Cars - American Cool

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561

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]Aggv wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
The thing I’ve heard about the Mustang GT is it’s not really a traditional 'murican muscle car anymore. [/quote]

Why not just buy an old one? For the cost of a new mustang, or M4 you could probably pick up a legit vintage mustang and it would be exponentially cooler than a new one. [/quote]

Don’t like em. They look great but they handle terribly. I want a modern sports car.[/quote]

You can go the resto-mod route, but that’s not cheap, at all. You do get the old look with new performance, but it’s not going have the reliability of a modern sports car where all the details have been sweated and tuned by engineers day in and day out. You’ll always have a squeak or a rattle or something going on.
For my situation and life style, I don’t want something I have to work on all the time. When you go custom, hot-rod, or resto-mod, you’re always tweaking something. I am with you, I want to enjoy my car on the road.
Now if I were rich…I’d have like 35 cars.

562

[quote]pushharder wrote:

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Found a pic of jjackrash’s house.

I have no where to drive it, but I’d love me a SVT Ford Raptor. The 2017 version will have a twin-turbo 3.5L V6 producing 450-500 hp instead of the 411hp Ford got out of the old trucks 6.2L V8.[/quote]

I am a pickup guy and can easily see me in a Raptor.[/quote]

I am not a pickup guy but I can easily see me in a Raptor too. The new one is bad ass.
Otherwise, I’d like a base model pickup with vinyl seats and a rubber floor I can just hose out. No leather, no cloth, nothing fancy. A truck I could treat like a truck. I would like A\C though, it gets hot in GA.

563

[quote]pushharder wrote:

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Found a pic of jjackrash’s house.

I have no where to drive it, but I’d love me a SVT Ford Raptor. The 2017 version will have a twin-turbo 3.5L V6 producing 450-500 hp instead of the 411hp Ford got out of the old trucks 6.2L V8.[/quote]

I am a pickup guy and can easily see me in a Raptor.[/quote]

565

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Glittergirl69 wrote:
This is a front view of my car[/quote]

Well you showed me yours, so I will show you mine… '13 Brembo Brake package with Recaro seats.
[/quote]

Did you get the manual pat? Surely you did right?[/quote]

Oh hell yes. I wouldn’t even consider an auto. Actually, I haven’t ever bought a car that wasn’t a manual. I am not sure I ever will, unless I am buying a beater to abuse. Then I won’t care what it has. [/quote]

So what’s the stock shifter like on the new Mustangs? How about the clutch?[/quote]

I cannot speak for the 15’s, there is an updated tranny and clutch.
On mine the shifts are smooth, but deliberate, it doesn’t like to be hurried. The only problem I have is occasionally missing 3rd gear which is the most common mistake people make on that car.
Clutch take up is smooth and easy. Under spirited driving it can sometimes feel excessively light, almost like it’s catching at the bottom, but it’s not. There is a counter pressure spring you can remove that eliminates the problem, but increases clutch effort. I don’t want to screw with it because it’s not that big a deal. Like anything else you have to learn your car and once you, it ceases being a problem. It’s something one may notice at first but once you get used to it, you no longer notice.

My understanding is that on the '15’s the shifts have been lightened and shortened so it does accept faster shifts as well as clutch smoothness being improved. So '15 shifts should be shorter, faster and lighter. The '15s chassis has been improved to the point where with the performance pack consistently out performs the previous year’s BOSS 302 on the track.
A lot of people attribute that to the IRL, but I don’t believe that’s true. Mainly because you can settle the solid rear axle with some of the suspension packages available. In other words, getting the Ford Racing suspension kit will also out perform the BOSS 302 in a regular GT. The IRL is going to make the most difference in the comfort of daily driving and perhaps increase your courage, but it does come with a weight penalty. The 15’s are 200 lbs heavier than my car, so you don’t get the benefit from the 15 extra HP they bumped the Coyote motor.

If I were to put the Ford Racing Power Pack and suspension kit on my car, it would take a performance pack '15 Mustang on the track. The power pack adds a true 16 HP bump and 8 ft/ lbs torques, with a huge low end torque boost. What I mean is that while total torques go up 8 ft/lbs, at 1500 RPM it bumps it 60 ft/lbs over stock, so the power comes on harder and sooner. So it is a good pack for that reason, and it’s not expensive. People waste a lot more money to get a lot less. For instance, a lot of people put Cold Air Induction kits on the Mustang, which alone are basically useless. People think they are getting a bump from it because they usually come with a tune and the tune is where they are really getting the power. The stock box is actually better designed than a lot of kits.
Now tunes are a whole other story. This is where people fuck up their motors.
The suspension kit from Ford Racing is a work of art, I really like the kit a lot. If I had the $$ that’s probably the first mod I would do.

As you can see I am advocating the Ford Racing stuff. There are a couple of reasons, they are well designed and designed by or in coordination with the Ford engineers. Also, they will not void your car’s warranty and also have their own. Further, their parts are competitively priced. So that’s worth it’s weight in gold to me.
People spend stupid amounts of money for mods that don’t help much. There’s about 10 mods I can think of that really make a true difference and are not a waste of money.
Then again, the car is really good stock. Mine is bone stock and it’s a joy to drive. There’s stuff I would do if I had the cash, but it wouldn’t be major and I would not do anything to the look of the car. I like the way it looks as is. No fake scoops, no fake holes. If it’s on my car, it’s functional, if it’s not functional, it’s not on my car. [/quote]

Thanks pat. Sounds like a pretty nice car stock. I’ll have to wait till the end of the year to test drive one though.

566

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Glittergirl69 wrote:
This is a front view of my car[/quote]

Well you showed me yours, so I will show you mine… '13 Brembo Brake package with Recaro seats.
[/quote]

Did you get the manual pat? Surely you did right?[/quote]

Oh hell yes. I wouldn’t even consider an auto. Actually, I haven’t ever bought a car that wasn’t a manual. I am not sure I ever will, unless I am buying a beater to abuse. Then I won’t care what it has. [/quote]

So what’s the stock shifter like on the new Mustangs? How about the clutch?[/quote]

I cannot speak for the 15’s, there is an updated tranny and clutch.
On mine the shifts are smooth, but deliberate, it doesn’t like to be hurried. The only problem I have is occasionally missing 3rd gear which is the most common mistake people make on that car.
Clutch take up is smooth and easy. Under spirited driving it can sometimes feel excessively light, almost like it’s catching at the bottom, but it’s not. There is a counter pressure spring you can remove that eliminates the problem, but increases clutch effort. I don’t want to screw with it because it’s not that big a deal. Like anything else you have to learn your car and once you, it ceases being a problem. It’s something one may notice at first but once you get used to it, you no longer notice.

My understanding is that on the '15’s the shifts have been lightened and shortened so it does accept faster shifts as well as clutch smoothness being improved. So '15 shifts should be shorter, faster and lighter. The '15s chassis has been improved to the point where with the performance pack consistently out performs the previous year’s BOSS 302 on the track.
A lot of people attribute that to the IRL, but I don’t believe that’s true. Mainly because you can settle the solid rear axle with some of the suspension packages available. In other words, getting the Ford Racing suspension kit will also out perform the BOSS 302 in a regular GT. The IRL is going to make the most difference in the comfort of daily driving and perhaps increase your courage, but it does come with a weight penalty. The 15’s are 200 lbs heavier than my car, so you don’t get the benefit from the 15 extra HP they bumped the Coyote motor.

If I were to put the Ford Racing Power Pack and suspension kit on my car, it would take a performance pack '15 Mustang on the track. The power pack adds a true 16 HP bump and 8 ft/ lbs torques, with a huge low end torque boost. What I mean is that while total torques go up 8 ft/lbs, at 1500 RPM it bumps it 60 ft/lbs over stock, so the power comes on harder and sooner. So it is a good pack for that reason, and it’s not expensive. People waste a lot more money to get a lot less. For instance, a lot of people put Cold Air Induction kits on the Mustang, which alone are basically useless. People think they are getting a bump from it because they usually come with a tune and the tune is where they are really getting the power. The stock box is actually better designed than a lot of kits.
Now tunes are a whole other story. This is where people fuck up their motors.
The suspension kit from Ford Racing is a work of art, I really like the kit a lot. If I had the $$ that’s probably the first mod I would do.

As you can see I am advocating the Ford Racing stuff. There are a couple of reasons, they are well designed and designed by or in coordination with the Ford engineers. Also, they will not void your car’s warranty and also have their own. Further, their parts are competitively priced. So that’s worth it’s weight in gold to me.
People spend stupid amounts of money for mods that don’t help much. There’s about 10 mods I can think of that really make a true difference and are not a waste of money.
Then again, the car is really good stock. Mine is bone stock and it’s a joy to drive. There’s stuff I would do if I had the cash, but it wouldn’t be major and I would not do anything to the look of the car. I like the way it looks as is. No fake scoops, no fake holes. If it’s on my car, it’s functional, if it’s not functional, it’s not on my car. [/quote]

Thanks pat. Sounds like a pretty nice car stock. I’ll have to wait till the end of the year to test drive one though.[/quote]

It is… Sometimes I think people get so hopped up about mods that they forget to appreciate the engineering that actually went into the car.
Just curious, why do you have to wait so long to drive one?

567

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Glittergirl69 wrote:
This is a front view of my car[/quote]

Well you showed me yours, so I will show you mine… '13 Brembo Brake package with Recaro seats.
[/quote]

Did you get the manual pat? Surely you did right?[/quote]

Oh hell yes. I wouldn’t even consider an auto. Actually, I haven’t ever bought a car that wasn’t a manual. I am not sure I ever will, unless I am buying a beater to abuse. Then I won’t care what it has. [/quote]

So what’s the stock shifter like on the new Mustangs? How about the clutch?[/quote]

I cannot speak for the 15’s, there is an updated tranny and clutch.
On mine the shifts are smooth, but deliberate, it doesn’t like to be hurried. The only problem I have is occasionally missing 3rd gear which is the most common mistake people make on that car.
Clutch take up is smooth and easy. Under spirited driving it can sometimes feel excessively light, almost like it’s catching at the bottom, but it’s not. There is a counter pressure spring you can remove that eliminates the problem, but increases clutch effort. I don’t want to screw with it because it’s not that big a deal. Like anything else you have to learn your car and once you, it ceases being a problem. It’s something one may notice at first but once you get used to it, you no longer notice.

My understanding is that on the '15’s the shifts have been lightened and shortened so it does accept faster shifts as well as clutch smoothness being improved. So '15 shifts should be shorter, faster and lighter. The '15s chassis has been improved to the point where with the performance pack consistently out performs the previous year’s BOSS 302 on the track.
A lot of people attribute that to the IRL, but I don’t believe that’s true. Mainly because you can settle the solid rear axle with some of the suspension packages available. In other words, getting the Ford Racing suspension kit will also out perform the BOSS 302 in a regular GT. The IRL is going to make the most difference in the comfort of daily driving and perhaps increase your courage, but it does come with a weight penalty. The 15’s are 200 lbs heavier than my car, so you don’t get the benefit from the 15 extra HP they bumped the Coyote motor.

If I were to put the Ford Racing Power Pack and suspension kit on my car, it would take a performance pack '15 Mustang on the track. The power pack adds a true 16 HP bump and 8 ft/ lbs torques, with a huge low end torque boost. What I mean is that while total torques go up 8 ft/lbs, at 1500 RPM it bumps it 60 ft/lbs over stock, so the power comes on harder and sooner. So it is a good pack for that reason, and it’s not expensive. People waste a lot more money to get a lot less. For instance, a lot of people put Cold Air Induction kits on the Mustang, which alone are basically useless. People think they are getting a bump from it because they usually come with a tune and the tune is where they are really getting the power. The stock box is actually better designed than a lot of kits.
Now tunes are a whole other story. This is where people fuck up their motors.
The suspension kit from Ford Racing is a work of art, I really like the kit a lot. If I had the $$ that’s probably the first mod I would do.

As you can see I am advocating the Ford Racing stuff. There are a couple of reasons, they are well designed and designed by or in coordination with the Ford engineers. Also, they will not void your car’s warranty and also have their own. Further, their parts are competitively priced. So that’s worth it’s weight in gold to me.
People spend stupid amounts of money for mods that don’t help much. There’s about 10 mods I can think of that really make a true difference and are not a waste of money.
Then again, the car is really good stock. Mine is bone stock and it’s a joy to drive. There’s stuff I would do if I had the cash, but it wouldn’t be major and I would not do anything to the look of the car. I like the way it looks as is. No fake scoops, no fake holes. If it’s on my car, it’s functional, if it’s not functional, it’s not on my car. [/quote]

Thanks pat. Sounds like a pretty nice car stock. I’ll have to wait till the end of the year to test drive one though.[/quote]

It is… Sometimes I think people get so hopped up about mods that they forget to appreciate the engineering that actually went into the car.
Just curious, why do you have to wait so long to drive one?[/quote]

Because it hasn’t been released here yet. The 2015 Mustang GT will not be available until November at the earliest. None of the previous years were released here. They said in a press release a few months ago that the Performance Pack will be standard on all GTs sold in Australia and it’s going to be well under half what the BMW M4 costs so I’m thinking it will be worth the wait.

568

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Glittergirl69 wrote:
This is a front view of my car[/quote]

Well you showed me yours, so I will show you mine… '13 Brembo Brake package with Recaro seats.
[/quote]

Did you get the manual pat? Surely you did right?[/quote]

Oh hell yes. I wouldn’t even consider an auto. Actually, I haven’t ever bought a car that wasn’t a manual. I am not sure I ever will, unless I am buying a beater to abuse. Then I won’t care what it has. [/quote]

So what’s the stock shifter like on the new Mustangs? How about the clutch?[/quote]

I cannot speak for the 15’s, there is an updated tranny and clutch.
On mine the shifts are smooth, but deliberate, it doesn’t like to be hurried. The only problem I have is occasionally missing 3rd gear which is the most common mistake people make on that car.
Clutch take up is smooth and easy. Under spirited driving it can sometimes feel excessively light, almost like it’s catching at the bottom, but it’s not. There is a counter pressure spring you can remove that eliminates the problem, but increases clutch effort. I don’t want to screw with it because it’s not that big a deal. Like anything else you have to learn your car and once you, it ceases being a problem. It’s something one may notice at first but once you get used to it, you no longer notice.

My understanding is that on the '15’s the shifts have been lightened and shortened so it does accept faster shifts as well as clutch smoothness being improved. So '15 shifts should be shorter, faster and lighter. The '15s chassis has been improved to the point where with the performance pack consistently out performs the previous year’s BOSS 302 on the track.
A lot of people attribute that to the IRL, but I don’t believe that’s true. Mainly because you can settle the solid rear axle with some of the suspension packages available. In other words, getting the Ford Racing suspension kit will also out perform the BOSS 302 in a regular GT. The IRL is going to make the most difference in the comfort of daily driving and perhaps increase your courage, but it does come with a weight penalty. The 15’s are 200 lbs heavier than my car, so you don’t get the benefit from the 15 extra HP they bumped the Coyote motor.

If I were to put the Ford Racing Power Pack and suspension kit on my car, it would take a performance pack '15 Mustang on the track. The power pack adds a true 16 HP bump and 8 ft/ lbs torques, with a huge low end torque boost. What I mean is that while total torques go up 8 ft/lbs, at 1500 RPM it bumps it 60 ft/lbs over stock, so the power comes on harder and sooner. So it is a good pack for that reason, and it’s not expensive. People waste a lot more money to get a lot less. For instance, a lot of people put Cold Air Induction kits on the Mustang, which alone are basically useless. People think they are getting a bump from it because they usually come with a tune and the tune is where they are really getting the power. The stock box is actually better designed than a lot of kits.
Now tunes are a whole other story. This is where people fuck up their motors.
The suspension kit from Ford Racing is a work of art, I really like the kit a lot. If I had the $$ that’s probably the first mod I would do.

As you can see I am advocating the Ford Racing stuff. There are a couple of reasons, they are well designed and designed by or in coordination with the Ford engineers. Also, they will not void your car’s warranty and also have their own. Further, their parts are competitively priced. So that’s worth it’s weight in gold to me.
People spend stupid amounts of money for mods that don’t help much. There’s about 10 mods I can think of that really make a true difference and are not a waste of money.
Then again, the car is really good stock. Mine is bone stock and it’s a joy to drive. There’s stuff I would do if I had the cash, but it wouldn’t be major and I would not do anything to the look of the car. I like the way it looks as is. No fake scoops, no fake holes. If it’s on my car, it’s functional, if it’s not functional, it’s not on my car. [/quote]

Thanks pat. Sounds like a pretty nice car stock. I’ll have to wait till the end of the year to test drive one though.[/quote]

It is… Sometimes I think people get so hopped up about mods that they forget to appreciate the engineering that actually went into the car.
Just curious, why do you have to wait so long to drive one?[/quote]

Because it hasn’t been released here yet. The 2015 Mustang GT will not be available until November at the earliest. None of the previous years were released here. They said in a press release a few months ago that the Performance Pack will be standard on all GTs sold in Australia and it’s going to be well under half what the BMW M4 costs so I’m thinking it will be worth the wait.[/quote]

Oh right, the whole RHD thing. I have driven in Australia, it was so weird to get used to RHD. I kept hitting the wipers every time I wanted to signal.

569

I love how the Mustang GT has gauges showing oil pressure and transmission and cylinder head temperature and air to fuel ratio! That’s awesome having a stoichiometric gauge on your dashboard. Back in my day we had to jet the carburettor and everything. Now you can just dial in whatever fuel map you want. That was part of why my last motorcycle(Husqvarna SMR510) was so cool. You could get a fuel chip and a little monitor and redraw your power band / stoichiometric ratio and set it up however you want.

As I said, Ford announced a few months ago the performance pack will be standard on all Australian Mustang GTs. And at the price I’ve heard whispered in the ears of reviewers and dealers it looks like it’s going to be a heck of a good price. Yes, it looks like I’ll pass up on that BMW M3/4 I’ve always wanted. I just can’t justify the price with a car like this on the market. And maintenance costs are servicing are sure to be a lot cheaper with Ford than BMW.

I know my Commodore brakes are like a quarter of the price of the BMW brakes. And stuff like an alternator or something might just blow one day. What are BMW going to suck out of me for something like that? No, I think I’m gonna go good old 'murican muscle. I like supporting an American company too. I’d like to see more American cars on the Australian market so long as it doesn’t harm what’s left of the native car industry. We could do with some competition to lower prices a big. We pay a shitload for cars here compared with the rest of the world.

570

@pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?

571

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
@pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?[/quote]

Oh I am not against tuning, at all. I am against bad tuning, hasty tuning, hot clocking. Motorcycles are one thing. But the Coyote motor is a complex, precision engine and people fuck them up with bad tunes. A lot of tuners will turn off some knock sensors and pressure or O2 sensors. While your car may run hot for a while, it just won’t last. People fuck up their Coyotes with bad tunes all the time.

If you got somebody who really knows what they are doing, go nuts. Tune away.
I plan on using the Ford Racing Tuner on my car. That’s the only, non-custom tuner I would trust. Plus there is the whole Warranty thing when you have a late model car. Maybe later down the road, when I am done with the warranty, I would seek a custom tuner to tune the thing on a dyno.

There are several mods I consider well worth doing without going the super charger route. Cat-back exhaust, aluminium one piece drive shaft (-16 lbs rotational mass on the drive shaft!) 90 MM BBk throttle body, light weight pullys, CR Racing radiator, oil cooler, Accel coil packs. I figure those mods with a proper custom tune I could pull 450 HP at the wheels.
If I really wanted to go nuts, I’d get the Cobra Jet intake manifold, with a dual 65 mm throttle body, and some long tube headers and get closer to 500 HP at the wheels with a good custom tune. But that would require a new strut tower brace to accommodate the intake manifold. Nevertheless, money be damned, I still think I want to keep the car naturally aspirated.

Of course then I would want to do the Ford Racing adjustable suspension kit (it comes with everything). Get some braided stainless brake lines, get a 6 piston Brembo brake calipers up front and 4 piston calipers in back, short shift kit. Then my car would be a real track monster. Of course I would keep it looking totally stock from the outside. This is all post warranty.

If you want to keep your warranty you have to take it easy on the mods. Stick with Ford Racing stuff and keep it modest. If you don’t care about your warranty, go nuts. I care about my warrenty.

With the 2015 you have a lot of advantages. The chassis on the 2015 is setup super nice, yeah its 200 lbs heavier, but your starting point is much higher. Stock, the 2015 will compete nicely with a BMW M3/4. You put the 2015 handling pack (forth coming, not out yet), you’ll likely beat the bimmer pretty well.

I am a little jealous. I love my '13, don’t get me wrong but I would rather have the '15.
But hell, if I am going to upgrade, I want the new GT350. That’s the car you buy and leave alone. It’s perfect. A flat-plane crank 5.2 L V8 that revs to 8500 RPM? Are you kidding me? Plus fully adjustable suspension and all the goodies.

People think the Germans and Italians are superiors engineers, hmpf! Neither the Germans or Italians have figured out how to built a flat-plane crank V8 over 4.0 L. Ford built theirs are 5.2 L. Not only has Ford figured it out and delivered, but pricing starts around $60K, versus $250K for a 458, or $200K for a McLaren… God bless 'merica… sigh.

572

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
@pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?[/quote]

BTW, there is also a tire discussion worth having. Do you know a lot about tires?

573

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
@pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?[/quote]

The sounds this car makes is sex on wheels…

574

[quote]pat wrote:

Oh I am not against tuning, at all. I am against bad tuning, hasty tuning, hot clocking. Motorcycles are one thing. But the Coyote motor is a complex, precision engine and people fuck them up with bad tunes.

[/quote]

Yes, I suppose you could wreck any engine with a bad tuning but today it’s all computer monitored. With my Husqvarna engine it was in such a state stock in order to comply with emissions regulations that the engine overheated, headers glowed bright orange because the fuel / air ratio was way too rich and with all the shit they stuff up the stock exhaust it was completely starved of oxygen to the point of overheating and stalling constantly - literally unridable. I immediately yanked the stock exhaust which also weighed a ton and remapped the fuel / air ratio then later I got a system that allows you to tweak the power band. I liked smooth but with a little hop around 7,000rpms. It was a very high revving engine with tons of torque. But as I said, in unworkable condition stock due to the emissions regulations and catalytic converter. But as soon as I fixed it and put a light, straight through exhaust(Arrow) the thing was crazy. And with a little tinkering I got it down to about 187lbs weight.

I think you mentioned California emissions regulations reducing performance or something. I think it will be the same here. I may have to do a few things to get it running right. They mentioned in a test here that the hp is lower on the Australian Mustangs but Ford said it was to do with the catalytic converter as I suspected. That’s something I’m going to have to yank to get the Coyote singing sweetly I think.

That’s right. Husqvarna offered two levels of warranty depending on whether you installed the power chip(I did) and when you do that the service and oil change intervals change, ie you need to get it serviced more regularly and more frequent oil changes for warranty to cover you.

Yes! I love the naturally aspirated big V8s. We had a Chrysler Valiant way back that was one of the last (almost) muscle cars in the early eighties. Pretty sure it was an American designed engine but it was nice. Good car for long distances.

I thought the Mustang GT came with the six piston Brembo callipers up front and four in the rear? Or the performance pack doesn’t it? I’ll have to check.

I found the M4 handles really nicely and I’m not sure I’d really need to change a whole lot and I’m expecting / hoping the Mustang GT will be similar stock and not really need much.

Yeah I know. And in a few years I’ll prefer the '18. That’s how it goes.

[quote]
But hell, if I am going to upgrade, I want the new GT350. That’s the car you buy and leave alone. It’s perfect. A flat-plane crank 5.2 L V8 that revs to 8500 RPM? Are you kidding me? Plus fully adjustable suspension and all the goodies.

People think the Germans and Italians are superiors engineers, hmpf! Neither the Germans or Italians have figured out how to built a flat-plane crank V8 over 4.0 L. Ford built theirs are 5.2 L. Not only has Ford figured it out and delivered, but pricing starts around $60K, versus $250K for a 458, or $200K for a McLaren… God bless 'merica… sigh. [/quote]

Can’t beat the feel and handling of something like a Porsche 911 though. I actually thought the Mazda MX5s were pretty nice too. But it’s hard to pass on a high revving American V8 brought up to sports car handling standards.

575

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
@pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?[/quote]

BTW, there is also a tire discussion worth having. Do you know a lot about tires?[/quote]

Not really. Sorry. I know the '15 in Australia gets 19 x 9 and 19 x 9.5 rear. Does it have a tire pressure monitor/gauge like the M3/4 perchance? I thought that was a pretty cool feature. I usually keep my psi a fair bit higher than recommended to improve handling but not above the max of course. Makes for a bumpy ride but I like to drive hard(and safe) in performance cars. That’s what they’re for right?

576

Oh yes I wanted to ask you, on the Australian brochure for the '15 GT and '15 Eco-boost under seats in specs it just says:

"Driver and Passenger Climate Controlled Leather Seats (heated and cooled) - Standard

“Six Way Power Driver Seat and Power Lumbar” - Standard

So the second six way power seats are the Recaro seats right? I specifically wanted them as I intend to get a racing harness instead of a seat belt. As I said, they said the GT will come with the performance pack as standard but I’m wondering if all the same specs of the US performance pack will come standard.

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[quote]SexMachine wrote:
pat wrote:

I think you mentioned California emissions regulations reducing performance or something. I think it will be the same here. I may have to do a few things to get it running right. They mentioned in a test here that the hp is lower on the Australian Mustangs but Ford said it was to do with the catalytic converter as I suspected. That’s something I’m going to have to yank to get the Coyote singing sweetly I think.
[/quote]

Well, my car is non-California Compliant, but I don’t know what that means. The California cars are rated the same. I have searched high and low, far and wide to try and find the difference. I was even comparing part numbers on emissions components to see if they were different. I even called Ford’s Tech support. Nada.

It could mean anything from a more restrictive cat, to a different gas cap. I checked the part numbers on the cat’s though and they are the same. It also could be a tune. But nobody knows. The export cars are not getting different emissions on the '15 as far as I have heard. Everything I read is that the only differences will be where the steering wheel is and whether you have metric or standard gauges.

That’s right. Husqvarna offered two levels of warranty depending on whether you installed the power chip(I did) and when you do that the service and oil change intervals change, ie you need to get it serviced more regularly and more frequent oil changes for warranty to cover you.

The '15’s do come with 6 piston Brembo’s up front. I don’t know what’s in the back. The '13/ '14’s came with 4 piston Brembo’s up front, standard 2 pistons on the rear.

They are different cars. I haven’t driven an M4 but I have driven the previous gen M3 which was a sweet ride. The Mustang and the M’s are very competitive with each other and put up similar numbers, but they get the job done differently. It’s not going to feel like a M, it’s going to feel like a Mustang. But it will keep up with an M4 no problem. The only disadvantage for the Mustang is the gear box. The dual clutch in the M4 is always going to out perform a manual shift. It’s just not humanly possible to shift as quick as a dual clutch.
However, I would prefer to have an M4 with a manual gear box, I just like it better. The paddles may be faster and better, but nothing feels better than rowing your own gears. Alas, they don’t sell the M4 with a regular manual gear box, which I think sucks. I think you should have the option if you want it.

Yeah I know. And in a few years I’ll prefer the '18. That’s how it goes.

Yeah, the 911 is an epic car. It may be the best sports car ever made. I have driven several and I am always amazed at how good the damn thing is. But, and I have read this several times from various sources at different times, that Porsche notoriously under rates the horsepower on the 911 so that it makes their engineering look better. So that when a 400 HP 911 beats up on a 500 HP Jaguar, you are led to believe that it’s a master stroke of miracle engineering, when it’s really just plain horsepower. That being said, the 911 is a master stroke of engineering, even if they are deliberately under reporting horsepower figures.

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[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:
@pat - What have you got against tuning my man? I had heaps of fun tweaking the stoichiometric ratio and power band on my motorcycle. If I didn’t like a certain fuel map I’d change it. Can’t you get a monitor that hooks up to your car’s computer and alter the fuel map easily?[/quote]

BTW, there is also a tire discussion worth having. Do you know a lot about tires?[/quote]

Not really. Sorry. I know the '15 in Australia gets 19 x 9 and 19 x 9.5 rear. Does it have a tire pressure monitor/gauge like the M3/4 perchance? I thought that was a pretty cool feature. I usually keep my psi a fair bit higher than recommended to improve handling but not above the max of course. Makes for a bumpy ride but I like to drive hard(and safe) in performance cars. That’s what they’re for right?[/quote]

Depends on what type of driving you intend to do of course. The higher pressure will help on straits, but lower pressure will help you in corners. In a car with a front weight bias like the Mustang, you’d probably want to keep the rear’s a couple of PSI short of the fronts to give you better bite in the rear and go flatter through corners.

I was really talking about the type of tire. Mine came with Pirelli P Zero’s, I think the '15’s come with the same. That is the most finicky tire I have ever experienced. It has a very small sweet spot, between 80-90 degrees. Outside of that range grip suffers. What’s odd is how incredibly dramatic the difference is, especially cold. When it’s under 50 degrees the tire is rock-ass hard and slick as shit. When it’s 80 degrees they stick like glue. But it’s a dramatic difference. It can be a bit unnerving. So watch out for that, because even if you think you are driving reasonably and its a little to cold for the tire it can catch you off guard. It’s happened to me a couple of times and it’s real sudden. You can pull the exact same move but 10 degrees difference could have you off the road, where it was a cake walk on a warmer day.
I have been doing a lot of research on tires. Right now my front runners are Michelin Pilot Sports and the Goodyear F1 Asymmetric. These appear to fit my wants which is a wider bandwidth of usable grip, reasonable tread-wear for a summer tire, and quietness. The tire roar from the Pirelli’s is deafening. Really, they shouldn’t be that loud.

Now one thing though, I have been knocking the Pirelli’s, but when they are in their sweet spot, they grip like hell. I mean super grip. It’s just the sweet spot is really small.

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[quote]SexMachine wrote:

So the second six way power seats are the Recaro seats right? I specifically wanted them as I intend to get a racing harness instead of a seat belt. As I said, they said the GT will come with the performance pack as standard but I’m wondering if all the same specs of the US performance pack will come standard.[/quote]

As someone who has had a track car with a harness, I’d recommend you reconsider. A 4 (or 5 or 6) point harness is designed to be used with a roll cage. In case of a roll-over, the roof of a street car will collapse and the only thing supporting the weight of the car (for a brief moment) will be your neck and spine.

Harnesses are also designed to be used with a fixed back seat, not an adjustable one.

Also, harnesses on a street car may very well be bolted to the floor behind the front seat. This places downward compressive forces on the shoulders in the event of a crash. In a proper race car with a cage, the harnesses are bolted behind the seat at a point roughly even with the drivers shoulders. So seen from the side, the harness makes an “L” shape over the shoulders rather than a “U”.

A 4 point harness will not prevent you from submarining, and the lack of slack in the belt will cause the harness to choke you.

Lastly, a harness is very inconvenient. You can’t lean forward to change the radio, turn on the AC, reach for your phone, or do anything else but sit upright in your seat.

A harness belongs in a car with a cage and a helmeted driver. Your much safer with a traditional 3 point safety belt, pre-tentioners, airbags, and soft padded surfaces in a street car.

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[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

So the second six way power seats are the Recaro seats right? I specifically wanted them as I intend to get a racing harness instead of a seat belt. As I said, they said the GT will come with the performance pack as standard but I’m wondering if all the same specs of the US performance pack will come standard.[/quote]

As someone who has had a track car with a harness, I’d recommend you reconsider. A 4 (or 5 or 6) point harness is designed to be used with a roll cage. In case of a roll-over, the roof of a street car will collapse and the only thing supporting the weight of the car (for a brief moment) will be your neck and spine.

Harnesses are also designed to be used with a fixed back seat, not an adjustable one.

Also, harnesses on a street car may very well be bolted to the floor behind the front seat. This places downward compressive forces on the shoulders in the event of a crash. In a proper race car with a cage, the harnesses are bolted behind the seat at a point roughly even with the drivers shoulders. So seen from the side, the harness makes an “l” shape over the shoulders rather than a “U”.

A 4 point harness will not prevent you from submarining, and the lack of slack in the belt will cause the harness to choke you.

Lastly, a harness is very inconvenient. You can’t lean forward to change the radio, turn on the AC, reach for your phone, or do anything else but sit upright in your seat.

A harness belongs in a car with a cage and a helmeted driver. Your much safer with a traditional 3 point safety belt, pre-tentioners, airbags, and soft padded surfaces in a street car.
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Thanks for the advice. Sounds like you know your stuff. The reason I was thinking of a harness is because I fractured my sternum on the seatbelt in a crash a while back and I was thinking the harness would be safer but after reading your post I have reconsidered.