Bullitt/PP1 on track

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

Hi all, I've finally taken my Bullitt to Nelson Ledges (OH) for my first ever track day ever, not just with this car. It was a ton of fun and showed me exactly what I'm looking for in the Bullitt - comfortable, fun daily driver, that can kick some serious a*s on the track. Brakes great, tires good also. A 4hr car ride there, tough (TOUGH) to fit and get comfortable with SNELL approved helmet at 6'2", but doable. Track apps great as well.

One MAJOR problem I have now though - I've pulled maybe 1.25Gs at some of the times and maxed out at 127-130mph (it's a tight course, so speeds are tough to get to), but now my driver seat squeaks like crazy, every time I accelerate (or otherwise put my weight against it). They're the "basic" seats, with heating & cooling (not Recaros).
Anyone (even with PP1) had this issue? The seats are horrible in cooling, heating is great, but this squeak is annoying and hardly acceptable at just under 10k miles.

Any input appreciated!

Sponsored

 

[Elp_jc]

You didn't state how much you weigh, but I think it's important in this case. The stock seats are not great, so if on the heavy side, you might have bent it. I'd start with the 4 bolts that hold it in place, which is a known cause for such squeaking. Hopefully just that. Check those bolts, and report back. Good luck.

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

You didn't state how much you weigh, but I think it's important in this case. The stock seats are not great, so if on the heavy side, you might have bent it. I'd start with the 4 bolts that hold it in place, which is a known cause for such squeaking. Hopefully just that. Check those bolts, and report back. Good luck.

Damn Elp_jc, why'd you have to put me on a blast like that? Yeah, I'm not the smallest dude. Ongoing diet aside, when I tracked it, I was good 250lbs at 6'2", plus the helmet weighs some too, so I probably put a little bit of strain on the seat. I just didn't want Recaros and heat/cool/memory for what will see track 2x/yr max.
I'll check it out this weekend and report, but either way I'm bringing this up in the next oil change, at 10k miles this is not good.
In general, there seems to be a few squeaks and rattles coming in from the second row too. Have you had that issue?

 

[strengthrehab]

I'm 260 and my base seats don't squeak. Probably not a weight issue. LOL.

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

I'm 260 and my base seats don't squeak. Probably not a weight issue. LOL.

Good to know, but mine started (or at least first noticed it) after track day...

 

[strengthrehab]

Good to know, but mine started (or at least first noticed it) after track day...

I have countless laps/hours in my car on track and autocross. Not a sound. Even after 75k miles.

Maybe it's just a bad seat. Who knows.

 

[Elp_jc]

In general, there seems to be a few squeaks and rattles coming in from the second row too. Have you had that issue?

Yep. But found out why: The left side handle to unlock the seat was broken. It wasn't there, so it happened either before installation at the factory, or at dealer, while car sat for months. At any rate, it was broken barely above the 'hook', where it latches fortunately. So I was able to fix it by inserting hard foam behind the latch, so it pushed forward against the car, latching properly.

It's hard to unlatch, but dealer was only going to replace the entire plastic seat, and reinstall the upholstery, so I knew it'd never look factory again. So decided to leave it alone, since nobody was going to see the left handle was broken. And yes, after latching the seat properly, no more squeaking sound from the seat. Check that yours is properly latched. If it doesn't latch well, meaning you can push it up without much effort, then do what I did to make it latch better. Hope this helps .

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

Thank you both.

I have countless laps/hours in my car on track and autocross. Not a sound. Even after 75k miles.


Maybe it's just a bad seat. Who knows.

As far as the seats go, maybe I do have a dud, it would kind of explain why the cooling/ventilated function is so trash. I know it isn't great by default on Mustangs, but my dad used to have a 2011 Ford Mondeo (European version of Fusion) and his 5-level cooled seats were a wonder. Why must we regress backwards Ford?

Yep. But found out why: The left side handle to unlock the seat was broken. It wasn't there, so it happened either before installation at the factory, or at dealer, while car sat for months. At any rate, it was broken barely above the 'hook', where it latches fortunately. So I was able to fix it by inserting hard foam behind the latch, so it pushed forward against the car, latching properly.

It's hard to unlatch, but dealer was only going to replace the entire plastic seat, and reinstall the upholstery, so I knew it'd never look factory again. So decided to leave it alone, since nobody was going to see the left handle was broken. And yes, after latching the seat properly, no more squeaking sound from the seat. Check that yours is properly latched. If it doesn't latch well, meaning you can push it up without much effort, then do what I did to make it latch better. Hope this helps .

And Elp_jc, the seats latch well, I usually slam them shut, but will check it out. I might have the wife drive and sit in the back trying to trace rattles, but it's just so dang tight back there, especially at 6'2"...

 

[NightmareMoon]

No, the cooling/vent system is just a trash design. They all suck like that. All that much easier to make the move to Recaros.

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

No, the cooling/vent system is just a trash design. They all suck like that. All that much easier to make the move to Recaros.

Yeah that's kind of what I've been reading. Heated seats are great and so is the power/memory, I'd hate to lose that going to Recaros (plus long trip comfort I'd question also).

Reminds me - do your guys' heated steering wheels work well? Mine gets fairly hot for first 2-3min, then goes just about cold to where I have to check if it turned itself off. Is it linked to the AC controls, or is it supposed to blast heat "balls to the wall" from start until you turn it off?

 

[Elp_jc]

I think you can change duration and temperature of the steering wheel heating via FORScan, but look for that on the F-150 forum. The Mustang version is super limited, but most of the F-150 changes work on Mustangs too. Worth a try, and keep us posted if you suceeded . Good luck.

 

[Bit_the_Bullitt]

To give everyone a small update on this - dealer agreed to replace the seat-back frame, so guessing that's what was making the horrible squeaky noise.
I also mentioned the intermittent heated steering wheel, they're replacing that, and also are putting in new 2 cooling modules for the driver side.

Not sure if that was just a friendly dealer, or wanted me to be happy/go away, or I really had an issue, but they addressed them all.
Downside is, here I am week and half later, still no car. Thanksgiving holiday probably had lot to do with parts and people availability though, at least I got a nice loaner (loaded 2020 Escape hybrid).

Sponsored