IT'S NOT A 5.0!

bhuff30 said:

I still disagree and think the 4.6 doesn't naturally rev, and in large part because of the bore to stroke ratio. There seems to be an NA limit of around 330rwhp with an EFI H/C/I combo on the 4.6L. There are plenty of H/C/I small blocks out there making 400+ rwhp naturally aspirated, and some upwards of 7-800hp in some lb/displacement racing classes.

In stock form, yes, the 4.6 is more ready to rev with larger ports and overhead cams, but the valve size is limited by the 3.55" bore. Not to mention, when you try to get more cubes from a 4.6, you end up with a stroke that is much longer than the bore. Good for low end torque, but it isn't going to move the air to make big power up top.

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my 4.6 revvs to 7k. always has. before the turbo it liked 6200.

bhuff30 said:

I still disagree and think the 4.6 doesn't naturally rev, and in large part because of the bore to stroke ratio. There seems to be an NA limit of around 330rwhp with an EFI H/C/I combo on the 4.6L. There are plenty of H/C/I small blocks out there making 400+ rwhp naturally aspirated, and some upwards of 7-800hp in some lb/displacement racing classes.

In stock form, yes, the 4.6 is more ready to rev with larger ports and overhead cams, but the valve size is limited by the 3.55" bore. Not to mention, when you try to get more cubes from a 4.6, you end up with a stroke that is much longer than the bore. Good for low end torque, but it isn't going to move the air to make big power up top.

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Alright, I'm not going too deep down this hole. After all, I prefer the old small blocks to the modulars. However, the fact of the matter is that even with H/C/I, solid lifters, girdle, the best valvetrain parts, etc... you just can't push a stock 302 block over around 7200 rpm without walking the main caps. We weren't discussing power potential of the two motors, but I disagree with the contention that 330rwhp is the upper limit for the 4.6 DOHC motors, and would guess that 95%+ of the 302W blocks making that kind of power were stroker motors that were getting there at less than 7k rpm. Get an aftermarket block, and sure, rev it to your heart's content. From stock, there are just too many obstacles to overcome - the block is the biggest one.

Square bore:stroke doesn't mean it won't rev. Look at the Boss 302. It has a square bore:stroke just like the 4.6 and it revs to 7500 rpm from the factory. The old DOHC Cobras redlined at 7k from the factory the year after the old 302 came out of the mustang, and they made power every inch of the way up the tach.

OHC, and bullet proof shortblocks make the modular better for revving than a factory 302W based shortblock.

Gearbanger 101 said:

Originally Posted by slayerripkdc View Post
I have gotten that a few times as well. "Is that a 5.0". NO! Its a modular 4.6, and they proceed with "Oh, just a V6, huh?"

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Fixt. Or at least that's the usual response I used to get.

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I get that all the time. But then they proceed to be impressed because nowadays a v6 is a "big motor". Usually the quote above is followed by a wow, v6's are fast, etc etc.