PP2 Different steering rack/ratio?

Simple, I was at the GT350 press launch, saw all of the parts and handled them, test drove the car at high speed, and have over 100 pictures of all the parts in close detail. I also told the Ford engineers there and the Team Mustang folks that the suspension bits of the GT350 should be put on the entire Mustang line - to improve it's dynamics and also to cut costs (it makes little sense to have hundreds of separate parts for the GTxxx - things like control arms could be shared to save significant money and get the too-expensive GT350 costs in line - some of the GT350 parts are a rethink when materials for the PP2 and have seen everything written. And on that as an example readers should re-examine the GT350, where the rear control arms use counter-wound springs which the engineers told me are not comparable with the base cars spring seats. Simple visual confirms that. So the spring rates might maybe be the same, but the rear springs themselves are not (despite what the notoriously inaccurate part numbers say).
As for the SS 1LE, just look at the long list of parts specific to that model... especially the coolers of which the PP2 has none. Having been a track instructor for 20 years in a very hot climate, I have seen nearly everything fail - even the last-gen Ford GT which left it's engineers shaking their heads at it's press event (SVT was always an embarrassment at their own events until they finally got it together with the last instance of the GT500 - and not the earlier ones which were so poor in cooling and also prone to bad spins). Only the track-pack equipped GT350, or the 2017 and above, can survive being driven hard and well because the time has been put into cooling. We have that message loud and clear from non-track 2016 owners.
The SS 1LE, even though I hate having students in those because you cannot see out of them, is nearly a true supercar because it's been engineered as a complete package and tested extensively, as was the GT350 (track pack equipped, not otherwise because of the coolers). The ZL1 is a supercar. So Ford had better do a damned good job with the GT500, and ignore the silly drag race mode ideas (there purely to compete with Dodge). Pricing is especially sensitive, since the GT350 is so expensive.
Meanwhile, the PP2 is a half-way project. And it's temporary... the new Mustang S650 (or whatever it's designated now), is not very far off at all in terms of production planning and advanced readiness. That's where the focus is, and other than the GT500 project (which took far longer than planned and was repeatedly reworked) the rest is all minor work to fill in the time and keep momentum going.

Agreed with the above. I have zero interested in the PP2 since it doesn't have diff and trans coolers. Why Ford Performance doesn't sell these kits AT LEAST for the diff, baffles me. It's not like they have to invent anything; they just have to slap parts together. And they can just adapt the GT350 trans cooler setup for the MT82 over dinner, I'm sure. Now that I have a temp gauge on the trans, I'm scared to see what it's getting to on track. On the street, not a single worry thus far. Fast accelerations or engine braking without a lot of subsequent constant driving (for air flow) seems to heat it up most.

FTBR has diff kit for $999. But frankly, with 20 minute sessions in anything but super hot weather you shouldn't need it.

http://www.fulltiltboogieracing.com/S550_diff_cooler_kit.html

And as for the guy that said the PP is not a track car, that's a fairly wacky statement. I track my PP1 and it's bone stock except for tires/wheels. It is great on track. It's not a race car, but for HPDE stuff it is a hell of a lot of fun to drive. Zero bad habits when you drive it appropriately, which mostly means don't over drive the thing into the corner. If you want to set FTD then buy something else, but if you want to have some fun it'll give you that and more.

I autox so no cooling issues likely. However, I'd be open to a diff cooling solution for our GTs. No one makes a decent passive system as far as I've seen.

I think with the GTs, the best route remains the aftermarket. This has always been the case of the GTs, which are more blank slate projects feom the factory to begin with, allowing for owners to go in many different directions like drag, handling, stance etc. The PP2 tries to change that, but outside of the supposedly quicker rack, they should have gone the whole hog and done what Chevy did with the Grand Sport Corvette.

wildcatgoal said:

Agreed with the above. I have zero interested in the PP2 since it doesn't have diff and trans coolers. Why Ford Performance doesn't sell these kits AT LEAST for the diff, baffles me.

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The diff cooler is a very nicely engineered piece of work.. I saw it at the GT350 press day where they had a car on it's side and we could closely look at everything. It's a quality piece of work, much better than an aftermarket piece would be. And it is expensive.

The transmission is a different matter.
- the GT350 has the far better transmission. The GT350 transmission on the other hand has a pump built in and the fittings built into the casting.
- the GT's transmission can be dressed up, but it's still a pig (with 1/3rd of the fluid capacity of the old B-W 6-speed, as one example of multiple flaws) with a low torque rating. Ford is stuck with the contract with Getrag so this is it for this generation.

FTBR has diff kit for $999. But frankly, with 20 minute sessions in anything but super hot weather you shouldn't need it.

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Oh? Look at your fluid after several events and then tell us if the diff is still working as expected. It isn't.

JohnD said:

And as for the guy that said the PP is not a track car, that's a fairly wacky statement. I track my PP1 and it's bone stock except for tires/wheels. It is great on track. It's not a race car, but for HPDE stuff it is a hell of a lot of fun to drive. Zero bad habits when you drive it appropriately, which mostly means don't over drive the thing into the corner. If you want to set FTD then buy something else, but if you want to have some fun it'll give you that and more.

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I said it, and I have 30 years of track experience and 20 years of instructing all types and brand of cars.
Have fun driving casually, but if you improve someday you will start to have have issues. And if you live in a hot climate or not (but especially hot), the temps are slowly deteriorating the engine, transmission, and diff. And when the car starts to let you down, if not go into limp home mode, and your weekend at the track is hurt or ruined.
Analogy: why buy an i3 when the company offers an i7 for not much more?

I change my fluids regularly. I've yet to see anything ugly come out. I use BG stuff and top quality synthetic engine oil. I don't "drive casually". I've raced competitively with a lot of success since the late 80s, I know what I am doing on the track and I know what a decent car handles like. This is a decent car, far better than some "race cars" that other people built that I had the misfortune to drive. You're not the only guy that's been on tracks and your experience isn't necessarily that of everyone else, especially those people who know how to drive quickly, cleanly and not abuse their equipment.

If its such a crappy car not fit for the track and ready to fall apart after a day on the track why do you have it? I'm sure there's lots of 1LE's out there. I think the 1LE is an awesome car, but it's not the only car you can have fun on a track in.

valentinoamoro said:

I autox so no cooling issues likely. However, I'd be open to a diff cooling solution for our GTs. No one makes a decent passive system as far as I've seen.

I think with the GTs, the best route remains the aftermarket. This has always been the case of the GTs, which are more blank slate projects feom the factory to begin with, allowing for owners to go in many different directions like drag, handling, stance etc. The PP2 tries to change that, but outside of the supposedly quicker rack, they should have gone the whole hog and done what Chevy did with the Grand Sport Corvette.

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Yes, that is kinda the point. The Grand Sport and the 1LE are track ready cars that use almost all the key suspension and cooling parts from their more expensive Z06 and ZL1 cousins but with the cheap, volume drive train. That is what the PP2 (with a better name) should have been. A GT350 light, not a mish mash of new, slightly upgraded parts with a handful of GT350 parts. Even if it had been based on the old non track pack, base GT350 it would have been better.

At least they finally got competitive wheel sizes, rather than the slight half inch upgrade over the PP1 as originally planned.

Grintch said:

. That is what the PP2 (with a better name) should have been. A GT350 light, not a mish mash of new, slightly upgraded parts with a handful of GT350 parts. Even if it had been based on the old non track pack, base GT350 it would have been better.

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Right on, and then the driver can improve their driving skills and knowledge of the track(s) without being hindered mechanically when the car eventually comes up against it's cooling limits. The 1LE and GranSport have done the right thing there, and are very good choices themselves with very high limits.

Well that was fun. So back to the subject at hand, has anyone confirmed that the PP2 actually has a different steering ratio? Other than the article OP linked, I've not read or heard about this in any literature.