RollTide87

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to run a track day at Barber Motorsports Park. Actually, it was almost like two track days. I ran part of the day in a track prepped Miata (similar to a spec Miata; coil-over suspension, race tires and brakes, full roll cage with stripped interior, 5-pt harness, etc.) then a couple sessions in my bone-stock 07 GT/CS. For those not familiar, Barber is a gorgeous 2.3 mile, 15 turn, 90-ft elevlation change world class road course near Birmingham. It is very technical and except for the front straight, you are constantly working turns or setting up for the next set of turns.

Going from the Miata to the Mustang was oposite ends of the spectrum... kinda like going from a scaple to a machette. The Miata probably weighed less than 2000 lbs and was like a go-kart. It was very forgiving and could fly through the turns and could be placed within inches of your intended line. Mid-course corrections and recovering from mistakes was a breeze. Of course, on the straights, my ride-along instructor said the "hamsters under the hood are running on the wheel as hard as they can." The Mustang did quite well for bone-stock. While there is a bit more body roll than would be preferred it tracks well and the factory BFG tires have good grip and seemed pretty predictable. The steering is a bit light on feel but tracks well and handles well in the numerous sweepers around Barber. In general, just leaving it in 3rd gear would keep it in the power band and picking up the throttle early would induce slight oversteer and help it to rotate. While it never let you forget it was a much bigger heavier car than the Miata, it was still a blast to drive. I estimated the Miata probably carried a 15 mph advantage through the corners, the Mustang was 15 mph faster at the end of the straights. Much less margin for error in the Mustange with the high terminal speed, more weight, and stock brakes. While the course is not particularly hard on brakes there were a couple of sections where they faded pretty bad.

Which leads me to my questions for the suspension experts around here: I plan to run 3-5 track days a year but the car needs to remain a comfortable part-time daily driver and road trip car. I plan to upgrade to high-temp brake fluid, SS lines, and better pads. Are there any pads that can handle track days and a still liveable on a daily basis. I have read about Hawk HP + and HPS. Can the HP+ be used as street in a relatively warm climate? Can the HPS survive a track day?

I have also seen posts regarding brake duct kits. Can these be ran on a frequently driven street car? Does it push dirt and debris into the brake area? Does it push a lot of water into the brake area if driven in the rain?

Are there other suspension mods to consider. I have not desire to make massive changes to the suspension nor do I want to do anything that has a significant negative impact on ride quality. I do plan to make some common drivetrain mods like intake/tune, Hurst short-throw shifter, and lower rear gears.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

muswang

How much are you willing to spend?
I have 06 GT and plan to take my car to the track a few times a year. The car is also a DD.
So far, I have replaced stock springs with Pro-kit springs and am planning to replace shocks with Tokico Dspec adjustable springs. Those should help with body roll. I have heard nothing but good reviews on how easy it is to adjust the shocks from DD to track.
The pro-kit springs and tokico shocks are a popular combo on this forum.
Hope this helps.

Argonaut

I'll give you a bump here.

That's a nice write-up, thanks for sharing your impressions with us. I have Eibach Pro and D-Specs. Very liveable for DD...a firmer ride but not harsh and no problems scraping yet. I have not had it on a track so can't help you there.

RollTide87

Thanks for the responses. I am very leery about installing stiffer/lower springs. I would have to ride in a car with them for an extended time before. Prior to the Mustang, I was involved with Miata's and rode in several with aftermarket springs and they were near unbearable. I like the ride in the Mustang as is. First priority is brakes. There were a couple of times where I thought I wasn't going to get slowed down enough to make the turns.