2015-2016 Tech Pack and Base GT350 Cooler Solution Discussion

[Jmk]

So will the Shelby American parts be the same as the Ford Performance parts? I thought SA was working with FP on this project.

I'm not sure.

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[TRACK CRAZY GT350]

I just got off of the phone with Tom (sorry, I couldn't call yesterday due to being unexpectedly busy).

Any way, phone call started off on the wrong foot as he started in with the whole "it was never intended to be tracked" line. I countered with the usual arguments we've had here. Brakes, suspension, motor, track mode etc, everything is the same as other cars (overkill for the street). I also said I didn't want to run all day on the track as I just want to be able to do a 20-25 minute HPDE session without hitting limp mode. I also mentioned that people have been having overheating/limp mode issues on the street. He was unphased by this and just stated that he didn't want to argue about it, but I could tell he is in the camp that us base/tech guys are basically idiots for buying the wrong car. That is how I felt about that give and take anyway.

All I could get out of him was the usual info. The two options and I got the part number for the cooler kit, which is M-7095-M8S according to him. I asked him if there was going to be a FP pump for sale in the future with the kit. He was confused by this question and didn't know if it came with one or not and also didn't find out the information for me.

On a side note, I asked him if it was normal for my car to go through a quart of oil in 3000 miles. This is with no leaks and while having both sides of the FP oil separators. He was surprised, but was unsure if it was normal or not and suggested I swing by my dealer.

Overall, this phone call was not a great introduction into dealing with people at FP and did not help my confidence level in their products or support of them.

Sorry to hear that you had that experience but something is to be said for lots of us calling. It shows that we are all having some different answers from different people.

 

[Minn19]

Sorry to hear that you had that experience but something is to be said for lots of us calling. It shows that we are all having some different answers from different people.

It is what it is. Unfortunately, as most here I'm sure, I'm used to it. For a country (USA) that reportedly has between 70-80 percent of jobs that are based on the service industry.........it is really hard to find a company that gives good (note I didn't say great) customer service anymore. Just one middle aged man's opinion.

 

[Epiphany]

You are so late to this argument it isn't funny.

Let's just agree that if heat is such an issue; this car should had never been offered without coolers.

I've been around for a long time. The topic at hand isn't new to me nor is to most here at 6G so my apologies for not seeing the humor that you apparently do.

I've been careful to word any responses in this thread as objectively as possible. I'm not here to discuss the marketing side at Ford. Plain and simple the car was offered either with the coolers or without. If you don't have them and wish to run the car on the track without the potential to hit the limp threshold then it is recommended to add them.

The people you are talking to are from the performance parts division of Ford Racing. They are not the people that made the decision to equip or not equip the GT350 with certain hardware. They are doing the best to help given the constraints they have been placed under. Something to keep in perspective when you talk to them or about them.

 

[Minn19]

I've been around for a long time. The topic at hand isn't new to me nor is to most here at 6G so my apologies for not seeing the humor that you apparently do.

I've been careful to word any responses in this thread as objectively as possible. I'm not here to discuss the marketing side at Ford. Plain and simple the car was offered either with the coolers or without. If you don't have them and wish to run the car on the track without the potential to hit the limp threshold then it is recommended to add them.

The people you are talking to are from the performance parts division of Ford Racing. They are not the people that made the decision to equip or not equip the GT350 with certain hardware. They are doing the best to help given the constraints they have been placed under. Something to keep in perspective when you talk to them or about them.

I approached the conversation with that in mind. Tom got annoyed, defensive and argumentative with me very quickly about the subject. I didn't even bring up the marketing/who makes the decisions part of this. I specifically called about information on the cooler kits. And as has been seen now and previously....we are getting different answers. Tom and the rest of Ford could be handling this problem (and others) much much better from a customer service and marketing standpoint.

 

[Epiphany]

I cannot speak to Tom's defense. I'm surprised that he got annoyed if all you asked was for information on any cooler kit as a technical response is normally fairly robotic in nature and void of emotion.

Hopefully the parts start to flow soon so those of you looking to retrofit/upgrade can get it done.

 

[Minn19]

I cannot speak to Tom's defense. I'm surprised that he got annoyed if all you asked was for information on any cooler kit as a technical response is normally fairly robotic in nature and void of emotion.

Hopefully the parts start to flow soon so those of you looking to retrofit/upgrade can get it done.

Trust me, I was kind of surprised myself. I was even more puzzled when he said he hadn't heard of people calling about it. Everybody has bad days and I could of caught him at a bad time, who knows.

100% agree with the last statement. It will be nice to move on from this discussion and into installing and how they are performing etc.

 

[USMC0341]

I've been careful to word any responses in this thread as objectively as possible. I'm not here to discuss the marketing side at Ford. Plain and simple the car was offered either with the coolers or without. If you don't have them and wish to run the car on the track without the potential to hit the limp threshold then it is recommended to add them.
.

I don't plan to take my car to the track EVER! I just want to make it up interstate 15 to Vegas in the summer or just make it home in traffic with out the tranny going into limp home mode. It's happen to me three times already. When I go to the dealer they say nothing is wrong then quote me the line about getting coolers for spirited driving or trading in on a 17. I refuse to loose my ass on a trade in. Don't care how much I have to pay, just want a ford solution/kit. everything I might need instead of buying part by part. I just want a car I can drive on the street. And with that I'm done! Thank you guys for letting me vent!

 

[lemers]

I've been around for a long time. The topic at hand isn't new to me nor is to most here at 6G so my apologies for not seeing the humor that you apparently do.

I've been careful to word any responses in this thread as objectively as possible. I'm not here to discuss the marketing side at Ford. Plain and simple the car was offered either with the coolers or without. If you don't have them and wish to run the car on the track without the potential to hit the limp threshold then it is recommended to add them.

The people you are talking to are from the performance parts division of Ford Racing. They are not the people that made the decision to equip or not equip the GT350 with certain hardware. They are doing the best to help given the constraints they have been placed under. Something to keep in perspective when you talk to them or about them.

I can see that you've been a member for a long time but your statements concerning this situation either intended to either generate the same old responses or you haven't been up to date on this thread. I'm not sure which.

Ford Performance Parts may not have built the car, but they are still Ford Employees and represent the company. So yes, they need to be understanding of owners concerns.


Finally I don't know who is more at fault here,
Ford engineers who couldn't build a reliable performance car
Ford Executives that advertised the most track capable mustang
Anyone at Ford that couldn't see Shelby customers taking it to the track with or without the coolers
Or me for believing ford was capable of delivering.

Now, I will have to find my own fix to their engineering mistake, their advertising mistake, and my ordering mistake.

 

[jaubrey]

I just spoke with Ford Performance. You can order the Track/R transmission for around 4K and have it installed at the shop of your choice. Option 2 is the M70955M85 transmission cooler kit for $600 and have it installed at the shop of your choice (available in 6-8 weeks).

If you thought Ford was going to assist owners with either the cost of the part or the labor to install, you were dead wrong. I have been under this delusion for almost a year now.

I asked the FP representative about more details on the cooler (drawings, installation instructions, type of pump, etc.) and he said all he had was the part number.

 

[jaubrey]

Here is the letter I wrote to Ford back in February. It sums up how I felt/feel about this issue

Dear Sirs/Maam,
I am writing to provide you with additional information regarding the above case in an effort to provide
faster resolution to the issue.
On both Feb 14th and Feb 25th, I participated in a High Performance Driving Event (HPDE) at Palm
Beach International Raceway (PBIR) with my 2016 GT 350 (Base Model). I was accompanied in all
cases with a driving instructor from Chin Motorsports (2/14) and Hooked On Driving (2/25). These
events typically have four 20-30 minute driving sessions.
At the initial session, as a novice driver, with a new car that I didn’t want to push, I did not exceed
120mph or shift beyond 7,000 rpm (redline is 8,200). After approximately 12 mins, the car went into
limited RPM or “limp” mode where the RPM was capped at 5,000 RPM. After approximately ½ hour of
cool down, I returned to the track and again the car went into limited RPM operation. I was very
concerned and did not track the car further to avoid damaging the car.
Researching on the internet, I started this thread on the Mustang GT350 forum
(http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44808) and also a second post regards the same
issue (http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45992). If you review these forums, you
will see there are several other GT350 Base Model and Tech Pack Model cars experiencing the same
issue and others quite upset that the car would have this consistent issue.
On Feb 25th, I returned to PBIR and to my surprise there were 3 other GT350 Base/Tech Models
participating in the event. To make a long story short, they all experienced the RPM limiting issue as did
I in every session they participated in at approximately 15 mins. In addition, at both of these events, the
outside air temperature was between 50 and 60 degrees. I can’t imagine how quickly my car would enter
limp mode on a typical 95 degree summer day in South Florida or a challenging track like Sebring.
I have contacted both my dealer (AutoNation Margate) and Ford Performance and the only response I
have received is that this is normal behavior for the car and that the RPM limited mode is caused by the
Transmission overheating. Apparently this is a known issue and maybe why all of the 2017 GT350 cars
will come with Transmission and Differential coolers as standard equipment.
I have been told by Ford Performance and the Dealer, that “I should have bought the Track Pack if I
intended to Track the car.” I take issue with that statement based on my expectations of the car, my prior
experience with tracking other way less “track capable” cars and the way the car was marketed by Ford.
I considered the Track Pack, but thought it was unnecessary because I never planned to Track the car
frequently or run the car at 100%.
It was inconceivable to me that the new Shelby GT350 would go limp within 10-15 minutes of non-race
conditions driven at an easy pace on an easy road course on a cool day. Imagine my embarrassment of
having to retire to the infield while stock Miatas, Mustang 5.0s, Dodge Challengers and Camaros
continued for the complete HPDE session. To quote from your own web site
(https://media.ford.com/content/ford.../11/17/shelby-gt350-mustang-the-legendreturns.
html):
 All-new Shelby® GT350 Mustang is a thoroughbred capable of tackling the world’s most
challenging roads and racetracks.
 Advanced materials, MagneRide dampers, aggressive brakes and finely tuned aerodynamics push
the performance of Mustang to previously unmatched levels
As a resolution, I would like to see the Tremec TR-3160 6-speed transmission with built in cooler
installed in my Mustang or less optimally, and aftermarket cooler installed and warrantied by Ford.
I have been a long-time Ford customer; I own a 2010 Ford Fusion and am considering the Ford Focus RS
as my daily driving car. I look forward to Ford delivering on the promise of this awesome vehicle. I
purchased this as my “dream car” and not being able to even come close to realizing its potential due to
the engineering deficiency of the base/tech pack transmission has been so disappointing to me that I can’t
even put it into words.
If I can provide any additional information please do not hesitate to call or email me.

 

[lemers]

Here is the letter I wrote to Ford back in February. It sums up how I felt/feel about this issue...

...If I can provide any additional information please do not hesitate to call or email me.

I don't suppose Ford ever contacted you back? :lol:

 

[TonyJ5150]

Here is the letter I wrote to Ford back in February. It sums up how I felt/feel about this issue

Dear Sirs/Maam,
I am writing to provide you with additional information regarding the above case in an effort to provide
faster resolution to the issue.


What was their reply?

 

[firestarter2]

Im sorry do I have to point out how unreasonable that email sounds?

 

[TonyJ5150]

When you get down to it, it has a damn Track setting...but it cant be tracked...Its pure BS... but luckily I have a shop with the skills to address this issue so I can go to the track this spring and not have to deal with Ford...and in the end, Ill have a bad ass, Track Capable GT350 with all the Tech goodies and comforts...

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