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Steeda claims it, is it real world?

Achlys

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ZXMustang

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Should be better than that. But their tunes are for the masses, probably 91 octane optimized. I dont blame them. But honestly should be able to do better gains wise with a real custom tune. Nothing against Steeda.
 

ZXMustang

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And yes the DH and GT once tuned properly are the same power wise. People with DH think they got some higher end engine with more power and all they got was a GT with less tq management. The calibrations are identical except for a few tq management tables where the GT has more. And if you get a PP GT then they are even closer 1:1 except those tq management tables. If you want a DH, buy it for the name and the other toys you get like standard mag ride and different look body parts and the cool wheels. But not for power. Tuned GT will be faster than stock DH, and a tuned DH vs GT should be just about identical car depending.
 
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Achlys

Achlys

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That was my mental argument when I purchased my GT. 20HP difference should not be that hard to over come. All the extra parts I get if track days are a part of ownership, for me it’s a daily driver that gives a nice seat of the pant, with a throaty engine background. Appreciate the opinion.
 

armyGT

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IMHO, the Dark Horse was a bad idea. Unless you track the car, you are paying a lot of extra money for a few more horsepower. The Performance Pack option should have been the track car. How many people track their cars? I really don't know but I believe most Mustangs are fun cars on the street.
Ford should have continued a Shelby like car named COBRA.
I think like this because I'm old!
 


Ninjak

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IMO it's not the power, sure, they make nearly the same when tuned. The part people gleam over is that the DH is a STRONGER engine. The DH has forged internals, the same as the GT500 and the DHSC. Also, the things that you get standard with the DH is a reason to buy.

This is why you can choose your weapon. This is why you can get everything from a 2.3 Ecoboost to the now available DHSC. Buy the vehicle that fits your needs.

Also, if they had called the Darkhorse a Cobra, would it have changed anything? Is a name that much credence to what the vehicle actually has to perform? For me, that is a no. Purchase the vehicle for what performance matrix it has and what it is capable of.

One last note: do people know why the Darkhorse name was picked? A Darkhorse is something that no one sees coming and wins. Ford understood this, and this is why we have the Darkhorse. A vehicle nobody saw coming that can win.
 

RLE55

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The DH's 5.0 is a little different, both use the same basic 5.0-liter V8 layout, the Dark Horse adds forged connecting rods from the Shelby GT500 and unique camshafts. Would love to have forged internals, but to costly.
 

ZXMustang

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The DH's 5.0 is a little different, both use the same basic 5.0-liter V8 layout, the Dark Horse adds forged connecting rods from the Shelby GT500 and unique camshafts. Would love to have forged internals, but to costly.
The DH does not have forged internals. You will not be able to find any reliable source other than repeated forum and FB posts of misinformation. Many shops have torn them down just to find they don't have forged internals.

 

D/\rK•650

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The DH does not have forged internals. You will not be able to find any reliable source other than repeated forum and FB posts of misinformation. Many shops have torn them down just to find they don't have forged internals.

I thought Ford itself has stated that the darkhorse has forged internals or something to that effect? Are you saying that they supposedly are supposed to have forged internals but after people have torn done the motor they find that it's a lie? Curious about this.
 

71stang99

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~1500 bucks with tax for ~20 HP. Wow!

With the 1k discount on the Ford supercharger that was advertised you'd be better off with that because 20 HP sure isn't much.
 

ZXMustang

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I thought Ford itself has stated that the darkhorse has forged internals or something to that effect? Are you saying that they supposedly are supposed to have forged internals but after people have torn done the motor they find that it's a lie? Curious about this.
No Im saying they dont have them and never did and Ford never said they did. This is a classic Mandela effect scenario. Once you dig in and look for actual proof that it was ever released directly from ford, you wont find it. It may have been the plan and was in some pre-release material, but thats not what happened with the production car and for some reason everyone including mag publications, and Ford partners and of course the whole of the internet thinks they do.
 

71stang99

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No Im saying they dont have them and never did and Ford never said they did. This is a classic Mandela effect scenario. Once you dig in and look for actual proof that it was ever released directly from ford, you wont find it. It may have been the plan and was in some pre-release material, but thats not what happened with the production car and for some reason everyone including mag publications, and Ford partners and of course the whole of the internet thinks they do.
Did Ford ever release a clarification or did they let the myth propagate? It certainly helps with the sales aspect of the car.
 

ZXMustang

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Did Ford ever release a clarification or did they let the myth propagate? It certainly helps with the sales aspect of the car.
Im not sure. All I know is its been proven many times over as these engines are pulled as to what they have and dont have. So if Ford did officially release statements or spec sheets listing what people think they were told, then Ford lied.
 

71stang99

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Im not sure. All I know is its been proven many times over as these engines are pulled as to what they have and dont have. So if Ford did officially release statements or spec sheets listing what people think they were told, then Ford lied.
They lied before. My 1999 Cobra had the recall done to correct the HP claim that fell short and I still have a very nice 2000 Cobra SVT brochure that Ford released for a car that was never produced.

S650 Mustang Steeda claims it, is it real world? Photo_2026-08-03_200121
 

AZ_Ryan

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Lost in all this is that the non-active exhaust stock GT made 3 less HP than the stock DH. Im beginning to think Ford fudged some numbers in order to justify the price tag.
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