I know this has nothing to do with the tread but I am posting it anyways because it has a little to do with it. I raced a 88 Mustang 5.0 this morning and lost by about a car length. He works with me at my job and has done $5000 dollars worth of engine work to it. The whole intake system is huger then before and he ported and bored/honed the hell out of it. The engine looks like a monster. Going to take some pics and post later to show. The 5.0 is auto through and was slipping alittle because of all the added hp. It spins real bad when taking off and squels tires through gears. The thing sounds like a beast and I was scared to race him but I wanted to show him that I could keep up. I know with sticker tires he would do alot better but I would also with sticker tires. His susp is done good and he launched pretty good with the tires not having any grip. We started from a roll and he kind of got a little head start because we were not exactly side by side. I started loosing him at the end but was with him most of the way. I was using manual mode on my auto but am not used to it yet because that was actually one of the first times I had used it that much. I wonder if I would have stayed in auto mode if I would have done better. I cut off my TCS but don't know if this helps or not. I was wondering if I go with the vortech kit would I slaughter him since I was almost on him? I am going to ask him to go to the drag strip with me when I test out my exhaust to have another shot at him. Maybe this time I won't be so scared to drive my car hard. I just don't want any tickets but also don't want to whip down to every muscle head that thinks american is better then are's. Please respond as much info as you can so I can get some feed back at what rpms I should shift at in man mode and what tactics I should use next time I race him. Hes saying his car will run 13's for sure, but wouldn't that mean I would be there right with him almost since he was only about a car away? Thanks

 

Would like for someone to post a suggestion for what I should do next time. Would I beat him with F/I for sure? Please post so I can get some answers and suggestions of what other 350Z owners think.

 

racin 5-0s in a stock 350! bad idea. those cars are ridiculosuly fast with little money invested. i bet if u invested 1-2k you'd be right up there next to him. the basic bolt ons should let u get an extra 20-30 whp. ie. plenum, high flow cat, intake, and crank pulley. i think adding an exhaust would definitely put u over the 30 whp mark.

 

First off...not to sound like a fuddy dud but I hope you guys are racing in a safe place aka like not on a busy roadway or interstate. Take it to the drag strip if this is going to become a "after I mod this"/when we get off work thing.

Ok...now that thats over. Johanna1, I have just bought myself a new 350Z and plan to do a ton of stuff to it like Greddy TT, CUSCO suspension, etc. I was once a Ford guy and I still in fact own a 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra as my daily driver until I get my Z fixed up and the transition is complete. It is now completely stock (sold all my mods for the new Z stuff) with the GT40 head 5.0 and 5 speed Borg Warner tranny. The thing is bullet proof and a beast. I still to this day leave many owner's of Camaro's, Mustang's, Vettes (!), and imports scratching their heads on how a 10 year old stock 5.0 can keep up or beat these guys on safe streets and the track. The reasons are is that it is well broken in and loose (100,000K miles...it was bought in 1994) and is driven well! But the real reason is the 5.0 has tons of torque stock and if your friend has modded the car as you said he has (it doesn't take a lot of $ to make a 5.0 really fast in a straight line...a thing I will miss) he is probably pushing around 300 hp and around 350 lb.ft (!) of torque. With the gearing most Mustangs come with...you were lucky you hung with him the way you did. If he had a manual and could shift good you would have ate dust. Your 5AT also saved you too because I am assuming his auto is still the same old tired Ford 4AT which does not keep revs well without some fancy "manual" coaxing of the electronics (i.e. short in "manual" mod - first, quick second, back to first, second, third, back to second, etc). A long story short...you need a lot more power if you expect to beat him in the future.

My advice...either NOS (cheap...so you can beat him tomorrow and the next day quickly) or forced induction (expensive...so you can own him till you run out of money and boost limits). Otherwise...you will be behind him from here on out. Doing N/A mods like exhaust/intake/etc. may let you beat him for a while but eventually a gear set here...cams there...and a port job will bring him back in the lead. N/A mods on a Mustang will by far be more effective. AND...if he slaps a supercharger on it...it's gonna cost you serious $ to keep up with him then even with a Turbo unless you are running around 8 psi boost or greater. But be careful..as you have witnessed...stock auto trannys like mods a whole lot less than manuals do...and that will prevent you from building a monster.

Note - Mustangs are also easy to modify because the complexity of the cars is not nearly what it is with the Z.

Oh...one more thing...not sure what year his mustang is but if it is one of the old Fox body LX's...those thing's weigh next to nothing so that is another thing helping him.

FYI - I have seen supercharged road Mustang's take on and beat actual roll caged small block N/A drag cars and win (with handy caps of course...but still!!! ) WOW!

Mustang's will always be very fast in a straight line...accept it...but challenge him to an autocross and let him eat Z bumper! That is why I went Z. I am tired of the solid rear axle, stodgy dynamics, and horrible ride! But damn...that V8 torque was addictive! Especially with a super charger!

Enjoy your Z and don'y let the Mustang boys ruin your fun. The Z was ment as a sports car...not a quarter horse! Think Lemans...instead of NHRA...if you catch my drift!

Hope this helps!

 

I own an 04 GT and an 03 Z. Lol. Two totally different cars! Any mustang is easy and cheap to modify-compared to a Z anyways. My advice is... Do some basic bolt ons, but work on suspension and get some good tires and race him on some backroads. Thats the only race you'll beat him. Don't even try a straight away with a modded 5.0. Blowers for that car cost as little as 1400 bucks... Thats a lot of HP with roughly the price of some exhaust systems for the Z.

 

Thanks for responding. We are going to setup a time to go to the track and race soon after I get my exhaust, testpipes, and headers on. Everyone at work says the only way he beat me was cause we were'nt starting from a stop. I could have took him at the start because he would have been just burning tires trying to get traction. The only comment I have thought is you say you can get a super kit for $1500, I don't think thats right, everywere I check is pretty high in price. Not like are kit but up there. I also don't go by how much it cost to fix up a car because I could just take my crx and throw a H22 in it with turbo and run 8psi and whip him. So I just care about what you think about me winning with the setup we both have now. I am thinking about getting rid of my CRX for a TT 300Z. Just checked prices on super kits for it and there are a couple of different kits. The basic one is cheap like that but adds little hp only like 50.

 

Now that's a good plan! A 300ZX TT is waaaaaay cheaper to get more power out of than a 350Z. You could leave your 350 stock and mod the 300!

 

Hehehe oh man I hate these Imports vs. Domestic fights. Damn those american muscle cars go go imports ..... I do agree with GreddyZ though, not letting him ruin your enjoyment with the Z. Heh if he beats you again after the work you are soon going to put in, then challenge him to a race on a course (legal of course), even with the stock strut bars you'll out corner him like a **** hehe. Have fun and be safe and GL with your upcoming engine upgrade project.