4.6 or 5.0 which is better?
 

I'm new to this post and to mustangs. I just got a 1996 Gt mustang. I want to turn it into a serious street car, with options of going to local track to beat on some imports. The car is stock but the flowmaster mufflers now. I know of a bunch of bolt on things you can do to the 4.6 engines. But there is so much more for the 5.0 engines. I am a basic mechanic and have knowledge only of the basic traditional engines like the 5.0. Is it an easy swap from 4.6 to 5.0? Will the computers have to be switched out. And what other things will I need to change for swap? Will the T45 trans fit up to a 5.0? The 5.0 engines are much cheaper to build up to the specs i am looking for (high revs high tourqe). And parts are much easier to come by. Has anyone tried this before. Or should i stick with the 4.6 mod engine? Any input on what people think is better 4.6 or 5.0 would be helpful.
thanks
steve

If you are staying Naturaly aspirated go with the 5.0. If you are going with a power adder go with the 4.6.

The T-45 won't match up the 5.0 you'll need a T-5 or upgrade to a TKO or 3550 if you plan on making big power. For the swap you are pretty much going to need everything from EEC to wiring harness, two different motors with two different EEC's running them. As for being cheaper you are right, same thing for parts there are just too many of them around.

Bill

5.0
 

The 5.0 has my vote. The '96-'98 4.6Ls produce the least amount of horsepower of any late model V-8 Mustang. I don't think Ford had the new 4.6 completely "figured out" by then. The '99-'02s 4.6s haul *** compared to the '96-'98s. Rip that thing out and stuff a 302 in there! No offense to you mod motor fanatics. ;)

The easiest thing for you to do is put a for sale sign in the window. If you want a 5.0 and want to go fast, but a fox bodied notch. The 89-92 cars would be the best starting point.

If you like the body style of the car you bought, buy a 94-95 and swap the tailights. That's the only exterior difference.

Either way, it will be cheaper than rewiring the 4.6 to a 5.0.

But like Dark said, if you want a blower, stick with the 4.6.

I personally know very little about the 5.0. The one thing I do know is that stock, they sucked for power. I believe 215hp was the norm. Same goes for the 4.6 you got in yours, they were dogs too camparatively to the newer 4.6's. If your a mechanic, and you got the knowledge to work on it, the 302 is the easiest to work with. Not to mention the incredible amount of parts available for them, cheaper than parts for the 4.6 as well. I personally love my 4.6, but what it all boils down to, in my opinion, is that your buying a Mustang. As for making power, a wise man once said "you can only go as fast as your wallet will permit", or something to that effect. Congrats on your purchase, and good luck wth whatever you do.

Just add a blower to your car! You should see Hammer's car. You know how many 5.0's have fallen victim to him?

Deuce is spot on.

Get a 94-95 with the 5.0 or get a Fox body for the 5.0 option.
As for the 4.6 -"The '96-'98 4.6Ls produce the least amount of horsepower of any late model V-8 Mustang." - How much horsepower did the '93 GT compared to the '96? :rolleyes:

The only real difference is the aftermarket, not the factory horsepower.

my engine has over 80000 on the ticker. How much boost can i add safely, without destroying an old motor? Or should i go ahead and rebuild and plan for blower? Do they make engine rebuild kits for the 4.6? I havent seen them anywhere. I just found a site that told me that the difference in the 96-98s is the heads and cams. And to go and buy heads from a ford dealership for a little over a grand. It would make big power. So i think ill stick with my mustang for now.

Yes but HP is not the entire story. Look at weight of the two vehicles that is the big difference. Stock fox bodys can run low 14's all day long with a decent driver and a great driver in a 96-98 is lucky to pull down a mid 14 in perfect weather. Not that I'm trying to shoot down the modulars I personaly wouldn't trade my car for anything right now. But you have to keep in mind the overall picture and that is that the 96-98's were fairly slow for their power and it's due to being some of the heaviest cars since 79.

Bill

You also need to consider where you live. If it is an area with enhanced emissions testing, not only will you have to deal with the 5.0 swap and wiring everything correctly, you will need to research the emissions laws and jump through whatever hoops you have to in order to pass the visual and dyno testing.

In CA, for instance, the laws are pretty strict. I knew of some people who would take out their off-road h-pipe and put the stocker back in come smog test time, then swap again after the test. Obviously you're not going to do this with an entire engine assembly.

Just something else to consider. As Deuce said, if you really decide you want a 5.0 you might be better off just buying a year that came with a 5.0

I was almost convinced that the 4.6 was the way to go with their smooth revs, great power curves, smooth shifts, and the fact that they come in cars with much better ergonomics until I found out that their durability can't shake a stick at a 5.0. Almost everyone I know with a 2v 4.6 has blown theirs up some way or another. Two of them had nothing but exhaust and they blew out rings with relatively low mileage-one at 70K miles, and the other at I think 40K miles. Granted these cars were driven hard, but my '93 Cobra was driven just as hard and NEVER broke, and never gave me a lick of trouble. The 5.0's may seem to have more problems due to their old age, but they are much harder to break, will take just about anything you can throw at them, and parts are much cheaper. On the other hand, a 2v 4.6 will take lots of $$$ to go just as fast thats why you will see so many people run a stock 99-up PI motor with a Bullitt intake and superchargers because anything beyond that costs way too much to build. So my vote is with a 5.0 or a 4v 4.6, I wouldn't waste any time with a 2v. Just my .02

I'd have to disagree with that. My car has 95K miles, over 600 passes down the track and absolutely zero problems with the motor. The majority of these passes are on slicks doing 6K RPM launches. I just recently hurt the tranny...reverse of all things locked up. There are plenty of cases of long term 4.6 2v use. In stock form the 5.0 will take better to power adders (durability wise) due to the pistons but the 4.6 in stock form makes much better power. Not to mention the stock 4.6 block can well into the 800 HP range versus the 500 HP that a 5.0 block will start cracking. There are good and bad things about both but durability is not one of them.

Bill

450 HP... Over 60,000 miles.... I would say its quite durable...
It's all in the tune my friend....

5.0 vs. 4.6
 

Just adding my vote! Simi stang...I will be in Simi Valley the week of Feb. 22nd. I have to go with the 4.6 (only 4v dohc)..look for a 98 vert. laser red tan top..mabey we can play???:D

I would go with a 4.6 if you have a little bit of money to put into the motor. Powerheads.com has some good heads for the 96-98 4.6 and claims a 80-100HP gain. This would be good! Then later if you add a supercharger that would be awesome. Look what the New cobra does with a 4.6 and a blower. If I didn't already have a 5.0 pushrod motor I would love to have a good breathing 4.6.
Eddie

IMO I'd stickwith the 4.6

The aftermarket is starting to warm up pretty good (granted its not brand x or 5.0 big), but you can build a healthy 4.6 SOHC non the less.

I say stick with whatever engine you are more comfortable with. If you know 4.6's..then stick with them. If you go to a 5.0 and don't know anything about them, you may make a costly mistake and it costs more to fix than if you stuck with the 4.6L to begin with.

I own two cars with a 5.0 and a 4.6L 4V. Which do i like better? Does it matter? There are pro's and cons with each motor. They both have the same amount of miles (94K on 5.0 and 87K on DOHC) and both engine run smooth and quiet. Which engine do i think will last longer? I have no idea. I don't hate either engine. I may know the 5.0 a little bit better though, so i would rather tend to build up a 5.0 motor rather than build a 4v motor only because i am more comfortable working on 5.0 engines. Doesn't mean i would do 4.6.

Stock for stock the 5.0 lacks the 4V's top end HP, but the 4.6L doesn't have the same grunt down low as the 5.0. Still, the 5.0 doesn't have that awesome feeling of pull and exotic engine noise at 6000RPM. They both get the same gas milage (i drive like an *** in both cars) and they both have their appeal.

Which do i like better? Not gonna say :)