Supercharged F150 vs. Mustang: I'm Lost!
 

Hi all,

I need to replace my '92 Ranger (3.0L V6 - it's 3,000lbs and has only 110 hp and spends most of the time in the shop) and I was convinced on buying a Mustang but now I hear the trucks calling me back. :p I am trying to decide whether to buy a Mustang GT and modify it or an F150 extended cab 4x4 and drop a supercharger in it.

I used to want a Lightning but the fact that it was a standard cab, only 2wd, and expensive has turned me away from it.

Here is the situation:

I want lots of speed (and a Mustang with a blower is going to deliver - 12s 1/4 mile and lower) but I also want to feel "above the road" and be able to have 4 wheel drive. The Mustang with all of the above looks like it would be cheaper but I could be wrong. I would like to find a late model F-150 for $14,000 or less with low miles (I have already found a '00 GT for that much). Then add a supercharger afterwards. I also want reliability and the ability to drive whatever I get as a daily-driver but at the same time take it to the drag strip on occasion and win some races.

I love trucks and the versatility of 4x4 but at the same time I love speed and really want the best of both worlds. What do you guys suggest?

Thanks a lot!

Unfortunatly your going to have to sacrifice something. I have a 2002 supercharged 4x4 supercrew and love it. Sure, I cant hang with the moded stangs but on a side note they wont be in the mud next to me come hunting season either and cant pick up 4x8 sheets of plywood from home depot. You just have to decide whats more important to you.

P.S. Skidmark racing is running high 13's in his supercrew and has done many mods since then. These F150's are capable of some great performance.

You must realize that all those mods are expensive though. If you overlooked a Lightning because of the price, then you won't like doing all the mods to something either. You will very easily get to the same level a Lightning costs if you buy a regular F150 and then drop in all the mods. For all the mods a Lightning has, in order to get a regular F150 to perform the same, you are looking at another $7000 easily. It is a wash one way or the other. It all depends on your preference. I myself plan on getting a fully loaded Mustang as my second vehicle once my Supercrew is paid off. I will then have the best of both worlds.

You are in a tough spot both would be fun to work on and make faster but you have to decide for the long haul which one would suit your needs best good luck on what ever your choices ends up as.

it is definately a tradeoff.... i think i would go with the stang... im too addicted to speed!!!!!

-steve

statewolf,

Why not have both? Why not do one of the following:

1. Get an older or late model Ford Ranger single cab, flareside-lower it, find a supercharger for the biggest engine that comes with it or swap for larger supercharged engine. Then you would have a sportcar/truck that would be faster than a Lightning and handle as good or better than the Mustang.

2. Get an older or late model Ford Ranger single or extended cab- Lift it, put a supercharger on existing engine or swapp for larger supercharged engine. Now you are "up in the air" but will be able to "hang" with the stone ponies.

I would highly recommend emailing Neal "the horsepower freak" Newman. He built a 83' Ford Ranger with over 600 hp!!!!!! Faster than anything on this site.

Find a 4WD Ranger, and put a 5.0 in it! Cheaper than the other two options, fast at the strip and capable of off roading too. :D

You would put a lot of money in an extended cab 4x4 to make it quick in the 1/4 mile. I'd say you are in a give or take situation, and you're gonna have to pick one.....

Everyone has a fast car, why not have a damn fast truck!

Have a Magnacharger for sale! Email me if interested. Was on my 5.4L Expy.;)

Well, I am in a situation that I have both a Mustang and an F150. I, however, prefer to drive the truck. I don't like being so low to the ground. I also think that the Mustang is way to small for me and not nearly as versatile. The only time that I appreciate the Mustang is when I have to go into the city. I am just trying to get my truck to perform better, and when it gets supercharged:D I won't even want to get into the Mustang. I do have to admit, the Mustang is my wife's daily driver.

:(

I am more lost than ever now. I never even considered another Ranger because the one I have is nothing but trouble. Dropping a blown 5.0L in a Ranger body would be nice but it would take A LOT of work to make it stable at high speeds. (Right now, my Ranger loves to skid and driving it at 80+ mph is risking my life - it can't corner and when I pass a transfer truck the wind displacement actually pushes the truck sideways!)

I would love to have an F150 that can have the speed of a Mustang and still be able to 4x4 because I would love to have 4x4 and sit high off the road. There are also a lot of great customization options for the 150's.

At the same time, I have a love-affair with speed and although the Mustang is MUCH lower to the ground than I am used to I just might choose it for the speed and the fact that it can be modded for less $$$ than a 150 and get much better speed. I could buy a used '99+ GT and install a blower, aftercooler, and a few other bolt-ons and be in the low 12s for less than $20,000 total. (I have price checked)

Too many pros and cons! :confused:

Thanks.

Here is my situation
 

Statewolf,

I too was in a similar dilemma about a year ago. I was going to buy a Lightning, but the local dealers weren't giving reasonable financing on them, so I bought a '00 4x4 with an ext. cab (really glad I did for that reason alone). Cost was the same as an L, but it did not satisfy my need for speed. Well now I have a blower on my truck, and am in the process of making it faster. As is right now here is what I have and what it costs: ATI Procharger $3500, Custom exhaust with DI/DO Magnaflow $400, S&B filter $70, Derale Dual 16" electric fans $400 (after all the relays I blew), 180 T-stat $20, NGK TR5's $35, Oil Breather Cap $30, waiting on my SuperChip Flip Chip $400 + custom tune fees (~300). Installed everything myself (except exhaust). I am still under $5500, granted there is a lot more I plan on doing. Things like 12 psi pulley, 90 mm MAF, 42# injectors, and maybe a high-flow water pump. After all is said and done, I anticipate being well over 400 HP! Did I mention this is my daily driver? I already have 33" Mud Terrains on it, and I think over Christmas I am going to lift it, and put 35" or bigger tires on it. As for the other need for speed, here is my other toy, 1968 Mustang Coupe. It only has a 289 in it right now, but is still a blast to drive. Next summer I am going to put a 347 stroker in it with a lot of other goodies, and probably top it out below 500 HP naturally aspirated. Probably an 11 second car depending on traction, weight and other things. You can pick up an old Mustang (or whatever) for cheap, and built them up for about half the cost of the built up of a new 'Stang. Just my set up, hope it helps you out, or at least gives you some other ideas.

-Matt

Matt,

Is the truck fun to drive? With the supercharger does it "feel" like it has plenty of power?

Right now, I can only possibly get one vehicle and I want to make the right choice. I ish it wasn't give-and-take but up until now I was planning on buying a used GT and modifying it because it seems to be the most cost effective and should be the most fun to drive.

I really have no idea what it means to have a car/truck that is "fun to drive". My Ranger is the only truck I have ever owned (it is simply a "have to drive" and there is no joy in driving it at all). The other cars/trucks/vans that I have drove didn't have as much as 200hp so getting a "decent" car/truck is going to be great.

Thanks!

Fun to drive, HELL YA! Practical for the majority of people on a budget, not at all. As far as for you, I would probably tell you to get a late model 'Stang. Way better mileage, handles better and just as much performance add on's, actually more. I have actually thought about this many times and had been looking around for a used 96-98 Cobra. They have 305 HP, but tons of potential. New ones have 320 hp's, but have much higher prices. There is a lot of selection on those years of Cobra's on Autotrader/Ebay, that is primarily where I was looking. To be completely honest, I have given a small thought to selling my truck and my mustang, just so I could get a small pick-up (like a Ranger) and a new 2003 Cobra. They have 390 hp stock, but with a pulley, chip, filter and exhaust, the are 500+ HP! I decided I did not want to give up my full-sized truck, like the staring down at other vehicles. Plus my 'Stang is fun too, I can do whatever I want to it with basically no consequences.

Here's a little scenario on the fun factor of my truck. True story mind you. I had to kill a civic yesterday because his fart pipe was too high pitch and he had way too many stickers on his car. The kid did not even look over at me when he pulled up next to me at the next light, it is just too bad we were behind a lot of cars, or I would have smoked him again, unfortunately I may have used a gallon of gas in the process. :(

Oh, to answer your question about feel. Since I have centrifugal, it does not start spooling up until about 2500 RPM. At 3000 it is at full boost, so from 3000 up, watch out. I have a 4-speed auto, and 3.55 LS read-end, so cruising on the highway at 75 mph, I am turn a little less than 2100 RPM in 4th gear. So all I have to do is get the tranny to down-shift when I step on it to get it into the power band. I am looking at the mod's I listed before because the not only help overall numbers, but they really improve the low end, and that is what I am looking for right now. But I am extremely satisfied with the power at the upper half. Don't get me wrong, the bottom end shows noticeable improvement, but I cannot break the rear end loose, but I am also running 12.5" wide Mud's. I don't know what your experience is with really fast cars, but if you have ever been in one that has enough HP that is "pulls" while accelerating, I can tell you that I feel some "pull" when I get on it. Hopefully the mod's improve that too. Also, I can tell you that my roommate has a 2000 GT with a Vortech S/C on it, making about 430 HP at the fly wheel. It is scary. His car really "pulls", even at 85+ mph on the freeway. He can break the rear end loose anytime he wants, and it is sick how bad he destory's ricers. In hide site, he wishes that he would have went ahead and bought a Cobra instead.