Mustang vs Camaro

the last camaro v6 has 200 stock hp, the last z28/firebird had 305 stock hp, the last ss/ws6 firebird had 320 stock hp

the newer mustang gt models was not a 5.0, its a 4.6 with 260 stock hp, the newer camaro z28/ss was a 350 c.i.d with the z28 getting 305 stock hp and the ss getting 320 stock hp, i believe the chart is refering to if u modified ur enginge with a stroker u could get 475 out of it

them little 4.6s cannot keep up with and no way in hell outrun a camaro/firebird with a 350 in it, they are not as heavy but they are 45 hp light compared to the z28, and 60 hp light compared to a ss/ws6

The DOHC 4.6 Cobra will run with the LS1 Z28SS.

Mustang VS Camaro THE TRUTH
DCamaro02, you say you bought a 2002 camaro v6, and you kept up with GTs (Which by the way is a 4.6liter v8, not 4.7.) Well, I am an owner of both cars. I Own a 2002 Camaro V6, and a 2004 Mustang GT. First of all, there is no way the v6 camaro even keeps up with the newer GTs. You may keep up with the 96 body style 4.6 (because I have done this), but the newer body style ones (my 04') would ream your little v6. And to the argument about ford's 4.6 being a sad performance... Tell me how you can say its a sad performance for the ford when a noticebly smaller 4.6 liter v8 can keep a quarter mile time within 3/4 of a second of a much bigger 5.7 liter v8? Now I know my GT cannot beat a 350 cu.in. 02' camaro, but I have raced several, and I have kept up within a car length or two... Now that seems more sad too me.

OK you guys really piss me off. Camaro owners always say how mustangs are junk and that camaros can kill any mustang. Up until 1994 the camaro has never beat the mustang. Also you always say how your v6's can keep up with a gt. There is no way . You guys always mislead people on things.The new gt's run 14.09 (auto)stock with no mods and a new(sorry 2002) v6 camaro is rated at 16.1 which is slower than the v6 mustang which runs 15.7. Also no camaro ever made could touch the 00-02(13.18) cobra let alone the 03-04(12.77) even with a way smaller motor. Also you guys say that a stock z28 can run low 13 high 12's(more missinformation) every magazine that has tested the car has gotten 13.9-14.1 and this is also what happens at the dragstrip(seeing as how i go there every weekend)So just stop f***ing misinforming people and face the facts, camaros suck , obviously why they stopped making them.Its pretty sad when a 4.6 beats a 5.7 .Thanks, Jason

I've seen BOX-STOCK 6-speed LS1's run 13.20's all day with a good driver. WIth slicks, cat-back, & a HD clutch, you have an easy 12.90 car. A 100% stock SS or Firehawk will run 13-flat with a good driver.

Also, the Z20 will run with the much-more-expensive Cobra. The GT & the Camaro SS/Trans Am Firehawk aren't even in the same league.

Ok. I am a fan of both the Bowtie and the Blue Oval alike. Look at the history for both companies with the sports car......Chevy had the Vette first, in 1953, and Ford had to play catchup with the T-Bird two years later. Likewise Ford Got a jump on the sport/econ/compact with the Mustang in mid 64. Chevy had to respond quickly, as the Mustang DOMINATED in sales over the Vette, and Super Sport packages, on Chevelles, Novas, and Impallas. Chevy responded back in 67 with the famed Camaro. It took a couple years for the gap to significantly narrow between Camaro and Mustang, in sales and the Mustang has almost, still to this day, outsold F-bodies 3 to 1. Its not say there haven' been AWESOME performance packages and ideas with both cars, for instance, the Shelby musangs, The Yenko Camaros, The Cobra R's, The ZL-1's, just to name a few, and there are thousands more out there, that are "garage builders" that kick ass at the drags.

Point being, at various times each maker has had advantages over the other. To say, one is better than the other at all times is, in my opinion, ludicris.

In terms of the "modern" Mustangs (96-present) and "modern" Camaros (98-02). By in far, I think the most "fair" competion you could see out there, is in the 6 cyl mustangs. The cubic inch difference is a valid point, and how it creates an "unfair fight" also, a dual cam motor v.s. a single cam motor, alternately is not a fair fight. Consider the 6's:

both are 3.8 liter engines
both are SOHC
both have essencially the same T-5 5 speed (if manual trannys)

The true test is then able to be achieved:

Who makes the lighter car?
Which is more agile?
Who's engine, driveline and Rear axle transfers the truest amount of torque from flywheel to rear wheel?

That's a question only you guys can answer. Amongst yourselves on this forum, or perhaps on the streets, or more suitably, on the dragstrip (ok, maybe not, they ARE 6 cyl cars in question...)

As for me, I like the look of the newer 4th Gen camaro, over the Mustang. But there's my bias.

Camaro wins, V6 versus V6. The Ford has the troublesome, head-gasket-popping 3.8 V6, the Chevy has the smooth, powerful, durable, silent 3800 Buick. That alone makes the Camaro a runaway winner.

Also, both engines were OHV, not SOHC.

And, IIRC, the 1996-2004 Mustang V6 uses the T45, not the T5.

Thanks Jarlaxle........

You are right, they were OHV, not SOHC.

I didnt know about the usage of the T45 in the earler Mustang, I'll file that one away.

To 99mustangGT


Incorrect. An old Car and Driver article I have from 1988 had the IROC-Z camaro with a 350 TPI and automatic, not only outhandles the 1988 mustang GT but beats it in the 1/4 mile time and out accelerates it.



On the contrary, Sir, I WHITNESSED a later fouth gen (98-02) 3.8 automatic nearly (by nearly, I mean the Camaro was on his rear quarter panel constiantly) keep pace with a 4.6 mustang GT that had a 5 speed(noted by the serge between gears). To the defence of the GT, the Camaro never once pulled ahead.



can't refute this, I have never in all my drag racing escapades ever seen a 4th gen Z-28 overtake a 2000-present SVT cobra with the 4.6 DOHC. I've seen a SS Camaro with the LS6 intake and cam hold even money (the difference was about .04 second) with the DOHC cobra.



What magazines do you define as "every magazine" Mustangs and Fast Fords? On average sir, I've seen LS1 camaros run about a best QM time of around 13 seconds flat and I too sir go to the drags relgiously every Friday and Saturday.



No, sir they stopped making the F-body because of three major reasons that I was informed of by a GM rep:

1) Product v. Demand Price increase: The fully loaded SS camaro in 2002 had a MSRP of about $31,000. Pricing for 03 on GM products was rated at a 15% markup from 02. also (you'll read this in reason 2) They felt that to make a fully loaded camaro cost $33 grand, was out of line, and most people who purchased GM performance vehicles, were buying vettes. Lkewise, more Chevy Dealerships would order more Vettes. Since GM doesn't care if a given dealership sells 50 camaros or doesn't, all they care is if they order them, because the dealership pays up front for the cars at 20% off MSRP (this is known as invoice price in the industry). So, because less f-bodies would sell, dealerships didn't want to take a loss on them by having to mark them down or clearence thm at the end of the model year, therfore they would order less of them, based on the sales graphs for there last fiscal year. Also, if they did not sell, Dealerships would take a loss and sell them back to GM at 50% off the MSRP. In all, the camaro proved to be less profitable overall to continue manufacture on.

2) Labor Cost increase: Since F-bodies are manufactured in GM's St. Threse, Quebec plant, the workers demanded a wage increase, couple that with the cost of tax, and bringing them into the united states, ultimately caused a greater increase in price for the car (the increased tax, and customs costs were partially due to our good friend Bush, and his added homeland security measures) and F-bodies were more expensive to manufacture, and the cost is transfered to you, the buyer.

3) Competition within the company, and other manufacturers: You have things like the RX8, Acura RSX, Subaru WSX, Ford Mustang, just to name a few who are in the same "class" with the F-body, and its duely noted that the Mustang was outselling the F-body about 4-1 in 2001. So there was the amount of comptetion, with the increase in price, made it less profitable to continue manufacturing it.

Hey i thought the Cobras have a stock supercharger?.........ok well if they do, lets go ahead and put a supercharger in a z28 or SS just to keep it even, ya ya i know mustangs have smaller engines............ anyone still interested in the concept of "all motor" these days!!!!!!!........

By the way what does everyone think about chevys new concept car the "super sport" 400 and somthing HP....................im a chevy guy but im not sure i would be in favor of this, unless they keep the price below the corvette and cut out the stupid box like interior design thats so popular in cars these days...................................

Was the GT a 5-speed? If not, that's why. Also, the 5.0 LX is a good 2-3 tenths quicker, since it doesn't have 200lbs of GT cladding. Everything I've seen has a 5.0 LX 5-speed matching a 350 TPI F-car, & absolutely embarassing a 305 car.

Also, remember, the Mustang didn't get any power boosts from 1987 to 1997. In fact, from 1987-92, though still rated at 225HP, the 5.0 LOST power, due to a revised cam & the switch to mass-air EFI in 1989 (88 in Cali). The 1993 5.0 was rated at 215HP, probably more accurate. The 1994-5 5.0's also were rated at 215, but probably gave up 5-7HP to the 1993's due to a different intake.

I have seen LS1 F-cars run 13-flay (and even 12-90's) 100% mechanically stock on slicks. The LS1 is THAT potent.

Ok as jarlaxle already said the 1988 iroc isnt faster than a equally equipped 88 gt(same transmission). I also have the issue from july 1988.I'm geussing this is the one considering its the only one in 88 comparing a stang and iroc.You need to take another look underneath of the times it shows all of the mods to the camaro.So, please take another look before you write somethin like that again.The story is even on the net at iroc-z.com so everyone else can take a look too . Yes, you may have seen a very bad driver in a mustang gt almost lose to a v-6 , but he had to have been a bad driver considering proven track times and the fact that the v-6 stang beats the v-6 camaro.I could have said many of things i've seen ,such as neons beating camaros and stangs but i went by stock cars with equal drivers and proven times.Also you asked what mags i saw the z-28 running high 13 low 14:car and driver 13.7, mm&ff 13.8, superchevy 13.7.Their you go Im pretty sure i proved you wrong on everything you said. Feel free to respond again.

In response to SIX,
Yes the 03' does have a supercharger. Hundreds of new cars do so are they all automatically not fair contenders in their classes as well. Either way if you are going to whine about that you can just put the ss beside a 00' cobra R which still has a smaller motor and You'll get similar results.
I don't want to seem like a d*ck I just wanted to clear some things up.

Cobra R?
If you propose throwing that cobra R in there, how about a stage 2 Berger Camaro? Wouldn't that be fair? Also sir, Superchevy, and Chevy High Performance, tend to be the most critical and most conservative about the performace specs that they list in there magazines, unlike MM&FF. As a matter of fact, GM is the most conservative about how they rate the performance spects on there cars, Ford second, and Mopar tends to be the most lax, and overrates things. Also, in terms of quality of driver.....it really is such a varaible, I've seen good drivers who could drive 14's regularly have a bad run, or bad week, where they get just over 15. Its not necssarily the car, if they let a buddy drive it, he'd squeeze out the 14 flat time.

You asked if the berger stage 2 would be a fair competitor with the 00' cobra R. Well in my opinion it wouldn't be because it was never a factory car. They were never made by chevy it was berger's own personnal car which they considered to be a special request option not a regular option but that never happened. Maybe you can respond with something to prove me wrong but to my knowledge that's what happened.I've also never seen times for the car so I dont know what I can say will beat it but saleen stage 3 comes to my mind. Yes, chevy may be conservative with times but motor trend and car and driver tell you what they ran in the cars with no conservation and they both got 13.7 in the z-28. Im not dissing the z-28 but I have never seen any mag or track driven z-28 run lower than 13.7 like some say and until I'm proved wrong by a mag or at the track I'll keep my opinion.

Well, you have your opinion, and what you've whtnessed, and I have mine. I've seen Stock LS1's run best QM times of High 12's low 13's. I think I sould make something clear as you have. I dont disrespect ford for the sake of disrespecting ford. I happen to be the owner of 2 64 Ford fairlanes, so by no means am I an all chevy guy. What actually got me into F bodies in the first place was watching Mustangs and other imports getting there asses handed to them at the drags by either bone stock or mostly bone stock LS and LT1 camaros. In response to what you mentioned about the "berger camaro". The Orginal Berger camaro, was just one paticular camaro, as you mentioned, that was a 69 ZL-1 car painted yellow. The confusion lies, where I hear a lot of guys refer to ALL the ZL-1's as "berger camaros" and being around F-body guys enough, I too have picked up the bad habit, sorry. What I was meaning to convey was pinning a Cobra R against a modern Stage 2 ZL-1 Car. (yes, THEY DO EXIST, there are 69 of them that were produced in 2002 and 50 of the orginal 1969 ZL-1's) Its fair, in the fact that while the ZL-1 wasn't entirley assembled at the St. Threse plant, all of the mods put on it came from GMMG or GMPP. Similarly, the SVT Cobra R isnt entirely assembled at Ford's Dearborn plant, some had word done at the Flat Rock plant, and Romeo, Michigan plants, using mostly Ford Motorsport and SVT parts, (except for those cool Rocaro seats!) The point I"m trying to make in all this, is that we could nit pick all day about which is an "all ford performance" or "all chevy performance" car, and realistically, they both are. I would like to see a 2000 SS Camaro and 2000 Cobra R square off against each other, although, I pretty much know who's going to win that one.

i dont know to much about modern Stangs and Camaros but, you take earlier models, and set them up with aftermarket parts, example, Mustang Mach 1 351 supercharged with all the good stuff and compare it to a Camaro SS or other dealer model speicals(COPO, Yenko, etc) i do believe that it woudl be a close race but the Camaro was built to be a competitor of the Mustang so they built it with more meat i think the Camaro would pull away

camaros are so much f***ing better than a mustang
first of all everyone thinks they know everything about camaros and mustangs but face the truth its not what you know that counts its how the car performs and you can ask any real person that knows a camaro z28 and a camaro ss is the two best performance cars in the world unlike a mustang which means a piece of s**t i should know i have experience with these cars and how they race and there is know way in hell that a mustang would ever beat a camaro first of all a camaro has way more horsepower than a mustang will ever have and way more performance than a stupid mustang gt!!