Rumor: Steeda Blog - 2015 Mustang Weight Gain (Updated with Steeda's Response)

[Gudz2015]

it was way before we even saw what it might look like
I don't know why everybody thought it would weigh less if they didn't say it

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[Dyno]

Bs I remember him saying it at an auto show on video

No

You are thinking of a video on Autoline from like 2009 where DP was speculating on whether he thought Ford could reduce weight for the next Mustang. This is before the car went into development. What is he supposed to say? No?

 

[Stuntman]

Keep some things in mind about the new car. Every new vehicle has new, more stringent crash safety requirements to meet like the roof crush, small offset rigid barrier, side pole impact, etc. Meeting those standards plus adding more airbags will inevitably add weight.

The IRS will inevitably add weight. Those 15-inch rotors and 6-pot calipers in the GT PP? Yup more weight.

Other assorted features that today's buyers expect? More weight.

Ford certainly could have used more aluminum like they did on F150, but that would drive up cost. Given the sales volumes of F150 and Mustang, it would be way more beneficial to Ford to go aluminum on the truck first.

Consider this
2014 Camaro SS - 3908 lbs
2014 Challenger RT - 4092 lbs
2014 Mustang GT - 3618 lbs

if we assume worst case (GT Premium with PP) of 300 lbs extra, that puts 2015 on par with Camaro. If the next Camaro comes off ATS/Alpha, you're starting at 3,461 lbs for a V6 RWD ATS, pretty close to the 3,501 of a 2014 Mustang V6.

Start adding in the extra safety gear, and beefing up the Alpha to support a small-block V8 with bigger brakes, tougher rear end and you're right back in the same ballpark of 3,900 lbs.

Until automakers start using a lot more composites (and the price comes down) you're not gonna see big weight loss in these cars.

Great post. Along with bigget brakes, larger wheels and tires As a general automotive trend = an increase in weight.

In addition, since 1990, the most bare-bones, pure, and proper sports car: the Mazda miata, gained 500lbs -a 25% weight increase with very little technological advancements & features other than abs/TCS.

 

[Dub347sbf]

Well. Damn. Power plus weight plus gearing equals straight line performance. I know a lot of you people are autocross fans, but I like to work on the 1320. That was the one advantage we had over the camaro. They had the cubes and torque, we had the weight. Alpha platform for the camaro plus weight gain on s550, with the cube torque and most likely power advantage to the camaro, game over stock vs stock at the dragstrip (or street). Great.

 

[mj]

Interesting release from Steeda. I'm not doubting their claims, but from reading the blog post, it appears that they haven't even received any Mustangs yet: "....we have four 2015 Mustangs coming to the Steeda Product Development Centers".

I take that as they're repeating info from another source, rather than actually weighing the cars personally.

 

[Stuntman]

I think I saw a pic on FB of a red 2015 at their shop...

 

[mj]

I think I saw a pic on FB of a red 2015 at their shop...

And in the pics on the blog, it shows them ( or someone ) looking over a 2015 as well. Hmmmm...

 

[GMAN6]

Didn't Ford say the GT will beat the Boss? The Boss was 444 HP so if the car gains 300 lbs it will have to make an additional 30 HP to equal the power to weight ratio of the Boss which is equal to about 475 HP.

I can certainly see it gaining weight but it's difficult for me to see how it will gain 300 lbs and out perform the Boss.

 

[jjw]

I believe that was just in response to people who said it would lose 100 pounds. Seemed to me he was lowering expectations, without actually confirming it gained weight. I believe Jarstang also said something about potential weight gain a while back. All of this, to someone like me who has independently heard credible info from insiders, tells me we need to prepare ourselves.

I was thinking the comment was more along the lines of loosing approximately 100lbs to stay close to the same weight as the outgoing car.

 

[RTD]

Didn't Ford say the GT will beat the Boss? The Boss was 444 HP so if the car gains 300 lbs it will have to make an additional 30 HP to equal the power to weight ratio of the Boss which is equal to about 475 HP.

I can certainly see it gaining weight but it's difficult for me to see how it will gain 300 lbs and out perform the Boss.

They probably tested it on a track with pot holes, bumps, and uneven pavement to give the IRS an advantage.

 

[Pakman]

They probably tested it on a track with pot holes, bumps, and uneven pavement to give the IRS an advantage.

They specifically said the GT PP is faster than the Boss 302 Laguna Seca and the 07-13 BMW M3 around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.....

http://www.automotive.com/news/1312...ker-than-boss-302-laguna-seca-out-of-the-box/

 

[GTsquid]

We have some steeda guys on this forum, I hope they can jump in and shed some more light on their blog post.

 

[chopsui]

Keep some things in mind about the new car. Every new vehicle has new, more stringent crash safety requirements to meet like the roof crush, small offset rigid barrier, side pole impact, etc. Meeting those standards plus adding more airbags will inevitably add weight.

The IRS will inevitably add weight. Those 15-inch rotors and 6-pot calipers in the GT PP? Yup more weight.

Other assorted features that today's buyers expect? More weight.

Ford certainly could have used more aluminum like they did on F150, but that would drive up cost. Given the sales volumes of F150 and Mustang, it would be way more beneficial to Ford to go aluminum on the truck first.

Consider this
2014 Camaro SS - 3908 lbs
2014 Challenger RT - 4092 lbs
2014 Mustang GT - 3618 lbs

if we assume worst case (GT Premium with PP) of 300 lbs extra, that puts 2015 on par with Camaro. If the next Camaro comes off ATS/Alpha, you're starting at 3,461 lbs for a V6 RWD ATS, pretty close to the 3,501 of a 2014 Mustang V6.

Start adding in the extra safety gear, and beefing up the Alpha to support a small-block V8 with bigger brakes, tougher rear end and you're right back in the same ballpark of 3,900 lbs.

Until automakers start using a lot more composites (and the price comes down) you're not gonna see big weight loss in these cars.

I seriously doubt that the Alpha needs to gain 500 lbs just to handle a V8. It's already a new platform so they shouldn't need to do any extensive bracing for crash standards. We might get a better idea once the ATS-V comes out.


As far as so called luxury features go, with the exception of a few things most of that is electronics and are measured in ounces not hundreds of pounds.


Again, I'll use the BMW example. The M4 ended up weighing ~175lbs LESS than the outgoing M3 coupe. This is a car that's roughly the same size as the Mustang, the same power envelope, meets the same crash standards, has just as much or more luxury content, and has higher-quality, denser, heavier interior materials to boot. Worst case if you take their 175lb loss along with the Mustang's ~300lb gain, that's nearly a 500lb delta! You can't explain that away with a carbon fiber roof panel.

Yes the BMW costs twice as much. Yes I would expect it to weigh less (although the last gen actually weighed more than the S197). But not 4-500lbs less.

IF these numbers hold, I can live with the shit-storm of bad PR this will produce on the internet, but what really sucks will be that any gains in power wont translate to faster acceleration times and handling, while improved, wont be as good as it could have been. (And we can probably kiss any hope of favorable comparisons to the M4 goodbye)

 

[Dub347sbf]

They specifically said the GT PP is faster than the Boss 302 Laguna Seca and the 07-13 BMW M3 around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.....

http://www.automotive.com/news/1312...ker-than-boss-302-laguna-seca-out-of-the-box/

They can gain weight and still do that. What they can't do is gain weight and be faster at the drag strip. Yeah they can add power, but I still see the 2016 camaro being faster at the strip if this mustang gains 200-300 pounds

 

[Husker]

The problem is, Ford said it would weigh less. Why is Ford not at least releasing "Preliminary Specification's"??-->Because they know they screwed up announcing the weight loss-->IMO.

Ford has never said it will weigh less.

Ford said it reached its weight goals, whatever those may be. Years back they also set a goal for their lineup of vehicles to lose a certain % of weight. That means fleet average, not necessarily every Ford vehicle.

Ok...I'll admit I don't remember where I read or saw it. For that reason, I retract the word FORD-->Sorry...I assumed it was FORD-->:headbonk:

But for the last few months, it seems like the consensus is/was that the S550 would weigh less. Where did that originate?

Why is FORD acting like it's a National Security Secret?

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