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Here's Top Gear's cure for their idiot dyno test that proved nothing. As much as we love Top Gear, their derision of the GT500 for producing a "mere" 447 horespower on a chassis dyno is pure BS. A 10-percent loss through the drivetrain is stellar, yet the spin from our snarky British friends was that it was somehow subpar. Kenne Bell has the antidote, and it's available in several stages of tune, from streetable to antisocial.
Since the GT500 is factory-equipped with a supercharger, the engine internals have been beefed up for boost, and a water to air intercooler is in place. The Kenne Bell system replaces the stock Eaton blower with its trademark Twin Screw system. The throttle body is also upsized to 75 millimeters versus the stock 60, but the rest of the intake tract remains stock. Rounding out the Stage 1 tuning is an ECU flash, and the end result is 606 horsepower at the rear wheels. Take that, Hamster and Clarkson! Changing out a few other intake components and fiddling with the drive pulley's diameter will net you Stage 2 or 3 tuning, delivering up to 692 horsepower on the rollers. Maybe this kit will serve to quiet some of the carping from the Top Gear pundits, but we think they just don't understand muscle cars. It's a different flavor of performance, that's for sure, and the Kenne Bell upgrades add even more spice.
Thanks for the tip, Drew
[Source: Mustang Life]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jeremy @ Mar 8th 2007 9:58AM
And the car is still rubbish if you don't go in a straight line.
Jeff the Baptist @ Mar 8th 2007 9:59AM
Funny, when last I saw Clarkson talking about the GT500 it wasn't criticizing it's lack of power. It was criticizing it for not being able to turn worth a damn. He liked the Roush Stage III a lot more because it had a superior suspension setup even though it had a lot less raw horsepower.
FA @ Mar 8th 2007 10:07AM
If they dont care about how much power it makes then why did they have that bullshit segment with the gt500 on the dyno
Annonymous @ Mar 8th 2007 10:08AM
That dyno accounts for drive train losses. Go watch season 7 episode 4. Why don't you do a little more research before you make a conclusion.
oren @ Mar 8th 2007 10:12AM
How much? i bet more than a z06....
http://www.montrealvip.com/
Seven @ Mar 8th 2007 10:17AM
This is one of the worst and most childish things I've seen on this site. In fact, it's embarassing to autoblog. Wheel horsepower is what should be measured because it doesn't matter what your engine can do when it's just sitting there attached to nothing. Their point was that it doesn't really have 500 HP to put to the ground, and that the handling is rubbish (it is, and only a redneck won't get that point). So what if some company has a kit to boost it even higher. Yeah, that'll really show em! Give me a break autoblog.
Ian @ Mar 8th 2007 10:42AM
Once and for ALL time.
Manufacturers ALL give HP at the crankshaft. That's why we can compare ratings car to car. NO self respecting PR from any manufacturer wants to state the lower HP at the wheels. Each manufacturer does the same.
Second it's horses for courses. Ford made the Ford GT as a sophisticated road sports car and that's the ONLY Ford car which TG should compare with notable European sports cars. The Mustang based GT500 is a rorty boulevard runner and fun to drive AND relatively inexpensive pound for pound fun car. Now some after tuners will spend some more of your dollars to put in IRS etc and make it faster on the curves if that's what you want. But for TG to "bitch" that the Ford GT500 isn't comparable with European sportcars and to gabble on about HP at the wheels is meaningless and misses the point.
You want spohistication and power and handling..then buy a Ford GT.
You want 4 seats rorty power and endless upgrade abilities and low low price buy one of the endless varieties of Mustang.
Now what British owned and made manufatcurer has given it's buyers that choice? Not even European manufacturers give that kind of choice and certainly not in these price ranges.
We should also explain to TG that it's 2 North American guys (from Florida) which are currently working on saving TVR!
Mr. Oak @ Mar 8th 2007 10:49AM
1. And the car is still rubbish if you don't go in a straight line.
-------------------------------------------------
I've seen the piece of rubbish eat Porsches and BMWs on a road course. It wasn't pretty.
Forget everything you used to know about American Muscle cars, they are quite capable of obliterating just about every over engineered over priced piece of euro-junk. Your consolation prize is ours handle better. Guess what, American cars are rapidly closing that gap.
Ten short years ago, who would have thought that there would be a Cadillac that would destroy the myth of the "Ultimate Driving Machine" on just about every road course across North America?
It's simple, Europeans like buzzy little engines that rev up into the stratosphere. We here like to have our power down low where we need it. I think the phrase "Blunt Force Trauma" comes to mind.
damn_fast @ Mar 8th 2007 10:56AM
Exactly "Seven".
Some can say that autoblog is some kind related with Ford (may be Shelby).I think all realized that you're huge GT500 fans.Of course there are different people and different opinions.You proved your point that the raw power is 500 hp.Others arguments mean to irritate visitors.That's enough!
American VS European cars ...
I'll say just one thing.Fifth Gear give Best Fast Car Award to Corvette Z06 ?!?! Since then I DO NOT watch at all this show.
[quote]We here like to have our power down low where we need it[/quote]
Of course. For trucks - may be, but for sport cars HELL NO!
why not the LS2LS7? @ Mar 8th 2007 11:09AM
If you watch episode 7 of the previous season where they have Steve Coogan, Clarkson seems to indicate pretty good knowledge of Mustangs. He knows which was in Diamonds are Forever, etc.
They just decided to take it to the Mustang because they could. They don't really care about accuracy that much on the show, it's about the showiness.
I'm not real impressed with the GT500. I don't mind the suspension, it's the price that kills me. You're sure paying a lot extra for Ford to slap a blower on a car.
sr20de @ Mar 8th 2007 11:38AM
#8: "I've seen the piece of rubbish eat Porsches and BMWs on a road course. It wasn't pretty."
Yeah, and I've seen a Neon beat a Viper on a road course. A fast car does not equal fast lap times, and anyone that knows anything about driving on a track understands this. You clearly, do not.
Mike @ Mar 8th 2007 11:58AM
[quote]We here like to have our power down low where we need it[/quote]
Of course. For trucks - may be, but for sport cars HELL NO!
The Mustang isn't a sports car, muscle cars (pony car) like raw power down low for huge burnouts and drag racing. Their not going to compete with a 911 on a road course, because thats not what it was intended for.
John P. @ Mar 8th 2007 12:01PM
11: Yeah, I saw it too. Mustangs took out porsches, bmw's, nissan 350z's etc,.. at Daytona this year in the hands of professional drivers on a road course so yes, you can make the damn thing handle. If you ever saw a neon take out a viper it must have been because a little old lady was driving the viper, because I watched for years as vipers kicked porsche butt in professional sports car racing. The Viper's ancient and still pretty quick.
As far as HP numbers, every single manufacturer uses hp at the crank, not just Ford like others have said here, I'd say it's about time Top Gear tell their monkey viewers this.
Cluckson and Company on Top Gear are just a bunch of bafoons catering to those ignorant homer viewers in the UK that huddle around them in that studio like monkeys. Don't take them seriously or you'll risk ending up brain dead, washed up, and crooked toothed like them. Having said that, they are fun to watch so the formula works.
Fred Savage @ Mar 8th 2007 12:13PM
who cares! even with the HP it has they have shown the car is worthless. do something about the suspension for gods sake.
John P. @ Mar 8th 2007 12:27PM
15: worthless? you can't be serious. If so, where can I get one of these free GT500's?
sr20de @ Mar 8th 2007 12:33PM
#11: The scenario: Vipers being driven by wannabe racer students at Skip Barber with instructors driving Neons to prove the point that the driver is everything. This also plays itself out at HPDEs as high-buck cars driven by clueless owners get smoked by modded econoboxes driven by experienced drivers.
Phil Burt @ Mar 8th 2007 12:40PM
OMG - why are so many people so bloody sensitive about everything Top Gear says. Its not like they even gave a bad report on all Mustangs jeez.
And by the way Ian - here in the UK which is where the Top Gear programme is supposed to be for not the US, the Ford Mustang GT costs £25k similar money Subaru Impreza STi and it was about the same time around the track as the quicker GT500. So the whole better bang for your buck argument doesn't really hold.
Oh and by the way - TVR is dead in the water anyways - so you'll excuse me for not finding any consolation in two guys from Florida carrying on a strategy of decentralisation for TVR.
sean @ Mar 8th 2007 12:41PM
Okay, Ford is an excellent company... without Ford, Jaguar would still be stuck with shitty engines! Same with Aston Martin and Land Rover... So go pound sand!!! If you can't handle a variety of vehicles then it doesn't matter what car you have, you'll still be a mediocre driver at best...
tiago do vale @ Mar 8th 2007 1:11PM
Why is this so important?...
Cooler @ Mar 8th 2007 1:57PM
To whomever says that Clarkson knows Mustangs:
Go watch the video where clarkson races a mustang with an actual horse, and the roush mustang with an exige.
Clarkson himself states that he is driving a 300HP mustang gt, when it is CLEARLY the v6. THEN he states that the SHELBY GT500 has the SAME engine as the Mustang GT but with a Supercharger added. Anyone who knows ANYTHING about mustangs knows both those statements were false, and it made it to air.
The show is entertaining, but I wish they would get their facts straight before they insult. Also I like that they compare it to the lotus exige... That thing is a track monster, but not really in the same category as a mustang. They serve different purposes. The Mustang is meant to be American Muscle, where the Exige is meant to be a track oriented car. Being 6'4 I don't fit in an exige, and I couldn't bring 3 friends of mine and luggage on a roadtrip like I do with my Mustang. It's just they always set American cars up for failure.