V10 Costs are more than parts boys.
Z28x said:
THe 5.7L LS1 is a 100% different engine than the 5.7L LT, they share ZERO parts. the LS1 was designed from the ground up. In fact the LS1 is a 346, the Lt1 is a 350. THe 351 V10 does share parts with other Ford engines, it is basically a 4.6L with 2 more cyl. grafted on, (281/8)*10=351 Thus, if built it would share around 75% of its parts with the 4.6L V8. It is a very do-able engine. THe only question I see with it is cost, if they can build it for within $2000 of a V8 than I say do it. As I mentioned earlier the 6.8L V10 in the F-250 cost only $600 more than the 5.4L V8. If the 351 ends up costing to much to built, maybe they could make an Aluminum block 6.8L V10 and put in some more agressive cams and heads.
Just a newbie here, but with inside industry experience, I can tell you that the cost of a engine development goes far beyond "adding two cylinders"
1) CAFE - A V10 is a HUNGRY engine (displacment = fuel)
Now the corporation has to account for MORE V10 volume (which is in
the CAR market, not truck (CAFE for trucks is MUCH lower than cars)
(This means sales of more 4 bangers, or loss of a V8 somewhere to balance the equation which Ford is already teetering on)
An entire dyno testing regiment will be required for not only durability,
but now high mileage CAFE requirements
Another reason a TRUCK motor is hard to place into a CAR!
2) Wiring, electircal has to be redeveloped
3) Production complexity of ANOTHER engine in the plant (ONE part number
alone costs a corporation $500,000 to track)
4) Chassis development - New spring/shock development program for
differing wieght balances
5) Aero Development - NEW COOLING! THe car has to STILL pass Arizona
heat and Canada COLD with MORE ENGINE HEAT produced
Not to mention general aerodynamics with new cooling openings
BIG MOTOR in SMALL ENGINE BAY = NO GOOD
6) Development time and $$$ for manufacuting/tooling
7) V10 for a truck does not = V10 for car. MANY transmission / engine
schedules will have to be redeveloped for performance / high end vs.
torque/ low end = expensice engineering development time The engine
is modular for sure, COMPONENT WISE, but NOT DEVELOPMENT WISE.
8) And the FINAL CRUSHING BLOW: IMPACT!!! You cannot take a chassis
developed for a V8, and reduce its crush space by 4" !!!! IT IS NOT
POSSIBLE! We do engine "proposals" all the time as one-offs in the
business, but getting that engine through Federal crash standards is
ALWAYS DIFFICULT. It taks TIME and SPACE to decelerate mass! Without
SPACE to reduce impact velocity, loads (gs) on the occupants will get so
high at the end of the event that an occupants brain will literally hit the
skull and KILL THEM. So, while it is nice to do in the backyard with a
Mustang from 1969, more cubes in a modern car needs a larger bay to pass
the Federal Requirments..period. No amount of structure can be added to
an existing chassis to reduce those loads, becuase only time can. (Deceleration is the derivative of velocity which is the derivative of *distance*
While the muscle boys at ford can dream, it will be expensive and tough to
actually produce more than one V10 Mustang. If they do it, Kudos. From my end, it is not likely (Just like the BOSS429 from the last generation platform that was a one-off)