ou701
Member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2015
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 34
- Location
- Sydney Australia
- Vehicle(s)
- 2015 Ford Mustang GT
- Thread starter
- #1
For the first time, I selected ‘Track Mode’ and left it there! Traction Control? Who needs it? Certainly not me, with my helmet on and a flag marshal ready to give me the ‘go’ signal…
I had always intended to use my Mustang GT on the track occasionally, just to be able to really wind it out, without having to worry about speed limits, or cops hiding around the next corner. I have enjoyed track days in the past with previous cars and I thought the S550 Mustang had the potential to handle my daily commuting chores and, with a few carefully chosen modifications, work pretty well on the racetrack too. When the car arrived, I delivered it straight to City Performance Centre in Artarmon, Sydney to add a few enhancements from my ‘wish list.’ They fitted ST XTA fully adjustable coil over suspension (made by KW in Germany), a Steeda ‘Stop The Hop’ kit for the rear end and a Steeda G - Trac under-body brace to stiffen up the body.
Then went on to add a set of 20 inch HRE FF01 wheels and Michelin Super Sport 2 tyres, rather than my initial choice of Michelin Cup 2 tyres - the CPC crew warned the ‘Cups’ didn’t like wet weather at all. Probably a wise choice as my Mustang is my daily driver, not a weekend sunny day ‘toy.’ Finally, I also asked CPC to raise the brake pedal so I could heel and toe more easily and fit a Steeda clutch spring. Everything else is mechanically standard, including the engine, exhaust and brakes.
After 9 months of ownership, I took the plunge and decided to try the car at Wakefield Park, near Goulburn - unfortunately on a hot February day, with temperatures in the mid-thirties. Wakefield is a bit tight and twisty for a big, relatively heavy car like the Mustang, but it’s a pretty safe circuit and I know it quite well, having taken part in a few track events there in the past. The plan was to discover more about the car and just have fun rather than to attempt any quick lap times.
Passengers were allowed on the day and my wife (an enthusiastic passenger, luckily for me) came along for the ride while I explored the capabilities of the car, doing my best not to scare either of us. Fortunately, the Mustang felt very confidence inspiring and well balanced right from the start, although getting the power down out of the two tight corners demanded some patience and, especially out of the ultra tight ‘Fish Hook’ corner - an early shift into third was the only way to avoid the back stepping out. Overall, it was about as predictable as you could wish for and, to be totally honest, it’s something I’d found hard to discover on the road because, at most sane/legal speeds, it just goes around corners with masses of grip and next to no roll, except in the wet, of course, when it demands some respect.
The brakes coped pretty well, although the combination of a tight circuit, four hard braking points and an ultra hot day saw the pedal go a bit ‘soft’ after about eight reasonably fast laps. I deliberately braked a little early through the day and made a mental note to consider competition brake fluid, pads and JLT cooling ducts for any future track outings at Wakefield.
After a few more sessions the heat on the track kept on rising, along with the water temperature gauge. Rather than push my luck, I brought it into the pits before the end of a couple of sessions had finished before everything got too hot, although just slowing down for a couple of minutes saw the needle return to ‘Normal.’
The day was organised by a bunch of friendly Alfa Romeo historic racing fanatics (not natural Mustang fans you might imagine), nevertheless the car attracted plenty of attention and compliments, with a few people saying it looked impressively sorted on the track. Interestingly, it was no quicker down the main straight than a couple of fast Golf Type R’s, with 4WD traction out of the entry corner and possibly ‘breathed on’ a little, but I could pull away from them through all the quicker corners. The standard V8 is hardly slow, but who doesn’t want more power? Overall, I’m very happy with my chosen handling – biased set-up, although I know there are countless alternative suspension choices available out there. That’s the great thing about Mustangs – you can make them whatever you want them to be, for less money than most competitors.
I was blown away with how the Mustang went on the track. It was great fun to drive, felt safe (my wife said it felt much less scary than my previous BMW M3 E46) and, apart from my rear number plate falling off (found it in the long grass, luckily), it didn’t put a foot wrong all day. Afterwards, we cruised comfortably home to Sydney, with the air con and seats set on full cool mode as the outside temperature gauge hit 52 degrees (indicated) as we hit the city traffic.
It’s one of the nicest everyday road cars I’ve ever owned (over 55 cars so far, and counting!) and even better than expected on the track. I can’t wait to have another go, hopefully with a set of track ready tyres and brakes. Then, later on, maybe I’ll look for a bit more power…
That’s the trouble with track days – they’re addictive. I’d just had a great day out with my wife, driving the Mustang as fast as I dared, mostly with a big smile on my face and nothing to worry about other than getting the line right for the next corner. For me, that’s about as good as a day can be.
I had always intended to use my Mustang GT on the track occasionally, just to be able to really wind it out, without having to worry about speed limits, or cops hiding around the next corner. I have enjoyed track days in the past with previous cars and I thought the S550 Mustang had the potential to handle my daily commuting chores and, with a few carefully chosen modifications, work pretty well on the racetrack too. When the car arrived, I delivered it straight to City Performance Centre in Artarmon, Sydney to add a few enhancements from my ‘wish list.’ They fitted ST XTA fully adjustable coil over suspension (made by KW in Germany), a Steeda ‘Stop The Hop’ kit for the rear end and a Steeda G - Trac under-body brace to stiffen up the body.
Then went on to add a set of 20 inch HRE FF01 wheels and Michelin Super Sport 2 tyres, rather than my initial choice of Michelin Cup 2 tyres - the CPC crew warned the ‘Cups’ didn’t like wet weather at all. Probably a wise choice as my Mustang is my daily driver, not a weekend sunny day ‘toy.’ Finally, I also asked CPC to raise the brake pedal so I could heel and toe more easily and fit a Steeda clutch spring. Everything else is mechanically standard, including the engine, exhaust and brakes.
After 9 months of ownership, I took the plunge and decided to try the car at Wakefield Park, near Goulburn - unfortunately on a hot February day, with temperatures in the mid-thirties. Wakefield is a bit tight and twisty for a big, relatively heavy car like the Mustang, but it’s a pretty safe circuit and I know it quite well, having taken part in a few track events there in the past. The plan was to discover more about the car and just have fun rather than to attempt any quick lap times.
Passengers were allowed on the day and my wife (an enthusiastic passenger, luckily for me) came along for the ride while I explored the capabilities of the car, doing my best not to scare either of us. Fortunately, the Mustang felt very confidence inspiring and well balanced right from the start, although getting the power down out of the two tight corners demanded some patience and, especially out of the ultra tight ‘Fish Hook’ corner - an early shift into third was the only way to avoid the back stepping out. Overall, it was about as predictable as you could wish for and, to be totally honest, it’s something I’d found hard to discover on the road because, at most sane/legal speeds, it just goes around corners with masses of grip and next to no roll, except in the wet, of course, when it demands some respect.
The brakes coped pretty well, although the combination of a tight circuit, four hard braking points and an ultra hot day saw the pedal go a bit ‘soft’ after about eight reasonably fast laps. I deliberately braked a little early through the day and made a mental note to consider competition brake fluid, pads and JLT cooling ducts for any future track outings at Wakefield.
After a few more sessions the heat on the track kept on rising, along with the water temperature gauge. Rather than push my luck, I brought it into the pits before the end of a couple of sessions had finished before everything got too hot, although just slowing down for a couple of minutes saw the needle return to ‘Normal.’
The day was organised by a bunch of friendly Alfa Romeo historic racing fanatics (not natural Mustang fans you might imagine), nevertheless the car attracted plenty of attention and compliments, with a few people saying it looked impressively sorted on the track. Interestingly, it was no quicker down the main straight than a couple of fast Golf Type R’s, with 4WD traction out of the entry corner and possibly ‘breathed on’ a little, but I could pull away from them through all the quicker corners. The standard V8 is hardly slow, but who doesn’t want more power? Overall, I’m very happy with my chosen handling – biased set-up, although I know there are countless alternative suspension choices available out there. That’s the great thing about Mustangs – you can make them whatever you want them to be, for less money than most competitors.
I was blown away with how the Mustang went on the track. It was great fun to drive, felt safe (my wife said it felt much less scary than my previous BMW M3 E46) and, apart from my rear number plate falling off (found it in the long grass, luckily), it didn’t put a foot wrong all day. Afterwards, we cruised comfortably home to Sydney, with the air con and seats set on full cool mode as the outside temperature gauge hit 52 degrees (indicated) as we hit the city traffic.
It’s one of the nicest everyday road cars I’ve ever owned (over 55 cars so far, and counting!) and even better than expected on the track. I can’t wait to have another go, hopefully with a set of track ready tyres and brakes. Then, later on, maybe I’ll look for a bit more power…
That’s the trouble with track days – they’re addictive. I’d just had a great day out with my wife, driving the Mustang as fast as I dared, mostly with a big smile on my face and nothing to worry about other than getting the line right for the next corner. For me, that’s about as good as a day can be.
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