Why the hell did the ford company think it would be a good idea to put a 2.3l N/A into a mustang. 4 banger stangs remind me of tanks, unless it is turboed it feels like your trying to move a dump truck with 30 horsepower its a complete slug. why couldnt they stick with the same 3.8 that is in the t-birds or something similar to it because i just hate my N/A 2.3. i constantly get beat by cavaliers, hondas, and other stupid family cars.
Why.... Because its a ford. And you might not want to complain. When was the last time you N/A left you stranded on the side of the road..... I know i've never been there. But i take care of it too.
You can thank the V8 crowd that was within Ford at the time. After all, they killed the 270hp DOHC SVO that was supposed to come out in 1987...
Hm, I know N/A's are slow but something might be wrong with yours? Is it Auto? I can usually take hondas or whoever in my '88. She supprizes me sometimes, Just now it ran like a bat out of hell, but in a few hours on my way to dunkin-donuts or something, it will run a tad bit slower, enough to notice. Dosn't matter what weather, how warm/cold the motor is...Its weird like that. My '93 was the same way. But running like a dump truck is out of the question..
Why? emmissions/fuel consumtion and cost. Ford had to meet federal emmissions and fuel consumption regualtions for each make of car. When the fuel consumtion of the 2.3 is averaged with the 5.0, it meets the regualtions. We can't forget about cost either.
lol ill take a 2.3 over a 3.8 ! it maybe slower, but it runs consistantly. i have NEVER seen a 3.8 (pre-SC) ever run consistantly as good , long, trustworthy as my 2.3 n/a, Peroid. Plus ... i can still pick on vw bugs, older hondas, and 3 legged dogs.
No, it's slow period. The 2.3 does make an excellent motor for air compressors, lawn mowers, scissor-lifts, and anything requiring miniscule amounts of power, though. can't wait to get ahold of a 5.0 Mustang and not be always getting nearly rear-ended when I try to merge into traffic
eh my 2.3 ran pretty decently... honda hx dx and even some auto ex's I would get... but then again I think I had a freak since it ran 18.2 at 73mph or something like that 5 years ago.... lol and that was with 110,xxx on it... and its an auto! could be worse it could be like my camaro... 305ci TBI V8 with all the mods I have she is only gteching 15.7 at 88mph.... man thats sad... oh well factory 170hp rating....
Because not everyone has to have a 300hp V8, can afford the insurance on it, can afford to put gas in it, or can flat out afford the more expensive V8 cars. Why does it seem that Ford built more 4cyl and V6 Mustangs than V8 Mustangs? If every Mustang came with a 300 rwhp V8 that got 40mpg, and didnt cost more and insurance was cheap on it then Im sure we'd all be driving V8's. Actually some of us wouldnt. Some of use think the 2.3L turbo in a Mustang handles better, can make as much horsepower as the average street V8 Mustang, still get 35 mpg, and insurance is cheaper.
Wow complaining about my 2.3 N/A would be like taking a sledge hammer to its hood and windshield. I have never had a problem with my 93 that didn’t take more than a couple of hours to correct. I think that ford had a gold mine that they lost when they quit making the 2.3 in either N/A or Turbo. Yeah we all could recommend a couple of things for the production models to run better either it be suspension, drive train, or ground weight. I am working on my SVO block presently to have it ready for the day I drop it in but until then I will swear by my N/A and keep her purring like she is and already by the way over 300,000. When I get the motor out it will become a part of a one seated dune buggy and live on. Why take a V-8 daily driver that will not only hit your wallet in insurance but in gas money also. Now throw on a male 16 yr old driver and watch that insurance skyrocket. There are many reasons to have the 2.3 N/A, T, or a V-6 over the V-8, but it all comes down to what your personal preference is and what your willing to give in return for your pleasure. I couldn’t wait to drop in a massive stroked V-8 into my 93 until I was shown the street and strip potential of the 2.3 T. Now like others I am not looking to be the King of the Hill here but I will be spreading the word by performance and showing the V-8 crowd that as long as there are people like us the SVO will breathe life in many body styles for years to come.
haha i wish I got 40 mpg and sounded like a weed wacker too! My 2.3 couldnt even spin the tires in the snow!
I never wanted a Ford except maybe a 302 boss hehe. I was always a Chevy man plus V-8's on top of that, until I got a job way out side of town and needed something with better gas milage than my tahoe. I whent down to look for a car with decent gas milage that I could work on that was American The 0nly thing on the lot that was cheap and fit the bill was my 93' LX ( 89k on it then and 130k now). After 3 years I'm can't make my self get reed of the car. Its slow as hell, heck it barely gets out of its own way, but the ONLY time its left me stranded was a few flat tires ( for 3 years I never had a spare lol). I have put it through hell and the only thing that really gave was the radiator and your typical junk like a battery. I really have to hand it to Ford in saying the 2.3L is a damn good running motor and almost built proof to me I believe this so much I bought a second Ford, my 85' SVO. This car is so much damn fun it should be ileagal lol I'm a true believer in the 2.3L(T)'s and as long as I can get parts for them I will have and drive them
Mainly because of Cost and Gas Mileage. Those numbers are good. Think about it, not everyone wanted a 5.0, some people might say its too fast, but they like the mustang body, so they buy a 2.3. Wouldn't you like to own a Ford GT or Shelby, but not pay $150,000 for it? I wish they made a Ford GT with say a V6 that cost around $20,000
a ford gt with a v6...thats gay, the car didnt become popular for its "looks" it became popular b/c it killed ferrari way back in the 60s. the heart of the car is the engine, why settle for a small heart?
Did you ever see the Ford Aztec concept car? It was another study on a possible production sports car. The motor would have been a 3.0L DOHC SHO motor making 300+ hp. Not too shabby for a V6. And the Ford GT is well known for its looks. There are plenty of people who recognize the Ford GT but could not tell you what engine was in it. What made the Ford GT so noteable was the millions of dollars spent in designing and testing the car before it ever raced. Ford spent as much on the GT program as some companies spent on aircraft projects.
