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Originally Posted by Bob Cosby
Well, there's even more to it than that - and I bet the article doesn't mention it: One can make better use of the power available from the LS3 than from the 5.0, in bone stock trim.
What hurts the 5.0 is the 6850 rpm redline - coming only 250 rpm after peak power. This means that one must shift well before what would otherwise be the optimum shift point (likely 7200-7300 rpm). I'm not sure about the Dodge, but in stock trim, the LS3 can make better use of its powerband, taking away some of the "on paper" power-to-weight advantage of the 5.0. This is one reason the cars are as close as they are in 1/4 mile acceleration.
It would be interesting to take a dyno run from each car (Camaro and Mustang) from the same dyno, then do the math to figure out the AVERAGE power in each gear and obtain a power-to-weight ratio from that. Bet they'd be even closer than they are now.
One final thing....any mag that tests a 2011 GT with 3.73 gears in the 1/4 mile will be hitting the limiter in 4th gear at ~109 mph.
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Another thing people overlook when looking at gearing and torque multiplication is that a more aggressive rear end ratio requires shifting to the next gear earlier, giving you less time (distance) to take advantage of that additional multiplication. When comparing the Camaro to the Mustang, the Mustang starts with a gearing advantage in first gear, but when shifted at 42 mph, the SS has another 10mph to go in the higher numerical first gear. The advantage swings back to the mustang when the Camaro has to shift to second, but the same thing happens when the Mustang has to hit third significantly earlier than the Camaro.
The higher overall gearing definitely gives the Mustang an advantage off the line though.