Ford Mustang (2005) vs. 2005 Pontiac GTO
Compare and contrast these two competitors.
ClaireS, Host
ClaireS, Host
MODERATOR
Need help getting around? claires@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Tell everyone about your buying experience: Write a Dealer Review
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
While I thought it quite unfair, the front cover of the Business Week GM debacle issue had a GTO travelling over a cliff to show what ails GM.
The bigger issues prevail for GM. That is, products like the SSR and the GTO have missed the mark (along with plenty of other models). Some will say it's a marketing issue. Some will say it's an issue with GM not knowing their customer. Some will say it's a styling issue. Some will say it's a pricing issue. It's probably all of the above. GM has to add legacy costs to all of their vehicles to cover their mind numbing labor costs. This doesn't translate to better value. It only adds to the cost. Personally, (and I'd have to think I'm the GTO's target market), I thought the styling was too derivative and that the performance should have been better than what 100 extra HP over the Mustang, should have been. While I've got my own beliefs why the GTO and the Mustang GT are so close in the performance categories, this has not been something that is lost on those who are in the market for a ~$30K performance car.
Whether you believe the GTO is a luxury car or not (I don't), whether you believe the GTO is a performance car or not (I do), the fact remains that GM should have known from their lessons with the '04 GTO that something drastically had to be done to hit their sales figures. Clearly, they didn't do enough with just dropping an LS2 in it (which it seems is their perscription to boost sales for many models) and adding some hood scoops. GM had more pressing problems they needed to address to make the GTO what it should have been. They didn't address those.
What's clear is that with the current state of the General puts the GTO (and probably all of Pontiac) at severe risk.
Obviously, Ford (even with their own issues) got the product right with the Mustang.
Primary difference is GTO is more of a heavy, but refined sport, luxury beast w/ European flair and roadmanners (think poor mans bmw 6 series).
Mustang is lighter but cruder american muscle car. Interior is much cheaper. Solid rear axle. But it's got that silly "gotta have it" factor.
It's clear that GM tried to make the current GTO something it's not. If they indeed tried to make it as some sort of premium sports model to go up against the likes of BMW or Audi, the marketplace disagreed. If they were trying to market it as some sort of all out performance muscle machine, then they styled and priced it wrong as the customers have stayed away from it. The marketplace is always the final judge.
It's also clear, at least from the posts I've seen in the Mustang thread, that there are some who have ill feelings for those of us who preferred the Mustang over the GTO. That's too bad, as I've always thought that a good healthy GM vs Ford rivalry would be good for both models. That is not to be, though.
As much good as Lutz did for GM (thinking the Solstice, here) he did many things wrong. The GTO is one of those (along with the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet SSR and the Pontiac G6). He positioned the GTO wrongly. He tried to make it something that it wasn't. As much as he should have known what the GTO and its legacy was, he ignored it. Why he thought a derivative of the Grand Prix style (which was long in the tooth to begin with) would ignite sales, is beyond me. Why he thought that a mediocre platform for the GTO would pass mustard, is also beyond me (GTO is built on the widely dismissed Catera platform, which was also long in the tooth).
Clearly, Ford got the formula right. They put a high performance machine into a stylish, great looking, very well built package (both inside and out), blessed it with great switchgear with great handling, shifting, braking and acceleration. Then they priced it right.
Ford marketed it as a cross generation car (which it is). It's appeal is universal (just heard that they will be shipping the Mustang to Europe) across age groups, social classes and geographic boundaries.
Ford was rewarded with universal praise from the media as well as wildly successful sales from the public. We, those of us who bought a Mustang, have been rewarded with a car that will probably go down as one of the great ones of at least this decade.
For all intents and purposes, the '05 Mustangs in GT and convertible guises are just about sold out (most of them at MSRP or higher prices). Even the V6s are selling well. '06 models will be sold out, for at least the first several months of the '06 model year based on talking to others on othe Mustang WEB sites. My dealer is happy because he's sold every Mustang he can get his hands on. He's also frustrated that even though Ford upped production, that he sold out again with extra allotment.
I've even seen used ones in my 'burg sell for MSRP.
I don't know if GM is paying attention or not. Or, maybe they are in such financial and management turmoil, they just don't care.
What is clear is the Mustang will be alone in the marketplace once the GTO goes away either this year or next. I doubt very seriously the Charger will be much competition since it's a 4-door, available only as an automatic trans. But, maybe it will replace the GTO in the market since it seems more GTO people actually like automatic trannys. Who knows........?
Of course the Mustang is selling well. It has two engines and two body styles.
The bottom line is that the more rwd, V-8-powered coupes, the better. Even if they aren't American like the GTO.
Yes the GTO as you already know is sold in Austrailia and Europe already! As for a bad platform? The GTO platfrom is pretty decent and is a good seller in Austrailia. You do realize that your supposedly all new Stang is based on a 5 yr old 2000 Lincoln LS chassis?
Yes the GTO beat the Stang in almost all performance tests as per Car and Driver, including braking, steering etc. I can't imagine anyone spending nearly $28k+ for a car with a solid rear axle these days, but to each their own. Yes the Interior in the GTO was rated as BETTER in both C&D and Consumer Reports then the Stangs.
As for MSRP...I would NEVER pay MSRP for a used Stang. Smart people don't. the Mustang will depreciate, tell me 1 or 2 yrs from now? All cars depreciate today, no car is an investment unless it's an old antique etc. Try taking your stang back to the dealer and getting back what you paid or more, WON"T HAPPEN!
By the way, the Automatic tranny GTO outperforms your manual shift Mustang, LOL! PRetty funny!
You fail to mention that GM will only import 12k to 18k GTO's a year. Very limited production car to begin with for the USA. Which is good, you won't see GTO's a dime a dozen like the likes of the ACcord, Camry, Mustang.
As for pricing, I got the GTO for the same price as stang and got 100 more horsepower and independent suspension and not to mention better interor/seats
Don't know what you mean about putting gas in my car???????? If you mean the rise in gas prices, yeah that sucks. But, I didn't buy a V8 powered car hoping to get Prius MPG. I am thankful that, at least, I'm getting around 18 MPG in the city and about 24 MPG on the highway (but not totally broken in yet) by using regular gas. I can live with that.
I do think you got a whale of a deal on your '04 GTO. That's a hell of a bargain in my estimation. You done good. I'll assume that you paid somewhere around $22K for your GTO (that's $6K less than a comparably equipped Mustang GT MSRP)? But, that Mustang price is with side airbags, too. Drop another $400 off the Mustang's price to match "like for like" equipment levels of the GTO.
MOD away. I didn't notice a perfromance advantage of the stock GTO over the stock Mustang GT, in either '04 or '05 iterations of the GTO. That said, I've never driven an automatic version of either the Mustang GT nor the GTO. Plus, I'm not modding the Mustang. I'll wait for the Shelby Mustang.
I do feel badly how GM has left the GTO folks who forked over $31K+ for their cars hanging, with GM abandoning it in short order. That said, I could have bought an '04 GTO for right around $24K-$25K. That's for a new, last year's model GTO, though. I still took a pass for all the reasons I stated before. I paid $25.5K for the Mustang GT, all loaded up (but no automatic).
Just yesterday, the Pontiac dealer called me to tell me of the $1,000 rebate. Could have bought an '05 GTO for right around $29.3 Still don't find it interesting. Nice dealer, but as I told him, the GTO is going away. I'd make a bet that by the time summer rolls around, the rebates will get deeper for no other reason than GM has left current owners holding the bag.
Interesting guy, my dealer. I bought a GTP from him about 8 years ago. Great car, at the time. He's been having a hard time with the GTO. This is in OH, where there are a couple of GM plants and a couple of Ford plants (as well as a Honda plant). You'd think just the employee customer base alone would have snatched up the GTOs. He still has 3 '04s left. He's got about 6 '05s (he's got a blue on blue one that might be tasty if someone wants it). The '04s have been on his lot for at least 4 months, probably more. He has sold 1 '05. The rest have been sitting there for a couple of months. He's really caught between a rock and a hard place. GM has rebated the '04 into oblivion and they're still hanging around. The '05s aren't moving with the $1,000 rebate. Plus, the dealer HAD to take the GTOs to get his allotment of G6s (which he said is selling well). Tough position to be in. As we were talking, he's got high hopes for the V8 GP that's coming out next year, though. He's really worried about what's going to happen in the next couple of years, since he's a Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealer. The prospect of GM dropping Pontiac or Buick (maybe both) would put him out of business.....and he's a big dealer.
Gunit....clearly, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree. You keep stating the same tired stuff. I'm not going to repeat myself. You're going to have to tuck your review stats into your glovebox and be happy with them. They aren't going to make the GTO any better for the C&D testers, or any other of the media that has overwhelmingly given kudos to the Mustang.
Not sure where you got that from but the fact is that the GTO according to Car and Driver beat the Mustang in just about all performance tests! C&D even said the GTO was more fun to drive then stang. Better steering, interior etc... I suggest you re-read that test data and article again.
This is my last comment on this. Enjoy your mustang.
Not sure where you got that from but the fact is that the GTO according to Car and Driver beat the Mustang in just about all performance tests!
Isn't that saying the same thing??
Chill out, guy. Go do some smokey, axle hopping burnouts in your hi tech IRS sprung, pushrod engine equipped GTO and relax.
Yes, there will be tons of Mustangs on the road. But it is still recognizable and distinguishable from other run-of-the-mill sedans on the road, unlike the GTO. Also unlike the GTO (and F-bodies), the Mustang will be around for many years to come. And I wouldn't put too much stock in the fact that the GTO was compared to the Mercedes. No one has ever praised Mercedes for great performance in other than a straight line. Keep in mind that in C&D's comparison that they noted the GTO was slow to respond to steering input and the Mustang responded much quicker. That alone would tell you that if you've gotten accustomed to driving a lumbering car through some cones and then follow it up with a more nimble car, you're more than likely going to oversteer the nimble car and spin it out since you've gotten used to the slower responding car. (boy, that was a long sentence!)
It's great that you got THOUSANDS off your purchase. But that means you're going to lose THOUSANDS more in resale. In the past, Mustangs lost as much as a third or more of their value as soon as you signed the papers. This one is still fetching MSRP+ used! That tells you something.
Having owned both the RX8 and the Mustang GT, I liked both interiors....for different reasons, but both are beautiful. You really should see if you can test drive a Mustang GT if you can find one. It would be an eye-opening experience. Both the RX8 and the Mustang are great performance cars. But, as soon as you twist the key in the Mustang, the differences will be quite evident.....especially as you press the "go peddle". I like both cars, but for very different reasons.
gunit....yeah, do take a break. As tal0rd states, chill a little. You're getting way too worked up.
Just curious about your numbers, though....GMO pricing on an '05 GTO is ~$30.3K. I'll assume you bought before the recent $1,000 rebate since it's new. Invoice is about $31.9K. Edmunds TMV is about $32.8K.
So, if you are a GM employee (or family member), you paid $30K+. If not, and you worked the dealer real hard, you paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $32K +.
A loaded Mustang GT without side airbags (since the GTO doesn't offer them), if you could get one, would run MSRP at around $27.5K.
That's still somewhere about $2,800 (if you or a close family member works for GM) to $4,500 more for a GTO. That's not close in my book.
I know, here it comes.....
GTO has 100 more HP (which makes no significant difference in the performance over a Mustang GT).
Still, enjoy what you bought. I'm enjoying mine (got lucky and bought my loaded Mustang GT for $25.5K with Ford's X plan).
"Big surprise, right? The Goat finishes second; it's a goat after all, and that's what goats do. Second place might be the expected finish for what cynics would call the Blunder from Down Under..."
"...to correct the much-maligned inadequacies of the Pontiac's lozenge-like exterior."
"...but the GTO's exterior still looks too much like a bloated Cavalier."
"...but the six-speed manual transmission is about as fun to use as that Soloflex collecting dust in your basement. Throws are long, rubbery, and high effort..."
"Worse yet were the foot pedals."
"If only it looked as stunning as the new Mustang, we might have forgiven the mislaid pedals, the stubborn shifter, and even the roughly $5000 difference in price. Unfortunately for Pontiac, our comparo jury wasn't blind."
For the Mustang:
"Unlike the GTO, the Mustang has its pedals set in the right places..."
"When the going gets fast, the Mustang is obedient and gains your trust rapidly."
"In objective handling tests, the Mustang beat out the GTO."
"...in the light and fast steering that is too eager to turn in."
"...the fit and finish is beyond anything previously seen in a Mustang, and the driving position, despite the lack of a telescopic wheel, will come as a revelation."
"...we're suckers for a great body, and the Mustang looks a lot better than the GTO."
"...the Mustang wins because when you take it in, as a total package, the Ford makes better sense."
"It makes the most of what it has, doesn't suffer from what it doesn't have..."
I stand corrected about the GTO's slow steering. That must've been in another mag/article.
C&D on Mustangs steering......Lows: Light and too-fast steering, giant steering wheel, occasional side-step from the rear axle. On the road, the Mustang understeered more than the GTO. The problem lies in the light and fast steering that is too eager to turn in. Making the task more difficult is the lack of feedback coming through the giant steering wheel. Not much information as to what the front tires are experiencing comes through.
C&D on GTO's steering.....Steering is far more communicative than the system in the Mustang; the effort increases as cornering loads increase. Turn the wheel off-center, and the GTO dives into the corner as predictably and voraciously as a goat at an all-you-can-eat tin-can buffet. A bit of body roll accompanies maneuvers near the 0.88-g threshold, but understeer almost never rears its head.
As for GTO 100 extra horse, you are right 0-60 and 1/4 mile are not much faster then Stang it is also 250 lbs heavier then Mustang too! But the 100 extra horse comes in handy on the TOP END! 0-130mph is a FULL 6 seconds faster then Mustang. Past 100mph, the GTO is significantly faster. It will do almost 180mph with governor disabled stock where as Mustang can ONLY do 147mph drag limited. That is where 100 extra hp comes into play! 99% people will never need that or do that. It's there if you need it, LOL! I believe the CD on GTO is signifigantly better.. .30 vs .34 mustang
As for pricing...I got a $1k dealer loyallty rebate, $1k via internet price match and $1k GM rebate I bought right on April 1st.. just made it in and my GM employee discount. I paid UNDER $30k for my new 2005. I also got $13k for my GTP trade in which was paid in full. So in reality after trade in, the car was $17k in change. The dealer was not happy telling me they were losing money on selling the car to me, too bad!!
Highs: 400 horsepower, M3-grade acceleration, refined interior, playful chassis.
The bottom line is that the GTO is giving you the same drivetrain in the $45k+ Vette or $50k+ CTS-V for only $30k... Same can't be said for the Mustang.
Enjoy what you bought.
Like you, I didn't pay near MSRP for my Mustang either. I got X plan pricing when I ordered it last winter (brother-in-law works for GM....sister works for Ford....makes for interesting holiday gatherings). I wouldn't even attempt to try to duplicate X plan deal on a Mustang GT that deal today.
This whole comparison is stupid anyways. For people like me, the Mustang is not an option because it cannot seat more than 2 people. Yes it is a pain to get into the back of a GTO, but it is very comfortable once back there. Hence why one is considered a pony car and the other more of a performance tourer.
Good deal on the Mustang. I have this thing about NOT paying MSRP on a car. Refuse too. All cars depreciate, might as well get off as much as you can.
Remember when Honda was gettin MSRP+ for the Odyssey minivan back in 2002-2003? Thos have already depreciated, price out a used 2002 or 2003 Oddy and you will see. Maybe not as bad as domesitcs but still dropped. I think Honda is still getting close to MSRP. Crazy!
Pont.GTO backseat is 37 inches of legroom
Mustang backseat is only 30.3 inches of rear legroom, Almost 7 inch dif !!
GTO was a pain to get car seat through and in the back. Mustang was nearly impossible. Rear facing infant seat is almost out of question in Mustang, where as you can do it in GTO.
Also note that Consumer Reports also TESTED the GTO against Audi, Caddy CTS-V and BMW, impressive too. All 3 of those other cars were $15k more+ I think GTO did very well with them. yes the GTO lost, but it was also $15k less cheaper too. It held it's own. CR never tested the stang vs GTO.
They are each good cars in their own rights.. enjoy.
For years, we've been conditioned to expect rebates, financing deals, dealer incentives. Walking into a showroom and getting sticker shock was offset by the screaming cash back ads. For the most part, Honda has stayed away from that by pricing thier cars more realistically. Toyota does rebate, but not as much as the American brands. It's hard to understand where the value is in a G6, for example, when you see the MSRP of $22K+ when you can go to the Toyota store and get a Camry LE for a little over $19K equipped similarly. So, GM relies on rebates to equalize prices.
Just in the last few years, I've seen the maunfacturer's become more realistic in their MSRP pricing. Look at the aforementioned Odysey, Mini-Cooper, Scion, etc. and you'll see a trend towards MSRP being the price. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (Saturn's a good example). It's all predicated on getting good value for the MSRP. I think the Mustang qualifies as offering exceptional performance/spots car value for the MSRP price. Apparently, most GT buyers feel the same way.
Hell, for the $14K + for one of those Scion xBs, loaded up, I may even be a customer to get one as a 2nd car.
But, I don't doubt that the manufacturer's or the dealers would deny that rebates, incentives, etc. isn't the way to go to get people into the showroom. Product is the way to do it, however.
Admittedly for me, back seat isn't an issue, in the GTO or the Mustang. I'm usually in the car alone. At most, I'll have one passenger, for a total of 2 in the car. Getting in the back seat of any 2-door coupe is an excesise in contortionism (with the exception of the suicide doors of the RX8 coupe). To me, trunk room is more important. The Mustang's is much bigger than the GTO's.
My bracket racing days are over. I don't plan on tracking my Mustang GT. So, I'll qualify my statement to say that on the street, where 95% of owners will ever go, there are no significant performance differences between the GTO and the Mustang GT. I have been to the track as a spectator, though. I'm seeing low 13s for '05 GTOs, mid-high 13s for '04 GTOs and mid 13s for the '05 Mustang GT. Again, not a huge difference.
And again, somehow you are trivilizing the huge difference in acceleration between the GTO and Mustang. For starters, you are posting the best times for a Mustang (mid 13s) where most people are running high 13s/low 14s. The worst times for 04 GTOs is high 13s, most people get into the mid 13s, and quite a few have hit low 13s. The 05 GTO starts in the low 13s and goes down from there. You are also leaving out trap speeds, which seem to range 100-103 for the GT, 103-105 for the 04 GTO, 107-109 for the 05 GTO. Meaning, on the street, the 04 GTO is going to pull on the GT every time, and the 05 will absolutely whomp it.
sensai, I have seen as low as a 12.9 in the quarter for a stock '05 Mustang GT with some miles on it. Granted, it may have been quite an abusive launch, but it made it nonetheless. Not all that much different from the GTO's best 12.8. Besides, for now, owners of the new Mustang are enjoying the stares and thumbs up from folks more than taking them to the track.
I may change my mind about hitting the track if you want to meet up and test your 1/4 skills against mine.....say somewhere around Columbus.
An '05 GTO vs an '05 Mustang GT, both stock, will be a driver's race. A GTO will probably pull on a Mustang GT above about 130 MPH, but most won't (and shouldn't) see that on the street.
You are smoking something if you think on the street it's a drivers race. You'd better hope you don't line up next to a GTO on the street. If you do after you get smoked you can tell yourself the GTO was modded if it helps.
The C&D I read clearly has the GTO winning, but in the end they gave the Mustang a bunch of style points and had it win.
Oh yeah and as for your line about Mustang guys getting thumbs up, that may have happened for a few months, but once a million of them are on the street no one will care, I'm sure that's only a month away from happening.
I drive and love muscle cars. An 05 Mustang GT is NOT a muscle car....you cannot compare a GTO to a Mustang. A GTO rides like a Volvo....and just kills a 05 Mustang GT in performance in all categories......not even fair to the Mustang to compare the two cars.The 04 Goat and the GenIII LS1 loves the bolt ons and they are plentiful......I have mine over SAE 500HP right now....putting 400+ to the rear wheels....and yet it rides so beautiful and comfortable...but with a real mean side to it:) Yes...I have been in a few 05 Mustangs....cheaply built I must say...get in the GTO....leather and quality......plus you cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a Mustang......like VW's in Mexico City.....my GTO...turns heads and lots of thumbs up......I have to clean the nose prints off of the glass after a day at the store......
SgtGeek
I'm also quite certain that most folks will agree that it is not too common to spot an '05 Mustang yet, and the same will probably hold true a few months from now. So the only dead cats getting slung is the ones dealers are slinging into the magic potion to try to get people to buy GTOs. :P And the GTO doesn't kill the Mustang GT in all performance categories. The Mustang has a higher lateral G and C&D tested it to run almost 2MPH faster than the GTO in the lane change maneuver.
And if you feel so negative toward the Mustang, why would you order an "06 GT500?"
QUOTE:
Every single thread I have seen about an 04 GTO going against and 05 GT has the 04 GTO winning.
then:
Only real comparison is the 04 GTO to the 05 GT and in most cases the GTO wins.
Went from every single time winning to "most cases" winning.
I think it's funny how many are pulling that Motor Trend GTO versus Mercedes article out. It just reminids me of the same article 2 - 3 years ago when they ran the "Two Mercs - MERCury Marauder vs. MERCedes Benz S-Class" Basically the same conclusion: you can two Marauders for one S-Class and get the same room, comfort, style (4-dr, black, V8) but the Marauder sounded better. So in using similar attributes and reasoning to the GTO - Mercedes, the Maurader was at least comparable if not better than the Mercedes? Or what about the original Pontiac GTO vs Ferrari GTO. Basically the same thing, they where compared on performance, fit/form/function and price attributes. So are you saying for that article, since the Pontiac was cheaper in $$, their GTO was BETTER than the Ferrari? Get real. :P
IMO this GTO comes no where close to a Mercedes, except that hatchback thing. Also, I really don't think those in the market for a Mercedes are cross-shopping a Pontiac.
A GTO has a much better hp/lb ratio in the 05 model year than the mustang. The 04 is closer and will probobly be a drivers race. I own niether but I have seen them BOTH (and driven them) at the track and the fact is the GTO will kill the stang unless the driver is an idiot.
The GTO is lightyears ahead of the stang in refinement and fit and finish. The price difference isn't that great either. Comparing MRSP off of web pages a "premium"mustang GT goes for roughly 29k and the GTO 33k simularly equipped.
The only savior for the interior of the stang is the upgrade package wich is only slightly less ugly than the plain one. Looks are subjective. I don't think the GTO is ugly it's just plain. The stang is UGLY. Way to be original ford copy a years old design.
All of that said Ford did one thing and did it well. They made a car that would appeal to the masses. So if performance is what GM wanted out of the GTO they beat the mustang. If massive profits were the case then they screwed up.
I seriously doubt GM expected to turn record profits on GTO's. They said up front that the car was limited to 3 years and only a few would be exported.
In terms of the gas, there's a problem with some Mustangs where owners have tons of trouble putting gas in the tank. Something that has to do with the fuel shut-off - keeps causing the pump to shut off. Many have to keep clicking the pump handle during fill-up, it's an intermittent problem. I think there's a TSB for it; check the Mustang problems board or blueovalnews.
Hate to be a nag but what's going on here? Are you actually reading your posts are are you just spouting stuff?.
From post 32 you stated:
Well I own an 04 GTO. Just sold a 99 Cobra two weeks ago. Have ordered a 06 GT500...The 04 Goat and the GenIII LS1 loves the bolt ons and they are plentiful......I have mine over SAE 500HP right now....putting 400+ to
Now you state:
...I own niether but I have seen them BOTH (and driven them) at the track...
Am I wrong or are you contradicting yourself agree?! :confuse: Do you or do you not have a vehicle? Am I missing something here? Also, again, any chance of posting that dyno sheet or putting a link on for those HP numbers and mods performed?
Yes, GM was only going to export 18K per year for three years, but this years' production was reduced to 12K. What was that for, increased exclusivity? Guess GM didn't want to take away sales of the CLK AMGs and the regular 6-series and M6, LOL!
Oh man, you guys are cracking me up :P
Went again on Dec 23. There were 3 05 Mustang GT's there. I ran a new best of 13.9@102, still having traction problems in 1st and 2nd. The 05 GT's were running mid to high 14's. Towards the end of the night I did see one of them run a 14.1. The track was not busy and we were all getting at least 6 runs in, even with cool downs.
I did get one run against an 05 GT and he ran a 14.9 to my 14.0. We both were in the 2.2 60' category, me a 2.288 and the 05 GT a 2.274. By the 1000ft mark, I was in the lead by 3/10ths. The times show that basically I slowly pulled on the Mustang. He was in the faster lane where I managed my 13.9 later that night.
Now with my BFG Drag Radials in 275/35, I'm hoping to get low to mid 13's. Waiting to get rid of a bit of fender rubbing before heading out.
Just a bit of real world experience for those that asked.
Bob
Stand by my posts. On the street, GTO vs Mustang GT, it's a driver's race. On the track, GTO will pull on the Mustang GT above about 125-130 MPH. Tires, skill levels, etc. will all be in the mix.
Bob....thanks for your personal experience. As you say, hooking up is where the 1/4 is won or lost between these two cars. They will be separated by a few tenths given good launches on both sides of the tree. Only exception, I've seen Mustangs run mid 13s around here 13.5-13.7. I've seen GTOs run within a tenth or two...the two I saw ran a 13.4 ('05) and another run a 13.6 ('04). To me, that difference is insignificant and certainly couldn't/shouldn't be duplicated on the street. Little to no experience will probably produce 14s in either the GTO or the Mustang. Keep at it. Those times will drop.
jae...didn't know that about the gas tank. I've never had that issue.
As far as sensai, I don't take him seriously. Clearly, he's not really sure what he owns, drives or has driven.
That's why I'm sad to see the GTO going away......these types of debates will cease.
Will be away for a day or so.
Carry on and play nice with each other.
But I see one thing has not changed, and that is graphicguy is still going with his claim the GTO will not pull a Mustang until 125mph. Again, if one car traps 108 (standard 05 GTO), and one car traps 103 (standard 05 Mustang), what does that tell you? It means the GTO is running away from the Mustang well before 100mph. Keep believing your Mustang will keep up, cause it won't.
http://www.whatcar.co.uk/News_Article.asp?NA_ID=212649
The Vauxhall Monaro VXR with the same 400hp 6 liter engine as our GTO does 180mph top speed. I suppose you will call BS on that too? Right? LOL! Owned!
After reading that Motor Trend article the $35k GTO did VERY WELL against the $70k AMG Benz. Benz was better, but for twice the price it should be! 1 of friends with a BMW traded it in on his 2005 GTO. There you go! Why it may not be common, it does occur!
http://www.magnacharger.com/magnusonmoss.htm
I believe Magnuson will also sell you a powertrain warranty... if you can afford the supercharger, you can afford the warranty. If you want to play the game, you had better be prepared to pay the price. Have y'all seen the video of the Z06 with the incorrectly-installed nitrous system? Started on fire at the dragstrip... toast.
--Robert