Hello guys! I was curious about the fourth generation of the Ford Mustang since I've been interested in getting one. I was thinking mostly engine-wise like how reliable they are? Is the 4.6L good/bad in general and in tuning?
i would like to know that too, would you recommend this mustang or the previous generation or a foxbody?
Having owned mine for a few years, here is the run-down:
These cars are 10 to 15 years old now and they had plastic parts in them. Case in point, the plastic intake manifold has issues with cracking. Expect to replace it if it hasn’t already been replaced. Expect nickel-and-dime type replacement stuff pretty often.
As for general reliability, it’s OK. I’ve had to self diagnose a few things, such as a hanging idle between shifts (dirty idle air control valve - $6 can of carb cleaner), starts then bogs down and dies (bad MAF sensor), etc. The engine itself is dead reliable - used in taxis and police interceptors for decades, ran well into the 250-300k mileage range with proper maintenance.
On the front of tuning, this may be a total bummer. This car makes 260 from the factory floor, maybe 210 to the wheels through the 5-speed manual. With a cold air intake, headers, an underdrive pulley, a cam, and a tune - expect to still make less than 300 rear wheel horses. To make any real power out of the 2v 4.6 you need to add forced induction - no two ways about it. It’s great value, and will handle huge amounts of power if you put 10k into forged internals and boost - but there really is no middle ground unless you want to risk using nitrous oxide.
Anyway, I hope this helps. If anyone feels differently, let me know! I want to learn as well :)
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i would like to know that too, would you recommend this mustang or the previous generation or a foxbody?
Having owned mine for a few years, here is the run-down:
These cars are 10 to 15 years old now and they had plastic parts in them. Case in point, the plastic intake manifold has issues with cracking. Expect to replace it if it hasn’t already been replaced. Expect nickel-and-dime type replacement stuff pretty often.
As for general reliability, it’s OK. I’ve had to self diagnose a few things, such as a hanging idle between shifts (dirty idle air control valve - $6 can of carb cleaner), starts then bogs down and dies (bad MAF sensor), etc. The engine itself is dead reliable - used in taxis and police interceptors for decades, ran well into the 250-300k mileage range with proper maintenance.
On the front of tuning, this may be a total bummer. This car makes 260 from the factory floor, maybe 210 to the wheels through the 5-speed manual. With a cold air intake, headers, an underdrive pulley, a cam, and a tune - expect to still make less than 300 rear wheel horses. To make any real power out of the 2v 4.6 you need to add forced induction - no two ways about it. It’s great value, and will handle huge amounts of power if you put 10k into forged internals and boost - but there really is no middle ground unless you want to risk using nitrous oxide.
Anyway, I hope this helps. If anyone feels differently, let me know! I want to learn as well :)