Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
11-26-2006, 11:23 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Posts: 5
Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
Hey guys and gals,
I'm new here and wanted to ask a question. I dropped in on my local Ford dealer Saturday to try for the first time a new GT.
Drove a 5 speed manual car. I have serious reservations about this car. I'm hoping that this is a fluke...the car I drove had no throttle response at all.
By this I mean that with the car in gear and clutch fully out (engaged) you could stab the gas pedal with no effect at all. Its like the throttle was ignoring my request. If you slowly fed in the throttle it would respond.
Let me try another approach to explain what I mean. Lets say you are in first gear and slowly feeding in throttle. I'm at lets say 3,000-3,500 rpm and I shift to second gear and then punch the throttle. Nothing happens! Sure the engine does pick up rpm but at a rate as if you were just gently feeding some gas. There was no kick and rapid exceleration. This is true no matter what gear you are in. I'm thinking that if I'm in first gear and I punch the gas it should spin the tires and all but all I got was very gentle exceleration.
I'm thinking it felt as if Ford had a valet setting on the throttle for shipping and the dealer did not reset during PDI. Certainly this is not the case but I'm just saying this is what it felt like.
Surely this is not what this car is about is it? Can anyone explain what happened here?
I'm a long time car junkie with European cars. (BMW, VW, etc.) Currently drive a '06 VW GTI and a '95 BMW M3. I wanted add another car to my garage and was really interested in the Mustang GT for its great looks and wonderfull sound and overall value for the buck but...I have great reserves here with my first experience here.
Tell me that this car I drove was flawed somehow and that I should drive another car.
Look forward to your help!
David
I'm new here and wanted to ask a question. I dropped in on my local Ford dealer Saturday to try for the first time a new GT.
Drove a 5 speed manual car. I have serious reservations about this car. I'm hoping that this is a fluke...the car I drove had no throttle response at all.
By this I mean that with the car in gear and clutch fully out (engaged) you could stab the gas pedal with no effect at all. Its like the throttle was ignoring my request. If you slowly fed in the throttle it would respond.
Let me try another approach to explain what I mean. Lets say you are in first gear and slowly feeding in throttle. I'm at lets say 3,000-3,500 rpm and I shift to second gear and then punch the throttle. Nothing happens! Sure the engine does pick up rpm but at a rate as if you were just gently feeding some gas. There was no kick and rapid exceleration. This is true no matter what gear you are in. I'm thinking that if I'm in first gear and I punch the gas it should spin the tires and all but all I got was very gentle exceleration.
I'm thinking it felt as if Ford had a valet setting on the throttle for shipping and the dealer did not reset during PDI. Certainly this is not the case but I'm just saying this is what it felt like.
Surely this is not what this car is about is it? Can anyone explain what happened here?
I'm a long time car junkie with European cars. (BMW, VW, etc.) Currently drive a '06 VW GTI and a '95 BMW M3. I wanted add another car to my garage and was really interested in the Mustang GT for its great looks and wonderfull sound and overall value for the buck but...I have great reserves here with my first experience here.
Tell me that this car I drove was flawed somehow and that I should drive another car.
Look forward to your help!
David
11-26-2006, 12:14 PM
#2
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location:
Posts: 66
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
David,
It would probably be best if test drove another GT. I've had mine for a little over a month now and I can still chirp the tires at will without any problems... Yeah, I rushed the break in period.
I don't know anything about a valet setting... maybe you should try another dealer and test drive one...
Good luck!!!!
Markus
It would probably be best if test drove another GT. I've had mine for a little over a month now and I can still chirp the tires at will without any problems... Yeah, I rushed the break in period.
I don't know anything about a valet setting... maybe you should try another dealer and test drive one...Good luck!!!!
Markus
11-26-2006, 03:54 PM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1,609
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
couple of things; for one its a new car. Its not going to respond like a "broken in car". second its a 6k rpm car so if you shift at 3-3500 and it drops to like 2nd gear around 2000rpm and your floor it...its really not going to pick up (its max tq of 320 is at 4500rpm unlike alot of 8cyc at there that hit there max tq much early)
Since my GT still stock; this is what ive "heard" that a tune will help throttle response alot.
but good luck w/ ur car shopping...man; thats a lot of fun..car shopping...
Since my GT still stock; this is what ive "heard" that a tune will help throttle response alot.
but good luck w/ ur car shopping...man; thats a lot of fun..car shopping...
11-26-2006, 04:21 PM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Posts: 290
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
if you're planning on rolling the tires when you get on the gas the first thing you're gonna want to do is turn off the traction control system. it's located above the stereo and to the right.
11-26-2006, 04:37 PM
#5
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Posts: 1,470
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
The throttle lag which you noticed is by design in order to minimize drivetrain warranty work.
The S197 Mustang has a throttle-by-wire design for the gas pedal and the throttle body, and the stock tune is programmed so that the movement of the throttle body blade is slower than the gas pedal when the latter is mashed to the floor. This in turn minimizes drivetrain shock, and thus reduces the possibility of drivetrain damage. But if the gas pedal is slowly pressed and there's little or no drivetrain shock, then the stock tune permits a linear relationship between the movement of the throttle body blade and the gas pedal.
As stated by johnnyv8, an aftermarket tune eliminates the frustrating "throttle nanny".
The S197 Mustang has a throttle-by-wire design for the gas pedal and the throttle body, and the stock tune is programmed so that the movement of the throttle body blade is slower than the gas pedal when the latter is mashed to the floor. This in turn minimizes drivetrain shock, and thus reduces the possibility of drivetrain damage. But if the gas pedal is slowly pressed and there's little or no drivetrain shock, then the stock tune permits a linear relationship between the movement of the throttle body blade and the gas pedal.
As stated by johnnyv8, an aftermarket tune eliminates the frustrating "throttle nanny".
11-26-2006, 07:58 PM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 884
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
I got a CAI and tune and now I have to relearn how to drive it.... NO MORE THROTTLE LAG AT ALL... the stock tune is horrible... If you were in the NY NY region, I'd take you out in mine. Now Throttle response is certainly not one of my probs. I say test drive another one and know that the throttle lag is easy to get rid of.
11-26-2006, 08:59 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Posts: 5
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
That is very interesting about the "throttle nanny" that some of you refer to. The way it was set in the car I drove there was no way anyone is going to "shock" the drivetrain in that car.
As long as I pushed the throttle in a very linear and slow fashion it would take throttle. But dang... that's no fun. I recently drove a C6 Corvette six speed manual and that car has throttle response, it felt brutal with each shift throwing me back into the seat! Let alone the ability to spin the tires going around corners and indeed going straight. Wow! I was hoping that the GT could do the same...of course in a slightly reduced fashion owing to 300HP vs 400HP.
So some of you say to try another car. Is the throttle issue that different from car to car? The overall impression is favorable for me to consider getting a GT. But before I go further I will need to try another car that hopfully has a reduced amount of throttle lag.
What is this tune that is mentioned? Is it a reflash to the ECM to allow better throttle response? I know that the GT now has "drive by wire" as do many other cars now. Most that I've driven with such a setup have been great.
As long as I have your ear, I see that you can order a 3.55 axle. I'm guessing that it is a no brainer and the 3.55 is the way to go?
Thanks again for your input.
David
As long as I pushed the throttle in a very linear and slow fashion it would take throttle. But dang... that's no fun. I recently drove a C6 Corvette six speed manual and that car has throttle response, it felt brutal with each shift throwing me back into the seat! Let alone the ability to spin the tires going around corners and indeed going straight. Wow! I was hoping that the GT could do the same...of course in a slightly reduced fashion owing to 300HP vs 400HP.
So some of you say to try another car. Is the throttle issue that different from car to car? The overall impression is favorable for me to consider getting a GT. But before I go further I will need to try another car that hopfully has a reduced amount of throttle lag.
What is this tune that is mentioned? Is it a reflash to the ECM to allow better throttle response? I know that the GT now has "drive by wire" as do many other cars now. Most that I've driven with such a setup have been great.
As long as I have your ear, I see that you can order a 3.55 axle. I'm guessing that it is a no brainer and the 3.55 is the way to go?
Thanks again for your input.
David
11-26-2006, 09:20 PM
#9
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 6
RE: Just test drove a '07 GT 5speed
Hi,
New here also. My last car was a '97 V6 Camaro that I've had for 7 years or so. I'm getting rid of it soon. I am driving a Toyota Corolla right now... Anyway...
I test drove a 2007 GT today also, 5 spd. The dealer showed me that it had trac control when we were coming back into the dealership after the ride. And when he pushed the button for the first time it turned "off". He pushed it again and it came back on. What surprised me though is that I chirped the tires in 2nd gear during the drive while the trac control WAS ON I think. Twice. And I didn't notice any power lagging going on. Maybe I'm just not used to V8's
I did notice that it takes a bit of revving to get to that upper power band that the car seems to have though, but I was able to shift from 2nd to 5th at about 60 mph. Didn't look down at the RPM's but she was screamin'! Yes we were speeding hehe.
The clutch was a lot more sensitive than I was used to and starts engaging "lower" than I'm used to. So of course I stalled it once before coming out of the dealership to the road. Got used to it quick though.
Anyway just letting you guys know my impressions on the car. It might be 3 months or so before I actually buy one, and I might not buy one at all, but seems like a great car.
New here also. My last car was a '97 V6 Camaro that I've had for 7 years or so. I'm getting rid of it soon. I am driving a Toyota Corolla right now... Anyway...
I test drove a 2007 GT today also, 5 spd. The dealer showed me that it had trac control when we were coming back into the dealership after the ride. And when he pushed the button for the first time it turned "off". He pushed it again and it came back on. What surprised me though is that I chirped the tires in 2nd gear during the drive while the trac control WAS ON I think. Twice. And I didn't notice any power lagging going on. Maybe I'm just not used to V8's
I did notice that it takes a bit of revving to get to that upper power band that the car seems to have though, but I was able to shift from 2nd to 5th at about 60 mph. Didn't look down at the RPM's but she was screamin'! Yes we were speeding hehe.
The clutch was a lot more sensitive than I was used to and starts engaging "lower" than I'm used to. So of course I stalled it once before coming out of the dealership to the road. Got used to it quick though.
Anyway just letting you guys know my impressions on the car. It might be 3 months or so before I actually buy one, and I might not buy one at all, but seems like a great car.
