I may buy a late model... got questions

Benoit23 · Aug 18, 2008

I sold my PU & need to get a daily driver. I'm thinking of getting a 2005-2009 Mustang. My 1st thought is it has to have an 8 but, I really want some decent gas mileage. I’ve read V8 gets 15 city & V6 gets 18 city. Is that about right? 3 mpg just don’t seem like very much to me. If I go with the V6, are there aftermarket parts out there that can give a V6 decent power. Or is it not even worth it, don’t even waist my time, get the V8?

Thanks,
Chris

walter · Aug 18, 2008

I'd go with the V8. The MPG difference is negligent. That's logical considering you're downsizing your displacement by only .6L.

Also there are too many things to do to a V6 to get it to V8 power and handling that you may as well have bought an 8 and called it a day.

Towelly · Aug 18, 2008

I agree. Get the V8 and the Interiour Upgrade Package. Its worth the extra $$. There are parts out there to make good power out of the V6 but not nearly as many as for the V8. The V8 has way more potetial as well.

Hoboattacker · Aug 18, 2008

You can get 18 city if you don't romp on it. And people here get 25mpg on the highway with their GT's. Now, you start throwing forced induction at the motor and that all goes to hell. I get 13.5mpg on average with a high of 15.5mpg in the city and a low of 12.0mpg in the city and my one long trip on the highway netted 18mpg highway at 85mph.

stanmckinney · Aug 18, 2008

Depends on what your city commute is like. I drive only about four miles one way. The best I have been able to do is about 13 MPG with my GT. I had a V6 and there was little difference. On the road you can reasonably expect 22 to 24 with a V8 and maybe 2 more with the V6. I drive the speed limit and have had both models. My mileage is accurate and was checked many times.

DarkFireGT · Aug 18, 2008

Definitely go with the 8. From what I've seen, stock for stock, the 8 gets only about 2mpg worse than the 6. With a good intake and tune, you can see over 20 in the city and upwards of 30 highway.

BLKNED · Aug 19, 2008

DarkFireGT said:
Definitely go with the 8. From what I've seen, stock for stock, the 8 gets only about 2mpg worse than the 6. With a good intake and tune, you can see over 20 in the city and upwards of 30 highway.

Agreed, while I haven't been able to drive mine much(I was only in the states 18 days!) I was getting about 20mpg in the city and averaged 25mpg on the highway with a high of 27.3. All that is me calculating the milage, the computer was about .5-.75 mpg higher each tank. I don't drive it like a dumbass but I do accelerate hard from time to time. For me 2 mpg is easily worth it when you consider home much fun the GT is to drive!

scupking · Aug 19, 2008

Go with an 8. Nothing agents the V6 guys but to me if you buy a muscle car you have to get it with an 8.

klaw · Aug 19, 2008

Hoboattacker said:
You can get 18 city if you don't romp on it. And people here get 25mpg on the highway with their GT's. Now, you start throwing forced induction at the motor and that all goes to hell. I get 13.5mpg on average with a high of 15.5mpg in the city and a low of 12.0mpg in the city and my one long trip on the highway netted 18mpg highway at 85mph.

I'm getting 14.9 city; 21.4 hwy with F/I. Of course if you're into the fun pedal more your mileage will suffer - especially with F/I.

o0Dan0o · Aug 19, 2008

Agreed. With my GT if I can keep my foot out of it I can pull upwards of 20 in the city (helps to miss the lights too). On the freeway at 80 I'm getting about 27mpg, and honestly that's not easy to beat, you'd have to get a I-4 honda to do much better.

Though I do have a friend with a civic hybrid that gets 600 miles to a tank (~50mpg), so if you want to stretch you dollar as far as possible, that's the way to go.
Dan

stanmckinney · Aug 19, 2008

OK, I am game. What kind of intake and tune can I do that will get me 20 MPG in the city and 30 on the highway? Will it void my warranty and what will it cost?

bluecar · Aug 19, 2008

The mileage on a V6 is not that much different in real life. I rented one brand new and it got 10 mpg hwy/city whichever way I drove it. My GT has 11,000 miles on it and it got up to 25 all highway, about 12 or 13 mixed. I very pleased..... the mileage is really good for what you get.

GreyDiesel · Aug 19, 2008

I thought about the 6 for the very same reason, and then went with the 8 for a couple reasons. One, like you said, what is the point of a muscle car without a V8. Two, I sort of came to the conclusion that the 4.0L V6 in the Mustang is intentionally bad. I think it is a really old design, and perhaps even then it is engineered to perform poorly. Ford does not want it to step too much on the toes of the V8. Ford does have a very well engineered 3.5L V6 that produces much more horses (270-ish) than the 4L V6 they put in the Mustang. Were they to put it in the Mustang, the V8 would seem like less of bargain. Plus, the V8 was engineered as a work horse engine. They put it in trucks, and more importantly, they put it in those Ford LTDs cabbies and police use, so the engine was designed to get 200k+ miles. It is a very good engine, compared to the V6, which seems like an afterthought. Finally.... DarkFire said it best, put a good CAI and tune, you can get better mileage than the V6. (of course, I am not clear what kind of mileage you can get with a good intake and tune on the sixer)

Long story short, I went with the V8, and have no regrets. If your thinking about a V8, you will regret not having one.

Oh and... gas prices are falling. It looks like, (knock on wood), that the high gas prices were caused by a speculation bubble. Now, supply outstrips demand, and prices are falling. Lets hope they hit the floor, as we see more electric cars and hybirds, and ethanol production.

The Fang · Aug 19, 2008

GreyDiesel said:
I sort of came to the conclusion that the 4.0L V6 in the Mustang is intentionally bad. I think it is a really old design, and perhaps even then it is engineered to perform poorly .

brother, you are so on the money but I thought they were a newer design.

dtlionsfan · Aug 19, 2008

V8 for fun and resale.My bullitt new got 19.5 mixed driving and now with mobile 1 and 1400 miles is up to 22.0.Its all in how you drive it.

69mach1-409 · Aug 20, 2008

The gf had a V6 rental for about 2 weeks while her car was in the shop. She was avg. around 23 mpg and her commute is over 25 miles of hwy driving.

I'm getting around 21-22 mpg on my commute (7 miles of mixed driving) and that's with me running the numbers. The mess center is about .5 mpg better then the actual numbers. My best is 29.2 mpg on a 600 mile trip back from Ohio.

Get the V8, you won't be dissappointed.

stanmckinney · Aug 20, 2008

Again, what kind of intake and tune will get me 20 MPG in the city and 30 on the highway? I really want to know. If this can truly be done at a reasonable price and not void my warranty, I am ready.

GreyDiesel · Aug 20, 2008

The Fang said:
brother, you are so on the money but I thought they were a newer design.

Well, I am no expert. I think I posted that comment with the understanding that were I wrong, someone would jump down my throat and set me straight. (Has not happened yet... ) My main source of research on the Ford engines was wikipedia. Here is a link to what wiki says about the 4L V6.

Ford Cologne V6 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just to sum up (If your not into reading the whole page on the evolution of Ford's Cologne V6), When I say it is an old design, I mean, it was originally designed in 1964, and has been continually re-designed since then. That is not necessarily a bad thing, you could think of it as an extremely refined engine. But, it does pale in comparison to the totally new ULEV-II 3.5L V6 (Cyclone), designed from the ground up in 2006, discussed here:

Ford Cyclone engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BTW, I just had my Mustang in for detailing and new tint at the dealer (it was part of the deal when I bought it). They kept it for two days and gave me a Ford Edge to drive around. I was convinced the Edge had a V8, it was very well powered. Until I opened her up to find the 3.5L Cyclone V6. It is a very good engine that one.

I'll tell you one thing. Someone definitely should be jumping down my thoat in regard to my pure speculation as to why Ford puts the 4.0L in the Mustang. It could be a transmission problem, a manufacturing problem, a safety problem, a design problem, etc. The 3.5L V6 is very new and you cant expect Ford to have it in all their cars only a few short years after its introduction. I am just saying... the 4.0L V6 is being put out to pasture. You dont want to buy a car with an engine that is being retired. (unless its just really cheap, which I have to admit, those sixers are pretty easy on the wallet.... initially...)

GreyDiesel · Aug 21, 2008

stanmckinney said:
Again, what kind of intake and tune will get me 20 MPG in the city and 30 on the highway? I really want to know. If this can truly be done at a reasonable price and not void my warranty, I am ready.

Hey Stan, It says in oODanOo's signiture that he has a JLT Cold Air Intake and a Bama Tune. I am guessing that is what is netting him the good mileage. This is not the first I have heard of a good tune and intake getting up to 30mpg on the hwy. I test drove an 07 GT with a JLT CAI and the guy selling it told me the same thing. It sounds reasonable enough. I would guess a good set of pulleys would increase your MPG even more. Now.. if you run around flooring it everywhere, this wont be the case.

I just did the math, and think I just convinced myself that I cant afford NOT to get a CAI and tune! Lets think about it, lets say $800 for the CAI and tune. That will net you an extra 5MPG (from 18mpg to 23mpg). Say you drive 12k miles per year, at $3.60/gallon, your paying 2400$/yr at 18mpg, and 1878$/yr at 23mpg. That pays for itself in a little over a year, or better said, it pays for itself in about 14k miles.

My wife will be thrilled!

stanmckinney · Aug 21, 2008

How about the warranty issue?

I may buy a late model... got questions

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