Autos thread spin-off -- Convince me this is stupid

[Ben]

Are we talking about the car or the driver now?

[AngryScientist]

Are we talking about the car or the driver now?

yes...

[Ben]

A douche in a Mustang is a douche.
A douche in an M3 is a douche.

Glad we got that squared away.

[dhoff]

Making a car perform at a higher level than it was originally designed for always has its price.

I have built MANY MAny fast cars and motorcycles. I have built them well. And there is always a real cost. The last one was a 450HP Audi S4. It was a blast to drive, ate porsches and M3s and even a 12 cyl ferrari or two for lunch. It also required lots of maintenance and when all was said and done is was still an extra fast S4.

[rphetteplace]

Whenever I see guys at the track in Mustangs it's all hammer on the straights and driving Miss Daisy through the corners. Comparing one to either an M3 or an Elise is non-sense.

[Ben]

Whenever I see guys at the track in Mustangs it's all hammer on the straights and driving Miss Daisy through the corners. Comparing one to either an M3 or an Elise is non-sense.

Take it up with Motor Trend:

Your doubt is understandable, but check the specs. For 2011, both rear-drive, four-seat coupes use all-aluminum V-8 engines with double-overhead camshafts tickling 32 valves. The M3's 4.0-liter carryover makes 414 horsepower at 8300 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3900 rpm. The Mustang's all new 5.0-liter V-8 cranks out 412 ponies at 6500 rpm and 390 pound-feet at 4250 rpm. But the most compelling number is 0.2: the difference in power-to-weight ratio between the two. The Mustang carries 8.8 pounds per pony to the M3's 8.6. And yet, at the test track, the 5.0 equals or betters the M3 in every performance category we measure. Both hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, but the Mustang is faster to the quarter mile by a tenth of a second and 0.7 mph-12.7 seconds at 111.6 mph. It also stops two feet shorter from 60 mph-a tie as far as we're concerned-and the GT really shatters the M myth on the skidpad. America's original ponycar manages to outgrip one of Germany's most iconic sports cars to the tune 0.2 second through our figure eight and by 0.01 g in lateral acceleration.
...

But is [the M3] faster? No, at least not with this Joe behind the wheel. Forget that my fastest laps were about 3.8 seconds slower than Randy [Prost]'s. There's an easy answer for that: "The pro don't pucker," observed tech editor Kim Reynolds after poring over the data . All you need to know was that I was 0.55 second faster in the Mustang than the M3. My reasoning: the 5.0's broad powerband and less intrusive electronic stability-control system help me exit corners faster and maintain momentum.

For the definitive answer, we go to Randy's times: 87.67 seconds in the BMW to 87.76 seconds for the Ford. That's right, the difference between the fastest laps of the M3 and Mustang GT is, literally, less than an eye blink: 0.09 second, to be exact. Randy's response? "God bless America! Let's hear it for the Mustang. To me, that is a giant win for the Mustang GT because the BMW is such formidable competition."

You can say you don't like the Mustang (even though you'll almost certainly be saying that without having had the benefit of driving one, but whatever). But you can't say that it's nonsense to compare the two when they're so clearly comparable.

[jerk]

Whenever I see guys at the track in Mustangs it's all hammer on the straights and driving Miss Daisy through the corners. Comparing one to either an M3 or an Elise is non-sense.

watch the video i linked on the first page of this thread and edit your post. :)

[jerk]

YouTube - Sam Strano at 2009 SCCA Dixie Tour

you know what? you don't even need to scroll back.

[rphetteplace]

YouTube - Sam Strano at 2009 SCCA Dixie Tour

you know what? you don't even need to scroll back.

My bellybutton has more lint in it. Mustangs are the bicycle equivalent of a faster backward (your term) Cervelo imho.

[Too Tall]

I get where you are heading Ben. Why the he!! not? Go for it but I'd get a used mustang that someone else has already done what you are saying maybe minus the supercharger. There are tons of people who do this and the secondary market is at a huge discount.

FWIIW We have a 66' Nova SS that eventually will have front end, brake mods that will make it handle great and with the current 400 hp small block will most definately give that drive with your foot feel you dig. The mods and path I'm taking will consume years of tinkering on my part but that's what I like to do...nothing all at once. The guys who spend 50 large to make their Novas into track cars make me laugh...it is still a heavy car that really is being forced to do something not natural ;)

[Philster]

I read this whole post before realizing how old it was! You can now get a CPO 2008/2009 335i for well under $30k. When new, the dealer would do a re-flash for $2k which provided 400 hp with a warantee. Do this and you will be liscence free and riding your bike in no time.

[PGSmith]

I get where you are heading Ben. Why the he!! not? Go for it but I'd get a used mustang that someone else has already done what you are saying maybe minus the supercharger. There are tons of people who do this and the secondary market is at a huge discount.

I'm not recommending these mods--I agree with dhoff--but don't buy one used. Mods always have an effect on longevity and durability. They are also a good indication that the car has been used hard. The "huge discount" is due to that combination of compromised reliability and hard use.

Beware of any car with an aftermarket boost gauge.

[sk_tle]

I'd rather buy a used v8 than tune a new v6.

[Ben]

I've shelved the idea.
This thread has gotten dumb.
Let's let this one die, please, before I say something ungentlemanly.
Thanks.