Will this car out drive me?

[invaliduser]

This Mustang is the most powerful car I've ever driven however it's not my first RWD.
I've come from an 09 Focus, 03 Crown Vic, 94 Taurus SHO, 98 BMW 740i, 65 Mustang 289, 13 Focus, 13 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, 03 Land Rover Discovery II, 01 Explorer Sport.

I've had my oh shit moments in all of those vehicles in some way or form. This Mustang is no different to me other than the torque easily forcing the tires to slips pulling out into traffic. But then again it is hovering around the 40-50s. Even with Michelin PSSs it's still slippy when cold but they are very good tires to have.

Just drive, take it easy to get used to the car and have at it. Autox is definitely the best place to push to the limit and see what your comfort zone is.
At worst you'll eat a cone or two

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[luke]

no problem, if you can handle a crown vic, driving a GT will be a breeze.

 

[Hack]

It's a great question and really good answers you already got.

Here's my 2 cents. The GT makes a ton of power and is fun to drive. Coming from a low powered vehicle you could buy a V6 or EB Mustang and you will have a blast with either of them as well. You will get a similar thrill from acceleration and have a good time in your car - and for less money.

Why not go more slowly in intermediate steps. Save money, buy a lower performing car. Then in 2-5 years, buy something that's a little faster... and so on. No need to go to the highest performing car right away.

My GT was boring me somewhat so I went to a GT350. Another option was a power adder - but I didn't want to get used to 600+ HP yet. I'm trying to put off the inevitable ... I will own a car that maxes out my budget but the power won't thrill me enough.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Orgalorg]

One more often overlooked techniques to be aware of is throttle lift mid-turn. Be careful not to dive hard into a turn on the juice only to let off hard. The rear end will come around quickly and is not as easy to correct as if you were in a power spin.

 

[Norm Peterson]

The Crownvic is literary the only RWD V8 I have ever driven in a "High performance" capacity, those who know the crown vic know they arent exactly tail happy power houses, you actually have to deliberately floor the gas around a turn to break the tail loose even a little.

For starters, you need to "unlearn" that cornering technique. At best, it's unstable (I'm sure you can guess where "at worst" lies). AdvanceTrak can not and will not save you under all possible conditions (laws of physics > human technology, always).

With apologies to Ian Fleming, you need to think "squeezed, not stomped" . . . on all of the pedals. This doesn't mean moving your foot at a speed at risk of being outrun by a snail, just that you aren't just slamming your foot down like you might under suddenly occurring 'chase' conditions.

Taking in a few autocrosses is excellent advice, which you could follow up with HPDE's at much higher speeds on a road course near you once you've got some feel for this new car's behavior out toward its limits.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have yet to drive a vehicle that could quiet possibly exceed driving skill. (I like to think I'm a little more skilled than your average driver :headbonk

Until you get familiar with how it behaves when driving in a less "enthusiastic" manner, assume that it is capable of performance that is outside of your experience to date. Even if its behavior is ultimately similar to the Crown Vic (understeerish, with power-induced oversteer possible), it can happen at faster speeds than you've become accustomed to it happening at. Things happen faster, and available pavement kind of shrinks.

How easy is it to lose it in one of these cars?

Probably depends. If you're pretty much continuously aware of how much tire grip you're using, you can drive pretty hard without it getting out of shape/all crossed up. If not, it can and will come as a surprise, not a good thing. Especially if you get a sudden cold snap or drive to where it is colder than summer performance tires really like. There's an individual on some other Mustang forum who despite claiming to have both pursuit instructor time and accident investigation on his resume was still surprised by being able to snap the rear loose on a cool morning when he couldn't do so back in the summer. Happened to him more than once.

How many folks here went from a low power commuter to a GT and how did you adjust to the difference in performance?

Same as I've done with any other car - or with any mechanical or tire upgrade for that matter - by developing an awareness of available tire grip, which I guess you find out by sneaking up on the limit gradually instead of trying to find out where it is all at once (and more than likely blowing clear through into a spin or a slide). I've traveled around the sun 68 complete times, and I'm finding out here that it takes more thought to describe this than it does for me to actually do it.

Have any of you guys while driving your GT's had a moment where the car drove you rather than you driving it? Looking forward to joining the club

Not in my GT (as an '08, it doesn't have stability control, and its TC is all but worthless). But I did have the system in my wife's Legacy kick in unexpectedly (and in my honest opinion needlessly). Generally a benign experience, save for it putting me in the position of having no throttle response with a merge into 60 mph traffic coming up (speed-limited to something like 45 or 50, with normal traffic running at least 10 over along that stretch).

I got careless enough on the track once to put two wheels off and spin. So you don't need 400+ HP, either, or even half of the 315 or so that I have. The tire tracks off to the right in the video's picture are the ones I made, the picture being grabbed out of my video from the following session. Happened at about 75 mph.
[ame]


Norm

 

[Charles147]

What is this? Are we making excuses now for poor driving skills/judgment. I ran the car into the ditch because it was too powerful. I swear officer it drove itself into the ditch. LMFAO!


Will I wreck this car?
A: It's possible

How easy is it to lose it in one of these cars?
A: Easy enough

How many folks here went from a low power commuter to a GT and how did you adjust to the difference in performance?
A: Yes. Very easy adjustment

Have any of you guys while driving your GT's had a moment where the car drove you rather than you driving it? Looking forward to joining the club
A: the GT doesn't drive itself. You are fine as long as you use your head. When you stop using your head is when you find your car in a ditch. And, you drove the car in the ditch not the car!

 

[Chameleon]

Improve the Driver mod.

 

[Hashbrownn]

I'm sure, you'll be fine as long as you leave all the nannies on.
Even with the traction control on, I can sometimes feel the rear wheels slipping when I try to put the power down in the middle of slow/tight corner.
Honestly, I don't know of many that can take this GT w/ PP to it's cornering limits. I've never tried on the streets, and would never try.
You'll be fine as long as you respect the car & power. Baby steps!

 

[tdmcb36]

I have only had my car for 3 weeks, but one thing that took me off guard was how much more you get from the different driving modes. After driving in the normal mode for pretty much the whole time, switching to Sport+ does make it go quite a bit harder (at least this is what I have perceived). After driving much lower powered cars in normal and then their "sport" modes, I was not expecting the big jump in performance. You just have to be prepared for the extra power/response time.

 

[GoBlues38]

I;ve never driven a RWD car with more than 250 HP.

:

This is what stands out for me.

I had experience with RWD cars in the past, and the jump to 435hp is a big deal. Just be ready and dont be a hero. But in a month, you will have it under controll.

 

[GoBlues38]

I got careless enough on the track once to put two wheels off and spin. So you don't need 400+ HP, either, or even half of the 315 or so that I have. The tire tracks off to the right in the video's picture are the ones I made, the picture being grabbed out of my video from the following session. Happened at about 75 mph.



Norm

You were doing awesome, missed the apex a little. Pushed you wide, and when you dropped two off the left, nothing you could do.

Any issues from the spin?

 

[BmacIL]

I jumped from 190 hp FWD to the GT. As [MENTION=19308]jasonstang[/MENTION] said, the first time you feel the limits when you're not expecting it, it'll scare you. The first WOT run you do through the gears will make you giggle like a little kid...it did for me. After a couple weeks, you'll have it under control and will be able to use the power.

As many have suggested, do some autocrosses. It really helps to feel out how the car responds when pushing it in a safe environment. Most respected clubs leave plenty of room to make mistakes.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I'm sure, you'll be fine as long as you leave all the nannies on.

I'd never put as much faith in any nanny as implied by that statement. There's no guarantee that your situation of the moment is within the nanny's capabilities or even that it was foreseen by the programmers.

Even with the traction control on, I can sometimes feel the rear wheels slipping when I try to put the power down in the middle of slow/tight corner.

Good. This should always be the case, feeling the tires - front or rear - as they start to slip slightly, before they slip big time.

Honestly, I don't know of many that can take this GT w/ PP to it's cornering limits. I've never tried on the streets, and would never try.
You'll be fine as long as you respect the car & power. Baby steps!

I suspect that most autocrossers with much experience could get pretty close. But with that sort of experience comes the realization that nothing in street driving short of an immediate emergency maneuver comes close to using up that much of the margin against a spin or slide. Shouldn't, not even for those who drive a good bit harder than "average".


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

You were doing awesome, missed the apex a little. Pushed you wide, and when you dropped two off the left, nothing you could do.

Any issues from the spin?

I was both early and wide. Probable brain fade, and it shouldn't have happened.

It cost me a couple of minor burns from the hot brake parts cleaning the dirt/mud off the insides of the wheel barrels (unbelievable amount of shimmy at all of 20 mph), and I had to duct tape up a couple of tears in my cheapie aluminum brake cooling ducts. There might still be a little of the dirt from that episode hiding in the crevices.


Norm

 

[CB]

Will this car out drive me? No. A person could manage to kill themselves even in a 40 horsepower Opel Cadet if they put their mind to it.
Braking is done before the turn and ease into the throttle off the turn. But there are exceptions to every rule. Practice that even when going slow.
Don't even think about ordering the pp car. Just do it. You're going to love it.

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