Ordering a new Bullitt (UK) - Things to consider

[cib24]

Hello everyone!

Last week Ford (UK) announced that they would extend the run of the special edition Bullitt to the end of 2019. The initial allocation in 2018 was 400 cars and it sold out in just a couple of days, and I didn't manage to get my hands on one in time. I have now secured one and currently there is no build date but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't delivered until Q1 2020.

In the interim I have been doing a lot of research and I have found that there are some key differences between the UK/EU Bullitt and the USA Bullitt:

453hp vs. 480hp - Down to the European requirement of a GPF integrated into the cats and the RHD exhaust manifold.
3.55 Trac-loc LSD vs. 3.73 Torsen LSD
3rd Air vent in central dash vs. Oil pressure and vacuum gauge in central dash
No strut brace due to EU pedestrian crash regs vs. Bullitt strut brace - I will order one from a US Ford dealer and ship it over
Recaro seats only vs. Optional heated and cooled seats
Electronics pack standard vs. Optional electronics pack

I'm not that disappointed about the power difference as it can't be helped with the GPF requirement in the EU and hopefully a Steeda tune works on a UK/EU car to unlock a few of the lost horses despite the extra logic in the ECU for the GPF. We have the equivalent of USA 91 or 93/94 at our petrol stations.

I am disappointed in the LSD differences as this will be a road car and I feel like a Torsen is a better option. Additionally, the gearing is ridiculously long so I am thinking of swapping to 4.09 gears or 4.56 gears (if available) straight away, but I wonder if I should also swap straight to a Torsen LSD as well?

Gearing at 7400 RPM on 27.7" tyre with 2018 MT82-D4 gear ratios

I understand that a catch can is also a good idea on the Coyote motor so I will do that straight away.

My car will be equipped with Magneride but here in the UK our roads and even our motorways are very windy so I want to ensure my Bullitt handles well and with confidence. I am coming from a FD Mazda RX-7 with Ohlins suspension so I know it will be a dramatic difference switching to the Bullitt and I'm not expecting the same level of capability. Having said that there seems to be a lot of stuff you can buy for the chassis, from IRS braces, alignment kits, K braces, springs, camber plates, control arms, diff bushings, etc. Can anyone provide a few recommendations for a resolved handling upgrade that is still comfortable when you want it to be?

Finally, a question about oil. Not so much the weight as it seems that 5w-20 or 5w-30 synthetic is fine and according to this forum change the oil frequently for the first few thousand miles. However, in the UK the service manual oil changes are every 12,000 miles so I wanted to understand if that is the same recommendation in the USA?

No other major modifications are planned for this car as I intend to retain my FD Mazda RX-7 for track day duties and the occasional car show, and use the Bullitt as a weekend car and a European touring device for it's extra practicality and comfort.

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[jonny10buds]

Hello everyone!

Last week Ford (UK) announced that they would extend the run of the special edition Bullitt to the end of 2019. The initial allocation in 2018 was 400 cars and it sold out in just a couple of days, and I didn't manage to get my hands on one in time. I have now secured one and currently there is no build date but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't delivered until Q1 2020.

In the interim I have been doing a lot of research and I have found that there are some key differences between the UK/EU Bullitt and the USA Bullitt:

453hp vs. 480hp - Down to the European requirement of a GPF integrated into the cats and the RHD exhaust manifold.
3.55 Trac-loc LSD vs. 3.73 Torsen LSD
3rd Air vent in central dash vs. Oil pressure and vacuum gauge in central dash
No strut brace due to EU pedestrian crash regs vs. Bullitt strut brace - I will order one from a US Ford dealer and ship it over
Recaro seats only vs. Optional heated and cooled seats
Electronics pack standard vs. Optional electronics pack

I'm not that disappointed about the power difference as it can't be helped with the GPF requirement in the EU and hopefully a Steeda tune works on a UK/EU car to unlock a few of the lost horses despite the extra logic in the ECU for the GPF. We have the equivalent of USA 91 or 93/94 at our petrol stations.

I am disappointed in the LSD differences as this will be a road car and I feel like a Torsen is a better option. Additionally, the gearing is ridiculously long so I am thinking of swapping to 4.09 gears or 4.56 gears (if available) straight away, but I wonder if I should also swap straight to a Torsen LSD as well?

Gearing at 7400 RPM on 27.7" tyre with 2018 MT82-D4 gear ratios

I understand that a catch can is also a good idea on the Coyote motor so I will do that straight away.

My car will be equipped with Magneride but here in the UK our roads and even our motorways are very windy so I want to ensure my Bullitt handles well and with confidence. I am coming from a FD Mazda RX-7 with Ohlins suspension so I know it will be a dramatic difference switching to the Bullitt and I'm not expecting the same level of capability. Having said that there seems to be a lot of stuff you can buy for the chassis, from IRS braces, alignment kits, K braces, springs, camber plates, control arms, diff bushings, etc. Can anyone provide a few recommendations for a resolved handling upgrade that is still comfortable when you want it to be?

Finally, a question about oil. Not so much the weight as it seems that 5w-20 or 5w-30 synthetic is fine and according to this forum change the oil frequently for the first few thousand miles. However, in the UK the service manual oil changes are every 12,000 miles so I wanted to understand if that is the same recommendation in the USA?

No other major modifications are planned for this car as I intend to retain my FD Mazda RX-7 for track day duties and the occasional car show, and use the Bullitt as a weekend car and a European touring device for it's extra practicality and comfort.

I was lucky enough to get one of the first allocation (K3538) mainly by ordering in April 2018 before prices had been released, however due to some dealers taking the p**s (EH I think) Ford cancelled the whole order bank and started again from scratch in around May from memory, I took delivery of my car on the 15th February 2019.

Other differences are no green stitching on the dash or carpet mats due to these items being unique to RHD.

I didn’t order Magneride and find the ride on standard suspension firm at lower speeds but not crashy or uncomfortable and as the speed rises the whole car flows beautifully with no noticeable roll, I’d be interested to try a Magneride equipped car out of curiosity but I have no regrets ordering it without.

As for the gearing I had visions of it being very tall and spending most of my time in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears but this isn’t the case, at 60 mph and above in 6th the engine’s far from labouring, I was pleasantly surprised and find it fine tootling around on A roads.

When you get the car and do a few miles in it you’ll love it and possibly won’t want to make any changes, I love originality in any specialty or classic car, the only mod I’ve made are a set of £8 black anodised aluminium dust caps from Halfords but I’ve kept the original plastic ones in a little zip bag in the glove compartment!

 

[Spider]

Hi

The gearing is very tall with the new MT-82 ratios much taller than my 2017 GT. Makes it feel more like a fast cruiser or true GT than a sports car. Magnaride really helps on the corners much better body control although the settings range from hard to very hard on our roads.

Not much of a drag strip car with that trac-loc 3.55 LSD. I would have much preferred the Torsen. I would be interested to know if a change was possible.

I have bought the Bullitt strut brace and converted it to fit a RHD car.

With regard to production numbers it was always going to be a 2 year run. A total of 350 coming to the UK released in two model years. The majority of these were released in June 2018 and the balance in 2019.

The new Bullitt somehow manages to capture that old school muscle car sound and feel. Ford really nailed it.

 

[POJ 1]

You obviously have too much time on your hands until your Bullitt arrives to get yourself in a lather over trivia
5 minutes in your new Bullitt when it finally arrives and you'll be wondering what you were ever worried about

 

[jonny10buds]

You obviously have too much time on your hands until your Bullitt arrives to get yourself in a lather over trivia
5 minutes in your new Bullitt when it finally arrives and you'll be wondering what you were ever worried about

This

 

[cib24]

It's not that I'm worried about a lack of torque in the low rev range. I know it will have plenty whether at 2000 RPM or 7000 RPM, but I want to have a road car that allows me to use more than 2nd gear when pushing on, hence the desire to swap straight away to 4.09 gears in the rear.

Anyway, I went to a nearby dealership to look at a Bullitt they had in stock which was to be delivered to a customer after some detailing work over the weekend. It was good to finally see it in person. I got to turn it on and rev it a bit in the different exhaust modes. Couple of things:

• The green looks fantastic in person.The subtle styling changes really make it look special, and I prefer it without all of the badging.
  
• The engine sounds fantastic. Quiet mode is actually quiet! Sport and track mode are unreal. They had another GT with active exhaust and it sounded similar but not as old school.
• The black exhaust tips seemed to be chipping already.
  
• The wheels are cool but I wonder if a classic Torq Thrust grey wheel would have been cooler.
• The red calipers stick out like a sore thumb. I think black with silver writing would have worked well.
  
• Recaros are pretty to look at but lumbar support is lacking a bit. I wonder how comfortable they will be for long journeys.
• Gear knob was really nice, and the interior was very pleasant. Cheaper materials than you expect at this price point but well laid out and didn't bother me. The lack of green stitching on the dash is really noticeable. All of the Mustang's here don't get coloured stitching on the dash to match the door cards. The regular GT had white stitching and it was too obvious. On the Bullitt less so.
  
• There is undercoating from the rear axle backwards on the UK Mustangs, but nothing on the centre or front of the car. The frame rails are completely exposed to the elements.

Aside from those general takes, the main issue I noticed was the panel gaps. Jesus. I asked the dealership about that and they said all of the Mustang's come with an issue on 1 or more panels and there isn't anything they can do about it. They said it's only the Mustang that comes this way and they wish the quality control in the States was better, because the Focus, Fiesta, etc. are far more consistent.

Example. Notice the front bumper hanging low on the right side, hood too far forward on the left side, and the level of the doors with the rear quarter panel.

I guess my question is, how hard is it to fix yourself? I'm decent with a wrench but would need a manual to know how to adjust the bumpers and doors to get them right.

Otherwise, I did love the car and test drove a regular GT A10 to see how the Mustang felt on UK roads. The GT didn't have Magneride and felt a little stiff at low speeds so hopefully the Magneride sorts that out. Otherwise, it was pretty nice. No rattles, relatively quiet when you wanted it to be and very quick on the top end.

Looking forward to getting mine but just hope it's not built on a Friday...

 

[jonny10buds]

Hmmm, the gaps on that one are pretty dissapointing, my 2016 Ecoboost convertible were all over the place but my Bullitt is very good, I assumed they'd made some quality improvements for 2019 MY but maybe not looking at that one.

 

[cib24]

Euro Bullitt on the German Autobahn which comes with a 3.55 rear end like all other Euro GTs. Waaaaay too long geared and tops out on the limiter in 4th at 6,780 RPM, leaving 620 RPM on the table. No wonder Dyno runs on stock cars are also incomplete due to the limiter.

With no limiter it's obvious the Mustang could do over 180mph.

I will definitely be swapping to 4.09s or 4.30s.

 

[BrettT]

Looking forward to getting mine but just hope it's not built on a Friday...

You're in luck, I hear it is going to be built on a Monday......

 

[aileron]

tops out on the limiter in 4th at 6,780 RPM, leaving 620 RPM on the table. No wonder Dyno runs on stock cars are also incomplete due to the limiter.

With no limiter it's obvious the Mustang could do over 180mph.

Not so obvious to me. The Bullitt hit 260kph (161 mph) in 4th gear (1:1) at 6780 rpm, pretty close to the HP peak. It was not on the limiter, the soft limiter on the Bullitt hits about 7400 RPM. What I glean from the video is the Bullitt was drag limited.

I don't care what rear end gears you put on that European Bullitt, the only way it's going 180 mph is off a cliff , I'd say maybe 165mph with the US rear end. The Euro 3.55 diff isn't too far off optimum for max speed with the stock MT-82 gearset.

4th gear @ 1:1 has the least driveline losses; i've found 5th too tall for our 3.73 rear end. If I wanted to consistently go fast, I'd install a ratio between 3.55 and 3.73, and then tune out the soft limiter and rely on a the hard limiter.

 

[cib24]

I intend to go with at least 4.09s either way shortly after receiving my Bullitt just because I want to use the gearbox more often.

Anyway, you mention the soft vs hard limiter. The soft limiter on the stock tune is 7400 RPM? Where is the hard limiter set?

 

[aileron]

I intend to go with at least 4.09s either way shortly after receiving my Bullitt just because I want to use the gearbox more often.

Anyway, you mention the soft vs hard limiter. The soft limiter on the stock tune is 7400 RPM? Where is the hard limiter set?

I like rowing the gears a lot too, so I understand your desire for a 4:09 rear end. It's not easy to see the hard limiter at work, but 7,700 RPM is the coded value where fuel and/or spark is cut-off. The HP vs RPM curve shows the engine is still producing power at 7390+/-, so there's a bit more power and speed to be extracted in 4th with your 3.55's if the soft limiter is coded out. Soft and hard limiters are common on high RPM engines, as hitting a hard limiter is un-nerving and one often thinks they broke the motor.

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