[Fastback91]

Originally Posted by rk_2000_Z/28 There are guys on this site running low 10's. If I remember right, there are a few videos floating around of guys running 9's with just a twin turbo swap on the stock long block. It wouldn't surprise me any, especially since the guys running low 10's are doing it with the original Eaton.

yea my friends runs 11.2's on stock cobra except for intake,exhaust, and full Drag suspension.

[acidtonic]

The S197 may not be much heavier, but its very different and here's why.

The chassis is way heavier than people think. Ford did everything they could to hide the weight gain when switching from SN95. They already had bad press from the last few switches they did like 5.0 - 4.6npi (no power) and 4.6 B head to 4.6 C head (99 recalls) and they wanted to avoid the whole "This new car is a pig" mentality. So they covered it up.

For instance they did a whole bunch of weight reduction mods to the S197 that the SN95s didnt have done yet. Like Aluminum blocks, 3 link rears, front coilovers, solid rears on the GT500, etc. They lightened other stuff and I cant remember off hand but other things were lightened almost across the board. For instance the wheel spindles got weaker from SN95. Griggs racing tested it and found it unusually weak for track use. But they said pre S197 cars were fine.

So you could still remove a lot of weight from an SN95 while the S197 there is much less to do. For instance just swapping out the IRS widens that 255lbs gap to well over 300lbs from the 03 Cobra to the GT500. Despite all the power stock vs. stock the 03-04 Cobra is faster in a straight line. GT500 faster around the track (solid rear is way better for tracking).

To get a good comparison you have to make things equal... SN95 with aluminum block, coilovers, solid rear, and 3 link easily weighs under 3300lbs. Now compare that against the S197 GT and you see about 300lbs more depending on options and such. (mid 3600's weight)

Even if we're generous and say 100lbs of the 300lbs is new safety stuff like side air bags that *still* makes the new chassis 200lbs heavier. And with all the pound here, or 10 ounces there thinking Ford did to hide the weight of the S197 I bet it's heavier than that even.

So say what you want but I dont think that kind of weight gain is worth the increased stiffness you hear about. I'd rather add way lighter subframe connectors and have a stiffer AND lighter car that doesnt need to make as power power to go as fast.

Weight is way more important than power. Power only helps one thing while hurting mpg and driving up insurance rates.
Weight loss helps everything. Braking, brake wear, straight line handling, cornering, launching, acceleration, traction, mpg, trailoring costs, suspension wear, etc.

Yeah the GT500 engine is better I wont dispute that. I just wish it was lighter. Better yet place it inside of an SN95.... GT500 engine swap - Corral Forums

[C MY 4D]

I have to find the video but there was a TT terminator in the 7's with the stock long block.

[acidtonic]

Also the new 2011 info leaked and the GT500 will have an aluminum 5.4.

I want to hope this will be the dry-sump 5.4 block from the supercar but I dont know. They just found the ordering codes which show aluminum 5.4.

I havent really researched it beyond that but I do think the 2010 GT500 in black is a sexy beast, especially from the sides. I didnt like the GT500s until the 2010s look. Now with aluminum blocks that can handle the power I will be finally thinking about one instead of building my 97 more.

[BADASS03SVT]

Originally Posted by mpe331lx Thats BADASS03SVT. His cars is set up RIGHT! He has A LOT of weight pulled out of it. I think his race weight was around 3300lbs. Couple that with the stalled auto and a perfectly dialed in suspension, and you end up with a car that get phenomianl ET's for the power.

thanks bro!

[ReverendDexter]

Acid - only thing I disagree with is that lighter-weight cars have better traction. All else being equal, more weight on the tires = more grip. That's why race cars have all the aero bits - to increase their effective weight at speed, and thus get better traction.

[mpe331lx]

Originally Posted by BADASS03SVT thanks bro!

No problem man! I hope to one day gat my car dialed in as good as yours!

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter Acid - only thing I disagree with is that lighter-weight cars have better traction. All else being equal, more weight on the tires = more grip. That's why race cars have all the aero bits - to increase their effective weight at speed, and thus get better traction.

Thats true to a point. But you have to take weight transfer into acount too. The lighter the car (especially the front end), the better it will transfer the weight, the better it will 60ft.

Now when once it gets to the piont of having too nuch weight transfer (wasting the motion lifting the front of the car too high, instead of pushing it forward) to where suspension adjustments or limiters will be needed.

A car too light can have traction issues too, but that is rarely a factor in a fairly heavy 94 to present mustang (and most fox's unless they are completely gutted with an lsx swap or a turbo 4)

For a track car,I'll take a properly set up 94-04 over an s197 anyday.

[ReverendDexter]

Originally Posted by mpe331lx Thats true to a point. But you have to take weight transfer into acount too. The lighter the car (especially the front end), the better it will transfer the weight, the better it will 60ft.

I wasn't talking drag racing. But even then, "weight transfer" is really only a solution to the symptom of a front-heavy car, where you're trying to shift as much weight as possible to the rear tires to get more traction. This isn't the case on a rear-heavy car - look at the evolution of dragsters and where they place their engines. Every advance in design moved the engine further and further back, until they had to move the driver in front of it.

Also, you're not separating weight in terms of mass to accelerate versus weight over the tires to increase grip. Drag times takes the net effect of both, and I'm sure the extra weight slows you down more than the added traction is worth. That doesn't mean that lighter weight gives you more traction, though.

[acidtonic]

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter Acid - only thing I disagree with is that lighter-weight cars have better traction. All else being equal, more weight on the tires = more grip. That's why race cars have all the aero bits - to increase their effective weight at speed, and thus get better traction.

Yeah I'm referring to cornering and such when I say traction. Cornering with less weight generally makes a given amount of traction better.

A heavier car will need more traction to make the same corner as a lighter car at the same speed.

It doesn't actually increase traction, but rather decreases the load that traction has to accept which has the net effect of seemingly making traction better.

I think I need one of those sig disclaimers like you have Reverend

[mpe331lx]

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter I wasn't talking drag racing. .

As you get to know me, you will realize I have a one track mind

[ReverendDexter]

Originally Posted by mpe331lx As you get to know me, you will realize I have a one track mind