4.6 vs 5.0

[Grand1]

Lol, couldn't agree more(cost)...you wanna talk to my wife and convince her to turn in the Honda for a used P72? Seeing her sit on a phone book would be priceless.With that in mind, my opportunities to get laid are sparse, taking away her ride....the unthinkable would manifest.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Couldn't agree more. AND, i'm kinda impressed with how well my LoPo turd gets around. If the trans acted more like a 4r70 and i had about 100 more hp/tq i'd be very happy in this car. Oh, and no brake dive...

Those wide ratio kits out there give 1st and 2nd gears ratios just like the 4R70W. If my AOD ever has to come out for some reason, I'd consider having that kit swapped in, but since it's a fresh rebuild hopefully that won't be anytime soon. I'm sure the taller ratios would be real nice with the LoPo low end grunt, especially if you have a Box with a 2.73 or 3.08.

Brake dive I've learned to live with. Stiffer shocks do help (KYB police rate stuff), but unless you want to put in heavier springs, it's going to be a constant. Even for as small as the brakes are on the Boxes and Aeros, they had respectable braking distance, even if it feels a bit wild inside. Motorweek had the '92 Panthers with ABS stopping from 60 MPH within 110 feet. There's newer midsize cars that are stopping in 130-140 feet from the same speed, even with wider tires, bigger brakes, and more modern anti-lock equipment.

[gadget73]

Problem with a wide ratio setup is the narrow power band the lopo has. You may get some off the line, but I suspect it wouldn't actually be any faster. Might be worse on fuel too if it tries to wind the gears out too much. The lopo has nothing to give beyond about 4200 rpm.

Stiffer front springs help with the brake dive, so do less-crappy shocks. The springs on these things are a very soft rate, even compared to 90s cars. OTOH the 302 weighs less so if you go with higher rate late springs they have to be cut to get the height proper.

[p71towny]

Seriously, why zombie this thread?

On that note though, I would take a 5.0 for performance purposes, and a later 4.6 for durability

This.

Also, zombie threads are fun!

[sly]

Problem with a wide ratio setup is the narrow power band the lopo has. You may get some off the line, but I suspect it wouldn't actually be any faster. Might be worse on fuel too if it tries to wind the gears out too much. The lopo has nothing to give beyond about 4200 rpm.

Stiffer front springs help with the brake dive, so do less-crappy shocks. The springs on these things are a very soft rate, even compared to 90s cars. OTOH the 302 weighs less so if you go with higher rate late springs they have to be cut to get the height proper.

The Mad Marquis picked up 1-2 mph city and was basically the same highway. The 3.55L gears, however, killed that gain and dropped 2 mph highway. It would beat most any wannabe across the intersection with that setup though. It was really fun to drive and would launch hard enough to torque lift the front of the car. (Just raise the nose a little... not lift a tire. Lopo ain't got that much torque.)

[DerekTheGreat]

...motorweek had the '92 panthers with abs stopping from 60 mph within 110 feet. There's newer midsize cars that are stopping in 130-140 feet from the same speed, even with wider tires, bigger brakes, and more modern anti-lock equipment.

this!

[gadget73]

Modern cars probably also weigh more. 92 CV/GM is what, 3600 lbs? The more weight you have, the harder it is to stop. I'd bet there would be a noticeable difference between CV and Towncar stopping performance in the same year just because of the weight.

One thing you will get out of larger brakes though, you can stop more times before it starts to fade out. One good stop is nice, a half dozen good stops is a lot better.

[sly]

CVLX should be closer to 3900+... base CV should be about 3800 and change.