97 xr7 compared to a 90 SC

eggtheplanet@ya

Registered User
preferrably id like to hear from someone who has had them both, but i really just need a lot of info on both. i have a broken down SC and may buy a really nice 97 xr7. id just like to know how they compare, both performance and reliability wise. if im going to buy it, it needs to be on friday or saturday, so hopefully everyone will pull through for me in time! thanks a lot fellaz.



-matt
 
The 90 XR7 is by far the better car

I haven't owned the 97 but come on, does it have 315 lb torque stock!!! :)
 
It May Not Have The 315 Ft/lb, But The 4.6l Arent Gutless By Any Standards. I Own A 89 Sc, And Had A 96 Lx. Reliability And Comfort, The 96 Wins Hands Down. But Speed And Performance, The Sc Will Be Ahead, But Only To A Certain Point. The V8 Has So Much More Opprtunity For Upgrades- The Only Down Side Was No 5 Spd Option. I Am Actually Looking For A 4.6 Lx For A Daily Driver. Some Exhaust Work, A Cai, And A Pi Intake Swap Make These About 280-300 Hp And Reliability To Boot. Just Watch The Trannies In The Newer Mn12- They Arent The Best Around.
Happy Hunting.
 
I own the T_Bird versions of both
89 sc auto and a 97 4.6.
Let me break it down or ya.

The SC is better camp:
The SC feels a lot faster due to the stump pulling low end torque.
The SC gets about 3 mpg better and I have a lot more fun with it.
Stiffer shocks and 16 inch wheels unless the 97 has the "Sport Option"
The SC feels more like a man's car to drive. We don't need no stinkin cup holders! You put the hot coffee between your legs and take it like a man!
The SC is more rare and can boggle the minds of self proclaimed "Ford experts"
The SC has that old heavy car feel much more so than my 97
The seats feel better
The SC has almost nothing in common with the Mustang.
The 97 4.6 feels like a NA 3.6 under 3k rpm.
The 97 is computer limited to about 105 mph
The 97 traction control holds the car back in a major way

The 97 is better camp:
Loves reg gas
Much easier to work on. A plugs and wires change takes less than 20 min
With the sport option the 97 feels pretty close to the sc as far as ride quality goes. The non sport option includes 15 inch wheels and feels like a Lincoln Mark 8 to drive sans airbags.
Above 3k rpm the 4.6 really gives the SC a run for its money.
Better trans for the 97 and no TV cable to worry about with electric OD lockout button.
Much more reliable than the SC.
Many Mustang engine parts available PI heads, cams, and supercharger options.
On a ¼ mile should be pretty close to the auto sc but you really have to wind it out.
The 4.6 engine has a four bolt main and is a much smother engine.
With an exhaust upgrade it actually sounds like a V8.
The 96 and 97 4.6 came with 3.27 rears and is limited slip if the car is not equipted with traction control.

Theres tons of more stuff for each but as you can tell the two are so close I had to have both the 89 SC and the 97 LX.

Hope this helps some
 
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The Sohc 4.6L is a DOG. Don't try to defend it. It's been a dog all of it's life up until 05 when they went to a 3V head and VVT. Now it has some balls.

The problem lies in the 4.6L's bore. 3.55 bore? ~~~ was ford thinking? You can't fit big valve's with a crappy bore like that.

If ford was smart they would have used a 4.00 bore and 3.00 stroke in the modular. It would have had some major power.
 
The older Sc will feel more like a sprts car compared to the newer xr7.
Teh new xr7 will feel more luxerious then the older SC

The old SC will definitely be faster.

The New xr7 will be more refined and probably a much more reliable car due to age and the 4.6

In similiar condition I'd go for an 89-95 SC over the 97 xr7 anyday.

Condition would be vital on my desicion...If you want spee dor a sports car...that 97 isnt the way to go unless you plan on spending $$$$
 
Blk89TBSC said:
The Sohc 4.6L is a DOG. Don't try to defend it. It's been a dog all of it's life up until 05 when they went to a 3V head and VVT. Now it has some balls.

The problem lies in the 4.6L's bore. 3.55 bore? ~~~ was ford thinking? You can't fit big valve's with a crappy bore like that.

If ford was smart they would have used a 4.00 bore and 3.00 stroke in the modular. It would have had some major power.

260 HP/ 300 TQ OUT OF THE PI ENGINES. THATS NOT A "DOG" IN MY BOOK.
ONLY 281 CU IN, KEEP IN MIND.
SMALL BORE, YES. LONGER STROKE, YES, HENCE THE HIGH TORQUE FOR SMALL DISPLACEMENT. AND, WHEN YOU SWITCH TO THE 4V HEAD, MAKING BETTER USE OF THE SPACE IN THE HEAD, HP JUMPS WAY UP.

SO, YES, THE 4.6 DID SUFFER ON SOME ASPECTS, BUT LETS BE REALISTIC: THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS NUMBERS TO BE HAD OUT OF THEM WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WORK.
 
acb92sc said:
260 HP/ 300 TQ OUT OF THE PI ENGINES. THATS NOT A "DOG" IN MY BOOK.
ONLY 281 CU IN, KEEP IN MIND.
SMALL BORE, YES. LONGER STROKE, YES, HENCE THE HIGH TORQUE FOR SMALL DISPLACEMENT. AND, WHEN YOU SWITCH TO THE 4V HEAD, MAKING BETTER USE OF THE SPACE IN THE HEAD, HP JUMPS WAY UP.

SO, YES, THE 4.6 DID SUFFER ON SOME ASPECTS, BUT LETS BE REALISTIC: THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS NUMBERS TO BE HAD OUT OF THEM WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WORK.


Wasn't trying to say that it can't make lots of power. Friend has a 00 GT with a built sohc 4.6L and a Novi and it makes 600rwhp.

Going N/A with the 4.6L is a waste. F/I is a whole different story.
 
Yep, just throwing on some pi heads will net you an extra 40rwhp. I agree the two engines are very different and drive very different. The 96-97 felt much better than the 94-95 4.6. I will say that some one at ford was thinking reliability and how many different fords can we shove this into. For a sports car feel it needs the right gears, a proper tune, and a higher stall converter doesn’t hurt either. From my experience a 97 can be your only car but the SC should only be a second car.
 
jackpriceisgod said:
then it wouldnt have been a "modular" engine ;)
The Modular engine, or "mod motor", is Ford Motor Company's modern overhead camshaft (OHC) V8 and V10 engine family. It gradually replaced the Windsor small-block and 385 big-block engines over several years in the mid-1990s. The engine is modular in that it can be adapted to V8 or V10 with a variety of 2-valve and multivalve heads.

BORE AND STROKE DIDNT HAVE ANTHING TO DO WITH IT. IT WAS BASED ON THE DIFFERENT DISPLACEMENTS AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS THEY COULD MAKE FROM THE DEISGN.
 
From my experience a 97 can be your only car but the SC should only be a second car.

If it has 150,000 beat to hell miles yah :O)..But that goes for any car...

A well maintained SC will run for a long time
 
1owner89 said:
Yep, just throwing on some pi heads will net you an extra 40rwhp.
what are pi heads? would they be terribly expensive? hard to install? i noticed it didnt have dual exhaust like my SC, is restrictive exhaust as big a problem with the xr7 as the SC? should i open it up first or pi heads/other mods first? i dont want it to be a beast, thats what the sc is for, i just want it to be a bit faster that a stock SC before i start turning the good ole SC into a pure drag car.
 
Bit faster..Gears...Shift kit..Exhaust Air intake

After that I'd leave it alone..And it may be faster

Head swaps are not easy on this car
 
also, are there numerous exhaust kits for the cougar like the SC? easy to find replacement parts as well as mods? and since tomorrow's D-day, will it be RELIABLE?
 
With equal miles and abuse the 4.6 will be be more reliable than the SC. My 4.6 has 93k on it and I plan on putting another 100k on it.
 
SC's are re;aiable cars..When you look at the miles on the cars having problems along with teh abuse they take...

The Gears will Give you some of that back. PArts for the 4.6 are easy to come by and the motors hold up well (no worry for blown headgaskets do to boost/detonation).

It will be a nice cruiser but like I said less of a sports car. Do minor mods youll be happy

I have a supercharged 4.6 Tbird....Blown it up two times so ya know....
 
FWIW, I had a friend with a 97 LX Sport. It ran 15.4 @ 91 mph at the track. Compared to my other buddies 15.4 @ 91 mph with his SC. Identical times with two very different motor set-ups. So performance wise it will be very close.
 
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