Gradual upgrades vs. Performance Package?

[Emt1581]

It's a little early for me to be doing much more than putting a few cars on the short list for eventual shopping. But here's what I'm thinking.

The PP is not in the same league as the 5th gen Camaro's 1LE package, nor was it ever really intended to be. The 6th gen SS is going to be tough enough competition unless Ford tweaks the details of the PP a bit.

Anyway . . . some detail thoughts

The GT Performance Package includes:
• Strut-tower brace
• K brace
Nice to have. But the STB belongs much lower on any DIY'er mod list than where it usually ends up


• Larger radiator
If you ever track your car or engage in extended stints of hard driving on hot days, you'll want this. For forced induction (not something I'm much interested in personally), I'm betting you'll want this and then some.


• Unique chassis tuning
• Upsized rear sway bar
• Heavy-duty front springs
These all seem to be saying the same thing, and the thing here is whether you want to just take what Ford feels is good enough for their target PP customer or develop something that suits you individually a little better. There have been bouncy ride complaints I think with both the PP and the non-PP, that different spring rate choices and better shocks/struts ought to be able to solve.


• Interior gauge pack (oil pressure and vacuum)
Oil pressure is semi-useful at best, and probably the only reason you'd care about vacuum is if you're specifically driving for best mpg


• Brembo™ six-piston front brake calipers with larger rotors
These will generally require 19" or larger wheels. There are a couple of 18's that supposedly clear, but not many.


• Unique 19” x 9”(F) 19” x 9.5” (R) Ebony Black-Painted Aluminum Wheels
• Optional 19”x 9”(F) 19” x 9.5” (R) Luster Nickel Aluminum Wheels
• 255/40R19 (F) 275/40R19(R) summer-only tires*
If you're any more than semi-serious about handling, these won't be enough. Not wide enough, and there are definitely better tire choices.


• Unique EPAS, ABS and stability control tuning
This is a very good thing if you want less interference from the nannies without having to shut them off completely.


• 3.73 TORSEN® rear axle
The Torsen is the kind of differential you want for most everything . . . except drag racing and similar driving (Torsens tend to be fragile when used that way).

3.73's are kind of short for driving where you aren't using the upper rpm range at all. They're terrible for autocrosses where peak speeds can exceed what's possible in 2nd. But they might be OK on the big tracks where you're rarely going to drop down below 3rd or ever need 6th.


Norm

Amazing response!

Thanks for taking the time to type it out!

Heading out now but more to come later.

-Emt1581

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[ForTehNguyen]

brakes are much cheaper if you go direct like tasca parts

 

[Hack]

If you get the PP and decide to never to any updates, you've got a great car.

This.

What do you want the car for? If you want to go to track days, get the PP.

I took my non-PP base GT to the track and it worked great. I have said it before, the PP is not needed to go to the road course. If you are going to the road course in very hot temperatures AND you are an experienced road course driver, then maybe you will want the PP. However, I don't see a NEED for the PP, even if you will make some trips to the road course.

have said this many times but - the brakes make the PP worth it alone

The base GT has really great brakes now. The Brembos are even better, but they are overkill for 99.9% of drivers.

I suspect many folks will get lazy and not put the PP parts on their car aftermarket.

My car is a DD. I like the 3.55 gears , 18x8" wheels, and A/S tires and the donut spare. Main thing I miss is the Brembo's (mainly for looks) and the dash gauges. But I would like the gauges better if Vacuum was replaced with Oil Temp.

The looks of the Brembos is the most legitimate reason to buy them, IMO.

 

[Moddiction]

I could not imagine tracking a stock base non PP mustang. The stock suspension feels so floaty and loose. Doesn't take much in the aftermarket to make it feel a lot better though.

 

[ForTehNguyen]

would be Mr Plow with 235 square all seasons too

 

[RitzGT]

I could not imagine tracking a stock base non PP mustang. The stock suspension feels so floaty and loose.

I can't imagine daily driving a car setup for the track. Trading floaty and loose suspension for floaty and loose fillings....hmmmm

Best,

 

[highvoltage]

No worries [MENTION=19360]Bartly[/MENTION]!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[RitzGT]

The GT Performance Package includes:
• Strut-tower brace
• K brace
Nice to have. But the STB belongs much lower on any DIY'er mod list than where it usually ends up

And for folks that want a roots-type supercharger, the STB is a non-starter since the SC is in the way. So if they wanted the STB they'd have to go the centrifugal route.

Best,

 

[timd38]

I can't imagine daily driving a car setup for the track. Trading floaty and loose suspension for floaty and loose fillings....hmmmm

Best,

I can't speak for Mustangs, but Vettes setup for the track used on the street can't go over speed bumps, pot holes and go through tires because of the aggressive alignment.

I also have a rule that you don't do anything that impacts the reliability of your daily driver, because it is a daily driver.......

 

[RitzGT]

I can't speak for Mustangs, but Vettes setup for the track used on the street can't go over speed bumps, pot holes and go through tires because of the aggressive alignment.

I also have a rule that you don't do anything that impacts the reliability of your daily driver, because it is a daily driver.......

Agreed 100%. If I wanted a track toy, I'd likely just build myself something like this:

http://www.factoryfive.com/kits/project-818/design/

and trailer it to/from the track. Just sayin...

 

[Starman]

The good news it that Ford has a package you buy to upgrade the brakes.

My car has not arrived yet, but the brakes have......

http://www.cjponyparts.com/ford-rac...nce-pack-ecoboost-base-gt-2015-2016/p/M2300V/

Im seriously considering this but I've found that the stock 4 pistons are amazing, some of the best I have had (I've had Brembo's on some cars). They also dont suggest from the screeching and such. I guess it really comes down to if Im going to ever track my Mustang where it would matter the most.

 

[RitzGT]

Im seriously considering this but I've found that the stock 4 pistons are amazing, some of the best I have had (I've had Brembo's on some cars). They also dont suggest from the screeching and such. I guess it really comes down to if Im going to ever track my Mustang where it would matter the most.

I've heard that the stock 4-pot calipers can get a bit iffy under hard track use. If you don't anticipate (ab)using them like that, they're just fine for daily driving. I agree that they seem to be pretty good right out of the gate. I'll likely replace mine down the line, but only because I'll be bolting on a lot more ponies so that seems like a prudent precaution.

Best,

 

[WKT]

The PP pkg is well worth the money. I bought a non-PP myself, not because thats what I wanted but because there were no PP pkg cars available at the time. I knew I was going to change the springs, sway bars, wheels and tires, exhaust anyway so I really only missed the Brembo brakes, HD radiator and 3.73's and I didn't really care for the 3.73's anyway. If you plan on running the car on track days and auto crosses on a regular basis then get the PP!! If your not going to run any of the these then it is up to personal preference. The PP pkg is worth the money even if you plan on replacing a lot of the PP pkg parts.
Just for sake of argument the standard 4 piston GT brakes are damn good themselves.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I can't imagine daily driving a car setup for the track. Trading floaty and loose suspension for floaty and loose fillings....hmmmm

Best,

I can't speak for Mustangs, but Vettes setup for the track used on the street can't go over speed bumps, pot holes and go through tires because of the aggressive alignment.

I also have a rule that you don't do anything that impacts the reliability of your daily driver, because it is a daily driver.......

Guys, this doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing matter. There's a lot of room between 100% OE and 100% not-street-legal race trim to fit a setup that tracks better than OE without appreciable penalty. Especially if you decide to do your tracking on street tires rather than R-comps or better (a little less lateral grip = less "need" for lowering and extreme negative camber settings, just to name a couple of things).

I'm not sure I'd be happy with a 100% OE setup even for a 100% street driven car. Maybe make that "I'm sure I wouldn't be . . ."


Sure, a dedicated track toy like that FF5 model would be nice (I've thought "Caterham 7" or "heavily modified A-H Sprite" more than once). Then I remember things such as the costs involved with supporting a trailer and something to tow it with, and places to put it all, which I neither have nor otherwise want to have to deal with. And there's this one other thing - rainy sessions, which I enjoy in my '08 GT but would personally hate to be missing out on if that's what the day brings and my track toy didn't have a roof.


Norm

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Guys, this doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing matter.

Almost made the same post earlier.

The handling gains for the PP are much greater than the loss of ride comfort.

I've had some pretty radical aftermarket setups that I still drove on the street, and my PP car is nowhere near those in terms of NVH. In fact, I'm constantly amazed at how well mannered my car is around town (even on our _cobblestone_ roads!)

:cheers:

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