5.0L vs 305HP 4.6L

oliverqueen · Aug 31, 2007

I've been looking at '94-'98 Cobras and i was wondering if there was a good pro vs con on either model. Is the performance that much greater with the 4.6? What benefit does going with the 5.0L get? I like the styling of the 5.0L better with the smooth hood and goofy wing. I also hardly see these cars anymore,but is the twin cam engine alone worth shooting for the later cars? Does anyone have any links to road tests involving these cars? Anyone ever own or owned both cars and could you give your opinion on the differences. Thanks.

Kilgore Trout · Aug 31, 2007

modular > pushrod

wythors · Sep 1, 2007

Kilgore Trout said:
modular > pushrod

Complete nonsense.

I own a 93 5.0 and a 96 Cobra. When both were stock, the 5.0 was much stronger off the line, but the Cobra would pull even and then away from about 35 mph and has a LOT more top end. After I did my H/C/I and other stuff on the 5.0 (just under 300 rwhp) it would blow the 4.6 completely away. Bucket loads of torque and enough horsepower to keep pulling away. Then I put the Kenne Bell on the Cobra and everything changed. Now the Cobra feels like its got a big block under the hood.

So I guess it depends on what you're looking for. The 5.0 makes a lot more torque in stock form, so it is more fun stoplight to stoplight. If highway cruising is your thing, the dohc makes effortless power in the upper rev ranges. Both respond very well to mods, but you can make more power for less money with the 5.0.

Does that help at all?

DBMSTNG · Sep 1, 2007

wythors said:
Complete nonsense.

I own a 93 5.0 and a 96 Cobra. When both were stock, the 5.0 was much stronger off the line, but the Cobra would pull even and then away from about 35 mph and has a LOT more top end. After I did my H/C/I and other stuff on the 5.0 (just under 300 rwhp) it would blow the 4.6 completely away. Bucket loads of torque and enough horsepower to keep pulling away. Then I put the Kenne Bell on the Cobra and everything changed. Now the Cobra feels like its got a big block under the hood.

So I guess it depends on what you're looking for. The 5.0 makes a lot more torque in stock form, so it is more fun stoplight to stoplight. If highway cruising is your thing, the dohc makes effortless power in the upper rev ranges. Both respond very well to mods, but you can make more power for less money with the 5.0.

Does that help at all?

this is a flawed comparison as the foxbody has a weight advantage over the sn95.

mustangkid05 · Sep 1, 2007

newer> older

LaserSVT · Sep 1, 2007

I have owned both (5 Foxes, 4 SN95, 3 Cobras) and am currently in a 96 Cobra. Stock for stock the Cobra is much faster than any stock 5.0, off the line top end whatever. The Cobra is way more civalized as a DD and gets better mileage. The 5.0 is easier to fix and modify and has a sweet sound, but as I get older I want the car to be easy to use and fast like hell so the Cobra was the one for me. I used to have a 03 Cobra ragtop and that was the be all end all Mustang but I did not like the convertable. Still kicking myself for selling it

wythors · Sep 1, 2007

DBMSTNG said:
this is a flawed comparison as the foxbody has a weight advantage over the sn95.

Flawed comparison comparison. My Fox is a convertible. Minimal weight advantage negated.

Modular2v · Sep 1, 2007

i have a 95 cobra and althought not a 4 valve car i do have a 03gt. The 03gt is quicker in every category but u can tell the 95 is just a beast waiting for a set of heads!

Rock302 · Sep 2, 2007

Recently bought by Cobra not long ago and it feels like a different car. The cobra has some suspension mods but still rides better than my stock notch, it's more comfortable, virtually no rattles, and is quicker(stock for stock).

The notch feels more nimble because it's a smaller and there's a bigger aftermarket for foxes.

But a tastefully moded notch looks better than an equivalent SN95 IMO.

94CobraPace · Sep 4, 2007

I have both, a 94 Cobra and a 01 Cobra. The 94 feels faster due to the torque, but the 01 pulls like a freight train at anything above 3500-4000. The 01 is faster, but like I said the 94 feels faster. Gas mileage is not that big of a difference, the 01 gets app 2-3 miles per gallon better. I would not hesitate to work on the 94, the 01 does not look that easy.
The 94 is not stock as the 01 is stock. Both are verts.
If the 5.0 gets some heads, cam and intake it can and will beat the mod motor. The stock block is the limiting factor on 5.0's. The stock bottom end will hold more than the mod motors, rods.

MysticVobra · Sep 4, 2007

I've owned a 96 cobra, 98 cobra vert and currently own a pretty modded 94. If you don't plan on doing any mods id recommend going with a with a 96-98 cobra. The powerband feels alot smoother and pulls way harder on the top end then a 94-95 cobra will, stock for stock they are faster. They also somehow feel more street friendly as a daily driver. The 94-95 cobras feel more raw. As already stated though if you want to mod the car in the future or plan to fix or do your own work then it will be easier and cheaper to work on a 94-95 cobra. If i were you i would honestly just drive both and decide. It is going to boil down to your personal preference cause the feel of the 94-95 cobras compared to the 96-98 cobras is very different.

96SVTpilot · Sep 4, 2007

96-98>94-95

Stock for stock- no question

Mod for mod same story. You'll never have to crack a cam cover to make big power on the 4.6. Add gears, exhaust, and a blower and you will be nearly unbeatable. You'll need heads and a cam just to make the 94-95 run with a stock 96-98.

Modular2v · Sep 4, 2007

96SVTpilot said:
96-98>94-95

Stock for stock- no question

Mod for mod same story. You'll never have to crack a cam cover to make big power on the 4.6. Add gears, exhaust, and a blower and you will be nearly unbeatable. You'll need heads and a cam just to make the 94-95 run with a stock 96-98.

I dont totally agree with that statement, a 5.0 with ported intake and gears would give a stock 96-98 a run for its money!......its amazing what a turbo will do to these cars or even just a set of heads! my buddy has a hci 95 car it slaughters blown mod motors all the time! I also know of another guy with a stock 94 cobra running 12.70s with mild weight reduction, stickies and suspension! Im not saying that the dohc 4.6 in the 96-98 cars isnt a contender but as far as naturally aspirated power goes, the 5.0 is far superior!

96SVTpilot · Sep 4, 2007

Modular2v said:
[/B]
I dont totally agree with that statement, a 5.0 with ported intake and gears would give a stock 96-98 a run for its money!......its amazing what a turbo will do to these cars or even just a set of heads! my buddy has a hci 95 car it slaughters blown mod motors all the time! I also know of another guy with a stock 94 cobra running 12.70s with mild weight reduction, stickies and suspension! Im not saying that the dohc 4.6 in the 96-98 cars isnt a contender but as far as naturally aspirated power goes, the 5.0 is far superior!

Yes there are are some exceptions but lets face facts. The 94-95 comes stock with 245ish HP stock. The 4V comes with 305. Yes torque wins races but the 4V is still pulling long past where the 5.0 starts flattening out. Your buddy with the HCI car must be racing guys who can't drive or have Gts, because a typical HCI car is throwing down 300-350 with stock displacement while a typical blown 4V is putting down a tire-shredding 420+. The guy with the drag car could go faster if he had the same setup on a 4V car. You talk n/a power, but a stock 5.0 Cobra would have trouble hanging with a 99+ GT, let alone a stock n/a Cobra. There's alot to love with each car, but the 4Vs are stronger as delivered from ford.

Modular2v · Sep 5, 2007

96SVTpilot said:
Yes there are are some exceptions but lets face facts. The 94-95 comes stock with 245ish HP stock. The 4V comes with 305. Yes torque wins races but the 4V is still pulling long past where the 5.0 starts flattening out. Your buddy with the HCI car must be racing guys who can't drive or have Gts, because a typical HCI car is throwing down 300-350 with stock displacement while a typical blown 4V is putting down a tire-shredding 420+. The guy with the drag car could go faster if he had the same setup on a 4V car. You talk n/a power, but a stock 5.0 Cobra would have trouble hanging with a 99+ GT, let alone a stock n/a Cobra. There's alot to love with each car, but the 4Vs are stronger as delivered from ford.

300-350 rwhp out of a hci pushrod cobra????????? That is a fairly mild setup! These cars can easily achieve 400rwhp NA. I have a 03 gt and a 95 cobra and yeah the 03 is faster stock for stock. A set of heads alone on the 95 and it would walk all over a stock/ mildly modified 96-98 car. Your post above is comparing a NA pushrod motor to a BLOWN 4v car! Its apples and oranges.....compare them both with forced induction or both na!

96SVTpilot · Sep 5, 2007

Modular2v said:
300-350 rwhp out of a hci pushrod cobra????????? That is a fairly mild setup! These cars can easily achieve 400rwhp NA. I have a 03 gt and a 95 cobra and yeah the 03 is faster stock for stock. A set of heads alone on the 95 and it would walk all over a stock/ mildly modified 96-98 car. Your post above is comparing a NA pushrod motor to a BLOWN 4v car! Its apples and oranges.....compare them both with forced induction or both na!

Ok cool lets talk apples to apples then. Mod for Mod. Whatever you can do on one car you can do to either of them.

Stock for Stock: 96-98 > 94-95

Add the basic bolt ons to both (exhaust, gears, CAI, MAF, TB, pullies, chip, ignition, etc). 96-98 for the win again due to the base HP advantage.

Add the same power adder to both with the same PSI or Nitrous HP shot: 96-98 again for the win. Do you see where we are going with this?

Add a HCI package to both cars. Obviously you can't add the same package, they are different engines. So for arguments sake lets say for example:

94-95: Your favorite top end kit (Edelbrock, Holley, Trick Flow, etc) or keep the Cobra intake and add your favorite cam and heads.

96-98: Short runner, 99-04, Mach 1, or FR 500 intakes, N/A cams, Ported, 99-04, FR 500, or Mach 1 heads.

Again- 96-98 for the win

Add a stroker: Yes you can stroke the Cobra out to 347 and top it off with a HCI, but why buy a 5.0 Cobra if you plan on ripping out the engine and starting from scratch? You would have been better off starting with a GT, no?

Modular2v · Sep 5, 2007

96SVTpilot said:
Ok cool lets talk apples to apples then. Mod for Mod. Whatever you can do on one car you can do to either of them.

Stock for Stock: 96-98 > 94-95

Add the basic bolt ons to both (exhaust, gears, CAI, MAF, TB, pullies, chip, ignition, etc). 96-98 for the win again due to the base HP advantage.

Add the same power adder to both with the same PSI or Nitrous HP shot: 96-98 again for the win. Do you see where we are going with this?

Add a HCI package to both cars. Obviously you can't add the same package, they are different engines. So for arguments sake lets say for example:

94-95: Your favorite top end kit (Edelbrock, Holley, Trick Flow, etc) or keep the Cobra intake and add your favorite cam and heads.

96-98: Short runner, 99-04, Mach 1, or FR 500 intakes, N/A cams, Ported, 99-04, FR 500, or Mach 1 heads.

Again- 96-98 for the win

Add a stroker: Yes you can stroke the Cobra out to 347 and top it off with a HCI, but why buy a 5.0 Cobra if you plan on ripping out the engine and starting from scratch? You would have been better off starting with a GT, no?

i think you are looking at the peak hp #s more than the all around avg throughout the power bands. The 5.0 has more potential bottom line PERIOD(in what the block doesnt limit, but if you use that arguement i can bring up the "excellent" stock internals on the 96-98 4v car LOL), in every single category you can think of! If Mod motors are so great why do classes like renegade all run windsor style motors? Lets take your mod for mod example you just gave.....Why rip the motor out? You would have to do the same thing to the 4valve car once you started pushing enough boost through it! And then go ahead and add your top end package....i bet somebodys bank account is going to be hurting a little more! Dont get me wrong i LOVE mod motors....But on the performance aspect of things they just cant hang with the 5.0. I have built both motors and know the limits of both! Just simply stating my opinion based on experience. By the way, you are crazy if you think you can just call summit up and order that modular top end kit you just listed.

96SVTpilot · Sep 6, 2007

We need to keep this debate going in talk or tech, not both lol. This is getting too hard bouncing back and forth.

Modular2v · Sep 7, 2007

96SVTpilot said:
We need to keep this debate going in talk or tech, not both lol. This is getting too hard bouncing back and forth.

agreed! lets keep it in tech and run up our post counts!

1.8kmint · Sep 27, 2007

4.6>superior to a stock 5.0 except from 0-35. as stated above newer>older. the fox will weight less also. Now you can buy a tastefully built 5.0 with a sc for 5 grand on craigslist ca at least, if you wait long enough and keep an eye out, that im pretty sure would smoke any stock cobra for less money, you just don't get the name with it... Take your pick

5.0L vs 305HP 4.6L

oliverqueen

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Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?

wythors

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