Hey everyone,
I’ve got a bit of a beginner’s question here, so I hope it’s not too basic. I keep hearing about 2V and 4V Mustangs, and I’m curious to know what exactly these terms mean. I understand that a 4V engine produces more horsepower, but I’m not entirely sure why that is. I know it might seem like a silly question, but I just feel a bit lost with all the talk about them. Can someone explain the difference between a 2V and a 4V Mustang and why one has more power than the other?
Originally, all Mustangs had 2V engines until the Cobra started coming with 4V motors in 1996. This marked a significant change. The 4.6-liter engine in the GT was a 2V. This setup remained pretty much the same for nearly a decade. You can easily distinguish these engines because the 4V heads are noticeably larger and, in my opinion, look much cooler.
Then in 2005, things shifted when the Cobra was discontinued and the Mustang engine featured 3 valves per cylinder instead of 4. This stayed the case until 2007 when the GT500 reintroduced the 4V heads, pushing out an impressive 500 horsepower.
By 2011, the GT switched to the Coyote engine, which is a 4V. From then on, you won’t find any 3V or 2V Mustangs.
As for Camaros, they’re a bit different, they all use 2V pushrod engines. Most pony cars don’t share the same engine configuration as the Mustang.
Hope this clears things up.
To break it down, the “v” originally stood for Venturi, referring to the number of barrels on a carburetor in non-fuel-injected engines. However, in modern Mustang engines, the “v” now represents the number of valves per cylinder. For example, the 4.6-liter engine that began in 1996 started as a 2V engine, meaning it had 16 valves in total. The Cobra, on the other hand, had 4 valves per cylinder, giving it 32 valves altogether.
The reason a 4V engine produces more power is that it allows more air and fuel to enter the engine faster. This is especially effective with forced induction, like in the 2003/04 Cobra. The 2003 Mach 1 also featured a 4V engine. Nowadays, the 5.0 GT comes with 4 valves per cylinder because, well, more power is always better.
I wish I could give this more upvotes to push it to the top.
The 2V and 4V terms started being used when Ford switched from Overhead Valve (OHV) to Overhead Cam (OHC) engines. The number before the “V” indicates how many valves there are per cylinder.
So, 2V means 2 valves per cylinder, 3V means 3, and 4V means 4.
What about the incredible 3V modular engine? (dives for cover, grabs the 3V forged crank)
I love my 3V. The sound is incredible, and they respond to mods just as well as the 4V engines.