02 engine versus 03.

[JAB02LHS]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

252HP is a far more believable number for all Retro-Birds. The whole notion of anything close to 280HP is hard to believe. The car simply doesn't have that much "hustle". Then again those torque numbers really do come in very high up in the torque curve for a modern engine so maybe.

Horse power isn't really the best predictor of Street power and performance all by itself anyway.

The T-Bird is relatively heavy and would have benefited greatly from an engine with less focus on high tech and a little more of the basics like cubic inches. These cars need "Grunt" down low that they simply don't have enough of, IMO.

I think of a 275HP 350ci 95 Camaro I owned more than 10 years ago now and the difference between that car and either of our T-Birds is really pretty incredible in terms of acceleration.

The difference comes down to that old saw. "No replacement for displacement"

Big fat Torque that comes in under 2000RPM and lasts through 5000rpm is far more useful, on the street, than the torque/HP profile the T-Birds have.

On the street power is needed down low. The engine that does that simply feels stronger. The T-bird feels better out on the Hi-way than in town simply because it doesn't begin to really make it's torque until the engine is spinning harder, above 3,000RPM and even so it never does make the same amount of torque as the Chevy LT1.

My wife's '01 LHS [as she calls it, "Grandpa Car"]
3.5 252 hp 250 torque will run circles around my Bird.
It builds torque so fast I am amazed how much faster it is of the line.
I just ran it up for gas last nite and was thinking "I really wish my Bird was this quick."

[V8 Cat]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

I think Ford went with the "Hi-Tech" dual overhead cam 32 valve engine for people like me. The valve in head engines seem kind of crude in comparison. I traded in a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP super-charged for the TBird because the engine was so noisy/rough in the 5,000 to 6,000 rpm range. Of course it was a 6 cylinder, but the 1999 Mercury Sable I traded in on it had the Duratec DOHC 24 valve 6 cylinder that ran like a sewing machine at those rpms although it was not nearly as fast as the Pontiac. The 6 cylinder in-line DOHC 24 valve engine in our Lexus is smooth as silk in the upper rpm range. The Tbird V8 engine is smooth and doesn't seem strained in the upper rpm range. I have a friend with a 70's corvette with a crate GM 350 OHV engine, and it has that same rough feeling in the upper rpm range. So for me I will give up some torque for something that sounds and feels like fine machinery (people that love the sound of the Lincoln Mark VIII V8 engine know what I am talking about) when you get on it.

[steelblue5505]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

It really all comes down to whether you have the Hi-Performance Trunk Mat (HPTM) in the trunk or not.

[jerrym3]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

You guys are lucky.

My wife finds the TBird very uncomfortable, and when she does go somewhere with me, the top must be up and the A/C on.

I do all my cruising solo. Guess that's why my mileage (17K) is fairly low for a 2003.

(Planning a solo cruise from north Jersey to The White Mountain area of New Hampshire.)

But, she loves to zoom around in her LS 8 Sport.

[acar]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

You guys are lucky.

My wife finds the TBird very uncomfortable, and when she does go somewhere with me, the top must be up and the A/C on.

I do all my cruising solo. Guess that's why my mileage (17K) is fairly low for a 2003.

(Planning a solo cruise from north Jersey to The White Mountain area of New Hampshire.)

But, she loves to zoom around in her LS 8 Sport.

Wimmen try and figure them out. Enstein couldn't so he married his cousin!

[MerlotBlue]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

My wife's '01 LHS [as she calls it, "Grandpa Car"]
3.5 252 hp 250 torque will run circles around my Bird.
It builds torque so fast I am amazed how much faster it is of the line.
I just ran it up for gas last nite and was thinking "I really wish my Bird was this quick."

I'm afraid I know little about the Lincoln. I know it shares many of the same drive train pieces but are the gears the same inside?

Better gearing in the rear end? Maybe a steeper 1rst gear in the auto transmission........either way different gears could account for what you describe.

On what may be a really embarrassing question for our "little" T-Birds.......how much does the Lincoln weigh vs a Retro-bird?

[jerrym3]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

Don't think an LHS is a Lincoln. (Chrysler maybe?) The LS is NOT grandpa's car by any means.

Lincoln LS has the 3.9 (not 3.5) motor as does the TBird. Gearing is also identical.

I think the TBird may be slightly heavier with the hardtop on.

My LS and TBird feel the same with regards to acceleration. The LS handles better, which is to be expected.

[JAB02LHS]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

My wife's '01 LHS [as she calls it, "Grandpa Car"]
3.5 252 hp 250 torque will run circles around my Bird.
It builds torque so fast I am amazed how much faster it is of the line.
I just ran it up for gas last nite and was thinking "I really wish my Bird was this quick."

Don't think an LHS is a Lincoln. (Chrysler maybe?) The LS is NOT grandpa's car by any means..

LHS was Chrysler's Big Boat in '01, my point was that with less HP & Torque it still runs circles aroun my modded Bird.

[Lindy]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

...So for me I will give up some torque for something that sounds and feels like fine machinery...

I'm with you on that comment "V8 Cat" giving up a bit of torque for a finely machined aluminum-block Jaguar motor in the T-Bird, aint too shabby, no? Frankly, I still am impressed by the performance. On both the '02 and '05.

[lbyh2os]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

MY 05 INCA GOLD WAS BUILT ON THE LAST DAY OF PRODUCTION, IT IS FASTER THAN ANY OF THE ONES I HAVE. IT ALSO HAS A DIFFERENT EXHAUST SOUND. IF ALL MINE RAN LIKE IT, I WOULD BE HAPPY. THE 04 IS ALSO FASTER THAN THE OTHER THREE. ABOVE THIRTY MILES AN HOUR YOU CAN REALLY FEEL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE OTHERS VS THE 02.

I personally think it's your foot and not the cars!

[V8 Cat]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

My wife's '01 LHS [as she calls it, "Grandpa Car"]
3.5 252 hp 250 torque will run circles around my Bird.
It builds torque so fast I am amazed how much faster it is of the line.

I had a Dodge Intrepid company car that had that same engine. I believe it is a 24 valver, and it was surprisingly fast - a great road car for all the traveling I had to do.

[MerlotBlue]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

LHS was Chrysler's Big Boat in '01, my point was that with less HP & Torque it still runs circles aroun my modded Bird.

Opps!!......how did I miss that? Obviously I was talking about the wrong car.

For what ever reason though........I thought you were talking about the Lincoln.

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: 02 engine versus 03.

I personally think it's your foot and not the cars!

I DON'T THINK SO, AS YOU KNOW I TRY TO TAKE IT EASY ON THE INCA GOLD.