Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:David S. Wallens said:Today’s progress: a second key and non-gross fobs.
Who programmed the key for you? I thought you had to go to a dealer for that.
A local locksmith programmed the key. Cost was about $80 for the key and the programming. Took just a few minutes. He needed access to the car.
I programmed the fobs using instructions I found online. The trick, sort of: You have to program all of the fobs at once.
In reply to ZOO (Forum Supporter) :
Same. Easier (and cheap enough) to swap them out than it is to rebuild them.
Another chronic issue I had on a 2014 S197 (non-Torsen) is that the diff got hot, which causes gear oil to spew out of the axle vent. A finned cover and expansion tank on the axle is the cure.
In reply to Loweguy5 :
FWIW, our car came with an upper strut bar already installed but, yeah, I foresee some bushing replacement in the future.
I have read that this chassis doesn't even need a strut tower brace. Mine had one until I upgraded the intake, now it doesn't fit and I haven't missed it. There is one that fits over superchargers and tall intakes but I forget which one or maybe it goes around it.
akylekoz said:I have read that this chassis doesn't even need a strut tower brace. Mine had one until I upgraded the intake, now it doesn't fit and I haven't missed it. There is one that fits over superchargers and tall intakes but I forget which one or maybe it goes around it.
Yeah, Vorshlag says that the chassis is stiff enough that they aren't needed. They know a thing or two about making these cars go fast, so I trust them.
Anyone wanna buy an upper strut brace? 
Is it the kind of bar where you can unfastened one end and use a ziptie to mark how much it moves around?
I was going to joke that the Mustang feels like an American M3 but, looking at the numbers, most are fairly close. (And looking at the E46 M3 since I know a little about that one.)
Weight is closer than expected–3450 pounds for the Mustang, 3415 for the M3–although the Mustang sits more than 10 inches longer.
I remember really falling for the S197 when we first drove them. It’s all coming back.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Was it this generation or the next one that was the highest selling performance coupe in Germany for a while?
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
That, to be honest, I don’t know. Maybe?
The numbers overtook the competition in 2016, per a quick Googling, so that'd be the next generation.
Apparently the runners up were the 911 and Audi TT.
David S. Wallens said:I was going to joke that the Mustang feels like an American M3 but, looking at the numbers, most are fairly close. (And looking at the E46 M3 since I know a little about that one.)
Weight is closer than expected–3450 pounds for the Mustang, 3415 for the M3–although the Mustang sits more than 10 inches longer.
I remember really falling for the S197 when we first drove them. It’s all coming back.
I've always said ours ('11 V6 six speed) is similar to my old E36 M3. The two engines share similar power bands, though the Mustang is considerably more powerful in 3.7 form. Great steering, easy to drive, balanced. I'd take the E36 M3 all day over it, but at 1/3 of the cost . . . hard to beat.
David S. Wallens said:I was going to joke that the Mustang feels like an American M3 but, looking at the numbers, most are fairly close. (And looking at the E46 M3 since I know a little about that one.)
Weight is closer than expected–3450 pounds for the Mustang, 3415 for the M3–although the Mustang sits more than 10 inches longer.
I remember really falling for the S197 when we first drove them. It’s all coming back.
I can't find it now, but I remember back in 2005 hearing that the E46's front suspension design heavily influenced the S197.
David S. Wallens said:Current tires on the Mustang: Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus
I would view those tires as a good sign when buying a car- at least the previous owner spent some money on a decent UHP all-season vs the cheapest set he could afford at the local tire shop. It would lead me to believe someone might have actually cared about the car.
Either way, solid find and great content!
In reply to roninsoldier83 :
Yeah, we said the same thing.
Once everyone’s back from this week’s PRI Show, we’ll have a spa day.
David S. Wallens said:In reply to roninsoldier83 :
Once everyone’s back from this week’s PRI Show, we’ll have a spa day.
Spa-Francorchamps I hope.
Not to be a nay-sayer, but the S197 can benefit from anti-flex upgrades.
YRMV
theruleslawyer said:David S. Wallens said:In reply to roninsoldier83 :
Once everyone’s back from this week’s PRI Show, we’ll have a spa day.
Spa-Francorchamps I hope.
Similar but instead picture us cleaning a red Mustang.
David S. Wallens said:I was going to joke that the Mustang feels like an American M3 but, looking at the numbers, most are fairly close. (And looking at the E46 M3 since I know a little about that one.)
Weight is closer than expected–3450 pounds for the Mustang, 3415 for the M3–although the Mustang sits more than 10 inches longer.
An interesting comparison - I have a 2013 S197, my son has a 2008 E90 M3. I was going to throw the Mustang-custom fitted car cover over the M3 one day, and lo and behold... It fits perfectly. Mirror bags are in the exact right position, the roof seams on the car cover come right down the C pillars on the M3. It was really freaky. The lack of a rear antenna and the empty piece for that is the only thing wrong for the M3.
In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah, can totally see that.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
I suspect my bigger gain was the rear track bar and the mount reinforcement (done at the same time as the tower brace), but my driving impression immediately after was that the car turned quicker and the rear end moved less side-to-side. If I buy another one (heck, WHEN I buy another one!), I'll repeat the exact same upgrades again.
Sadly I did not ever run mine with stock suspension. Day one was with a Steeda, Koni, upgrade, that got me a 1:54 at Gingerman. Brakes and a Torsen put me in the 1:50 club with a sub 1:50 lap. This is with my eight year old 255/285 340 TW tires, next up 200TW 275 square setup.
In reply to akylekoz :
275 Square on 10" Wheels?
Asking for .................
Me
Thanks
In reply to RacingComputers :
9.5" GT500 wheels, until I can afford for Apex 18 x 10 or 10.5.
I'm going up in width on the front and down in the back, adjusting the sway bar and sending it. We shall see.
Thanks
Sounds like a plan
Details please as they evolve
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