GT350 vs. GT350R at Chuckwalla Raceway

[cjgt350]

I have a non R but extensive mods...no doubt it is faster than a stock R as I have been on track with them and leave them behind. Some may be driver but then driver's that I know where we closely match skill I pull them by more than a second. I have progressed on the same track with a stock GT350 to now modified where I have lowered my lap times by 6 seconds (1.8mi road course). A second or two is just seat time. No special secret sauce on the R but what is known (mentioned in this thread) is the special sauce.

Edit: In contrast to make a R faster is far more simple since it is already a track star. Other than slicks it takes four mods IMO, 315 squared tires to get away from the slight understeer, camber plates, race brake pads and a DSC shock controller....another second plus to be had from a R. Add in some ancillary supporting mods (catch cans, etc) and safety equipment then you have one bad fast car. That said the number one item is seat time. These cars are far more capable than most of our track capabilities...every track session I learn something on track that I gain a tenth here or there.

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[mattlqx]

The Cup 2s are worth an easy two seconds around Chuckwalla IMO having driven there on Pilot Sports and knowing what a sticky tire feels like.

 

[BigHo]

[MENTION=18007]mattlqx[/MENTION] exactly my point, if the gt350 is just as capable with just a rim and tire swap, why even bother trying to spend 25-40k sticker markups on a R? [MENTION=16139]cjgt350[/MENTION] What mods did you do that made such a huge impact in dropping your time so much?

 

[cjgt350]

[MENTION=18007]mattlqx[/MENTION] exactly my point, if the gt350 is just as capable with just a rim and tire swap, why even bother trying to spend 25-40k sticker markups on a R? [MENTION=16139]cjgt350[/MENTION] What mods did you do that made such a huge impact in dropping your time so much?

A bit of a read but here is everything I have done. http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74433

 

[snaproll]

I'll bite. From a longtime racer's perspective and R owner, I would say there's more difference between day to day temps, tire heat cycles and air pressure than between the two cars on the same set of wheels/tires. That little splitter extension and wing don't add up to F1 aerodynamics. And 50 - 100 lbs isn't that big of a deal either. Not to interrupt the bench racing, but the bigger deal is the car is so fast that you're really not going to be on the ragged edge all the time without safety mods. A 100 lbs of roll bar and safety gear will make the car go faster. ;)

 

[cjgt350]

Not to interrupt the bench racing, but the bigger deal is the car is so fast that you're really not going to be on the ragged edge all the time without safety mods. A 100 lbs of roll bar and safety gear will make the car go faster. ;)

Well said...

 

[CSL]

This has been beaten to death. The R doesn't have magic dust sprinkled on it. It has seriously light wheels and sticky tires. That comprises 90+% of the difference. The other differences are subtle, and the driver will be the difference between the two when both are on comparable wheels and tires. I've driven an R and it's awesome, but it is not a night and day difference when both cars are on Cup2s. Even if the R is a second faster with a kick ass driver....who cares? To my knowledge no one is going door to door racing with our street cars? We're having fun at track days. If you're a good driver you will be faster than most of the street cars out there. Very few will be faster no matter how much they cost. So if you want to be the fastest guy out there on a track day, get a 350 with reasonably priced semi-light wheels, wrap them in Cup2s or Hoosiers, and with the money saved hire a driving coach.

 

[BigHo]

[MENTION=16139]cjgt350[/MENTION] got to say, you've got one hell of a build! might just be one of the best I've seen so far

 

[BigHo]

Has anyone considered going JRZ shocks or any other reputable coiler over setup or are the magnerides more than enough for road and track use?

 

[cjgt350]

[MENTION=16139]cjgt350[/MENTION] got to say, you've got one hell of a build! might just be one of the best I've seen so far

Thanks. There are a few on here that have similar builds.

Has anyone considered going JRZ shocks or any other reputable coiler over setup or are the magnerides more than enough for road and track use?

Not familiar with JRZ maybe you meant JRi who build great dampeners also Multimatic DSSV dampeners or for high tech DSC tractive dampeners (which work with the DSC controller I might add)but they are about $8k for a set on either...yikes...so no. The stock dampeners with the DSC controller are very good so that also makes it difficult to justify the expense.

 

[Stuntman]

MT tested on 2 different days, so those lap times and the difference isn't an apples:apples comparison. The difference between a GT350 and an R is more on the lines of 4-5 seconds around most tracks.

 

[BigHo]

[MENTION=16139]cjgt350[/MENTION] yeah i meant JRI, JRZ are the cheaper stuff lol. Well said though, the stock ones punch way above their price point, no need to spend 8k on other shocks.

 

[Demonic]

One car can always be modified to outperform another. As CSL said this has been brought up and debated before. Much of the value we as owners see in the R is the spirit in which the car was produced from the factory. The GT350 is an incredible car, and without question could be easily modified to outperform the R. Debating exact degrees as to which changes matter in track time becomes partly academic and speculative as long as there is a human at the wheel though. I think few would deny that the tires are typically the most significant difference between otherwise similar cars.

 

[96cobra]

The difference between a GT350 and an R is more on the lines of 4-5 seconds around most tracks.

Not with both cars on Cup2's.

 

[BigHo]

One car can always be modified to outperform another. As CSL said this has been brought up and debated before. Much of the value we as owners see in the R is the spirit in which the car was produced from the factory. The GT350 is an incredible car, and without question could be easily modified to outperform the R. Debating exact degrees as to which changes matter in track time becomes partly academic and speculative as long as there is a human at the wheel though. I think few would deny that the tires are typically the most significant difference between otherwise similar cars.

I think that is one of the biggest reasons I think so many of us are drawn to the R.

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