I have another question for you. When you tracked yours new out of the box, did you have the dealer install the strut mount and if so did you adjust the camber settings when you went to the track. Or did you just track your GT 350 with the same camber settings you use when you are street driving ?
Caveat: I don't have the adjustable strut mounts from the dealer on my 2017. That said ...
Had them installed with a street alignment and it felt very good at that. Not ideal but I was not pushing the engine past 6K. Cornering was rock solid
I agree the originals were more hard core and I understand your wishes. It would definitely make the car more special.Not arguing that. Part of the reason I get a bit riled is because they're using the R badge for the use case you just described. Tis' why I like the Track Package name for the track-focused cars. Ford nailed it with the Carbon Fiber Track Pack for the GT500 IMHO. That should have been the name for the what the GT350R is now.
At this point, I'll just finish the rant. The FP350S should have been the GT350R. Or at a minimum, it should have been more track focused (solid bushings, built-in halfcage, etc.). Just feels like a disservice to the original name.
Alright, rant over. I'll shut up now
Back in the day the 36 Competition Cars (2 prototypes and 34 customer cars) also became known as "R" models partly because of the R in the VIN for Race versus Street but mostly because of they were full fledged race cars.
Agreed although, technically not correct. A few of the original constructors are addament about it. But, to say the new GT350R is not true to its roots woukd be incorrect since they we not designated as a R model. Hooe that makes senseBack in the day the 36 Competition Cars (2 prototypes and 34 customer cars) also became known as "R" models partly because of the R in the VIN for Race versus Street but mostly because of they were full fledged race cars.
Most people in the original Shelby world are very familiar with Rick Kopec who was one of the original founding members of SAAC and also editor of the Shelby American Magazine.
Prior to purchasing and after purchasing "5R098" from a location in Quebec, Canada in 1981 Rick usually referred to his car and the other 35 Competition Cars as "R Models" and I also found the term "R Model" was always used when Brown Bros. Ford up in Vancouver, Canada purchased and sponsored the lone R model that was shipped up to Canada in 1965.
Having viewed the first 1965 R model which sits in an impressive Shelby collection in Seattle and sits right beside two 1966 GT350 convertibles and having had conversations with that owner I suggest that the terms "Competition Car" and "R Model" are both widely accepted for these cars outstanding race cars.
Thank you very much. That is great information from fluids to camber set up. I am going to utilize these points as I get ready to track the R next summer. I will leave my camber settings where they are now for " street driving" and adjust them at the track for track settings. Thank You.
So you tracked your R with street camber settings ?
I tracked my R at street settings initially. Here is the result after 4.5 track days. Do the math which comes first for you, 5k street miles or 4 aggressive track days ;).
How does your rear wear look by comparison? I had quite even wear across both front and rear with the track alignment noted above. While the fronts wore out a bit faster, by the time they corded the rears were so close to done that I just replaced all 4. I'm not blazing fast; I had a pro racer friend do a session in my car and he went about 2.5-3 seconds/lap faster than me.I tracked my R at street settings initially. Here is the result after 4.5 track days. Do the math which comes first for you, 5k street miles or 4 aggressive track days ;).
This all depends how aggressive you are. More aggressive cornering will wear the outsides, driver side in particular, much faster. Hence the need for more negative camber. But, highway cruising with a lot of negative camber will wear the insides out, but it’ll take 5k miles like the guy said. I do only 3k or so miles a year and mine is mostly track duty and have found -2.7 in the front to be about right for my driving. FWIW, I’m usually the fastest car at any event, maybe 2nd fastest occasionally.
As far as I know, the race series I've seen Mustangs in requires significantly smaller brakes, smaller wheels and restriction in the intake because the car makes too much power. For actual racing the interior including the dash and door cards would have to be stripped out and safety equipment such as a roll cage and fixed seats added. Also a fuel cell, etc. IMO it's a pretty major project to convert a GT350 to racing spec and I would say the process isn't that much different than converting a regular Mustang GT to racing spec.
My rears wear at About 50% the pace of the fronts still it looks like, despite the front camber plates. My rears wear pretty even, but still more outside bias and driver side bias (I do rotate tires as needed left and right). After 8 or 9 track days on my rears had maybe 40% tread left but they were heat cycled out and slide like crazy. I am looking into using tire warmers to make a track day one single heat cycle instead of 5 might help get more use...
