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Article: The Ford Mustang Performance Pack Two Is What Happens When You let Engineers Tinker

Jarstang

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Good read by Road & Track:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-ca...708/ford-mustang-performance-pack-two-review/

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The Ford Mustang Performance Pack Two Is What Happens When You let Engineers Tinker

ENGINEERS ARE NEVER SATISFIED. WHEN A PROJECT ENDS, they can’t—or won’t—stop tinkering. Take the Ford Mustang Performance Package Level Two, for example. It’s the product of engineers who couldn’t leave well enough alone.

“We were just like, ‘Hey, those GT350R tires, I wonder if those things would fit on the car?’” says Tom Barnes, Mustang’s vehicle engineering manager. “They fit, but they also gave a ton of grip. And we realized, wow, there is a lot we can do here.”

And that’s on top of everything they were already doing for the original Performance Package (PP1), which was part of a broader 2018 refresh and is available on both the EcoBoost (for $2495) and GT Mustangs ($3995). It includes a larger rear anti-roll bar, 19-inch wheels, heavy-duty front springs, larger brakes (by Brembo, in the case of the GT), a Torsen limited-slip differential, a larger radiator, and revised tuning to the chassis, steering, ABS, and traction control.


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In their off hours, engineers kept fiddling with the formula and concocted something even more extreme. They brought it to the final internal test for the PP1.

“We did the steering and handling course in Arizona with the Performance Pack One and some other vehicles,” Barnes says. “At the end, we said, ‘Hey, if you want to see something cool, what about this thing?’ And the people who tried it, they were like, ‘Holy cow!’ So that was our sign to figure out what we can do.”


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The resulting Performance Package Two, or PP2, is available only on Mustang GT coupes with the six- speed manual. The tires are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, 305/30/ZR-19 all around, which become bubblegum on the bottom of a shoe in the right conditions. MagneRide adaptive dampers—previously offered only on the GT350 and now optional on other 2018 Mustang variants—are standard on the PP2 and have been retuned. The front and rear anti-roll bars are stiffer by 12 and 67 percent, respectively, compared with the PP1, and the front and rear springs are 20 and 13 percent stiffer. These changes were all intended to make the Mustang corner flatter, deliver wicked turn-in, and make it a ton of fun on back roads.

Some people won’t get it. The PP2-equipped Mustang tramlines on highways, and the ride is harsher than that of a PP1, although it’s not uncomfortable or bouncy. The changes don’t yield engine-bragging rights, either: For 2018, all Mustang GT models get an additional 25 hp and 20 lb-ft of torque. The Bullitt Mustang, due later this year, will have 15 more horsepower on top of that.


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But you don’t buy this car to be coddled or to win stoplight brawls. You buy a PP2 Mustang because you want a firm, controlled ride and one of the most aggressive road-legal tires you can get this side of Hoosier slicks. The trade-offs are worth it once launched down your favorite road.

On that road, with warm tires, the PP2 makes a lot of sense. It’s a car with high limits, but you don’t need to exploit them to feel involved. Even at a leisurely pace, the manual gearbox is satisfying to use, despite its tall gearing. Its throws have a direct, mechanical feel but none of the brutish clunkiness you expect in a V-8-powered muscle car. It’s so enjoyable, you’ll find reasons to shift even when you don’t need to. Everything feels in harmony, the rare modern performance car that doesn’t have more power than the chassis, tires, or brakes can handle, chasing a mind-blowing stat or an internet headline.


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You don’t normally think of a 460-hp V-8 muscle car as a Zen experience, but to a very particular devotee, this Mustang is exactly that. You could spend hours running up and down a mountain and never get bored.

It just looks right, too. While the styling updates made to 2018 Mustangs are a bit finicky, there’s something about the PP2 tweaks that bring it back into balance. The 19-inch wheels, 10.5 inches wide in front, 11 inches outback, are a distinct design. The car sits slightly lower than the PP1. There’s also a massive front splitter and subdued rear spoiler, for aero balance.


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All of these little updates make the PP2 reminiscent of a Boss 302 and Ford’s most muscular Trans-Am racecars. It looks at home among Ferraris, Porsches, and Formula 3 cars on pit lane at Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York, where we came to test it—like the thing could lap all day.

It can’t.

During a session on Monticello’s North Course,the Mustang was keen to communicate that it needed a break, flashing an axle-temp warning after a handful of laps. Unlike the GT350, the PP2 doesn’t have differential- or transmission-oil coolers to allow for extended track time. Why weren’t they added?


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“We obviously knew we could do that,” Barnes says. “But I’d just say that we didn’t want to go there. And there area lot of different reasons why. This is sandwiched between the GT350 and the PP1. If you start to add those [coolers], you add complexity, engineering, weight, cost. In the end, we didn’t want to go that full track capability. We thought this was a good place.”

If you want a full-on track car, get a Shelby GT350R or a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE. If you want a car to live on the road, the PP2 is your choice. Barnes says that while people will still think it’s a 1LE competitor, and it’ll perform well against a 1LE in a single lap, it’s just not the right car for an extended lapping session. The aim of this passion project was to hone the ultimate street Mustang from a car they had already spent time developing.


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The 5.0 V-8 is the same engine we’ve known and loved for a long time. Only now it’s smoother, seems to rev forever, and with a new active exhaust, it sounds like a race car, with a guttural bellow you can feel in every nook and cranny of your body. Running repeatedly to redline is a joy. And with the extra power for 2018, the Mustang is now even quicker, hitting 60 mph in only 4.1 seconds.

Where the PP1, itself fun on track, can feel hesitant on turn-in, the PP2 is pointed, direct. The front end is connected unlike any other Mustang without a Cobra badge. The steering, while accurate, could stand to be more talkative. Once the car turns in, it stays flat and grips far beyond where you think the limit is, which is evidenced in our 1.06 g-force on the skidpad.
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BWG

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So, if I want to do a 5 minute long burnout, must get gt350r not pp2? :brokenheart:

Ah man!
 

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Lionorion

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The thing that sticks out for me in regards to this article is the curb weight: 3833 Lbs seems like a lot for a 2+2. That being said, I do like the rims.
 

sigintel

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“We obviously knew we could do that,” Barnes says. “But I’d just say that we didn’t want to go there. And there area lot of different reasons why. This is sandwiched between the GT350 and the PP1. If you start to add those [coolers], you add complexity, engineering, weight, cost. In the end, we didn’t want to go that full track capability. We thought this was a good place.” -Tom Barnes
>>Translation>>
“This car is for Ford fans that wrench, budget grass roots gearheads, and mechanics that know how to add whatever ducting and coolers are needed to get GT350 performance for $20k less. The PP1 also fits that role especially if you add FRPP Track suspension for $1k and 18/19x11. We could easily ruin the profit margin from the wannabes that buy GT350s and never see a track more than once, but that margin in part finances engineering sneaking this shit past marketing to you budget track guys. These “cooling issues” are artificially created to appease the marketing bean counters; go to the track and see what the experienced guys are doing to get around this and hush. Peace out.” -Tom B
 

NIXPP2

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I would say that article nails it. I never had seriously considered buying a Mustang except for possibly a used GT350. I've been driving BMWs and other euro cars for the past 20 years and was about to buy another, and then I saw the PP2 online. I loved the look, I loved the package. I did what any reasonable man with two kids a wife and mortgage would do. I found one at a dealer in Tennessee, bought it, and had it shipped to my house in California. Never saw one in person let alone drove one. The second I saw it coming off the delivery truck, i was blown away. It looks different. It looks special in a way that factory cars can look and you know it's factory, but a little more bad ass. Even though I had a n54 335 that was fbo running e85, I was genuinely nervous starting and driving it the first time. No BMW I owned ever made that sound when I pushed the Start button. Compared to the BMW, it sounds and feels absolutely raw, like my old 74' Camaro with headers and cherry bombs under the seat. Then I drove it through town. It felt slow, sluggish, pedestrian, but looked and sounded great, I was still happy, but didn't really know what it was going to feel like when I hit the nice, winding northern California roads I'm fortunate enough to have right behind my house. Once I was there and could open it up, I did. Felt pretty quick, not like 335, but quick. I expected more violent thrust, but the handling and braking were far beyond anything I'd owned and reminded me of Murcielago I'd paid to drive a few parking lot laps in. I also realised after about 20 minutes why it felt sluggish. I was used to driving a 470 hp twin turbo BMW, more torque than it had horsepower, and a auto 6 speed with stage 3 tranny software. I hadn't driven a stick since my 2001 GTI. But shifting was only a small part is the issue. It was rpms. I was shifting it waaay to early. It needed those last 2000 rpms, that's where the power lived. I was holding it back. There are still tight sections with little straights between sharp turns where i could dance the beemer through like a rally car. The burst of twin turbo torque instant speed regardless of rpm is addictive as anything. You definitely miss it when you want to haul but don't feel like making the town think a 7400 rpm Godzilla is rampaging through the countryside. But, that being said, and it's way more than I planned on saying, i don't care about the knocks, I'm already used to the tick of DI from the BMW, I'm getting over the ridiculously stupid fake stitching in the dash (I'll never really get over it though :) and the generally lower level of build/material quality in nearly every way, missing 2nd at high rpms, 3rd whenever it wants to change things up, and I'll put some damn metallic streamers or something to keep my axle cool or just simply add a cooler if I spend time at the track. I fucking love this car. Old dudes in pick up trucks stare at it like it's the hottest Grandma at the nursing home and they are the only one with Viagra. People who don't know shit about cars want to know about it. People in Starbucks drive through want to talk about it. People love. I love it.
I fucking love it.
 

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careature

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“We were just like, ‘Hey, that GT350R rear diff cooler, I wonder if that thing would fit on the car?’”

I wish :)
 

Faceme

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"ll perform well against a 1LE in a single lap, it’s just not the right car for an extended lapping session. "
Reminds me part throttle racing. I was ahead of you for 1 lap!! . who goes 1 lap?
 

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Oh boy I can see this turning into another PP2 diff over heats thread. If Ford had added diff and trans coolers it would have raised the price another 5k and then everyone would have been crying its way to expensive and you can get a GT350 for a couple of K more. Seems everyone wants to bitch about something Grow Up
 
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jake_zx2

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“We obviously knew we could do that,” Barnes says. “But I’d just say that we didn’t want to go there. And there area lot of different reasons why. This is sandwiched between the GT350 and the PP1. If you start to add those [coolers], you add complexity, engineering, weight, cost. In the end, we didn’t want to go that full track capability. We thought this was a good place.” -Tom Barnes
>>Translation>>
“This car is for Ford fans that wrench, budget grass roots gearheads, and mechanics that know how to add whatever ducting and coolers are needed to get GT350 performance for $20k less. The PP1 also fits that role especially if you add FRPP Track suspension for $1k and 18/19x11. We could easily ruin the profit margin from the wannabes that buy GT350s and never see a track more than once, but that margin in part finances engineering sneaking this shit past marketing to you budget track guys. These “cooling issues” are artificially created to appease the marketing bean counters; go to the track and see what the experienced guys are doing to get around this and hush. Peace out.” -Tom B
This is EXACTLY how I translated this. "This car is meant to slot between the GT350 and PP1, and if we would have given it the parts necessary to lap all day, there would have been no reason to spend $20k more for a GT350, so PROFIT MARGINS, YO!"

Get ready, the GT350 fanboys tend to swarm when I challenge their oh so precious supercar
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