Dangerous driving - tips for a newbie to muscle cars

[Coosawjack]

Use "REV-MATCHING" if you have it........that will help a LOT with higher speed downshifts!!

Don't ask me how I know!!

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[CorvZ061]

Sounds to me like you may want to avoid cars that make a good bit of low end torque. Coyote makes power at high rpm, lacking in the torque department. Also sounds like you may want to leave all the nannies on, public streets aren’t the place to find the limits of your Mach 1. That’s how you end up doing crowd control.

 

[S550HPP]

Car will snap out in a MS hitting something.....only experts can handle and might have suitable reaction time keep in normal or wet mode all the time. Only use other modes on the trach with helmet and neck brace in the least.

 

[K4fxd]

Car will snap out in a MS hitting something..

I got surprised the other day. Had all nannies off like I normally do, went to pass a garbage truck, floored it, it pulled hard, hit the power band and snapped sideways. I still have good reflexes.

Called my Son and told him the old man can still drive.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

Drive in Wet/Snow mode if the mach1 has it. Best advice is to drive the hell out of it so it becomes part of you.

 

[S550HPP]

I got surprised the other day. Had all nannies off like I normally do, went to pass a garbage truck, floored it, it pulled hard, hit the power band and snapped sideways. I still have good reflexes.

Called my Son and told him the old man can still drive.

Happens to me in HPP in wet kicks down a heat and has snapped out. My friend wasn't so lucky his neck broke / died when snapped out in a ms and hit a concrete planter. Driver is a quad.

 

[SdoubleW]

Drive in Wet/Snow mode if the mach1 has it. Best advice is to drive the hell out of it so it becomes part of you.

It has wet/snow mode. what’s the difference?

 

[Charlemagne]

It has wet/snow mode. what’s the difference?

More numb gas pedal curve and possibly more aggressive stability/tranction assists.

 

[Paris MkVI]

These are my rules of thumb for me. YMMV. Eat the chicken, throw away the bones.

One of the greatest F1 drivers from history, Jackie Stewart, taught that smooth is fast. He was a master of throttle management and the rev-match downshift. I've been using this thinking to define my driving style for decades now.

I always keep in mind that if I am not at the track (or the local airport taxiway) then I am on the public roads and need to manage my behavior accordingly.

I tend to not push into high revs on public roads except for straight-aways or straight launches. Even then, mindful that I am on public roads, I generally don't exceed 5000 rpm. Plenty of the power curve available there.

I manually rev-match. Big Bird is a 2015, and the auto rev-matching didn't exist yet. Rev-matching on the downshift - and nailing it consistently - is our friend. It dramatically reduces sudden dynamic shifts in the suspension and overall handling. It makes a big difference in the bite of the tires by smoothing out weight transfer in the suspension over a longer moment in time. WIth good tires, this keeps me well-connected to the roadway.

When it comes to curves, my rule of thumb is slow in, fast out. WIth the rev-match downshift(s) completed before the curve, both the suspension and I are ready and in the gear I need on the other (even more fun) side of the curve.

I always use the rain/snow setting in wet weather. We are enjoying an era of power and handling our parents/grandparents could only dream of. But on public roads, there's no point in stuffing the car into something. That mellow throttle response in rain/snow is a small price to pay today to know I'll be driving Big Bird again tomorrow.

Too fast is slow, and slow is fast. Smooth is the key. Sudden transitions and weight transfers on the suspension make me slower. An unsettled suspension is very much like an unsettled, unpredictable horse.

To be smooth, I have to be fully involved in driving (which I love), and "thinking further down the road." I need to always be aware of what's around me, what's ahead, and my plan to navigate it. It is pretty much my favorite part of every day.

Just the humble thoughts from a guy who loves driving. You do you. This is what works for me.

 

[SdoubleW]

These are my rules of thumb for me. YMMV. Eat the chicken, throw away the bones.

One of the greatest F1 drivers from history, Jackie Stewart, taught that smooth is fast. He was a master of throttle management and the rev-match downshift. I've been using this thinking to define my driving style for decades now.

I always keep in mind that if I am not at the track (or the local airport taxiway) then I am on the public roads and need to manage my behavior accordingly.

I tend to not push into high revs on public roads except for straight-aways or straight launches. Even then, mindful that I am on public roads, I generally don't exceed 5000 rpm. Plenty of the power curve available there.

I manually rev-match. Big Bird is a 2015, and the auto rev-matching didn't exist yet. Rev-matching on the downshift - and nailing it consistently - is our friend. It dramatically reduces sudden dynamic shifts in the suspension and overall handling. It makes a big difference in the bite of the tires by smoothing out weight transfer in the suspension over a longer moment in time. WIth good tires, this keeps me well-connected to the roadway.

When it comes to curves, my rule of thumb is slow in, fast out. WIth the rev-match downshift(s) completed before the curve, both the suspension and I are ready and in the gear I need on the other (even more fun) side of the curve.

I always use the rain/snow setting in wet weather. We are enjoying an era of power and handling our parents/grandparents could only dream of. But on public roads, there's no point in stuffing the car into something. That mellow throttle response in rain/snow is a small price to pay today to know I'll be driving Big Bird again tomorrow.

Too fast is slow, and slow is fast. Smooth is the key. Sudden transitions and weight transfers on the suspension make me slower. An unsettled suspension is very much like an unsettled, unpredictable horse.

To be smooth, I have to be fully involved in driving (which I love), and "thinking further down the road." I need to always be aware of what's around me, what's ahead, and my plan to navigate it. It is pretty much my favorite part of every day.

Just the humble thoughts from a guy who loves driving. You do you. This is what works for me.

that’s so interesting to read, thanks for sharing. It’s a journey!

 

[S550HPP]

It has wet/snow mode. what’s the difference?

Total remap of stability and traction control. Next to impossible to snap out plus with sensitivity and reaction to traction, yaw and pitch elevated.

It's the best mode to use if you 100% trust Ford's technology and want and no hassles drama free drive. Smash the ges to the floor on dusty or damp pavement no problem VS snap out and high chance of hitting something.

 

[Hack]

I also would advocate using snow mode in low traction conditions. Ford's setup is really good. I have driven Mustang GTs year-round with no issues. I did run snow tires in the winter, however.

 

[fordracerguy]

I’ve been fortunate to have owned several fast mustangs including an 04 cobra and a ‘65 mustang with a 331 stroker/5 speed - both higher power to weight ratio than my Mach 1. I thought I knew how to drive - never crashed (knock on wood) and felt comfortable controlling and correcting a fish tail. But it wasn’t until I went to the Mach 1 track attack that I learned some of the science behind controlling a car predictably. My favorite lesson was the 100% rule. This video talks a bit about it. Essentially think of your steering wheel, gas pedal and brakes as something that shouldn’t add up to more than 100%.

If you can swing it, I’d pay to got the ford performance racing school.

 

[young at heart]

I recently bought a Mach 1 and while I have 20+ years of driving experience, sitting on such much power is a novelty to me.
My teaching was to drive in lower gears rather than higher ones, and particularly ahead of curves to either hit the break or let the motor break by downshifting.

And here is where I seem to get into danger zone with my Mach 1: when I come in 3rd with 60 mph towards a curve, and I shift down into 2nd, the car seems to become "hyper": sensitive to every touch of the pedal, I can feel how the wheels are full of force and ready to burn. And so it happened twice, actually accelerating out of a curve in 2nd, maybe 60-90° turns, when the rear of the car broke loose a bit.

I am not surprised, I am just saying, this is new for me and I can see the dangers of such brute force.
So my first question is: do you have any general driving tips for me and the Mach 1, with the goal to have 'safe fun'? Do I have to unlearn what I learnt and are there some key principles of driving a 500 HP car like the Mach 1?

Also, I can hardly ever use gears 4-6 unless on the highway. I try to shift only as of 6k RPM, so mostly use 2nd and 3rd gears.
The second sometimes sounds weird, a crick-crick like an insect is in the gear shift. Maybe it's the wear of using 2nd and 3rd like 80% of the time - any thoughts on that? The first question above is the more important one, in case you are tight on time.

Really appreciate your suggestions.
SWW

This isn’t gonna sound very nice so I apologize right up front. But I’m wondering a little bit if you’re serious about all this. If in fact you are it’s possible you bought the wrong car to learn on. This isn’t a beginner’s vehicle. Sure you can putt around in it and think you’re learning how to drive it but trust me, sooner or later it will surprise you and potentially bite you in the ass. Read K4fxd’s post #34 above. Then read it again. He’s experienced with high performance cars and knows what he’s doing. I’m 75 years old and very experienced also and have had the *exact* same thing happen to me. How would you do in this situation?

You sound like a smart person, so reading between the lines you probably know what you should do. Failing that, keep it in normal mode with all nannies engaged and drive carefully.

Good luck to you!

A quick edit: you describe the things you have been taught and are learning to do. That’s all fine and good but in a critical situation like a back end snap out, there isn’t time enough to think about what you should be doing. It needs to be done by rote, instinct or feel if you will. Muscle memory maybe. I question that a powerful tail-happy car is the best place to learn, but maybe I’m wrong. I suggested normal mode but maybe the guys who suggested wet/snow mode are more on the money than I am. I’ve never even tried it so I really don’t know how the car responds in it. If the car is still everyday drivable in wet/snow mode that might just be the answer!

 

[luca1290]

Also, I can hardly ever use gears 4-6 unless on the highway. I try to shift only as of 6k RPM, so mostly use 2nd and 3rd gears.
The second sometimes sounds weird, a crick-crick like an insect is in the gear shift. Maybe it's the wear of using 2nd and 3rd like 80% of the time - any thoughts on that? The first question above is the more important one, in case you are tight on time.

I don't understand how it's possible that you can drive like this in Switzerland and you are here writing. The most dangerous thing that can happen to you, where you are, is that you are going to be shot on the place because of the loudness that you are producing.
(full disclosure: I am Italian, I live dangerously too near to the Switzerland and I have had some "disagreements" with the natives. Sadly I have to go there once a year.)

Get some driving lessons, not in Switzerland (for the americans: motorsports are banned in Switzerland and has been for the last 70 years).
Don't drive it at more than 100 Kmh in Switzerland, and that's for your safety. They still use the worst tarmac I have seen in my life, and it does not drain a drip of water when wet. I'm serious, it's deadly. Told you.

If you live in Ticino, don't come to floor it in Italy on the Milano-Como-Chiasso highway as we have enough little red crosses trying to vent their instincts on our free land.

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