2015-17 Mustang GT Ford Performance Power Packs

[bubba]

Water won't do that unless it's in the fuel.

Who installed it? Are you certain they flashed the PP2 tune after the install?

Local mechanic. Drove fine for a few hundred miles(took a weekend trip) so I'm sure it's not tune related. I wished my scanner could've grabbed whatever code it was throwing...probably would shed more light on what the issue was, but I just didn't have much time and had to get to work this morning. There was a good bit of water puddled up in the air box, can't be a coincidence.

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[Monopoly]

So, has anybody installed the PP2 on a '15-'17 with the Ford Performance catch can that Ford says doesn't work? I'm curious to see a picture or hear about how the catch can floats from somebody that has this combo and want to make sure it actually works.

Thanks.

Just re-installed mine last night!
Pass side FRP Catch can needs to be completely removed in order to reconnect the Throttlebody wiring harness.

After re-installing the oil catch can its quite a tight fit. Take your time you'll be fine.

 

[Monopoly]

On a side note running pp2 for 100miles so far no codes runs close to stock. Though I'm using 94 Octane pump gas. Have not noticed any engine knock. Haven't tried WOT yet roads are too cold and still snowing here :(

 

[bubba]

On a side note running pp2 for 100miles so far no codes runs close to stock. Though I'm using 94 Octane pump gas. Have not noticed any engine knock. Haven't tried WOT yet roads are too cold and still snowing here :(

Question: What version ProCal S.W. are you running on your PC? Do you have the diagnostic tab for reading codes? I'm running v4.1 and don't have the diagnostic tab...

 

[bubba]

Water won't do that unless it's in the fuel.

Who installed it? Are you certain they flashed the PP2 tune after the install?

Fixed it. Was able to read the codes, MAF code. I took the filter off and the bottom half was soaked(Air Raid blue filter). Puddles of water going up the intake tube past the MAF sensor. I dried everything up and put the stock paper filter on, cleared the code and everything is fine. The only thing I can guess is the amount of rain we had in such a short time on Monday probably filled up the hood vent causing a water fall down on top of the filter. Had I been driving the car, probably wouldn't have had an issue. I ordered a pre-filter to minimize the chance of this happening again and may find a way to plug the hood vent. We get a good bit of rain here in NC.

 

[TexasRebel]

Local mechanic. Drove fine for a few hundred miles(took a weekend trip) so I'm sure it's not tune related. I wished my scanner could've grabbed whatever code it was throwing...probably would shed more light on what the issue was, but I just didn't have much time and had to get to work this morning. There was a good bit of water puddled up in the air box, can't be a coincidence.

Is the drain clogged?

Fixed it. Was able to read the codes, MAF code. I took the filter off and the bottom half was soaked(Air Raid blue filter). Puddles of water going up the intake tube past the MAF sensor. I dried everything up and put the stock paper filter on, cleared the code and everything is fine. The only thing I can guess is the amount of rain we had in such a short time on Monday probably filled up the hood vent causing a water fall down on top of the filter. Had I been driving the car, probably wouldn't have had an issue. I ordered a pre-filter to minimize the chance of this happening again and may find a way to plug the hood vent. We get a good bit of rain here in NC.

If the air box flooded no prefilter will keep water out. Make sure the drain isn't clogged.

 

[bubba]

Is the drain clogged?


If the air box flooded no prefilter will keep water out. Make sure the drain isn't clogged.

True. Drain isn't clogged; I could see through it no problem. You'd have to have been here during the storm that rolled through to understand just how much water was dumped in such a short period of time. I was driving home in my truck only a few miles away when it came through...couldn't see more than 15-20 yards in front of me at best. Had I been driving the car, none of this would've happened. Because it was stagnant, all that water funneled through the hood vent. The insulation surrounding the vent was also saturated on both sides of the hood. I'm going to try and find a way to block off the hood vent and make sure to pull my car in so my house/roof overhang can shield some of the water, instead of backing in.

 

[hlh1]

This is why I'll probably just go with the PP1.

 

[Monopoly]

Wonder if there is some way you can make a sliding door on the inside of the hood vent where you could close it to keep rain out. Open during dry weather. Even if it didnt close all the way and still let air in. Just cut back on the water being able to enter your airbox.

 

[hlh1]

Guess one could just put some duct tape over the inside of the vent. Maybe I can go with PP2 after all.

 

[TheLion70x77]

Just wanted to add that the Velossa Tech Big Mouth works well with GT350 Air Box. I felt like mine was being starved for air at higher speeds 80-130 mph range. Factory ducting isn't designed specifically for feeding air at high speeds. It's designed to block debris for longer filter life and increase intake temperatures / limit air density for maximizing emissions.

You can also seal off the gap between the GT350 duct at the bottom where it meets the OE duct (the area where the instructions tell you to cut the rubber seal on the GT350 intake duct) with some aluminum roof flashing material (cut with a tin snips) and some foil tape. The flashing provides solid structure to fill the gap (45 degree ramp, secure it with a body panel push pin to the OE radiator duct, then tape it over with foil tape to seal off the edges). This makes a nice 45 degree transition from the larger (strange eh?) GT stock radiator / bumper air duct to the GT350 air duct. Otherwise you have a big leak in the flow path.

The engine has noticeably better response and torque at the higher speeds. I was quite surprised at the difference which confirms my theory that the OE GT grill and ducting wasn't really optimized for high speed flow unlike the GT350 ducting / grille which does a better job. My air temps stay within 5 degrees of ambient now even at speeds down to 20~ 30 mph and at higher speeds you have a direct high velocity flow path straight to the air filter. It also takes quite a bit longer for temps to rise significantly while idling in traffic and they cool down quicker.

If you have a Power Pack 1, you can actually build positive pressure inside the air box with proper ducting. Either way, cooler air and more air = higher density = greater power. So it would work even better for Power Pack 1 folks because the OE air box is 100% sealed and can build positive pressure.

 

[TheLion70x77]

The Ultimate Street / HPDE Dual Purpose Setup in my opinion is as follows:

1. Power Pack 1, 2 or 3 - these are the best over all ECU calibrations for the 5.0 from both a reliability and drive ability perspective. They also produce power that is competitive with non-warranties and non emissions legal calibrations for the 5.0. Unless you want to run E85, Nitrous or go FI, I see no reason to use anything else if you want it to last.

2. Passenger Side Catch Can - All 5.0's suffer from fuel dilution due to oil vapors, even the stock 5.0 suffers from power fade during extended high RPM or lots of idling in hot climates. This is a great way to ensure the ECU is able to use the most optimal timing tables as much of the time as possible. It's one thing to make more power, it's entirely different keep doing it!

3. Stick with the paper filter for street for Power Pack's 2 or 3. Engine wear is directly related to particle size and concentration. Paper filters simply filter out more and finer particles that cause piston ring wear and bearing wear than all of the oiled cotton filters on the market. For Power Pack 2 and 3, the conical paper filter will out flow any oiled cotton panel filter that would fit in the stock air box while providing better particular filtration efficiency...your not missing out. Save the oiled cotton conical filter for a drag strip hero run or HPDE track session.

4. Cat Back Exhaust or X-pipe - there's about 5 to 7 hp from 4,000 all the way through red line by removing the "brief case", not to mention it's HEAVY and won't hold up to track, it will trap too much heat and split (seen quite a few HPDE guys over heat the stock resonator). Wakes up your exhaust sound as well!

5. In Situ DLC Coating - TirboTEX stands out in this category, but CeraTek and Archoil are also proven. TriboTEX is an In Situ Diamond Like Carbon Coating that lasts approximately 40,000 miles and works in conjunction with both MODTC (organo molybdenum compounds) and modern ZDDP compounds to reduce BOTH friction and wear. While oil may be a carrior for it, it is NOT an oil additive and has no effect on the oil's formulation. It is a surface reconditioner and creates an ultra low friction film on wear surfaces exposed to both high heat and pressure. Engines that operate at higher average RPMs and use more valve train like Ford's Modular DOHC 5.0L V8 will see the greatest benefits. Friction losses = power losses and increased heat and wear. Those losses and their side effects are a sore spot of the 5.0 or any other high revving DOHC engine (S2000, BMW's 4.2 V8, Voodoo 5.2L, Toyoda 4.8L etc.). Tap into those losses all without compromising reliability to regain lost power! Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency!

6. 5W-20 Oil - Hotly debated, but thinner oils provide better bearing cooling and lower drag losses at the expense of film strength at a given bearing clearance and operating temperature. Thicker oils can be used to compensate for elevated temperatures (they thin out to a lower viscosity) to avoid the oil getting too thin, however for street, light duty track, drag and auto x the stock cooling system does just fine for 5W-20 and both the stock and Ford Performance ECU calibrations feature full protection mechanism against over heating, they will limit torque more the higher temps get if they reach critical levels avoid bearing damage. For extended track sessions (15-20 min HPDE) either change to 5W-50 just for the track session with a warm up. 5W-50 under extended HPDE sessions will shear down to 30 or even 20 weight after things heat up OR add an Air to Oil cooler and stay with 5W-20. It's about balancing power to the wheels (affected by drag losses and cooling) while maintaining adequate bearing protection (film strength). That all depends on oil temperature. Either increase viscosity to compensate for higher temps or increase cooling to stabilize temps on the OE viscosity. Both are valid.

7. Ford Performance FL820 Oil Filter - exceeds the FL-500S filter in peak flow, filtration efficiency (99% at 20 microns vs 95% at 30 microns), burst strength and filter capacity. Wear is directly related to particular size and concentration. Finer particles cause less wear than larger particles. Fewer particles cause less wear than more particles. This filter also bypasses on the clean side like the OE FL-500S and also features a silicone anti-drain-back valve. You won't find a better overall filter for your 5.0 in terms of balancing all of these features. It's big, it's honking and it flows very well!

7. Velossa Tech Big Mouth Ram Air Duct w/ Flashing/Tape Mod - Resistance to flow results in lower air density. It's air density when combined will fuel and ignition that makes power. Too much of a restriction results in increased vacuum, which results in density loss per a cubic in of air. Ever put your finger on the end of a syringe an pull the plunger up? You create a vacuum and the syringe sticks to your finger. There's the same number of air molecules in the syringe despite the increase in volume. Thus the air density decreases per a cubic inch of air. The stock ducting was not optimized for air flow. It was optimized for filter life and emissions. You can make more power at higher speeds with proper ducting by creating a ram air funnel. The car is already moving, air is already flowing at high velocity all around the car. It only makes sense to harness what's already there!

8. Using Lightweight Wheel and Tire Setups - I run 275/35R19 Pilot Sport 4S tires on RTR Tech 7 19x9.5 wheels. Tires weigh only 27 lbs. Wheels weigh only 23 lbs. That's 48 lbs of unsprung mass which is equivalent to loosing 144 lbs of sprung mass. It also results in a final drive ratio increase of 4% and less side wall flex. With Power Pack 2 I still have 1 mph higher top speed in each gear despite the final drive reduction. Acceleration and response is noticeably better as is transitional response (car feels lighter and it's noticeable). Absolutely love it. If your lowered .75 to 1" it's a perfect ride height for that profile. Also reduces your CG by 0.5" and increases track width by 1.5" while maintaining the factory front to rear track width ratio (the front track is still 2.7" narrower than the rear). Increased track width also results in less roll during cornering with no other changes. 4 square 275 is a great setup for a dual purpose car and allows for tire rotation.

9. BMR SP080 Springs on PP Struts OR SP083 Springs on FP Track Dampers - Currently running the SP080's on stock PP struts, great ride quality (no PP bounce) if your not a performance hound. However I like "driver's cars" and will be stepping up to SP083 springs on FP Track Dampers wich is nearly identical to GT350 spring and damping rates (in fact the damping rates ARE the GT350 damping rates). However lowering more than 0.5" affects roll center and bump steer. I would HIGHLY recommend pairing any lowering springs with the Steeda Roll Center and Bump Steer kit if you actually want real performance gains. The loss of geometry from lowering has enough negative effects to mostly offset the benefits of lower CG. While I have not yet personally tried the SP083 / FP Track Dampers setup, many others have. Ride frequency increases from the 1.3 Hz range to the 1.7 Hz range. It is very street able, with a firm but well controlled ride that isn't crashy. it will also provide a small increase in roll resistance, but will nearly preserve the front roll couple (with the same bars, front roll couple only drops .5% over the SP080's, due to the slightly stiffer F/R spring ratio of the SP083's). This is my final suspension upgrade. It's a track able street setup, not a street able track setup if you get my drift.

10. Steeda Roll Center / Bump Steer Correction Kit + Steeda Higher Durometer Tension Links - these are forged to PP specifications. However the lateral links have an extended ball stud to correct roll center. They are optimized for a 7/8" drop in ride height over stock, but are still ideal for ride height reduction of 1.4' to 7/8" over stock. Bump steer kit allows your to correct the tie rod arc to match the lateral links so your toe doesn't go out of it's optimal range as your suspension swings through it's arc of travel. An optimized roll center gives you the greatest camber gain as the suspension compresses. Dual ball joint suspensions (Used in all 3 pony cars) don't have the greatest camber gain by nature, but it becomes even worse when you lower and DON"T correct your roll center. Higher durometer bushings in the Steeda Tension Links provide sharper steering response, a more on center feel and more road feedback. I stayed away from the spherical bearing versions because of durability (open bearings are more susceptible to wear from dirt / dust / road grime than rubber bushings). Since the car is primarily a street car that also sees winter, it is a good in between. There is slightly increased road noise, but nothing most of us would mind. These are only to be paired with lowering springs, even minimum drop springs move the roll center out of optimal height.

11. BMR 35mm Front Sway Bar - this is a great tuning tool. The S550 chassis doesn't need a whole lot more bar over what the stock PP bars produce in terms of roll stiffness, especially out back. However going to a 4 square tire setup, the stock front PP bar is a bit soft and running an adjustable front bar allows you to tune the roll couple balance front to back (aka under steer or over steer characteristics). I would highly advise AGAINST a stiffer rear sway bar than the stock 22mm PP or at most stock 24mm GT350R rear bars as you will end up with chronic over steer on power down. Running the softest position increases front roll couple from 55.3% (stock) to 57.7%. Most track cars run a 60% front roll couple, but may vary a bit depending on chassis, track, driver etc. Middle setting gives 59.4% front roll couple and stiffest setting gives 60.9% front roll couple. That gives you an ideal adjustment range centered around 60% that you can tweak to your liking. General consensus is that the stock PP suspension under steers moderately even with throttle correction, but will be flat or mild over steer with more front tire. Thus far I am liking the softest bar setting.

12. BMR CB05 IRS Lockout - I like their kit because it locks out the IRS, is easier to install than steeda's option, less expensive and performs just as well. It's also reversible should you ever want to take it off. IRS movement causes an odd handling characteristic where the rear end feels like it's disconnected from the front or there is a lag between the two. It also makes the car feel like it takes time for it to "take a set" in a corner. If you push your car at all, this should be one of the first changes on your list.

13. Ford Performance Toe Link Spherical Bearings - PP and GT350 both come with spherical bearings on the inner side, but not the outer end. Toe angle changes affect traction on power down situations both in corner exit and in a straight line. Well worth the increased traction and better feedback in the rear end. No NVH changes I can detect.

14. Ford Performance Short Throw Kit - it's not the shifter that's the biggest benefit, it's the aluminum shifter arm bushings. install is a bit involved but nothing a competent home mechanic can't handle. The key to improving shift quality is in the fluid and in reducing the deflection of the stock bushings. Supporting the back of the shifter housing doesn't limit deflection at the front. But using aluminum bushings from Ford Performance does. There is some minor increase in NVH, but not much.

15. Motul DCTF - I recommend against using BG Syncroshift II. I used it, didn't improve shift quality much. It's a 75W-80 gear oil. I also tried Ravenol 75W-80 gear oil. Smoothed out shifting, but increased shifting effort. Neither solved my MT-82's failure to synchronize when cold when down shifting from 3rd to 2nd. It would feel ike it's in 2nd but let out the clutch and grinddddd. I finally tried Motul DCTF. DCTF is much thinner than 75W-80 gear oil when it's hot. Both are 75W when cold. Guess what? still ginds when cold when down shifting from 3rd to 2nd. I got a goofy MT-82. BUT it shifts far smoother when it's warm than any other fluid I have used and it NEVER fails once it's warm. I can live with avoiding a down shift for the first couple minutes of driving when cold...stick with DCTF fluids. They also have lower fluid drag when up to temp = more power to the wheels!

16. Red Push Button Switch Cover - it's silly, it's red and it looks cool! It's only practical purpose is to prevent you from accidentally turning off your car while cruising if you clumsily try to press the AC or fan button. But it does scream "race car" and wows people. Hey it was a gift from my wife, so I couldn't say no :-)

17. Front Splitter - higher down force in the front will make the car feel more planted, both in performance driving and cruising on the highway. There's a reason the GT350 and Performance Package Level 2 along with the Camaro SS 1LE's use splitters. Reduce lift and you improve handling, especially at high speeds. This can be done on any GT at any level, but my focus is on making a quasi Performance Pack Level 2 for the 2015-2017 PP cars. APR makes probably the best bang for buck, but steeda also has a nice one.

18. MaximumMotorSports Caster / Camber Plates - these were $50 cheaper than offerings from BMR, Steeda Etc. and use the same bearings and bolt hardware. No need to pay more unless you just like having all of your parts from one brand. Allows both caster and camber adjustment and uses spherical bearing up top instead of a rubber bushing to eliminate strut angle deflection.

Things to avoid (either because of side effects or lack of value add):

Differential bushings. Significant increase in NVH. Did this on both an Ecoboost and PP GT, both had gear whine and a lot of clunking. On my GT I sheared a bolt and had to drop the whole IRS and replace the diff cover. 16 hours of misery by myself, one diff cover, fluid change and black motor craft sealant job later, it was back together AND on the stock bushings and bolts. Not a problem since and no IRS whine / clunking. The firmer power transfer of the bushings is nice, but not worth the risk / trouble to install in my opinion. If you use them, you need to periodically re-torque them according to steeda. Unless your big into drag racing or hard core track, stay stock here!

Non-Ford Performance Calibrations - reliability. drive ability. warranty. emissions. You give up something in all of those areas for what? Maybe 10 HP peak at BEST? On pump gas, Ford Performance is hard to beat with their Power Packs in the over all package and it's something you can use for the life of the car and expect it to last. I actually had my passenger side catalytic converter fail resulting in a P0420 code. It was dealer replaced even though I was out of my 3yr/36k warranty. It was billed under my 100k/7yr extended power train warranty. Stuff breaks, wears out or may be made improperly. Do you really want to pay for Ford's mistakes for a measly 10 hp? No thanks!

Vertical Links - while not a bad thing, they don't offer much in terms of performance and often people have issues with them squeaking or creaking after using them for a while. The GT350 uses the same vertical links as the regular GT's. Even the GT4 race car uses OE S550 vertical links despite having billet aluminum lower control arms, adjustable camber links and toe links etc. I spoke with Ford Performance on this as well, they did testing on them and found no meaningful performance benefit.

Camber Links - unless your running some hard core camber settings, the stock adjustment range is enough, especially at performance oriented ride heights.

Additional Notes:

Filter Types - The conical paper filter in the Power Packs 2 and 3 flow as much as air as the conical synthetic dry filters but with 2x the dust capacity and flow only a little less than the conical oiled cotton filters. The oiled cotton filters are best saved for drag strip or HPDE use only. ALL of the re-usable filters (dry and oiled cotton) actually have REDUCED filtering capacity after being washed, not all of the particulates get out. So not only do they clog up 2x to 3x faster (due to much lower capacity), it becomes reduced even further after subsequent re-uses. So unless you clean your air filter every 5,000 to 10,000 miles, your average flow over the use interval will likely be WORSE than the paper filters. That's why even the track specific GT350 comes with a paper filter stock. What's the point of having a filter that flows better than the paper filter for 5,000 miles but then flows less the next 5,000 miles? I'd rather have consistency and durability!

Oil Viscosity for Track - Also note that the cam phasors response time is affected by oil viscosity. Oils substantially thicker than 5W-20 at normal operating temperatures (100C) will result in sluggish phasor response which robbs you of both engine response and actual power. The cam phasors respond optimally within a certain viscosity range that is expected over the safe operating temperature range of 5W-20, so just keep that in mind there's more to it than just bearing protection or how the viscosity affects the lash adjusters etc. It does make sense however to step up to 5W-50 for extended HPDE sessions on the stock cooling system because once the oil temps climb to 270F+ temps your viscosity drops back down to the 20/30 weight range and the phasors will respond optimally while the oil is hot. Either that or use an Air to Oil cooler and stick with 5W-20, which would perform optimally both on the street AND during extended HPDE sessions. Also, there is no issues with running a thin 5W-30 for street. Most 5W-20's are in the 8.5 to 9 cSt range at 100C. Many of the 5W-30 blends are now in the low 10 cSt range at 100C. The difference is very minor and doesn't pose any issues for for the 5.0 other than a very minute and likely unmeasurable drop in fuel economy (very slightly higher fluid drag). I can confirm after downloading both Rev 1 and Rev 3 of the Austrailain Mustang Owner's manual they actually changed the spec from 5W-20 to 5W-30 in the manual due to Austrailia's higher ambient temperatures. If you live in a hot climate and drive it hard (or possibly for summer), there is some benefit in using a 5W-30 as it will provide a little more resistance to thinning. Yes the oil is water cooled, but that system has limits and oil temps still rise the longer you remain at higher RPM and heavy throttle or with stop and go in peak summer temps. Either viscosity is perfectly fine and some of the newer 5W-30's cold cranking actually exceeds some of the 5W-20's (depending on brand) so there is little to no difference for cold starts given both are 5W.

Ford Performance ProCal3 - allows adjustment of axle ratios and tire sizes to correct abs / speedometer / odometer read outs. Also allows you read DTC's and perform full data logging now with properly working and configured PID's as well as data analysis. What's not to like other than it's not in a hand held package (must be used with a laptop)? If you suspect your car is pulling timing or seeing abnormal temperatures etc., log it and find out, then fix the issue. But you need a longer Mini-USB cable since the supplied one is pretty short. Plenty on Amazon for $10~$15.

Fuel Octane - ALL of the power packs have an octane learn function. They assume lower octane until the learn function has had time to determine the maximum safe timing at a given air temp, rpm and load. The car will make more power on 93 than on 91. 94-96 won't make more power, however they could provide an octane buffer for track so the car doesn't pull timing in non-deal conditions (high cylinder head temps). In an emergency you can use 87, however you have to avoid WOT throttle, lugging or high rpm. Keep it in the middle RPM range and light throttle until you can re-fill with 91 or higher. This is directly from Ford Performance. You don't want to crack pistons and any damage using lower than 91 will NOT be covered under warranty, nor can you hide the signs of detonation against he pistons!

Ford Performance Calibration Development - while the calibrations start out on a load producing chassis dyno (road simulation dyno), they undergo substantial R&D including full road testing including at temperature extremes and altitude. Ford Performance also performs endurance testing followed by a complete engine tear down to look for any abnormal wear (nothing outside of standard wear is permissible). The data they are gathering is also nothing like the data you get from an OBDII port that 99% of "tuners" are relying on, which only reports at 200 to 300 ms intervals. The PCM operates at 8mS intervals so many decisions and bits of data are completely missed when tuning via OBDII. If you tune an engine via OBDII (which was intended for technician diagnosis applications), the ECU is running 25 to 37 cycles in between each set of data you get. NOT even close to cycle by cycle!

Ford Performance uses actual sensor control packs that wire directly into the ECU harness and gather data from the sensors in real time as the ECU does, which is what actual dedicated race car teams do. It's cycle by cycle tuning as is done with the OE calibrations. These calibrations are fully emissions and warranty compliant and are expected to provide a full service life to the engine as the OE calibrations would. They also include all of the factory safeties for over temperature conditions, catalyst temperature, safe torque limits at a give RPM etc. It's hard to beat an OE calibration!

 

[bubba]

The Ultimate Street / HPDE Dual Purpose Setup in my opinion is as follows:

It's hard to beat an OE calibration!

Wow, what a read! Lots of great info in there....thanks for sharing!

 

[TheLion70x77]

Yah there's a lot there, but everything has been very carefully and specifically chosen and tested. Most of the upgrades have been incrementally performed, so the differences are notable. Drive ability is close to stock in terms of comfort and NVH characteristics, there are of course some minor increases in NVH and ride firmness, but nothing dramatic. What has changed dramatically is the overall balance of the car. Power delivery is extremely consistent and strong. The 5.0 pulls exceedingly well in all five gears (6th is over drive, maybe with a SC? lol). Shifting is smooth and consistent (about as good as an MT-82 can get without a MGW or a full swap).

Handling dynamics are excellent. The car has very mild push mid-corner close to the limits, under the limits it's flat, with just the right amount of throttle steering on exit (practically steers itself, I just hold the wheel and modulate the pedal). Turn in is really good but not twitchy. The outright grip is extremely good. The balance of power to handling capabilities is right where I want it. My only gripe at this point is the SP080's on PP struts still leave the car a bit floaty. By that I mean there still a bit of disconnect between the tires and the road, like it hovers across the road a bit. It's not bad, but the spring and damping rates of the stock PP springs / damper is set up more on the side of sporty touring than a drivers car. That's where the upgrade to SP083's and FP Track Dampers will come into play.

I cannot stress enough how every single element has had a notable impact and it's set up as a system that works together. Each is a contributing piece of the puzzle that make up the whole of what the car now is compared to what it was. Having come from a 1997 MX-5 M-Edition with no power but exquisite handling balance (even if it lacked power), I know what the track able street car should handle like and this is very close. A little more down force and a little more spring / damper and we'll be right on the money!

 

[TheLion70x77]

I'll stop posting now ;-).

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