The year 2010 marked an important year for the American auto industry and for car-enthusiasts across the country alike. Back for 2010 is a definite muscle car competition between the big three automakers that hasn’t been seen since 1974. Chrysler Corporation has brought back the Dodge Challenger, General Chevrolet Camaro Motors and Ford have brought back their Mustang. For 2011, the competition has become even fiercer. The 2011 Mustang GT ditched its 4.6 liter V8 in favor of a much more powerful 5.0 liter V8. Dodge also introduced 3 new engines as its challenger introduced a new 6.4 liter 392 Hemi for the SRT8 model.
Engine Tech
Although each model 3 comes with 8-cylinder engines, each manufacturer chose their own engine. The all aluminum 6.2 liter LS3 motor that comes equipped in the Chevrolet Camaro is probably the simplest engine design of the bunch. It features the ever-proven cam-in-block design that has been used primarily by automotive manufacturers for centuries. This engine uses a fixed camshaft placed directly above the crankshaft and uses a series of pushrods and rocker arms to open and close the valves. The advantage of this design is that it allows the engine to have a larger displacement without an external tome under the hood of the car. (I’ve never heard the word, nothing can be substituted?) The tendency of this configuration is that the air and exhaust paths are somewhat obstructed, which makes the design less efficient than other types of engines. Another downside to an in-cam-mounted engine is that the extra mass of the reciprocating pushrods and rockers makes it harder to operate in the high rpm range. You will not be mistaken, however; nothing is ever better than simplicity. The LS3 Camaro engine produces a very healthy 426 Horsepower at 5900 rpm and 430 ft-lbs at 4600 rpm.
On the other side of the spectrum is Ford’s new and very sophisticated 5.0 liter modular V8 nicknamed the Coyote. It should be noted that this engine is completely new for 2011 and not the same engine as the Windsor 302, which was also called the 5.0. This engine uses all aluminum construction and features a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design which uses 4 camshafts placed inside the cylinder heads. The engine has 4 valves per cylinder for a total of 32 valves and features variable intake and exhaust timing. This design allows for larger and less restrictive paths for the air/fuel mixture and gases to pass through, which allows the engine to “breathe better”. Also, by changing the timing of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft air-flow character, it can also be changed to improve performance and fuel economy . All of this translates into a highly efficient, high revving engine that is optimized to make the most torque at any given rpm. The downside to designing a DOHC engine is that the OHV engine is not as compact and as a practical engine that will fit under the hood of a car, the displacement is usually reduced. It’s pretty clear that the Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter engine has significantly less displacement than the Camaro SS’s 6.2-liter engine and the SRT8’s 6.4-liter engine. However, for the level of technology and bysso tuning, the Mustang GT’s engine can still produce an impressive 412-hp at 6500 rpm and 390 pound-feet of torque at 4250 rpm. Based on the performance results, many car enthusiasts argued that the Mustang’s engine was severely underpowered from the factory. Horsepower TV proved this theory correct when it ran a Ford 5.0 liter engine on the dyno and made 465 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque.
A 6.4 liter engine also called the 392 HEMI found inside the Dodge Challenger SRT8 is also new for 2011. The Challenger engine uses Cast Iron block with aluminum 2 valve heads and 2 sparkplugs per cylinder. This engine also uses a cam-in-block design with a valve head design, but also in hemispherical shaped cylinder heads. Chrysler began manufacturing engines with hemispherical heads in the 1960s, giving them the nickname “Hemi”. The success of these machines in the stages eventually led to the creation of one of the most famous muscle cars; he 426 HeMI What makes this hem unique is its pleated train. It uses a cam-engine engine, but instead of the intake and exhaust valves being placed side by side, they are located opposite each other and are angled inward. This allows the motor to use larger valves, but also creates a less restrictive path with fewer bends for the stomach to travel through. The rival engine also features a variable throttle valve to further optimize flow and create a larger bandwidth. Hemi cylinder heads take up more space then typical wedge heads but usually not as much as DOHC cylinder heads. At 6.4 liters, the Challenger engine has the largest displacement of the three engines, and also makes the most power. It produces 475 horsepower and 460 pounds of gold.
To be completed
2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS
0-60 mph 4.7s 1/4 mile 13.0s @ 111 mph
2011 Ford Mustang GT
0-60 mph 4.4s 1/4 mile 12.7s @ 111mph
2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8
0-60 mph4.8s 1/4 mile 12.9s @ 110 mph
From the point of view of straight-line acceleration performance, the 2011 Mustang GT is a clear winner. Both have the fastest 0-60 time and 1/4 mile time. Remember, the real horsepower of the 2011 Mustang GT is much higher than the factory rating, by 53 horsepower that is!
Both the Camaro and Challenger have independent rear suspension as opposed to the Mustang, which uses a conventional solid axle. A solid or live axle is more suitable for a drag racing application because it helps with weight transfer and improves traction, allowing the vehicle to accelerate faster. Ride comfort and handling are on a solid axle. Ironically, the Mustang defies this concept and still handles better than both of its IRS-equipped counterparts. In fact, the Mustang defies logic even further against the German engineer BMW M3, which has a much more sophisticated suspension and costs almost twice as much!
Check out my other Automotive Articles
Corvette ZR1 vs Dodge Viper ACR
