Good review of Ford GT v Challenge Stradale v GT3
Discussion
bad boy said:
aparently the ford gt did 60 in 3.3 and 150 in 16.9 surely that cant be right? to 150 it was 7 SECONDS faster than the ferrari and porsche
Well.. the porsche has 380bhp, 284 lb ft torque, the ferrari 425bhp, 275 lb ft torque. The Ford has 500bhp and 500 lb ft torque
guess it DOES make a big difference. Agree the ford does sound super-quick, especially if you compare the autocar figures from the McLaren F1 from ten years ago - 0-60 in 3.2 with 627bhp.. the gt appears to be only one tenth slower with 127bhp less?
I was just going to add a comment about the torqe of the engine, which greatly affects acceleration, especially at speeds less that top speed. The GT was specifically designed to take advantage of that, and it is the huge torque difference that allows for favorable gearing that in turn allows faster acceleration, doubled with the trick of having less shifting.
Then I was going to comment that one of the lessons learned in the Lotus design of the fabulous LT5 for the ZR1 Corvette was the magic combination of the 32 valve, ohc engine that had large displacement and huge torque. In fact the LT5 has over 300 #feet at 1000 rpm, just off idle. Then c4koh added his plug, which is right.
Its a shame that even here in the US, where torquey motors are king, that the uniqueiness of the LT5 is still not understood.
But Ford understands, which is how they really did get those numbers. They have been projecting that performance for a while, and this is one of the earliest independant tests.
edit: I can attest to what c4koh says, since I get exactly (to the best of my measuring ability) 56 mph in 1st as well. On my next tire change, I am considering a slightly taller tire, enough to add a couple % to the mph/rpm. In most driving scenarios, the LT5 can actually stand taller gears. When the world record was run back in 1990, taller gears and a lower rpm were used, the engine was never at top rpm ever in the record run, and it still touched 196 at one point! see www.artcolleys.net/zr-1.htm I hope no one judges us as having stolen this thread, but it goes directly to the reason for the performance claims the thread is about.
Regards,
>> Edited by ZR1991 on Wednesday 7th January 22:44
Then I was going to comment that one of the lessons learned in the Lotus design of the fabulous LT5 for the ZR1 Corvette was the magic combination of the 32 valve, ohc engine that had large displacement and huge torque. In fact the LT5 has over 300 #feet at 1000 rpm, just off idle. Then c4koh added his plug, which is right.
Its a shame that even here in the US, where torquey motors are king, that the uniqueiness of the LT5 is still not understood.
But Ford understands, which is how they really did get those numbers. They have been projecting that performance for a while, and this is one of the earliest independant tests.
edit: I can attest to what c4koh says, since I get exactly (to the best of my measuring ability) 56 mph in 1st as well. On my next tire change, I am considering a slightly taller tire, enough to add a couple % to the mph/rpm. In most driving scenarios, the LT5 can actually stand taller gears. When the world record was run back in 1990, taller gears and a lower rpm were used, the engine was never at top rpm ever in the record run, and it still touched 196 at one point! see www.artcolleys.net/zr-1.htm I hope no one judges us as having stolen this thread, but it goes directly to the reason for the performance claims the thread is about.
Regards,
>> Edited by ZR1991 on Wednesday 7th January 22:44
Art,
It seems us ZR1'ers have already hijacked the thread
Yes, I can confirm 56mph in 1st as calibrated on my GPS, as well as 85mph in 2nd, 115mph in 3rd... not redlined it in the other gears, but apparently 155 for 4th and 185+ for 5th (poor ol' 6th with a drive ratio of 1:0.5!!! gets stuck about 150ish through over-gearing)...
I think your point re: torque is very well made. This is what gives acceleration, and looking at horsepower (which folk too often do) isn't the whole story.
In this respect, naturally aspirated, big displacement models like the Corvette @5.7L and the Vipers have tremendous torque advantage...
Getting 400hp at 8000rpm in a 3L porsche engine is impressive, but what is nicer is having 95% of one's torque (in my case 370lbft) from 1000rpm onwards gives you the pull far more than high hp...
It seems us ZR1'ers have already hijacked the thread
Yes, I can confirm 56mph in 1st as calibrated on my GPS, as well as 85mph in 2nd, 115mph in 3rd... not redlined it in the other gears, but apparently 155 for 4th and 185+ for 5th (poor ol' 6th with a drive ratio of 1:0.5!!! gets stuck about 150ish through over-gearing)...
I think your point re: torque is very well made. This is what gives acceleration, and looking at horsepower (which folk too often do) isn't the whole story.
In this respect, naturally aspirated, big displacement models like the Corvette @5.7L and the Vipers have tremendous torque advantage...
Getting 400hp at 8000rpm in a 3L porsche engine is impressive, but what is nicer is having 95% of one's torque (in my case 370lbft) from 1000rpm onwards gives you the pull far more than high hp...
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