shot (currently); Clear and smoke Lexan fog light covers; 3M Ti Window Tint; Bel radar detector (shouldn't be an accessory); PowerStack cone filter (a.k.a. supercharger waker upper); American Auto Designs ram air hood - Delivered and at the body shop; Cal-Tracs traction bars

 

UH, ya the model GT ALWAYS has a 5.0 in it (GT means V8, well not literaly). Was it he newer body style or the older? i had a 91 lx with a V8 that i had put a lot of "extras" in it. BTW the ne w 99 GT will beat the 99 cobtra (that hasnt had the 'fix') at the track. They will pull high 13.9 - 14.1 in stock trim. I have seen some at the track pull that. So dont think that our Lightnings are going to smoke mustangs, you will hardly "ever" run into a stock GT! No GT doesnt mean "upgraded" at all

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99' Black Bolt
Clear Corner lenses
PSP Filter (on order)


[This message has been edited by Yoda (edited 11-06-1999).]

 

GT's used the 5.0L through '95. '96 and later used the 4.6L. The most common mod is an "offroad H-pipe (no-cats) and a pair of flowmasters. Some of these ran very strong stock, I remember one that went 14.1 stock) I have the same no downshift problem most of the time too, when this happens my truck lays down where it normally runs it's best. I would think a stock GT could give me a good run when this happens, and a 99 would win. BTW there was a 97 T-bird at the track today. he ran 13.6's all day with a 4.6L. It had the svo heads, cams, intake, 3.73's, and automatic. He had my Bolt by 2 tenths, and 4 mph!

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99 Lightning black #2022, cd,tow package, stock
(13.86 @ 99.34)
98 Cobra coupe laser red
best stock et 13.43 @ 103
one run w/ 3.55 gears 13.34 @ 102 no other mods
former Chevy fan still have a few
72 SS454 11.6 @ 116 (slicks open headers)
68 Camaro 12.2 @ 116 (street tires closed exhast)

 

Thanks for making me feel at least a bit better guys. It was a current (98-99) model with the newer motor. I would imagine based on the visuals I saw that it certainly had a pretty expensive exhaust system and more than likely a few other goodies.
So, a lesson learned. Don't mess with Buick GNX's and watch out for current Mustang GTs unless you are prepared for a fight that you might lose if you are not on top of your game.
Bill

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Bill Murray
99.5 Lightning
Oxford White
Bedrug/ARE LSII lid

Tow Package CD Player
Superchip
HobbyTownUSA Graphics
Identical 1/10 Scale Tamiya RC Truck incl. graphics.
Truck interest e-mail:
fastwhitey@myf150.com
4 heavy decals!
Kennesaw (Atlanta) Ga.

 

maybe it was a mumbly machine? you know...supercharger under the hood, or maybe he had NOS?

He probably spent tons of money to get it to go fast and probably went home wondering how a truck stayed so close to him!

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David
'99 F150 XLT SC, STYLESIDE
3.73, 4X4 ORP 5.4L, AUTO,
139wb, Medium Red Tor.,
Rhino, K&N, BugGuard,
RainGuards, Superchip, Soft Tonneau
f150online sticker!!! GET ONE NOW!

 

ah contrary to that my friends, if it was the new 99 body style those cars are FAST. oh, & the exhaust comes standard with 3' outlet tips so they look really nice. Now about that non-stock sound he must have put some type of after-market mufflers on it Flowmaster etc, as of current there arent that many after-cat systems for the new 99 mustngs (there might be 1 or 2) but remeber what i said about the new 99 mustang GT's -they came off the showroom floor STOCK, FASTER then the cobras! There were several new cobra-owners that were getting smoked at the track by stock new 99 gt'. that is where the cobra owners started finding out about the power related problems. So in response to what you mentioned about a blower or n2o - wrong, they come that fast. If it had a blower on it, you would not havebeen able to keep up! They have 260 hp (& lots of people say this is underrated) & a typical blower will add 100-120 more to the current (assuming its from ATI, Paxton, or Vortech) whick would raise it's power level past ours, roughly 375-390 is what i have seen in published reports (more than ours), then you need to factor in the weight issue. So, if you had not had your AC unit on & were ready to go at it, you should beat him, but i'll tell you he WILL be keeping up with you barely, but with any (even the slightest) aftermarket add-ons, on his part - dead even!

------------------
99' Black Bolt
Clear Corner lenses
PSP Filter (on order)


[This message has been edited by Yoda (edited 11-07-1999).]

 

I disagree with the comment "When they can catch up to our power/performance levels, they are getting close to the limit". I have seen 5.0 LX's with five speeds that can run 12's with just bolt ons. A good example is Bob Cosby's. His car ran a best of 12.52 with just bolt-ons, headers, gears, and slicks. The only one of us that runs near that has gears, bolt-ons, and nitrous.

So, I'd say that modified Mustangs are very capable of staying with us and even beating us. After all, we weigh about 1700 lbs. more than they do (Bobs race weight w/ driver was 3100 lbs). As much as I love my Lightning, 1700 lbs is one hell of a deficit to overcome. We are only competitive because the factory saw fit to give us a huge horsepower advantage when stock. Before the flaming starts, as I'm sure it will, I still have every confidence that stock to stock, our Lightnings will beat the Mustangs every time.

 

I'd have to say that Mad's post sums it up the best. A 99GT and a 99 Lightning will run about the same. There are obviously many variables that will affect the outcome of the pass, but the average ETs for both vehicles is in the very high 13 range. A stock 99 GT really won't run quicker than a 13.8 at best, and the Lightning is capable of 13.6s stock, but the Lightning's disadvantage comes from the difficulty in launching it cleanly. The problem with modifed Mustangs, is that it take a lot less parts and money to get more out of them. Main reason is weight. You can get more gain out af a similar part, becase it doesn't have to overcome 5000lbs to become effective. Also, there are many more parts on the market right now, since the 4.6 has been in the Mustang world since 96. On the street, it a whole different world. I can take SS Camaros, and WS-6 Firebirds with my 99. But that doesn't mean my truck will turn better ETs. My truck just happens to bite real good on the street, and they have trouble getting a good launch. So if I get away clean, they can't catch up. But you get us on the track, and without sticky tires, my truck is all over the place on the launch. As for the Mustangs, most of the ones you encounter on the street, will most likely not be stock, and it's real easy to build an 11 second Mustang for what it would cost to get out trucks into the 12s. Our trucks kick butt, but one thing that we will always have to remember, is that they are still 4600lb vehicles.

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SAL
13.35@103mph
All stock with PSP 99 Lightning Chip and Filter Kit

Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!! http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

Hmm... as far as major money to get a 96-98 GT into (Lightning Cobra) speeds it's not at all very hard. In all i've spent about 1,800 dollars (No No2 or supercharger) and have a very streetable car able to go consistantly low to mid 13's on street tires. You must remember two things. First, their will always be someone faster than you. Finally Speed is money, how fast do you want to go today? Have fun and be careful for us guys in those slow 96 to 98 GT's

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95 Cobra R(Mostly Stock)
97 GT Vert.(13.1@102.6)
97 ZX-11(00 ZX-12 on order)
Trying to decide between 00 Cobra or Lightning

 

13.1 with $1,800.00 in a 97 GT convertible?
NO WAY man--- AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN IN YOUR OR MY LIFETIME. You said no power adder (no2)? You meant N2O right? And no supercharger? The SVO heads alone are $1,800.00 and they won't even get you close to a 13.1 timeslip.
And you said on street tires? How stupid do you think these folks in the lightning forum are? For $1,800,00 in mods on a 96-98 GT, you would be damn lucky to see a 14.1.
Huh uh--won't happen--not on this dirt. Would you like to stop by www.corral.net and explain to all of us how you supposedly pulled this off on the heavier than a coupe, convertible?
If what you say is true, you have the fastest HP per dollar 96-98 GT in history.
Poser alert here---- Mad`

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97 Cobra, N2O, 12.17 @113
65 Nova, 12.69 @110
57 Chevy, 2dr., Stock
Mads Hot Rods---->
http://pages.prodigy.net/mdm2thelmt/homepage.html

 

Youa nailed it on the head MAD', there is no way that you can spend $1800 on a convert & hit 13.5 or less! That would even be hard in a hard top.

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99' Black Bolt
Clear Corner lenses
PSP Filter (on order)


[This message has been edited by Yoda (edited 11-07-1999).]

 

Hey guys, let's take it easy here!
I was just relating an experience, not trying to start a food fight.
For the record, I ran across the guy today and "through the windows", he yelled that he had replaced the entire exhaust system (SVO?)
had lowered the vehicle, had replaced wheels and tires with wider ones, that he had no NOS or blower and then the light changed so we had to go (No, I didn't race him this time, too much traffic). Forgot, it is a '99 model.
I had no idea this topic would generate so much interest. If you have the time, visit the LS1 site and read their accounts of their encounters not only with Lightnings, but also all kinds of rice racers. Really interesting.

Bill

------------------
Bill Murray
99.5 Lightning
Oxford White
Bedrug/ARE LSII lid

Tow Package CD Player
Superchip
HobbyTownUSA Graphics
Identical 1/10 Scale Tamiya RC Truck incl. graphics.
Truck interest e-mail:
fastwhitey@myf150.com
4 heavy decals!
Kennesaw (Atlanta) Ga.

 

Hey Guys! Just last night I was humbled by a 91-92 model Mustang GT. I stumbled across a bunch of guys in Mustangs on a lot in my hometown. Being a fan of all Ford products, I pulled in to check out their Stangs. Well, as soon as I pulled in the lot, one of the guys in the Stangs invites to go with them to go racing. The Mustang that I raced (which was the quickest of what was there) was stock except for exhaust, bigger rear tires, and different gears(4.10 I assume) The first time we raced I was slow on the launch, and he got me by about 1/2 car length out of the hole. By the time he was shifting to third we were even with me pulling away from him slightly, he missed 3rd and that was pretty much the end of the race. Both of us decided to race again, and this time I tried a different technique for launch, I heated the tires slightly and held the brake and got the motor up about 1300-1400 rpm's. Well, I spun the tires big time off the line, and by the time I got hooked he was 2 1/2 car lengths ahead and I never caught up.
I'd be interested in hearing any suggestions on how to get a better launch.

1BAD 4D
99 Lightning
#273
all options, otherwise stock

 

Hey atleast you gave him a run for his money.
He's probably thinking to himself, WTF, how can a truck keep up with me?"