Ford Benchmarked The Porsche 911 And BMW M3 For The 2015 Mustang

[Whiskey11]

I drive an M3 and I actually have a lot of interest in the new Mustang if that says anything. I'm not brand conscious at all, I just want a daily driver car that's going to perform and put a smile on my face while doing so. I was intrigued when they put the 5.0 in the current body style so I went for a test drive. While I thought the performance was there straight line, I didn't feel it quite matched up with my M3 in the steering dept or of course interior comforts. I'm hoping that the new IRS mixed with an LSD will get the mustang where it needs to be to compete with the other performance options on the market. While I don't expect the interior to be as nice, I'm hoping the performance is enough to sell me on the car so that I don't have to spend twice as much on an M3 again.

Every Mustang since 2011 has come with a limited slip differential, just so you are aware! And a real one, mind you, not some electronic brake applying open differential. From the V6 all the way up to the GT500... the 2005-2010 GT's and GT500's all had limited slip diffs but the V6's were open diffs in a 7.5" rear axle (instead of the ubiquitous 8.8 under the GT's and GT500's).

The biggest issue with the stock GTs from a handling standpoint is definitely the stock dampers. That was brought up in every comparison between the Mustang GT and other cars, including the E90 M3 Competition Package test that Motortrend did at Willow Springs against a Brembo GT. The interior is something that is understandable, the E90/E92 M3 has a great interior, but you pay for it with the BMW name... Ford set out to build a performance car on the cheap and they lessened the quality of the interiors and focused on the performance metrics instead. It's not awful, but it isn't great either!

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[m4a1mustang]

The Willow Springs comparo was against a E92 (coupe.)

But yes -- stock dampers were an issue. The car was great with a simple damper upgrade! I hope Ford gets the stock dampers right with the S550.

 

[Whiskey11]

The Willow Springs comparo was against a E92 (coupe.)

But yes -- stock dampers were an issue. The car was great with a simple damper upgrade! I hope Ford gets the stock dampers right with the S550.

I wouldn't hold your breath!

 

[m4a1mustang]

I wouldn't hold your breath!

Let me rephrase: I hope Ford gets the stock dampers better.

I know I'll end up replacing them on my own. :lol:

 

[Stanger]

I hope that they had the F80/F82 in mind, which shed a ton of weight over the E90/E92.

176lbs = 1 ton :gossip:

All kidding aside, will the GT shed 175lbs?

From the bimmer post site

Weight:
3300 lbs / 1497 kg (all fluids, 90% fuel, no driver)
3466 lbs / 1572 kg / (plus 68kg driver and 7kg luggage)
M4 is 80kg (176 pounds) lighter than E92 M3 coupe, when comparably equipped
M4 is 23kg (50 pounds) lighter than F80 M3 sedan

 

[m4a1mustang]

176lbs = 1 ton :gossip:

All kidding aside, will the GT shed 175lbs?

From the bimmer post site

Imagine if it lost an actual ton. 1400lb F82. :eyebulge:

 

[Crazyhorse]

Hopefully Ford addressed the weight in the S550(by dropping some pounds)...Power to weight ratio of new M3/4 is far better than that of the E90/92 M3 that Ford has benchmarked their testing against.

 

[Falc'man]

Hopefully Ford addressed the weight in the S550(by dropping some pounds)...Power to weight ratio of new M3/4 is far better than that of the E90/92 M3 that Ford has benchmarked their testing against.

And torque has skyrocketed. It's not going to be easy hosing down the new Ms.

 

[GTsquid]

Will Outrun the Boss 302 Leguna Seca

Some more about this from Left Lane News. They say it'll outrun the B302 LS... Music to my ears!

Ford's new-for-2015 Mustang is months away from hitting the road, but already the automaker is hyping up its ponycar's improved performance.

Speaking with Automotive.com, Ford representative Brian Cotter indicated that the standard Mustang GT will best the outgoing track-oriented Boss 302 Laguna Seca. A short-run special edition, the Laguna Seca lapped its namesake race track - Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California - in a hair under 1:40.

The new Mustang GT, says Cotter, will lap the course in even less time. The site says that Ford benchmarked the Porsche 911 and BMW M3 when it was developing the car's on-track performance.

Ford has indicated that the new Mustang will weigh somewhere around 200 lbs. less than its predecessor, which will help its power-to-weight ratio. Although exact performance specifications haven't been announced, a small power boost for the brand's 5.0-liter V8-powered GT is expected.

Not to be ignored is the fact that the new Mustang will boast an independent rear suspension for the first time (admittedly, the mid-'90s Mustang Cobra featured an independent setup), which should further boost its handling prowess.

Look for Ford to do some serious track testing at Laguna Seca before the Mustang hits the road in the middle of 2014.

Read more: http://www.leftlanenews.com/15-mustang-gt-to-outrun-old-boss-302-laguna-seca.html#ixzz2ngKYwey8

 

[Whiskey11]

Some more about this from Left Lane News. They say it'll outrun the B302 LS... Music to my ears!

Oooo... I wonder where exactly they heard that Ford said the Mustang is to be 200lbs lighter... as far as I knew it was nothing but a rumor. They did say they had aggressive weight loss goals for the entire lineup but we haven't been officially told by Ford what to expect for Curb Weight...

200lbs less puts the GT between 3350-3450, a V6 around 3250-3350 and the I4 around 3200lbs-3250lbs. I certainly hope so!

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