Realistically how good can a 05-09 GT handle with mods compared to what?
10-25-2013, 11:22 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: california
Posts: 91
Realistically how good can a 05-09 GT handle with mods compared to what?
Well I am having fun with my 06 Mustang GT. Well I did take it to the road course bone stock. Not so good, pushes too much in corners, feels like a barge. I am going to order some parts from Sam Strano in about a week, had to save up some cash, on a budget. Parts list is as follows:
1.Koni SRT shocks / struts.
2.Steeda Sport springs.
3.Steeda camber / caster plates.
4.UPR Panhard bar.
I am thinking of upgrading to stainless steel brake lines, 600 fluid and Hawk pads. Don't have money for big brake kit.
Better tires, any all season HP tires good enough to be used for some track days, or that does not exist?
Down the line, possible a CAI and tune and that is it. Don't want to make the wife made.
So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger.
1.Koni SRT shocks / struts.
2.Steeda Sport springs.
3.Steeda camber / caster plates.
4.UPR Panhard bar.
I am thinking of upgrading to stainless steel brake lines, 600 fluid and Hawk pads. Don't have money for big brake kit.
Better tires, any all season HP tires good enough to be used for some track days, or that does not exist?
Down the line, possible a CAI and tune and that is it. Don't want to make the wife made.
So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger.
Last edited by mungodrums; 10-26-2013 at 12:03 AM.
10-26-2013, 01:40 AM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 2,073
If your going for a road course car you can drive during the week, I think you'll want sways as well, and maybe the adjustable konis. Between the adjustable konis and the sway bars and dialing in some negative camber and lowered, it will surprise your "mustang, straight line only" buddies. You can dial it in pretty neutral and the tires stay planted and not hopping around the corner like the stock rear likes to do.
10-26-2013, 04:04 AM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 552
Steeda doesn't make camber/caster plates for the S197. They just have the Upper Strut Mounts (or camber bolts) from what I can tell. I've got a pair of the Steeda HD Upper Strut Mounts I had on my car for about 2 or 3 weeks I want to get rid of. There is nothing wrong with them, but since my alignment shop said I needed more camber adjustment and the only other option was camber bolts, I decided to to switch to the MM Camber/Caster Plates. No disrespect to Sam as I got my Koni's from him too, but I'll give you a fair price on the strut mounts, barely used. PM me if interested.
10-26-2013, 05:05 AM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,149
Well I am having fun with my 06 Mustang GT. Well I did take it to the road course bone stock. Not so good, pushes too much in corners, feels like a barge. I am going to order some parts from Sam Strano in about a week, had to save up some cash, on a budget. Parts list is as follows:
1.Koni SRT shocks / struts.
2.Steeda Sport springs.
3.Steeda camber / caster plates.
4.UPR Panhard bar.
I am thinking of upgrading to stainless steel brake lines, 600 fluid and Hawk pads. Don't have money for big brake kit.
Better tires, any all season HP tires good enough to be used for some track days, or that does not exist?
Down the line, possible a CAI and tune and that is it. Don't want to make the wife made.
So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger.
1.Koni SRT shocks / struts.
2.Steeda Sport springs.
3.Steeda camber / caster plates.
4.UPR Panhard bar.
I am thinking of upgrading to stainless steel brake lines, 600 fluid and Hawk pads. Don't have money for big brake kit.
Better tires, any all season HP tires good enough to be used for some track days, or that does not exist?
Down the line, possible a CAI and tune and that is it. Don't want to make the wife made.
So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger.
10-26-2013, 10:05 PM
#5
Well I am having fun with my 06 Mustang GT. Well I did take it to the road course bone stock. Not so good, pushes too much in corners, feels like a barge. I am going to order some parts from Sam Strano in about a week, had to save up some cash, on a budget. Parts list is as follows:
1.Koni SRT shocks / struts.
2.Steeda Sport springs.
3.Steeda camber / caster plates.
4.UPR Panhard bar.
I am thinking of upgrading to stainless steel brake lines, 600 fluid and Hawk pads. Don't have money for big brake kit.
Better tires, any all season HP tires good enough to be used for some track days, or that does not exist?
Down the line, possible a CAI and tune and that is it. Don't want to make the wife made.
So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger.
1.Koni SRT shocks / struts.
2.Steeda Sport springs.
3.Steeda camber / caster plates.
4.UPR Panhard bar.
I am thinking of upgrading to stainless steel brake lines, 600 fluid and Hawk pads. Don't have money for big brake kit.
Better tires, any all season HP tires good enough to be used for some track days, or that does not exist?
Down the line, possible a CAI and tune and that is it. Don't want to make the wife made.
So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger.
That's a decent plan. I used Koni Yellows on my '06 GT and Nitto NT05s. It handles great for a street car. (It's not a racecar)
Here's my suspension build thread. This is what worked for me:
https://mustangforums.com/forum/s197...g-package.html
10-27-2013, 01:07 AM
#6
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 289
If you want handling in the twisties, the most important item is tires. A couple to look at: BFG F1 Supercar Gen 2; BFG Rivals; I run Bridgestone S-04's and they are really good and affordable. Next the two most important items are shocks and sta-bars. Koni yellows seem to be the hot setup there. I can't tell what is hot right now on sta-bars.
Springs, camber plates, etc. are way down on the list. Not that they don't help. They will, but bang for the buck they don't give as much as the others. If you went simply with tires, shocks and sta-bars, you could make a really good handling car that is very streetable.
Springs, camber plates, etc. are way down on the list. Not that they don't help. They will, but bang for the buck they don't give as much as the others. If you went simply with tires, shocks and sta-bars, you could make a really good handling car that is very streetable.
Last edited by JThor; 10-27-2013 at 10:27 AM.
10-27-2013, 01:15 AM
#7
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 289
"So what does the above in the real world do in terms of performance, handling, it can compete or beat what on the road course, 350z, not clear about this. Just curious to know what it is competetive with. I hear too much, oh you got a mustang, that is a drag car, it can't handle too good. Input would be greatly appreciated. Yes she is my first Muscle Car. I have had my share of German cars, 912,944, MB C43 AMG, close to race spec, still have the 944. She is not too reliable, drives decent but not daily driver. Ger."
I have the track pack I from 2010, and went to Bridgestone S-04 tires. I did an autocross event with the local porsche club today. The stang holds itself well against the German's best. Once I do the shock and sta-bar upgrade, I'll cut a couple of seconds off the time.
I have the track pack I from 2010, and went to Bridgestone S-04 tires. I did an autocross event with the local porsche club today. The stang holds itself well against the German's best. Once I do the shock and sta-bar upgrade, I'll cut a couple of seconds off the time.
Last edited by JThor; 10-27-2013 at 09:53 AM.
10-28-2013, 09:15 AM
#9
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 7,635
The number one mod is seat time. Just as your street driving has improved since you were first learning to do that, so will your performance driving improve with further instruction and practice.
Wider, better tires and wider wheels to better support them in the corners. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires seem to be among the top choices if you can live with the available sizes. "Square" setup at least for the tire sizes. Forget about wheels any narrower than 9". 9.5" or 10" will still fit under the sheetmetal given the right offset, and even wider is possible if you're really careful in your research or can live with tires - these for track time only - that are not fully covered.
Koni adjustables - you'll likely outgrow STRt's at track days and you can always dial the yellows up for the track and back down when your sessions are over.
Camber that's at or beyond Ford's maximum negative (-1.5°). The further you go with this, the more you'll have to pick up the pace of your normal cornering in order to get some of the wear off the inside shoulders of the front tires.
Although it would mean disassembling and re-assembling the front suspension a second time, it isn't absolutely necessary to lower the car right away, particularly if you start off with adjustable sta-bars.
When (or if) you do the cold air and tune thing, you won't want any "race tune" that means "drag racing" (which probably means most of the tunes that are described that way). Throttle tip-in can be too aggressive, meaning it will be harder to modulate when your rear tires are up near their limits of grip (little pedal movements can command the ECU to dial in too much throttle plate movement and you end up getting too much power, and midcorner wheelspin is a bad thing). Near as I can tell, the FRPP tune is very good in this respect even though most people look down on it for giving less improvement than the "name brand" aftermarket and custom tunes.
Norm
Wider, better tires and wider wheels to better support them in the corners. Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires seem to be among the top choices if you can live with the available sizes. "Square" setup at least for the tire sizes. Forget about wheels any narrower than 9". 9.5" or 10" will still fit under the sheetmetal given the right offset, and even wider is possible if you're really careful in your research or can live with tires - these for track time only - that are not fully covered.
Koni adjustables - you'll likely outgrow STRt's at track days and you can always dial the yellows up for the track and back down when your sessions are over.
Camber that's at or beyond Ford's maximum negative (-1.5°). The further you go with this, the more you'll have to pick up the pace of your normal cornering in order to get some of the wear off the inside shoulders of the front tires.
Although it would mean disassembling and re-assembling the front suspension a second time, it isn't absolutely necessary to lower the car right away, particularly if you start off with adjustable sta-bars.
When (or if) you do the cold air and tune thing, you won't want any "race tune" that means "drag racing" (which probably means most of the tunes that are described that way). Throttle tip-in can be too aggressive, meaning it will be harder to modulate when your rear tires are up near their limits of grip (little pedal movements can command the ECU to dial in too much throttle plate movement and you end up getting too much power, and midcorner wheelspin is a bad thing). Near as I can tell, the FRPP tune is very good in this respect even though most people look down on it for giving less improvement than the "name brand" aftermarket and custom tunes.
Norm
Last edited by Norm Peterson; 10-28-2013 at 09:25 AM.
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