Tired shocks, squishy suspension, brakes of unknown origin. We’ve all been there.
It’s like riding a snake. Will it turn? Will it brake? Will it put down power?
Maybe, maybe not. It’s like a box of chocolates.
This past weekend, I finally got to drive our Mustang project in anger. I have run other Mustangs, but up until now, I …
I know I wasn't very close to the limits of the car, but I'd agree with the sentiment.
It (obviously) didn't feel like a brand-new car, but it still felt composed.
I love that you did this.
My tuner friend and I are always at odds. My approach has always been make it run then see how awful it truly is versus and his approach of meticulously measuring everything and replacing everything that isn't perfect.
The first autocross with our Mustang revealed the brakes sucked, the diff slipped, the clutch slipped and the front springs were all wrong.
I've fixed all of those issues and we went from 4 seconds of the lead car to 1.5 seconds back. Once we change the gearing and add chassis braces the car will be competitive.
Can't wait to see how your fixes improve the car.
In reply to Tom1200 :
Me too. I'm eager to get behind the wheel once we've installed all the Club Spec upgrades.
Tom's best time with the Mustang (on horrible tires) was 39.3 as compared to my D Street time of 37.0 on Falkens. I'd wager that the tires cost him at least 2 seconds, so that bodes well for it's future competitiveness.
"Tired shocks, squishy suspension...." By the time David got behind the wheel in the last heat, everyone else on the GRM staff already had their way with it...probably the busiest car on course Saturday!
jstein77 said:Tom's best time with the Mustang (on horrible tires) was 39.3 as compared to my D Street time of 37.0 on Falkens. I'd wager that the tires cost him at least 2 seconds, so that bodes well for it's future competitiveness.
Jerry in Melbourne
And that time was on the Mustang's 17th run of the day! Pretty good sign for durability, too.
I normally take this approach but mine started out lowered a bit too far, other than that I could have made a base line run.
Ok, looking back I should have just sent it. I can confirm that the Spec S197 kit will do wonders, it's more or less what I have going on now suspension wise, just more power.
In reply to akylekoz :
I've basically done a Spec S197 on my Foxbody because the concept makes so much sense.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Yeah. My fifth and final run was my fastest. I know I was being too cautious at first.
It's autocross--just gotta drive it like it's someone else's car. Which is a shame since it's ours.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Well, cautious in that I didn’t want to hit a pole or a curb....
I didn't see any curbs or poles on the course, just on either side of it. 
So, when a car hits a pole in that lot, the sound is more hollow than you’d think. It’s still your generic loud thud. Then you have to wait for the facilities department to inspect everything and remove anything that’s hanging. They drive out in one of those lifts. The pole always wins.
Hitting a curb there generates a sharper noise: WHAM! WHAM! Almost like a gunshot. If done correctly, I have seen people clear the grassy median. In a formula car.
Even my low mile creampuff S197 is in some ways like an old worn out car. The rubber bits that haven't been upgraded are ready to be replaced due to age.
Is swapping the 11-14 upper control are legal for Spec S197, it is a direct bolt in? It uses a longer arm by moving the front bushing forward about 1".
akylekoz said:I normally take this approach but mine started out lowered a bit too far, other than that I could have made a base line run.
Ok, looking back I should have just sent it. I can confirm that the Spec S197 kit will do wonders, it's more or less what I have going on now suspension wise, just more power.
The car looks good. Soon ours will have some presence.
I've done a few HPDE days in my 300k mile E90, with unknown suspension and had an absolutely amazing time!!
Worn out! I think my racecar was worn out long before it set foot on track!
It's funny, but I was just talking about this last week. I raced my E30 M3 in a pretty competitive class earlier this month at VIR and managed a podium finish.
When my buddy and I put the car on the lift the following week we noticed both front shocks were blown and the rear suspension geometry was way off. He asked "How did you drive the car like this?"
The answer is I've been driving heaps of crap my whole life. That taught me to "drive around" problems, like handling issues, bad brakes, and transmissions with missing gears. I knew the handling was off, but it didn't bother me enough to check LOL
I think driving a heap also forces you to work on your driving as that’s one thing that can often be improved. Don’t rely on those trick shocks; work on the nut behind the wheel.
David S. Wallens said:I think driving a heap also forces you to work on your driving as that’s one thing that can often be improved. Don’t rely on those trick shocks; work on the nut behind the wheel.
I totally agree with the sentiment of not immediately throwing trick parts at a car but I will share this story:
When I first drove the D-sports Racer my fabricator friend, who radically updated the car, made some interesting comments during a test day.
"I mean this as a compliment" he said and then told me the following:
"You drive at such a high level you instantaneously and subconsciously adjust your style to drive around whatever is wrong with the car" and then he went on further to say:
"You need to start thinking about the changes you can make to the car, rather than driving around it".
That is when I bought my Carroll Smith books.
I haven't lost the ability to drive around problems, obviously, but I also think about adjusting the car at the same time now.
You guys obviously know whats wrong with the Mustang and the modifications are set but they are such a visceral car that could see someone (a cheap SOB like me) driving the car as is for a long time. LOL
I think this was also a good experience for the staff: How does a worn-out car compare to a prepped one?
Looking forward to getting the Mustang back between the cones with new suspension, fresh tires and etc.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
As I've now been converted to a full on Mustang fan boy I am watching this one with great interest.
Driving the Mustang was definitely a different experience than driving the GTI. You can tell the Mustang has some worn out parts compared to all the new shiny parts we had on the MK7 GTI but it was still a ton of fun. Like David, I can not wait to see how it feels once we get some of the Club Spec parts bolted on.
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