Jeremiah 29:11

I have been saying this all along.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Shelby GT500 Mustang vs. Challenger SRT8


Last week I pitted the Mustang GT against the Challenger SRT8. This "Basic" Mustang vs. "Performance" Challenger comparison was designed to see if the most basic of V8 Mustangs can compete with what Dodge calls the "Performance" Challenger. After all, a lot of people say the Challenger will hurt Mustang sales, so I wanted to see what impact, if any, the SRT8 would have on the base 4.6L Mustang. In the end, the GT was able to keep up with the SRT8 in the numbers game. It was also cheaper and achieved better gas mileage. That's a given. It's a basic model and the SRT8 is a performance model vehicle. What really surprised me, though, was the performance comparison. I thought the SRT8 would boast superior performance numbers against a basic V8 Mustang. It didn't.

This week we'll evaluate the Shelby GT500 vs. the Challenger SRT8 in a true apples-for-apples comparison. Which of these two vehicles is worthy of being called the top dog? Most importantly, if you were given the choice, which one would you buy and why?



Head-to-Head Comparison: 2008 Shelby GT500 Mustang vs. 2008 Challenger SRT8


From Jonathan Lamas,

Performance Mustang vs. Performance Challenger - A Genuine Muscle Car Showdown

What do you get when you pit a 5.4L Shelby Mustang against a 6.1L performance Challenger? Aside from the smoke and burning rubber, you’ve got yourself a genuine muscle car showdown.

In this article we’ll compare the 2008 Shelby GT500 Mustang and the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. In a previous comparison we pitted the Mustang GT against the Challenger SRT8. The goal was to see if the basic GT Mustang could hold its own against the performance Challenger. In the end, the lighter 4.6L Mustang was able to keep up with the heavier SRT8 Challenger in the numbers game. What about the Shelby GT500? Now that we’ve got an apples-for-apples comparison, who will drive away the victor?


Powertrain: The Shelby Puts Out More Power, and Possibly Better Track Times

First things first, let’s take a look at Dodge’s performance Challenger (MSRP $40,095). The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 features a 6.1L SRT HEMI engine which Dodge says can produce 425 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. This 6.1L engine is designed to give the SRT8 power. Truth be told, it also weighs the car down. The end result is a curb weight of 4,140 lbs for the Challenger SRT8.
The Challenger’s power reaches the pavement with help from 20-inch alloy wheels featuring size 245/45 all-season tires. The car comes to a stop courtesy of 14-inch Brembo brakes fitted with four-piston calipers.

Now enter the 2008 Shelby GT500 Mustang Coupe (MSRP $42,170). For starters the name Shelby conjures up power and performance. In fact some might instantly think this car can really get up and go. You know what? They’re right. With its 5.4L V8 engine, the car is capable of outputting an estimated 500 hp and 480 lb.-ft. of torque. Although the Shelby GT500 Mustang is heavier than the GT we previously reviewed, it’s still lighter than the Challenger SRT8. The Shelby GT500 coupe weighs in with a curb weight 3,920 lbs. Put away the calculator. The Shelby Mustang is 220 lbs. lighter than the performance Challenger. It also produces 75 more hp than Dodge’s performance car.

The Shelby GT500 Mustang rides on 18 x 9.5-inch machined aluminum wheels with SVT center caps. It features P255/45Z18 front tires and P285/40ZR18 rear tires. Braking is achieved with the help of Brembo 14-inch vented discs fitted with four-piston aluminum calipers in the front and 11.8-inch diameter vented discs fitted with two-piston calipers in the back.

While the 2008 Challenger SRT8 is

DSkippy

The propagandist is hard at work again.

Still moot, until they can compare two likely configured cars 6 sp tremec to 6sp tremec. Can't deny the supercharged 500hp, but artificially respirate the Challenger and then see what we're talking about.

Regardless. Impressive numbers for the 'Stang.

Albeeno

Boy it's so quiet in here today you could hear a pin drop all the way up in Brampton, Ontario...

[sm=owned.gif]

tdub2112

I'M TELLIN' YA DODGE YOU NEED A BIGGER HEMI!
EVEN A 406 MAGNUM SMALL BLOCK COULD PUT OUT MORE HORSEPOWER.
shave some pounds off, drop the 540 in and kick some @$$!

I'm done ranting now.

(this may be one of my last posts untill Mar. 9)

I'M GOING TO GERMANY TOMORROW!

kevin2323

lol i was waiting for you to chime in albeeno, this actually proves my point and your point. my point is the srt 8 should be compared to the gt500 even though the gt500 has the advantage. and you win by those fanboy journalist saying that the gt comes close to the srt8. your question was why would people pay that much more for .2-.4 less in the 0-60 well albeeno not only is it better 0-60 the engine has much more potential than a measly 4.6 lol had to take a cheap shot at you albeeno. SO i think you ford boys got PWNED!. and dont try to bring out your out of the box thing again because out of the box it has been proven the srt8 owns the gt.


the gt can hang,hang onto my b-pillar......OOOOOOOOOOOOOO ..lol

ps. your monster gt500 dynoed at 330 hp to the wheels..... for a car that claims 500 hp to the crank thats really bad, 425hp srt8s dyno at 350-359...... you guys win cuz of the weight difference but damn that motor doesnt do the shelby name justice.

kevin2323

OH BY THE WAY , THAT COMPARISON is done not on the track but by guesses on the numbers since they havent taken the challenger to the track. so another loss for the ford fanboys.

Albeeno

What really surprised me, though, was the performance comparison. I thought the SRT8 would boast superior performance numbers against a basic V8 Mustang. It didn't.

kevin2323

albeeno has a challenger been track tested yet? NO IT HASNT!

you ford nuts cant get enough of the fanboy article. btw i commend jeremiah for posting this article as a moderator of this forum. this fanboyish journalism is humorous especially how it gets the ford owners blood flowin on this forum.

Justinec101

I think everyone thinking that when some final tests come through that the challenger will suddenly blow away the competition, is just denying the truth. Just like saying the interior is preproduction and will be vastly better when the car hits the lots, or that for 09 dodge will get rid of the ram emblem, or that the hoodscoops are going to become fully functional, or that the final weight of the car will be significantly less.

Challenger is a bigass heavy car and isn't dominating the competition like everyone was hoping! There were articles over a year ago saying dodge was having problems pricing the car within 5 grand of the mustang. It has happened as predicted and now we're having delusions!

0-60 MPH: 4.9 seconds predicted/ 4.5 seconds
¼ Mile:13 second range predicted/ 12.9 seconds

Oh but the challenger is 2 grand cheaper and you only lose .4 seconds.

Well the Mustang GT is 14 grand cheaper than the challenger and you only lose .2 seconds.

The Challenger R/T which is supposed to compete more closely with the Mustang GT will probably be slower than its competition as well. For more money. Thus are the pitfalls of the platform it's based on. Maybe if the challenger is a hit they'll build it its own platform for the next generation, and then it will dominate the mustangs like you want it to.

Albeeno, you own a mustang, and your presence here clearly showed that you were perfectly open to dodge. Thus you are probably one of the few unbiased people here. Which is why you've made the most logical posts in regards to this news.

kevin2323

who is being unbias? I never doubted the mustang, its been proven to be a performer. mustang gt500s are going for 50-55 grand the lowest with the ocasional msrp for the lucky few. oh and the shelby has been out for quite some time now. I never predicted the challenger to go 0-60 in 4.5, i said it would probably do 4.8 or 4.7 due to it being more aerodynamic than the charger srt8 is which does 0-60 in 4.8 which is what car and driver magazine (which is the most reliable one) got. So the guess is a rather good guess on my part. SO y would I pay 10-15k more for a car that claims to have 500hp to the crank and dynos at 330 hp to the wheels and the only reason it wins is because it wieghs 200lbs less. But the comparison is .1 difference. also dodge said it does the 1/4 IN 13.3 which srt8 chargers do in 13 flat or less in some ocassions. this whole unbias crap your pulling is rediculous. I have agreed and disagreed(more) with albeeno on many comparison's which he will agree on. Just because a person owns one of the cars your comparing doesnt mean he is correct. no one owns a challenger yet so you cant compare the two, you compare the closest thing which is the charger srt8. which has been proven to be more comparable to the gt 500. you pay more for more performance , whether it be .1-.6 more in the 0-60. stop this unbias crap your claiming and agree to disagree. oh and as for everyone hoping it would dominate the competition I for one did not. once they revealed it was going to be built on the existing lx model with a few changes to it to make it more aerodynamic I expected a charger srt8 but slightly better due to aerodynamics or what not . so going by my predictions I most likely will be correct on the times.

0-60 in 4.7-4.8 challenger
0-60 in 4.6 shelby gt500

why pay 20-25k more for a gt500 thats only .3 faster than the gt

you pay extra for potential and the 6.1 l even with the heavy ass car its carying has much more potential then a 4.6 l v8

im done......geez