Living with a 2012 Mustang...
03-24-2014, 11:09 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14
Living with a 2012 Mustang...
Ok, so maybe I WAS a little harsh in my first post. I had a bad morning in her and I needed to vent...I am no troll trying to bash Mustangs. I LOVE Mustangs and if you saw my mantle (will post some pics later), you would know how much I love them. I am an engineer, software instructor, technical writer and former auto technician who used to work for a Mustang and Ford Performance shop and I had a chance to build, drive and drool over almost every kind of Mustang known to man. I specialized in Fox body cars but I know the early modular cars as well. The Terminator cars are my favorites. I still want a Black on Black '03 but loan values and terms on the older cars would put me around $750-$800 a month and that's too much of a bite out of single parents budget for me. One day I will have one as a second car but having driven a modified customers car for a few days to diagnose a problem I know these cars can be a bear to drive everyday. A performance clutch in heavy traffic with a bad left knee day in and day out is not my idea of a good time. I had to get something that I could live with that still had some spirit. Having owned a '93 5.0 LX when it was new, I swore when the Coyote engine came out I would own another one. I drove a few 5.0s before I bought this one, but in the real world I decided to give a new 305 horse 6 speed car a chance. I have to tell you, this thing would have ran away from my old V8 car in stock form. I was really surprised at how far the V6 has come having driven a few modified ones back in the day and they still seemed to just barely be competitive with the V8 cars after spending thousands of dollars. Back then there was a lot of truth to 'Dude, you coulda had a V8'. This car reminds me in ways of my beloved LX. In other ways, not so much...
That said, let me tell you what makes me say I hate this car. I don't hate it, I loved it when I finally realized that this was the one I wanted and there is a story how I almost lost the car before I had even driven it off of the lot. I'll tell that one another day but there are some things that I have noticed and the longer I live with it, the more it drives me nuts. I'll take each area by category.
My main complaint about the car is all of the electronic do-dads that connect (interfere with) your inputs to the vehicle. Sometimes I feel Like I am just along for the ride and having 'may I please' conversations with the HAL 9000 system in charge of engine management and Stabilitrac. 'I'm sorry Dave, I cannot allow that...' It tries to kill me on a daily basis when I'm in a hurry and don't take the six seconds it takes, which can seem like forever when your late for work, to sit and turn off the Stabilitrac. When I'm having to get on it to turn in an intersection or catch second to beat the guy next to me at a lane merger, it will override your right foot just when you need it the most. Oncoming truck? 'Cannot allow wheelspin Dave.., input denied.' The first time it happened I assumed that turning off the traction control turned everything off. Wrong. 'Cannot allow oversteer Dave, input denied.' It was this forum that I learned that I had to sit stationary with my foot on the brake to turn it all off. I feel like I am having to ask my car for permission to drive it and it doesn't stop there. And by the way, my name isn't really Dave it just keeps calling me that...
The lag between the computer translations to perform various timing and fuel adjustments and throttle by wire engagement can be perceived in the seat of the pants and the delay from the time my foot translates to the rear wheels can seem like an eternity when you need to pass someone or sneak into a gap in traffic. Again, I feel like I am asking for permission to speed up and sometimes the gap closes before the engine adjusts and it goes. My LX never questioned my authority, it just did it. Period. And the high RPM 'hang' when revving the engine between shifts just drives me nuts. BAMA tune can remove that emissions related setting but its kinda embarrassing when you hit it a little in first and don't shift to second and it takes a day and a half for the revs to come back down to shift back into first. And I already know that the very management systems are the reason that it can pull 305hp and still get 20 in the city and 30+hwy in the real world. I guess many will say its a trade off. I guess I'm judging this car unfairly in the lens of the old car.
But I'll proceed...
When I found this car they had 2 Mustang Club of America cars, one Performance Package no SYNC with standard interior and one with no PP and premium interior and alarm package. After driving both cars I really didn't notice that much of a difference and springs and gear are usually the first things I would do to one. I liked the Shelby style dark wheels and nice interior and SYNC so I picked this one.
After driving it for a few days I started to notice more and more that the suspension was not very well sorted out in the stock car. The clunky ride, soft springs and lift/dive/roll dynamics of the car didn't inspire much confidence when being pushed even a little bit. I have changed them and that is much better now but it has only started me in a quest for what I want to do next to get over the wheelhop issue. I put Motorsport 1" springs but it still sits too high for me. I will go lower when I change the control arms and panhard bar. I may have to get a second job to afford everything I want to do to it...
The next thing that Ford got wrong can be summed up in 2 letters and 2 numbers. MT82. Oh how I loathe thee. I have driven (and destroyed) many a Mustang transmission in my day. World Class T5s, T45s, T56s, TKOs, 3550s, etc.. I have never had one refuse to do its job like this one. Some days its just grumpy to do anything. Popping out of first gear on a cold morning is nothing unusual. Second gear under hard acceleration isn't always there when you need it. 'Your RPM's are too high Dave, Input denied...' I'm sensing a conspiracy here.
I have changed the awful stock shift **** to a billet ball and boot retainer and changed the dish sponge shifter bushing to an Energy Suspension unit but it still refuses to shift into 2nd and 3rd sometimes. It even balked the other day at 4th after winding 3rd pulling an on ramp to merge with 75mph traffic. The brilliantly designed remote shifter feels like it's attached by 3 pieces of linguine and just does not have the positive feel that the top loaders do. Even my 06 Focus ST shifted better than this thing. It never flatout refused to do its job like this one does. I'm going to change the shifter and put a billet shifter support when I can afford it. 'Welcome to (insert fast food name here) May I take your order?'
Now to the interior. Now its not all bad, The dash is well laid out and the changeable lights are a neat feature. Cup holders are oddly sized and in a terrible location and I once drenched a date and everything in the console when I smashed the top of a Styrofoam cup with a hasty second gear engagement under stress in traffic. I wonder why she never returned my calls... The seat material isn't bad and seems to be holding up well but the bolsters are weak and flex when you need them to hold you in place during cornering. Boss seats, $3000. 'Would you like fries with that?'
I find the interior to be uncomfortable and it is almost impossible to get settled if you are wearing a jacket. The seatbelts are terrible and if you can reach it in the back seat and get it on it will punish you by digging its latch into your hip, cutting your neck with bad placement and high pre-tension and it will strap you to the seat like a gimp in an S&M session at the slightest acceleration or braking. Did I forget my safe word? Can you let me lean up to look to see if something is coming? 'I'm sorry Dave, I cannot allow that' There it goes calling me Dave again.
So at the end of the day I do like the car in certain aspects but it annoys me to no end every time I get in it in some way or another and somewhere along the way, federal safety and fuel economy regulations have just about removed us from actually enjoying the process of driving. From overbearing stability control to vague electric steering, I just feel like I am once removed from what makes the car go, stop and turn. I am heavily weighing just taking what I would spend on upgrades and pay down the balance so I won't get killed selling it. It was a Certified car so i got a great rate so i should be able to build some equity in it soon but I really want to find a nice 03-04 GT. I have not decided which way I will go. I would love to order the entire American Muscle catalog but being a single dad it takes me weeks or months to afford anything above my budget and that's not counting anything catastrophic happening to a house or a kid. I can't spend another $10k just to fix the things Ford dropped the ball on. That's enough to park a Harley next to it.
'Would you like to Supersize that sir?'
That said, let me tell you what makes me say I hate this car. I don't hate it, I loved it when I finally realized that this was the one I wanted and there is a story how I almost lost the car before I had even driven it off of the lot. I'll tell that one another day but there are some things that I have noticed and the longer I live with it, the more it drives me nuts. I'll take each area by category.
My main complaint about the car is all of the electronic do-dads that connect (interfere with) your inputs to the vehicle. Sometimes I feel Like I am just along for the ride and having 'may I please' conversations with the HAL 9000 system in charge of engine management and Stabilitrac. 'I'm sorry Dave, I cannot allow that...' It tries to kill me on a daily basis when I'm in a hurry and don't take the six seconds it takes, which can seem like forever when your late for work, to sit and turn off the Stabilitrac. When I'm having to get on it to turn in an intersection or catch second to beat the guy next to me at a lane merger, it will override your right foot just when you need it the most. Oncoming truck? 'Cannot allow wheelspin Dave.., input denied.' The first time it happened I assumed that turning off the traction control turned everything off. Wrong. 'Cannot allow oversteer Dave, input denied.' It was this forum that I learned that I had to sit stationary with my foot on the brake to turn it all off. I feel like I am having to ask my car for permission to drive it and it doesn't stop there. And by the way, my name isn't really Dave it just keeps calling me that...
The lag between the computer translations to perform various timing and fuel adjustments and throttle by wire engagement can be perceived in the seat of the pants and the delay from the time my foot translates to the rear wheels can seem like an eternity when you need to pass someone or sneak into a gap in traffic. Again, I feel like I am asking for permission to speed up and sometimes the gap closes before the engine adjusts and it goes. My LX never questioned my authority, it just did it. Period. And the high RPM 'hang' when revving the engine between shifts just drives me nuts. BAMA tune can remove that emissions related setting but its kinda embarrassing when you hit it a little in first and don't shift to second and it takes a day and a half for the revs to come back down to shift back into first. And I already know that the very management systems are the reason that it can pull 305hp and still get 20 in the city and 30+hwy in the real world. I guess many will say its a trade off. I guess I'm judging this car unfairly in the lens of the old car.
But I'll proceed...
When I found this car they had 2 Mustang Club of America cars, one Performance Package no SYNC with standard interior and one with no PP and premium interior and alarm package. After driving both cars I really didn't notice that much of a difference and springs and gear are usually the first things I would do to one. I liked the Shelby style dark wheels and nice interior and SYNC so I picked this one.
After driving it for a few days I started to notice more and more that the suspension was not very well sorted out in the stock car. The clunky ride, soft springs and lift/dive/roll dynamics of the car didn't inspire much confidence when being pushed even a little bit. I have changed them and that is much better now but it has only started me in a quest for what I want to do next to get over the wheelhop issue. I put Motorsport 1" springs but it still sits too high for me. I will go lower when I change the control arms and panhard bar. I may have to get a second job to afford everything I want to do to it...
The next thing that Ford got wrong can be summed up in 2 letters and 2 numbers. MT82. Oh how I loathe thee. I have driven (and destroyed) many a Mustang transmission in my day. World Class T5s, T45s, T56s, TKOs, 3550s, etc.. I have never had one refuse to do its job like this one. Some days its just grumpy to do anything. Popping out of first gear on a cold morning is nothing unusual. Second gear under hard acceleration isn't always there when you need it. 'Your RPM's are too high Dave, Input denied...' I'm sensing a conspiracy here.
I have changed the awful stock shift **** to a billet ball and boot retainer and changed the dish sponge shifter bushing to an Energy Suspension unit but it still refuses to shift into 2nd and 3rd sometimes. It even balked the other day at 4th after winding 3rd pulling an on ramp to merge with 75mph traffic. The brilliantly designed remote shifter feels like it's attached by 3 pieces of linguine and just does not have the positive feel that the top loaders do. Even my 06 Focus ST shifted better than this thing. It never flatout refused to do its job like this one does. I'm going to change the shifter and put a billet shifter support when I can afford it. 'Welcome to (insert fast food name here) May I take your order?'
Now to the interior. Now its not all bad, The dash is well laid out and the changeable lights are a neat feature. Cup holders are oddly sized and in a terrible location and I once drenched a date and everything in the console when I smashed the top of a Styrofoam cup with a hasty second gear engagement under stress in traffic. I wonder why she never returned my calls... The seat material isn't bad and seems to be holding up well but the bolsters are weak and flex when you need them to hold you in place during cornering. Boss seats, $3000. 'Would you like fries with that?'
I find the interior to be uncomfortable and it is almost impossible to get settled if you are wearing a jacket. The seatbelts are terrible and if you can reach it in the back seat and get it on it will punish you by digging its latch into your hip, cutting your neck with bad placement and high pre-tension and it will strap you to the seat like a gimp in an S&M session at the slightest acceleration or braking. Did I forget my safe word? Can you let me lean up to look to see if something is coming? 'I'm sorry Dave, I cannot allow that' There it goes calling me Dave again.
So at the end of the day I do like the car in certain aspects but it annoys me to no end every time I get in it in some way or another and somewhere along the way, federal safety and fuel economy regulations have just about removed us from actually enjoying the process of driving. From overbearing stability control to vague electric steering, I just feel like I am once removed from what makes the car go, stop and turn. I am heavily weighing just taking what I would spend on upgrades and pay down the balance so I won't get killed selling it. It was a Certified car so i got a great rate so i should be able to build some equity in it soon but I really want to find a nice 03-04 GT. I have not decided which way I will go. I would love to order the entire American Muscle catalog but being a single dad it takes me weeks or months to afford anything above my budget and that's not counting anything catastrophic happening to a house or a kid. I can't spend another $10k just to fix the things Ford dropped the ball on. That's enough to park a Harley next to it.
'Would you like to Supersize that sir?'
03-26-2014, 08:55 AM
#5
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,044
I have an auto tranny that does that high rpm hang, I'll soon see if a custom tune from motorvationefi can solve that. I had to lower mine 1 1/2 " w/ brackets to stop wheelhop myself, Great post, $20,000 sports car Humbug!
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