Whats is the top speed a stock 5.0 can do?

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Davs5.0

Yeah, Car Craft did a story (my brother has the original magazine-the article was called "A Cold Day in Hell") where they took a 93 Cobra (95% sure), threw on a Vortech SC, 2:73 gears, duct taped all of the headlights, hood/fender creases, foglights, duct taped the gap in the rear spoiler (to provide more downforce to facilitate traction for the BFGs, and it went just a hair over 200 mph. It ran the 1/4 in like 12.XX seconds, even with the 2:73s. It was also between 20-25 degrees outside, hence the title of the article, as well as for the chances of a Mustang ever going that fast! The article never gave any HP numbers, though :shrug:

Later-
Hawaii-50
 
Old thread,,, but anyway. LOL

WAY BACK when I was young and dumb. Yes I admit. I raced a friend in his '87 Corvette with my new stock '88 vert. Thats how long ago it was. "I still have the car" and I'll never forget that day.

According to my friend we both reached 147 and held it there. His speedometer showed the higher speeds unlike my stock 85mph.

We were on a long stretch of deserted hwy. (No such thing nowadays) Our cars were very closely matched so we stayed real close. "I was surprised" This went on for probably ten miles. I remember throwing it back into 4th and back into 5th trying to go faster but thats all it had.

We were going fast enough that our cars bottomed out on the hwy a couple times on lite bumps and sparks flew out behind us.

I did all this with the top down. LOL

I scared the living hell out of myself that day. Luckily I survived my stupid days.
 
When my '85 GT was stock I topped out with the speedo at 140 but I question the accuracy of that speedo. As far as I can recall the car felt relatively stable but then again this was a clean, flat straight. Anyway, this took place about 20 years ago when I was still invincible so it's okay. :D
 
Ha, nice job on the dead thread revival.

Anyway, I read a review that Motor Trend or C&D or somebody did back in the day, and the '86 was capable of 149mph, basically at redline in 4th gear. In 5th, the aerodynamic drag is too much for the engine to overcome, and so the car is actually slower in 5th. Supposedly, a Ford engineer leaked that info to the public, and the car magazine verified it in a track test.

So I imagine the Aero cars are capable of 150ish in stock form.
 
Ha, nice job on the dead thread revival.

Anyway, I read a review that Motor Trend or C&D or somebody did back in the day, and the '86 was capable of 149mph, basically at redline in 4th gear. In 5th, the aerodynamic drag is too much for the engine to overcome, and so the car is actually slower in 5th. Supposedly, a Ford engineer leaked that info to the public, and the car magazine verified it in a track test.

So I imagine the Aero cars are capable of 150ish in stock form.

Yeah, my 86 with just bolt on's and the 3.08 gears would touch navigation-verified 140-141mph in 4th, then DIE when u shifter to 5th..lol...the 9lb blower probably woudl have helped it tear hard into the 150's, lol, but, my base model lx 86 5.0 isn;t exactly something I feel safe traveling that fast in...especially after 120 or so when the top of the window sills/doors start whistling and trying to open..lmao
 
Ha, nice job on the dead thread revival.

Anyway, I read a review that Motor Trend or C&D or somebody did back in the day, and the '86 was capable of 149mph, basically at redline in 4th gear. In 5th, the aerodynamic drag is too much for the engine to overcome, and so the car is actually slower in 5th. Supposedly, a Ford engineer leaked that info to the public, and the car magazine verified it in a track test.

So I imagine the Aero cars are capable of 150ish in stock form.

5th gear is an overdrive meant to help get better fuel economy and will usually not let a car redline. I've seen several test back in the 80's magazines, and not just Mustangs, several cars actually had a higher top speed in 4th gear 1:1 ratio than in 5th or 6th (both overdrive ratios)

Best I ever pulled in my 87 notch with Saleen kit on it according to my Motorsport 140mph speedo was right around 138mph in 4th gear with 2:73 rear gear, putting it in 5th I actually lost a few mph. This was back in 2002? when the car only had 200K+ miles on it. With out the Saleen kit the car would start getting floaty around 125 - 130 mph
 
There was a photo on the back page of Hot Rod magazine a while back of a guy's stock 5.0, an '89 LX I believe, that he took to the salt flats and did 143 in.

I topped out my p71 crown vic over 135 so I don't doubt a stock 5.0 could hit low-mid 140's. I wonder how much faster it's go with a few common mods though.
 
Actually, a little known fact is that at the 6250rpm rev-limiter a 5.0 mustang with 2.73 gears, 225/60/15 stock tires, and the .675 5th gear ratio, the stock 5.0 fox-body mustang is the fastest production car of all time with a speed of 258.61 mph... I just verified it with my calculator :D