2024 Mustang GT Performance Pack vs Camaro SS 1LE

If you want a 2024 Mustang GT that can go around corners, step up for the Dark Horse. But the 10-Speed Auto is pretty quick in a straight line.

The 2024 Mustang GT is a new-generation Mustang. The S550 cars have now been replaced by the shiny new S650. And like any new generation of sports car, we expect the latest and greatest to be faster than the old model. However, in the case of the new Mustang that does not seem to be the case. Not only is the S650 Mustang GT slower than the S550. But to rub a bit more salt into the wound, it is also slower than the aging and going-out-of-production Camaro SS 1LE. Has Ford lost the plot?

A video was recently posted on the Throttle House YouTube channel that shows the 2024 Mustang GT competing with the Camaro SS 1LE. And if you are a Mustang fan, the results are not going to make you very happy. Unless you happen to already own an S550 Mustang GT with Performance Package Level 2. Because your older Mustang will put a beating on the newest Mustang. How can this be? Let’s take a look.

The Cars

The Mustang in the race is a GT Premium with the Performance Package. It has 486-hp, hooked up to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and weighs 3,832 pounds. The Performance Package comes with larger wheels, Brembo brakes, a larger rear sway bar, a strut tower brace, a k-brace, a larger rear wing, and unique chassis and stability control tuning. The Camaro SS also has a 10-speed automatic and makes 455 hp and weighs 3,823 pounds. The Camaro has the 1LE package which includes some track-ready gear such as a performance-tuned suspension, front splitter, electronic limited-slip diff, Brembo brakes, and sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 tires.

Straight Line Fun

All is not lost. There is some good news here. In a quarter-mile drag race from a dig the new Mustang GT beats the Camaro SS 1LE by a car length. And in the roll race, the results are similar. The Mustang pips the Camaro by about a car length. So, if your main source of enjoyment is ripping your Mustang down a quarter-mile track or from streetlight to streetlight, you are going to be happy with the 2024 Mustang GT. The problem comes in when you show the new Mustang some corners. Ford decided to make the Dark Horse their track-focused model. And that is fine, but they did it at the expense of the Performance Package-equipped Mustang GT. With the S550 generation, opting for PP2 got you a bargain price Shelby. With the S650 you need a Dark Horse to get the best track goodies.

Lap Times

The Camaro in the test was not brand new, it has a slight track alignment, but the brakes and tires were not as fresh as those on the Mustang. But for the sake of comparison, it put up 1:11.83 lap time. The 2024 Mustang GT could only manage a 1:14.17 lap time. A nearly 2.5-second slower time is a massive deficit on a track this short. To make matters worse the S550 Mustang GT with Performance Package Level 2 managed a 1:12.77 which is significantly faster than the new car. Performance Package or not, the 2024 Mustang GT is simply not a track car. The new Honda Civic Type R is faster than the new Mustang GT. Ouch.

Why?

One of the reasons the new Mustang GT did so poorly is that it is shod with Pirelli P Zero tires. Pirelli makes some good tires, but the P Zero is not one of them. Put a set of Michelin PS4S tires, or Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 tires on the Mustang and we bet at least a full second improvement would be realized. But more important than the tires, is the fact that Ford decided that the Dark Horse is for the track addicts. The GT just doesn’t have the goods. The Dark Horse has an optional Handling Package that includes things like Pirelli Trofeo RS tires (these are the good ones), revised chassis tuning, a rear spoiler with a Gurney flap and adjustable strut top mounts.

If you live your life a quarter mile at a time the 2024 Mustang GT will make you happy. But if you like a track that has a few curves, then the Mustang GT might leave you wanting.

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