xkape

Blueper - thank you!

robins - Can't say on stock but, what I can tell you is that my car grips the road better than 90% of every other mustang on the road. My Roush Stage 3 suspension can be bought as a complete kit from Roush Performance if it bothers you that bad.

robinsonda1

Thanks, and nice ride by the way.

MiniD

One thing to note about convertables is there is no rear quarter window. The top-up visibility isn't as good as the coupe either in the blind spot or rear view. The top down visibility is awesome The mustang also has a blind spot bubble-mirror on the rear views which would help immensely with the no rear quarter mirror. In all fairness, the mustang doesn't have the best rear quarter window either.

JimC

The S197 is a pretty stiff chassis/unibody. Not at all like the SN95 or Fox - I raced mine regularly and while I never quite got a wheel off the ground, the front lifted pretty good and there was no bending or twisting in the body. Still straight after 203,000 miles.

A friend has a 2005 convertible with over 600 rwhp and tons of torque. I drove his car once and was my first experience with both wheels off the ground at launch. His car is still straight. So don't be concerned about the convertible.

robinsonda1

I had a 2010 GT that I had to sell before coming over here and I remember it being very rigid. As for the visibility I can sure see what you're saying about that but hopefully the top will bee down most of the time. I wonder if the new 2015 is going to have a vert as that's probably what I'll be getting.

05screaminyellow

he is right i had a 1987 GT vert and it was like a limp wet noodle compared the chassis of my 05 both stock suspensions

as far as twist and handling rigidness etc they are great compared to the fox platform again, and ride much nicer then the fox too

i love my vert ill always have one once you have one you wont wanna be without

SD 197

Compared to the previous generation of Convertibles, the S197 is quite stiff. Though maybe I'm more sensitive than most people here, my Vert is definitely less stiff than our coupe.

You will notice it when hitting bumps, it feels about 30% more harsh than the coupe. Adding a strut brace bar has helped, but it will not alleviate it completely. There is a company that sells a pretty beefy subframe connector for the S197 vert, I'm looking into that. Cowl shake is also present under harsh conditions. This is a convertible, they will never be as stiff as a coupe, but it is pretty solid for a convertible.

There also just the normal convertible aspects you will need to deal with. Such as special cleaning and condition products in order to keep the top at it's best. Just a little more time to take care of than a coupe, but worth it in my opinion. Most tops will need to be replaced anywhere from 5-8 years from normal wear and tear.

All in all, I think that after my first convertible, which is my current Mustang, I will always get a convertible, just to darn fun. Especially cruising on a cool night, just magical.

wcgman

I totally agree. OP - maybe you should see of you can rent one there? Perhaps a V6 just to see about the experience itself and then if you arent happy with the power, you could order the GT...but a vert is just a good time.

My wife calls ours "Mr. Fun"

xkape

We don't have rear quarter windows? Someone must have forgot to tell Ford because I'm pretty sure those two small windows I have to roll down each time (the ones in the rear..um.. about a quarter size of the fronts) weren't put there custom.

MiniD

Wow... you are the defensive one aren't you.

Most convertibles don't have the roll down rears. It was more a general statement. It also still has a much bigger blindspot due to the much bigger rear pillar and smaller rear window. I've yet to see the convertable that has the same top-up (or as good) view of the coupe. The Mustang (even with the small rear quarters) is no exception.