The Mustang handling thread

Gibbo · 31 Jul 2007 at 23:29

Docaroo said:
Having said that if I had the money I'd kill for the new Shelby GT500 KR edition...

http://www2.uol.com.br/interpressmotor/noticias/item16920.shl

just amazing! I honestly think gt500s are the best looking cars in the world... at least the best in the 50k range...

Hi there

The Shelby is not as good handling though as a Mustang GT and is miles of a modded GT or Roush/Saleen.

Its enemy is the cast iron engine up front and as such the Shelby is approx 250-300kg heavier over a regular Mustang GT and nearly all that extra weight is in the nose. Needless to say it certainly has a negative impact on the handling of the car.

The Shelby's strong point though is its engine, it is just so tunable. It can handle circa 900BHP on stock internals and I think a few guys are pushing past 1000BHP. So for drag racing they are superb, but are not great come the corners.

A perfect example of the Shelby's poor handling is the fact around the Top Gear track the BMW M5 which weighs the same, has similar power laps their track 4s quicker, the Shelby is quite poor come the corners, all that weight and its under-damped making track work/cornering not great.

eidolon · 31 Jul 2007 at 23:37

Gibbo said:
Its enemy is the cast iron engine up front and as such the Shelby is approx 250-300kg heavier over a regular Mustang GT

So it's around 1850kg? Wow, that's the same as both of my cars put together!! :eek:

Gibbo · 31 Jul 2007 at 23:42

eidolon said:
So it's around 1850kg? Wow, that's the same as both of my cars put together!!

Hi there

Yup sure is around 1800kg. Wheras the standard Mustang GT is closer to the 1550kg mark, so quite some difference.

Hence why the few US and UK guys who preferre handling just go with a GT and supercharge it, that way far more BHP per tonne and better handling too.

6thElement · 31 Jul 2007 at 23:56

jonarob said:
How many people here have actually driven one? It's a completely pointless argument if nobody has.

I have. I thought it was an okay cruising car but I wouldn't want to try and go fast around country lanes, not that you get many country lanes in a Mustangs native territory...

Docaroo · 1 Aug 2007 at 00:00

yeh good points on the sheb but **** its a looker lol! too much though.. there's plently more in that price range that would be a much better choice..

but the GT and Saleen are both awesome ... Mustang is on my must own list

willd58 · 1 Aug 2007 at 00:00

Gibbo said:
Hi there

Yup sure is around 1800kg. Wheras the standard Mustang GT is closer to the 1550kg mark, so quite some difference.

Hence why the few US and UK guys who preferre handling just go with a GT and supercharge it, that way far more BHP per tonne and better handling too.

Why did you go for the Saleen over the GT then, what did you keep that was Saleen apart from the awesome looks?

Stellios · 1 Aug 2007 at 00:58

willd58 said:
Why did you go for the Saleen over the GT then, what did you keep that was Saleen apart from the awesome looks?

IIRC he came across the saleen when the guy just wanted shot of it so sold it at a low price, hence how he didnt lose too much upon selling it, i think anyways, and do apologise if im wrong.

Saleen looks 100 times better than the standard GT, personally id love to have a shot in a roush one. Its a childhood dream to own a stang........one day

Gibbo · 1 Aug 2007 at 01:09

6thElement said:
I have. I thought it was an okay cruising car but I wouldn't want to try and go fast around country lanes, not that you get many country lanes in a Mustangs native territory...

Hi there

Have you driven a V8 one now or you still referring the V6 one you had on hire for a while?

Gibbo · 1 Aug 2007 at 01:11

willd58 said:
Why did you go for the Saleen over the GT then, what did you keep that was Saleen apart from the awesome looks?

Hi there

The Saleen was an absolute bargain of a buy at the time, guess I was just in the right place at the right time.

Hence I got a great deal.

My Saleen had nothing removed from it suspension wise, I just added several Steeda parts to replace the stock Ford parts, which I've already listed in this thread.

I could have improved the Saleen a bit more by removing the saleen shock and replacing with the Tokico D-Spec ones but I was happy with how it handled on Saleens shocks so did not bother.

Gibbo · 1 Aug 2007 at 01:12

Stellios said:
IIRC he came across the saleen when the guy just wanted shot of it so sold it at a low price, hence how he didnt lose too much upon selling it, i think anyways, and do apologise if im wrong.

Saleen looks 100 times better than the standard GT, personally id love to have a shot in a roush one. Its a childhood dream to own a stang........one day

Hi there

Yes I got a good deal, I paid 26k for the car. Sold it recently for 33.5k which speaks volumes for the deal I got.

The car owed me just under 32k in total with all the mods I did on it, so I made a small profit on a modded car.

Stellios · 1 Aug 2007 at 01:17

I didnt know you made a slight profit, that just doesnt happen these days, well played

6thElement · 1 Aug 2007 at 01:29

I just drove the V6, which I realise isn't the top of the line so probably lacks in some areas. But even Ford don't market the normal Mustangs as sports cars. Just "Sporty".

Stellios · 1 Aug 2007 at 01:53

IIRC the stang has never been advertised as a sports car, because it isnt, its a muscle car. Its designed to go fast in a straight line while making a huge scene, and IMO it pulls it of very well. If you asked me they should never have releasd a V6 mustang, as i think they have always been V8s in the past, correct me if im wrong.

Frankly IMO the stang never was built to handle, but if they can be improved to become well handling machines then its only a good thing.

To be honest the stang is a love or hate thing, either you get the stang or you dont. If you dont like it youll slate it into the hills, but if you like it youll guard it with your life. Personally i would have taken gibbos stang over spies 911 turbo, and i aint kidding, but i love the stang for what it is, not for how crap people think it is.

Gibbo · 1 Aug 2007 at 07:19

6thElement said:
I just drove the V6, which I realise isn't the top of the line so probably lacks in some areas. But even Ford don't market the normal Mustangs as sports cars. Just "Sporty".

Hi m8

I know you don't like them but as your in America at least test drive a GT or a Roush/Saleen because the V6 really is pants.

The V6 Mustang is like say a BMW 318i which most people here would consider pretty crap. Bottom of the range, underpowered, poor handling and very basic specification.

The V8 model not only has more power/torque, its got a completely different suspension setup along with several other extras. To just drive the V6 model and say Mustangs are crap is very unfair, thats like just driving a BMW 318i and saying the 3 series is crap.

A Mustang GT V8 is a lot better in the same fashion that a 330i Sport is so much better than a bog standard 318i.

Gibbo · 1 Aug 2007 at 07:21

Stellios said:
IIRC the stang has never been advertised as a sports car, because it isnt, its a muscle car. Its designed to go fast in a straight line while making a huge scene, and IMO it pulls it of very well. If you asked me they should never have releasd a V6 mustang, as i think they have always been V8s in the past, correct me if im wrong.

Frankly IMO the stang never was built to handle, but if they can be improved to become well handling machines then its only a good thing.

To be honest the stang is a love or hate thing, either you get the stang or you dont. If you dont like it youll slate it into the hills, but if you like it youll guard it with your life. Personally i would have taken gibbos stang over spies 911 turbo, and i aint kidding, but i love the stang for what it is, not for how crap people think it is.

Hi there

Even Spie himselfs thought it was a great car, not the best handling but a long long way from crap and yes he drove it too.

penski · 1 Aug 2007 at 07:42

Stellios said:
IIRC the stang has never been advertised as a sports car, because it isnt, its a muscle car. Its designed to go fast in a straight line while making a huge scene, and IMO it pulls it of very well. If you asked me they should never have releasd a V6 mustang, as i think they have always been V8s in the past, correct me if im wrong.

You are.

They were originally released with an asthmatic straight six. There is a reason they get called pony cars; they weren't muscle cars.

*n

FakeSnake · 1 Aug 2007 at 08:17

penski said:
You are.

They were originally released with an asthmatic straight six. There is a reason they get called pony cars; they weren't muscle cars.

*n

correctamundo, I have one of the very early asthmatic straight sixes.
They were released in 1964 1/2 (mines a 1965). its a very sedate drive at the moment.

Gibbo · 1 Aug 2007 at 08:22

FakeSnake said:
correctamundo, I have one of the very early asthmatic straight sixes.
They were released in 1964 1/2 (mines a 1965). its a very sedate drive at the moment.

Hi m8

Any pics to share?

FakeSnake · 1 Aug 2007 at 08:35

Gibbo said:
Hi m8

Any pics to share?

I wont invade this thread any more

I shall go home this evening after work, and take some, and start a new thread.

JRS · 1 Aug 2007 at 08:48

eidolon said:
So it's around 1850kg? Wow, that's the same as both of my cars put together!!

Or put another way, almost exactly the same as the E60 M5. And no-one knocks that for being a tubby land yacht