200lbs Within Reach...

[thePill]

From a mass interview published on May 13th, 2013. It could be from 2011 up to the time it was published but... it's a good sign.

Chief Mustang Engineer, Dave Pericak talks with Autoline Daily about the current Mustang and Ford's plans for its next generation Mustang, which we now know as the s550.

At 4:30 he talks weight...

Pericak says he is on a "crusade" to make the next Mustang lighter. Believes 200lbs is within reach.

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[GTsquid]

I really doubt it. Not after seeing all the new stuff they put into the car and that it didnt lose any width/length. Also no heavy use of aluminum as far as I know. I think they said something about the IRS control arms and a few small parts (forgot exactly) but nothing that would make it shed 200.

 

[jjw]

Yeah, but this statement was made fairly recently... far enough into development that I'm sure they had a pretty good idea of what they could accomplish.

 

[Mriley]

This one? It's from 2010.

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2979&postcount=1

What I find interesting is the recent sound clip that jarstang posted where pericak says the original plan was not an all new mustang (more of an evolution of the platform i assume). As this statement was made shortly after they said s550 development started (2009/2010) I'd be curious if the all-new parts/chassis actually put on weight, contrary to what everyone would have expected.

This is pure conjecture on my part but what if the original plan was just to modify the S197 platform and shed weight, but then ford decided it wanted to make big improvements in chassis stiffness. They have been highlighting that point and keeping mum about weight.

 

[dustyaman]

200 pounds is easy to get.. they probably have made the whole cars sheet metal 1 gauge smaller. Just doing that can drop all kinds of wieght. It has a all new irs suspension. Which normally makes cars heavier then live axle. But maybe there version is able to not gain any wieght. Thinner foamed seats can also help, thinner plastic in the interior, the hood and fenders and trunk are aluminum. I see they can get 200 pounds from siphoning it from all over the place. Just my guess

 

[Dirk McGurck]

I really doubt it. Not after seeing all the new stuff they put into the car and that it didnt lose any width/length. Also no heavy use of aluminum as far as I know. I think they said something about the IRS control arms and a few small parts (forgot exactly) but nothing that would make it shed 200.

They mentioned fenders and hood, too.

 

[Dirk McGurck]

Ford's new Global Vehicle Weight reduction plan: "Don't get in the car. You just shed 200lbs from the chassis."

 

[JohnZiraldo]

I am guessing here, but I think the fact that we do not have any information on the 2015 weight and 5.0 HP is for one main reason. The 2015 F150.

Announcing those figures now could steal some thunder from the announcement of Ford's big dog, which is supposed to have significant improvements in weight and fuel efficiency.

My bet is that after the 2015 F150 release with announcement of major improvements in these areas, Ford will announce me too but smaller improvements for the Mustang.

 

[Dirk McGurck]

F150s are nice and fun to drive, but I wouldn't ever own one. Trucks don't do it for me.

 

[Sabre]

I'm still betting we find there will be a weight reduction when figures are released. I've had a couple of good conversations with Steve Ling, Ford's marketing manager. He really impressed upon me how seriously Ford is taking the weight reduction strategy, across the entire line up of products. CAFE rules seem to be the driving force behind this. The IRS was hotly debated early on because of weight concerns. Hopefully they found a way around this...either in finding weight reduction somewhere else, or in the IRS component itself.

 

[Dirk McGurck]

Funny that it took taxes and penalties to change, not a performance mindset. America.

 

[ChuckC]

Funny that it took taxes and penalties to change, not a performance mindset. America.

Government doesn't know best. Give the people what they want. That's America.

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