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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-

Prelude Vs My 5.0 Mustang?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nato10
  • Start date Start date Aug 3, 2012
N

Nato10

New Member
Aug 3, 2012
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0
1
Aug 3, 2012
#1
  • Aug 3, 2012
  • #1
I raced a 94 prelude today, i took him in the begining and after 3rd gear his passed me n keep going further out, in other words he's beating me in the top end, so my question is what would be some upgrades to beat this prelude?

My 5.0 mods:
short shifter
alumin pullys
stage 2 clutch
cai
h pipe flow master
tuner chip

Prelude Mods:
unknown

I want to beat this guy....
 

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.
20+ Year Stangneter
Jun 14, 2004
9,297
1,641
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Acworth, GA
Aug 3, 2012
#2
  • Aug 3, 2012
  • #2
Before we get into how to make a Mustang faster on the top end, the OP meant to clarify by saying that this happened at the Texas Mile dragstrip, where racing a Prelude is totally legal.

Kurt
 

Pops Fun

10 Year Member
Feb 15, 2003
961
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59
Cincinnati, Ohio
Aug 4, 2012
#3
  • Aug 4, 2012
  • #3
Of course it did!!!
 

JordanB21

Active Member
Feb 6, 2012
804
27
29
Killeen, Texas
Aug 6, 2012
#4
  • Aug 6, 2012
  • #4
I'm having the same issue, in races i'll have good acceleration and towards the end i'll top out and my high range is providing enough power so I get passed up.

Common stockers issue I guess.
 

Gearbanger 101

Straight Outta Locash
20+ Year Stangneter
Aug 10, 2002
9,457
1,377
234
Ontario, Canada
Aug 6, 2012
#5
  • Aug 6, 2012
  • #5
H/C/I swap

Doesn't matter what you bolt onto it otherwise (save for a power adder), everything is still choking through the stock restrictive E7TE heads and that T-Bird intake.

Try breathing through a straw. Doesn’t matter if you inhale/exhale normally, or suck/blow your face off….you’re still going only going to move so much air.
 

stanger9410

Member
Jul 18, 2011
88
3
19
plymouth, in
Aug 6, 2012
#6
  • Aug 6, 2012
  • #6
^ i agree with him, id also add some headers too
 

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.
20+ Year Stangneter
Jun 14, 2004
9,297
1,641
214
Acworth, GA
Aug 6, 2012
#7
  • Aug 6, 2012
  • #7
Or nitrous, that flows fine through the stock E7te heads. The only way to get it to pull a little harder up top aside from mo powa is to get a taller gear.

Kurt
 

Black Stampede

Founding Member
Sep 3, 2002
1,811
2
39
Grand Rapids, MI
Aug 7, 2012
#8
  • Aug 7, 2012
  • #8
I had a friend that had an 89 fox with all the bolt on including 3.73s and he still got beat up by a prelude vtec. That stupid vtec revving to 7 grand beats the 5.0 up on the top end.
 

runningONfumes

Member
Sep 4, 2011
59
1
9
San Diego, Cali.
Aug 7, 2012
#9
  • Aug 7, 2012
  • #9
Gears, Gears, Gears! I've got an 01 Auto GT, 2:93 rear, Knockoff 40 series mufflers, and a BBK fenderwell CAI. And have never ever been beat buy any Honda, Acura, or Toyota. OK, well a Turbo VW GTI walked all over me yesterday but I'm just gonna blame that on my cars weight hahahaha.
 

Gearbanger 101

Straight Outta Locash
20+ Year Stangneter
Aug 10, 2002
9,457
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Ontario, Canada
Aug 7, 2012
#10
  • Aug 7, 2012
  • #10
runningONfumes said:
Gears, Gears, Gears! I've got an 01 Auto GT, 2:93 rear, Knockoff 40 series mufflers, and a BBK fenderwell CAI. And have never ever been beat buy any Honda, Acura, or Toyota. OK, well a Turbo VW GTI walked all over me yesterday but I'm just gonna blame that on my cars weight hahahaha.
Click to expand...
Your '01 GT has about 50hp over his 5.0L...most of which is found in the upper ranges of the power band. There's your difference.

...and there are no such thing as 2.93 gears. Your car came stock with 3.27's, so I can only imagine you went higher (numerically) than that, not lower. In any case, gears aren't going to do him a lick of good if he hasn't got the power to pull them.
 

runningONfumes

Member
Sep 4, 2011
59
1
9
San Diego, Cali.
Aug 8, 2012
#11
  • Aug 8, 2012
  • #11
Gearbanger 101 said:
Your '01 GT has about 50hp over his 5.0L...most of which is found in the upper ranges of the power band. There's your difference.

...and there are no such thing as 2.93 gears. Your car came stock with 3.27's, so I can only imagine you went higher (numerically) than that, not lower. In any case, gears aren't going to do him a lick of good if he hasn't got the power to pull them.
Click to expand...

So I stand corrected? Nowhere on the rear tag is the numbers 3:27 in conjunction with each other. That's where the ratio is labled correct? Sorry to sound like a story teller, Im just confused on how to read the lable.
 

toyman

10 Year Member
Jul 19, 2007
1,944
54
79
Vernon BC
Aug 8, 2012
#12
  • Aug 8, 2012
  • #12
The axle code is on the door jam sticker. If they are 3:27's limited slip the code is E. To calculate the ratio do this. Raise the rear end, chalk mark the drive shaft and rotate the rear wheel one turn while counting the drive shaft rotations. If one turn of the wheel gives you 3 3/4 turns on the drive shaft you have 3:73 gears, 4 turns would be 4:10 gears and so forth.
 
Reactions: runningONfumes

runningONfumes

Member
Sep 4, 2011
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San Diego, Cali.
Aug 8, 2012
#13
  • Aug 8, 2012
  • #13
Thanks toyman!
 

95Vert383AOD

15 Year Member
Jun 10, 2008
1,133
34
69
New Bedford, MA
Aug 9, 2012
#14
  • Aug 9, 2012
  • #14
Nato10 said:
I raced a 94 prelude today, i took him in the begining and after 3rd gear his passed me n keep going further out, in other words he's beating me in the top end, so my question is what would be some upgrades to beat this prelude?

My 5.0 mods:
short shifter
alumin pullys
stage 2 clutch
cai
h pipe flow master
tuner chip

Prelude Mods:
unknown

I want to beat this guy....
Click to expand...

I'm not even sure a chip even necessary with those mods.
 

ace940

Member
Oct 16, 2011
87
1
17
Aug 19, 2012
#15
  • Aug 19, 2012
  • #15
its because tuners are best lol.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

15 Year Member
Jun 13, 2007
1,672
89
79
Cyprus
Aug 20, 2012
#16
  • Aug 20, 2012
  • #16
Nato10 said:
I raced a 94 prelude today, i took him in the begining and after 3rd gear his passed me n keep going further out, in other words he's beating me in the top end, so my question is what would be some upgrades to beat this prelude?

My 5.0 mods:
short shifter
alumin pullys
stage 2 clutch
cai
h pipe flow master
tuner chip

Prelude Mods:
unknown

I want to beat this guy....
Click to expand...

You don't have much by way of performance mods so the Prelude beating you is no surprise, especially if it was a 2.2L VTEC model. Those fly when they hit the VTEC zone at ~5000rpm.
You need a rear gear swap (3.73 or 4.10) and heads/cam/intake to wake up your slumbering beast.
 

VibrantRedGT

"STANGNET'S PENGUIN SMACKER"
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
14,679
424
154
Boca Raton, Florida
Aug 20, 2012
#17
  • Aug 20, 2012
  • #17
Like mentioned 3:73 gears, Edelbrock Performer Intake, 70MM Throttle Body and Pro-M 77 Mass Air Meter. This with a full exhaust back in the day got me into 13's. I ran 13.75 at 101MPH all day on street tires which is enough to beat a Prelude. Make sure you take it to the track.

Here is the time slip from one of my runs, I'm on the right side. I wrote my mods on the back of all my time slips. This one says- Edelbrock Performer Intake, BBK 70MM TB, Pro-M 77 MAF, MAC 1-5/8" Shorty headers, Bassani X-Pipe (no cats), MAC 2.5" Cat Back, Pulley's, 3:55 Gears, Springs, Steeda Upper / Lower Control Arms, Sub Frames, FRPP King Kobra Clutch Kit, Street Tires 245-50-16's on stock Ponies. Dyno 241 HP / 289 TQ at the wheels.

 
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