Before gym class became too politically correct for contests of strength and speed, many of us were ushered into the gymnasium for an old fashioned game of tug-of-war. For most of us it’s probably been decades since we found ourselves on other end of a giant rope, but now that we’re all grown up, what’s to stop us from playing our own game of tug-of-war…only with cars, rather than rope?
Somebody convinced the owners of a Corvette C5 Z06 and a 2014 Ford Mustang GT to latch their cars together and give it the ol’ heave-ho. For anybody that knows basic physics, the end result shouldn’t be surprising, but let’s run down the competitors first.
In the left corner is a Corvette Z06, boasting a 505 horsepower 7.0 liter LS7 engine that’s a naturally-aspirated axis of torque. With extra-wide rear tires and an equally-impressive amount of torque, the Corvette Z06 would appear to have an advantage over the 420 horsepower 5.0 liter V8 Mustang GT. But things are rarely that simple, and it all has to do with the Mustang’s weight advantage.
Now normally, weight is the enemy of performance, and at just over 3,100 pounds the Corvette is between 400 and 600 pounds lighter than the 2014 Mustang, depending on loadout. But that extra weight actually works in the Mustang’s advantage during the tug-of-war, and while the Corvette may have more horsepower, this is really a contest of tires and weight more than anything else. Once the Mustang is able to dig in, there’s no turning back, even when the Corvette hits the gas first.
The final tally is 3-0 in favor of the Mustang, which should come as no surprise to our fellow Ford fans.
