88 GT Convertible: To race or not to race?

[AdrenalineRush]

I am currently looking at mustangs and ran into a 88 GT Convertible for a cheap price but am not sure if it would be smart to race this thing. I have heard from quite a few people that convertibles shouldn't be raced and am now following up on that; is this belief correct or not? Any help is appreciated thanks!

[djrice]

i haave a friend with an 87 GT Vert and he runs low 13s...if ur thinking of street racing then dont do it...to many obsticles and if u flip ur in trouble...if u do track racing then fine...but in all honesty if your looking to race then get a coupe...a Vert is heaver and in a race weight means alot

hope i could help

[94svt5.0]

Race if you want, There is no reason not to race just because its a convertable other then its a bit heavier then a coup, and if you worried about a roll over then dont drive it on the street.

[AdrenalineRush]

So in a nutshell:
Don't buy the Vert:
1. safety issues
2. weight

How much more does it weigh than a hard top? BTW, I do plan on street racing b/c the track is too far away from my area. Thanks for the info.

[edit] Just for the heck of it, here goes the one I am looking at http://www.pmustangs.com/car%20models/car5/car5.htm. Unfortunately, it is automatic.

[djrice]

Originally posted by AdrenalineRush
So in a nutshell:
Don't buy the Vert:
1. safety issues
2. weight

How much more does it weigh than a hard top? BTW, I do plan on street racing b/c the track is too far away from my area. Thanks for the info.

[edit] Just for the heck of it, here goes the one I am looking at http://www.pmustangs.com/car%20models/car5/car5.htm. Unfortunately, it is automatic.

ehhh...if u plan on street racing i'd go for a coupe mainly for safety reasons...

plus that bitch costs ALOT for that amount of miles


i'd only pay about $2.5k MAX for that car...

not to burst ur bubble, but i'd look for a different one...i mean yeah its not my money and its ur decision, but thats just my honest opinion

[HiFlow5 0]

Racing a vert isn't always the smartest thing to do on the street or the track, but it can be done. There are a lot of people who do race vert's and don't have problems.

At the track you follow a whole different set of guidelines and rules. Mainly safety issues and such. On the street you do have to worry about flipping it, but only if your being insane and stupid! There are way too many repercussions for street racing, I'm not really going to go into this cause it's my personal opinion. If you want to street race that's your choice

A vert is heavier, and seeing the one your looking at is an auto, it will be a slush box off the line. Not to mention the chassis is of a vert is a lot weaker then hardtop models, and should be strengthened before any type of racing happens.

Here's a comparison of 88's weight's for you. An 88 GT vert weights 3,341 lbs, pretty heavy! An 88 GT hatchback weights 3,193 lbs. An 88 LX V8 vert weights 3,209 lbs. An 88 LX V8 hatchback weights 3,105 lbs. An 88 LX coupe with a V8 weights 3,037 lbs.

[Los]

Illegal activity sucks. Keep it on the streets man.

[AdrenalineRush]

Thanks HiFlow5.0 for the numbers. For now I no longer plan on buying that particular stang but I still do want a convertible. On that same sight that I linked earlier, I found a 93 GT Convertible with a manual tranny and lower miles. Although it doesn't look as sweet as the 88 GT convertible that I linked earlier. Any comments on the 93 gt convertible?

[HiFlow5 0]

The 93 Mustang's HP dropped from 225 hp to 205 HP, due to the use of hypereutectic pistions opposed to the forged of previous years.

[GTStang]

Originally posted by HiFlow5 0
The 93 Mustang's HP dropped from 225 hp to 205 HP, due to the use of hypereutectic pistions opposed to the forged of previous years.

I always thought the HP number drop was just from Ford changing there technique of measuring the HP numbers to a more accurate 205HP than the overrated 225HP number

[Los]

I didn't know that 225hp was overrated.

[HiFlow5 0]

Originally posted by GTStang
I always thought the HP number drop was just from Ford changing there technique of measuring the HP numbers to a more accurate 205HP than the overrated 225HP number

Actually there are a series of events that made the HP level drop, including the measuring technique, the pistons are just the biggest one.

The new EFI motor in 86 was rated at 200 HP, and 285 ft lb. of torque. In 87 the E6TE heads were dropped in favor of the ET7E which flowed better. The E7's we almost the same as the E5TE heads except for the size of the combustion chambers. A better intake manifold was added and a larger throttle body was added, from 58 mm to 60 mm. This motor was now rated at 225 HP and 300 ft lb. of torque.

In 89 mass air was added to all mustangs except for 88 Cali cars which received it prior to 89. This resulted in a Very small HP decrease cause of the 55 mm mass air meter that restricted air flow. A small camshaft profile change was to reduce valvetrain noise, which also resulted in a small reduction of about three horsepower. Both of these two things were not yet reflected in the horsepower rating.

In 90 there was another minor camshaft change, but this time it didn't have any effect on HP levels. Nothing else major until 93.

The use of hypereutectic pistons in 93 over the forged aluminum pistons created a bigger HP loss then the small changes of the past years. The reduced ratings were influenced by all these minor mechanical changes and by changes to Ford's engine evaluation processes. The changes made were mainly due to emissions, fuel economy, customer satisfaction requirements, and a series of mechanical revisions over the years.

[RickB]

That is the first time I ever heard that. They just changed the way they rated the hp. If you plan on making that vert fast, plan on spending alot more cash. Don't get me wrong, I love my vert and I have spent a shit load to keep it up to pace but there were times I wished it where a coupe. It would be about .5 faster in the 1/4. Last time I weighed mine it was 3705#s with me in it. AODs are expensive to prepare for any real hp gains. I still find comfort in knowing that at one time the fastest street stang was a vert, driven by Racin' Jason(RIP). If you want to be competative buy a coupe, if you want the vert.. they are alot of fun, then buy it. Know this, it will cost you to go fast but the time I outran a YZF750 with mine made all the $$ I spent worth it!!

PS. Some tracks will make you wear a helmet if you break into the 13s. Yes, the 93s didn't have forged pistons.. look for an 89-92 model.

[HiFlow5 0]

Originally posted by RickB
That is the first time I ever heard that. They just changed the way they rated the hp.

Actually what I stated is true, from multiple sources. I got the info from one of the books I have about mustangs, and from mustanggt.org

[Unit 5302]

Hypereutic pistons will add horsepower over forged slugs. Forged pistons are heavier than hypereutics, and will therefore hurt engine performance.

The rest of the reasons are legitimate though. Technically, Ford rated the Mustang in 1987, and carried over the rating until 1993, when they re-rated it at 205hp. The most significant loss of power is the addition of the MAF system, not just because of the 55mm MAF sensor, but also due to conservative computer calibrations the MAF cars got. If you take a look at the 1/4 mile times between the 87-88 and the 89-93 cars, you'll see a couple mph drop and couple tenth worse performance from the MAF cars when compared to the SD cars. Anybody know what the cam change that "robbed" horsepower was? Ford increased the exhaust duration 10* on the weaker cam. Doesn't sound like it would reduce power much to me, increasing duration that is. Heh. Also, Ford really wanted to keep the hp rating of the 1993 Cobra down, and rating the Cobra at 235hp (really made about 260hp) and the GT at 225hp wouldn't be too good for sales.

Ford stated the re-rating in power from 92 to 93 was because of the new method they were using to rate engines. Using the average output instead of best output. Anybody who knows the 5.0s knows that's a bunch of hooey because the difference between the average 5.0 and the best 5.0 on the dyno is maybe 5rwhp, apples to apples.