Is it just my imagination, or is Ford having a reliability issue with the 5.2 engines? GT350s that eat oil and grenade for no reason and just saw 2 youtube dudes with the new GT500s blow their engines.
Meanwhile, VMP shows off a dailied 2012 GT500 with powder metal rods make 800RWHP on stock exhaust with the Gen3 2650, injectors, race fuel and a BAP. Guys with the Trinity pullied on E85 with injectors making 800 (with powder metal rods too)....
Not to mention all the guys with the 2015+ 5.0s literally on the stock long block, twins or a centri and E85 making 800-900 RWHP. Never would I have thought that the S550 SVT... I mean Ford Performance Shelby's would have had such an issue with their engines.
I think the problem is, people don't drive them the way they were designed to be driven. The GT350 engine was designed for high revs, high heat and abuse. So, the cold tolerance are sloppy... you need to rev it up and dog it or it doesn't get hot enough for everything to expand and seat correctly.
While it may be anecdotal, the reason I say it is because everyone I know who babied their GT350 had massive oil consumption issues and premature engine failure.
Then there are people like me. I know more GT350 owners who revved it to 5 grand or more every gear, every day, while driving causally. I had it on the track a few times a month, hanging at 8,000+ rpms for 2 hours a day. And so did many other 350 owners I know. I don't know any of us that had oil consumption issues and only 1 guy who's engine let go due to a valve guide popping out.