Dangerous driving - tips for a newbie to muscle cars

[K4fxd]

Shifting at 6K WOT is short shifting. The Mach 1 pulls hard to 7100

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[GrabberBargeCaptain]

Just because its a mustang or performance car doesn't mean you have to drive it a specific way. Drive it how you like. If you want to waste gas and not get out of 3rd gear in the city, that's fine. They certainly love to rev. Just know they're perfectly happy shifting at 2000 rpm like a grannie if you want to drive like that too. These are Mustangs, not super cars.

The "crick-crick" from the gear shift is the little spring rattling around inside the shifter, very common. I get it too and seems to get worse if the temps drop. There are some fixes you can apply if you want to take it apart-there's a thread on here and a long video on youtube you can find.

 

[raptor17GT]

I recently bought a Mach 1 and while I have 20+ years of driving experience, sitting on such much power is a novelty to me.
My teaching was to drive in lower gears rather than higher ones, and particularly ahead of curves to either hit the break or let the motor break by downshifting.

And here is where I seem to get into danger zone with my Mach 1: when I come in 3rd with 60 mph towards a curve, and I shift down into 2nd, the car seems to become "hyper": sensitive to every touch of the pedal, I can feel how the wheels are full of force and ready to burn. And so it happened twice, actually accelerating out of a curve in 2nd, maybe 60-90° turns, when the rear of the car broke loose a bit.

I am not surprised, I am just saying, this is new for me and I can see the dangers of such brute force.
So my first question is: do you have any general driving tips for me and the Mach 1, with the goal to have 'safe fun'? Do I have to unlearn what I learnt and are there some key principles of driving a 500 HP car like the Mach 1?

Also, I can hardly ever use gears 4-6 unless on the highway. I try to shift only as of 6k RPM, so mostly use 2nd and 3rd gears.
The second sometimes sounds weird, a crick-crick like an insect is in the gear shift. Maybe it's the wear of using 2nd and 3rd like 80% of the time - any thoughts on that? The first question above is the more important one, in case you are tight on time.

Really appreciate your suggestions.
SWW

Are you downshifting at 60mph from 3rd into 2nd gear???

 

[JetGray_Mach1]

You should avoid any abrupt acceleration or downshift on a turn. At the Mach 1 track attack they went over the proper way of driving consider a class like that. Ideally you want to come fast and downshift being hard on breaks before the turn then you take the turn while slowly getting on throttle. Just be gentle don’t slam into it if you are not going straight.

 

[SdoubleW]

Are you downshifting at 60mph from 3rd into 2nd gear???

80-90 km/h … let me check, that’s 55 mph. Yes sir, that’s what I did and pretty much puts the car at 6k revs in 2nd. Is that not what spirited drivers would do?
I truly don’t know was just driving as I thought it would make sense

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

I’d recommend doing 2 things:
1. HPDE or Autocross, both with an instructor in the car
2. Read: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Faster...732992432&sprefix=Going+faster,aps,882&sr=8-1
Car control is hard to explain in an e-mail.

 

[Andy13186]

Leave stability control (advancetrac) on

 

[raptor17GT]

80-90 km/h … let me check, that’s 55 mph. Yes sir, that’s what I did and pretty much puts the car at 6k revs in 2nd. Is that not what spirited drivers would do?
I truly don’t know was just driving as I thought it would make sense

It's not a 2L VTEC Honda motor. It'll happily pull in 4th hard out of a road curve at 60mph and not wag the tail. I mean 3rd I'd use for overtaking a line of traffic or if the space was short but hitting a curve on the road at 60mph, I'd be in 4th easily maybe 5th if there wasn't traffic and just use the torque to bend swing it.

But hey what do i know lol. Been driving over 30yrs a manual, never ever I have even thought about downshifting to 2nd at 60mph.

For the record, i have the 17gt EU model so the shorter ratios but damn 2nd gear at 60mph is gonna pop something expensive sooner rather than later

 

[SdoubleW]

It's not a 2L VTEC Honda motor. It'll happily pull in 4th hard out of a road curve at 60mph and not wag the tail. I mean 3rd I'd use for overtaking a line of traffic or if the space was short but hitting a curve on the road at 60mph, I'd be in 4th easily maybe 5th if there wasn't traffic and just use the torque to bend swing it.

But hey what do i know lol. Been driving over 30yrs a manual, never ever I have even thought about downshifting to 2nd at 60mph.

For the record, i have the 17gt EU model so the shorter ratios but damn 2nd gear at 60mph is gonna pop something expensive sooner rather than later

I had a manual a long time ago and downshifting from 55 mph to 2nd gear would have popped the engine. But this is 2024 and I have a Mach 1.
Anyways I am glad to have read all the good advice above. I hope I didn’t go on the car too hard the last 2 days, it’s only got 5k miles on the Tacho, so still a baby. But I hope it would have managed the downshifts.

I will go easier and will read the book. I am interested in the dynamics of proper driving, which I feel I never did before in my life as I was just driving normal cars.

This one requires a more thoughtful driving. I can certainly see while so many young people here put one of these into the trees, they are delicate to handle and with a sip of alcohol and the feeling of being invincible, these things will be a threat to many.

I am truly amazed by the Mach 1 power and aware that this thing is no joke. You need to know your sh!t with this baby

 

[SdoubleW]

I’d recommend doing 2 things:
1. HPDE or Autocross, both with an instructor in the car
2. Read: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Faster-Mastering-Race-Driving/dp/0837602262/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QPJN1ID9VGPW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.e-74hlN7EVM_9JBsspfM_vg8CsHRu8v2DiH1T3efUyXGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.ydUofnYC7nDm3ce1ucOs1J185JrOv1K0tk5L4_-f-kI&dib_tag=se&keywords=going+faster+skip+barber+racing+school&qid=1732992432&sprefix=Going+faster,aps,882&sr=8-1
Car control is hard to explain in an e-mail.

I found the book and am getting it. Thanks for the tip!

 

[526 HRSE]

I will not keep running the revs this high unless it’s to accelerate, and I will be careful with too aggressive down shifts. Testing the limits is fun and I will go to a track to continue pushing the car and myself. This is an experience I’ve never had before, just wow!

Accelerating up to 5-6k is def sth I will continue to do. I have an electric car for the easy cruising. I bought the Mach 1 to work, and it WILL be worked! ;-)

It's good to run the revs out. Keeps things nice and clean, but yes, take your car to a parking lot in the rain. Figure out where your limits are in the worst conditions and work backwards.

 

[Paddles]

For spirited driving it sounds like you're doing it right. Just make sure she's warm before letting her rip. As posted above, you can run her out to 7k. She'll take the abuse fine but you'll want to increase your maintenance when driving really hard like that so be sure to keep up on fluid changes, especially brake and diff fluids. Also you only get so many nice hard downshifts like that before you'll need to work on the transmission. It's not made of glass but the synchros and forks and such will wear faster with harder shifts. If you are having trouble with the really sensitive pedal feel, try putting it in Drag mode.

 

[Bluemustang]

Just because its a mustang or performance car doesn't mean you have to drive it a specific way.

I will push back on this. These cars like to be driven hard and they like revs. It does not like to go slow very much. Letting her loose on a somewhat regular basis will keep the engine running happy. Every time I'd come back from the track, the engine runs like a top. Getting everything hot keeps it running at peak imo. The ol' Italian tune up they say.

If you're going to drive it slow and steady every day, buy a different car IMO. That is not what it is made for.

 

[Bluemustang]

1. You have to give the car respect. That's a lot of power and front engine-RWD. It's a beast and got to give respect.

2. Being in a lower gear and high RPM will make throttle response twitchy. If you don't need that extra torque, those situations could be easier dealt with in a higher gear.

3. If testing on the street, stay around the fringes and don't try to test the limits overtly. Also, give your tires time to warm up and be mindful of the conditions (cold, wet, etc.) As others have stated, go to autocross or a road course and it is easier to test the limits. Afterwards, you may find you've gotten it out of your system. That level of driving is way beyond what you can do safely on the street.

4. I personally have found these cars like a little maintenance throttle entering the apex of a corner. Just light throttle to maintain speed. It lets the suspension take a set and adds stability. From there, slowly and steadily add in throttle as you unwind the wheel. I try do my braking in a straight line and pick a straighter line for an exit. Maximize the power of the car. If you find yourself with the rear stepping out under throttle, don't back out of it right away or all the way. Back out slightly and be quick to countersteer, and be ready to whip the wheel back to straight when traction resumes. It will happen fast just don't panic and keep your head.

 

[JetGray_Mach1]

One of the members posted this awesome video. Check it out. These cars handle extremely well you just got to learn how to make the beast dance. Notice how gentle his on the inputs and how he takes the corners. Keep in mind this is on sticky cup 2 tires.

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