Car feels airy at 115 MPH

[vpec13]

I have a 2019 non PP1/2 Stang and when I get up to speed (115ish) the car feels airy and not firmly planted. Are there any quick and simple mods to fix this? Like a strut bar on the engine, would that firm up the steering? I don't want to put thousands into suspension work which Im sure would help a lot but was hoping for some cheaper options.

Not sure how many miles are on your vehicle but had the same issue. Found out my driver side rear wheel bearing was shot. Fixed that and the problem was gone. It's a fairly common issue.

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[aleccesarenriquez]

I had a similar issue at higher speeds as well when I switched tires (MP4S -> drag radial). Like others have mentioned, tire pressure is important but even then, I couldn't reduce it completely.

Funnily enough, when I got a few aero mods, my sway completely went away. If you don't mind the look, consider the APR drag wing and front splitter. Car feels super planted now and I didn't have to mess with suspension at all. Just an idea and it makes the car look nice to boot.

 

[Smokey613]

i also noticed that the factory recommended PSI on yours is 32 and mine is 35. The dealer put new Conti DWS 06 tires on ours when we purchased it. They ride good and stick to the road real good in dry and wet conditions.

 

[phatsesh]

Maybe it’s an eco boost problem

 

[WildHorse]

It's not. Sorry but your opinion doesn't jive with reality. It's poorly damped and clumsy, but not stiff.

Holy I'm talking in a straight line here. And for that, the suspension for ME is stiff. Bone jarring stiff. IF I was talking about in the twisties then no, it isn't stiff. Like I said, mine felt planted, no floating.. no hood flutter. That's my reality, thanks.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Holy I'm talking in a straight line here. And for that, the suspension for ME is stiff. Bone jarring stiff.

"Bone jarring stiff" reads as "harsh" rather than firm. Which in turn suggests dampers rather than springs or sta-bars. It could be high speed damping that's too much for you, or low speed damping that's not enough and you're crashing into the bump stops more than you should be. I'd have suggested initial stiction/seal friction except that you should have enough miles on the car by now for that to have gone away.


Norm

 

[StangSteve]

Again thanks all, While do some looking around I did see where a splitter and wing would help but wasn't sure how much as we know some articles are just trying to sell but since a couple have mentioned it I can see it being a help. I just don't like a big wing on this car, splitter yea. So maybe a splitter and some of @BmacIL suggestions. Don't want to throw a lot of $$ into it tho.

 

[BmacIL]

Holy I'm talking in a straight line here. And for that, the suspension for ME is stiff. Bone jarring stiff. IF I was talking about in the twisties then no, it isn't stiff. Like I said, mine felt planted, no floating.. no hood flutter. That's my reality, thanks.

Yes because the dampers and shock mounts and gobs of rubber in the suspension sucks. It's quite a soft car objectively, from a spring and bar stiffness perspective.

 

[mejohn50]

Again thanks all, While do some looking around I did see where a splitter and wing would help but wasn't sure how much as we know some articles are just trying to sell but since a couple have mentioned it I can see it being a help. I just don't like a big wing on this car, splitter yea. So maybe a splitter and some of @BmacIL suggestions. Don't want to throw a lot of $$ into it tho.

Start with suspension. You need springs and dampers. The base suspension is not well suited to driving at high speeds. Trust me. I drive at high speeds with a non-PP car more than just about anybody else on this forum. Get some performance oriented springs and good dampers. There are combos recommended by @BmacIL all over this forum. Plenty of reports from happy people that used his recommendations.

Do suspension and see what you think before moving on to aero.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Again thanks all, While do some looking around I did see where a splitter and wing would help but wasn't sure how much as we know some articles are just trying to sell but since a couple have mentioned it I can see it being a help. I just don't like a big wing on this car, splitter yea. So maybe a splitter and some of @BmacIL suggestions. Don't want to throw a lot of $$ into it tho.

The idea of a splitter that's actually worth much combined with little or nothing to improve rear downforce makes me a lot uneasy knowing that this car will see time above 110 mph.

What I'm getting at is that the approach you're considering tends to make the car "aero-loose", where the faster you go the more it'll want to oversteer (and the faster the tail will get loose and try to come around on you). Basically, the splitter would be 'planting' the front tires (making them run at smaller than OE slip angles and with more margin against going into a slide) while making no change to the rear aero can't possibly improve rear grip to keep things in balance.

If "airy" or "floaty" makes you feel uneasy, bring a plastic bag and a change of shorts if you want to tempt aero-loose.


Norm

 

[Roadway 5.0]

The idea of a splitter that's actually worth much combined with little or nothing to improve rear downforce makes me a lot uneasy knowing that this car will see time above 110 mph.

What I'm getting at is that the approach you're considering tends to make the car "aero-loose", where the faster you go the more it'll want to oversteer (and the faster the tail will get loose and try to come around on you). Basically, the splitter would be 'planting' the front tires (making them run at smaller than OE slip angles and with more margin against going into a slide) while making no change to the rear aero can't possibly improve rear grip to keep things in balance.

If "airy" or "floaty" makes you feel uneasy, bring a plastic bag and a change of shorts if you want to tempt aero-loose.


Norm

Valid point as always Norm. I’m curious as to the baseline aero balance for the PP1 GT; especially considering the large “built-in spoiler.”

From driving often at high speeds I always felt the front was light. I added a mild splitter and, sure enough, the steering and front felt heavier and the car felt overall more balanced from front to rear.

I for sure have no data points, but I got at least partial of the results I wanted with no ill effects. I drove long distances at 110mph or so, on snow tires in adverse weather, and never had a problem. With summer tires, at even higher speeds, I had no issues — the rear of the car was always tame.

To note, I won’t argue that better dampers and springs is the way to go. I did this myself. But a front splitter is inexpensive and easy to install; seems like a good first step.

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