Fat Holden

[BlueXR6Turbo]

Clever marketing by Ford, the cars are practically spot on.

So if they're nearly the same why is the Ford slower? Ford have more power.

Where did you get the idea the Fords are slower? Everything I've read says that the XR6T is faster than the SS.

[Falchoon]

To clarify, I was actually talking about the V8 Falcons...

[plonky]

I don;t believe that the XR8 is slower than the SS. The Falcon has a large amount of torque and they have only been around for a short time.

The 0-100 and 0-400 times have been either 'up in wheelspin' or 'bogged down'. This is purely due to drivers technique.

On the other hand the SS has been around for at least 4 years with the Gen3, and the drivers technique has been perfected. As Michael Taylor from MOTOR has clarified, Jonathon Hawley managed a 0-400 in 13.97. This is the fastest time ever recorded for an SS, even faster than a time set by Expensive Daewoo test drivers and faster than a Clubsport tested by the same guy that day.

Don;t write off the XR8. Once the auto comes out and is tested, the times will be much more consistent and them you will have a good idea of what they can do. From my understanding the XR8 has been tested in the high 5's and mid 13's by tests drivers at Ford.

If the Falcon wasn;t a threat to Brand Crap, why would they make a big deal about the 'weight advantage' of the GM Holden, particularly when it comes to the SS and HSV models.

[BrentS]

I think the Ford V8s (both the XR8 and GT) are still not showing their full potential at the moment, mainly as most of the road test articles are based on near new cars with minimal kms on them. I remember an article in Wheels magazine I think from about 2 years ago when a couple of the engineers at Tickford were interviewed about the T Series cars. Apparently they said that due to the hand-built nature of the engine (admittedly the old Windsor motor), the engine was extremely tight when new, and takes up to 20,000kms to properly run-in.

I know the Boss V8 is a different engine, but it is hand built also, and I've already heard some people say that it too feels very tight at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if those engines were a good 10kw or so down on their peak when brand new. Personally, I think the Boss V8s are a bit of a sleeper at the moment, and I'd like to see them re-tested on the standing 400m when they've got 10-20,000kms on them.

Brent.

[Turbo6man]

Brent, I reckon you are right on target - they definitely need 20,000km before they will show their true performance - my 5.6 Windsor didn't perform properly until then, so I fully expect FPV will continue building their motors with tight tolerances in this way which is best practice. Not like some V8s we know which are built loose and get looser by the km heheheh.