GTPP2 vs GT350 Caranddriver

[Shewantsthe5oh]

I'm surprised that boat of a hellcat is so far up that list as well as the 5400lb Jeep Trackhawk. Guess you can get grocery's right after laying down some good lap times.

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[MaskedRacerX]

The gist is that the GTPP2 is a great car and a relatively great deal in comparison to the GT350 albeit with some cooling issues. The GT350 ends up outperforming on the track by about 2s per lap on Grattan and has the intangibles between the engine, transmission, and handling characteristics that ends up being worth it.

I think that's a terrific summary comparison of these two cars, with my emphasis being "worth"is extremely subjective, and it's clearly party of the "value" of the GT350, so if you're price-to-objective-metrics driven, the "worth" drops by a good amount.

 

[torque124]

I do think the surprise on that party is the M5 being quicker than a TT RS and a Porsche Cayman S ??
It shows how good that car is, and it is a big heavy boat...

 

[Hack]

I think that's a terrific summary comparison of these two cars, with my emphasis being "worth"is extremely subjective, and it's clearly party of the "value" of the GT350, so if you're price-to-objective-metrics driven, the "worth" drops by a good amount.

I always think that absolute speed of a car is less important and the fun factor is key. So to me if you are buying a new car - my assumption is you do that because you want a warranty. So my next thought is if you are going to the track: GT350 with the coolers. If you are not tracking the car, PP2. Not because the GT350 is faster on track or handles a little bit better, but because it won't overheat and you will enjoy your track day a lot more. And if you aren't going to the track, the PP2 is way more than enough car. Frankly I would probably go base GT if I weren't planning to track the car.

 

[marks]

Please stop posting GT350 reviews as makes us very jealous in the UK that we don't get it!

 

[Droopy1592]

Amazing only a 3 pound difference in weight. What are the cooling the 350 has that the PP2 doesn’t?

 

[EFI]

Amazing only a 3 pound difference in weight. What are the cooling the 350 has that the PP2 doesn’t?

Most have a dedicated oil, transmission and diff coolers whereas the PP2 only has an integrated oil cooler.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

I always think that absolute speed of a car is less important and the fun factor is key. So to me if you are buying a new car - my assumption is you do that because you want a warranty. So my next thought is if you are going to the track: GT350 with the coolers. If you are not tracking the car, PP2. Not because the GT350 is faster on track or handles a little bit better, but because it won't overheat and you will enjoy your track day a lot more. And if you aren't going to the track, the PP2 is way more than enough car. Frankly I would probably go base GT if I weren't planning to track the car.

The warranty is an excellent point as well, if you desire to keep your car completely stock, the GT350 as it rolls of the dealer lot is ready for track duty (er, more or less).

Yeah, the fun factor is kind of what I was getting at with the subjective value, pure performance (warranty not factored in), the GT350 is a bit faster, for X more money, but for fun factor, overall driving experience, I'd personally allocate a significant amount of value (and therefore cost/money) to the tranny, motor, unique design, the glorious, glorious sound

 

[Hack]

The warranty is an excellent point as well, if you desire to keep your car completely stock, the GT350 as it rolls of the dealer lot is ready for track duty (er, more or less).

Yeah, the fun factor is kind of what I was getting at with the subjective value, pure performance (warranty not factored in), the GT350 is a bit faster, for X more money, but for fun factor, overall driving experience, I'd personally allocate a significant amount of value (and therefore cost/money) to the tranny, motor, unique design, the glorious, glorious sound

I should have said in my earlier post that I agreed with what you said. i think you hit the nail on the head with this post as well.

 

[newmoon]

The increased grip of the PP2 is interesting. Are the Cup 2s on the PP2 a different compound, or is it the increase with 305s vs 295s. Also interesting that they went with 305 fronts on the GT but even during the 19 GT350 refresh they didn't bump up 305s front as well, maybe it would have gotten the 350 too close to the R.

 

[Droopy1592]

The increased grip of the PP2 is interesting. Are the Cup 2s on the PP2 a different compound, or is it the increase with 305s vs 295s. Also interesting that they went with 305 fronts on the GT but even during the 19 GT350 refresh they didn't bump up 305s front as well, maybe it would have gotten the 350 too close to the R.

I think they are specially designed OEM tires for the GT350 for Fords specifications. Maybe ford didn’t see the need to update in increase front width.

 

[nastang87xx]

2 seconds on a 2.2 mile track is significant. I'm surprised it's that far apart.

Same. I've kinda sorta thought the PP2 had some legitimate chops against the 350 in performance per dollar. But 2 seconds on a 2.2 mile track is an eternity. In a 20 minute session, that's 13 - 14 seconds behind. For perspective that at least I can understand because it's my home track, that's the whole front straight of Road America.

Me too... I wish the magazines would give more details about who drove the cars, their driving skill, etc.
Makes me wonder if they even drove the cars around the track on the same day with same driver.
Enjoyed the reading though, since my PPL2 is in the garage and it's snowing outside....How many days of winter left?

They always report off the fastest times they can get. These magazines often have quite a bit of time to run these cars. Sometimes they're pinched but these are big productions.

If you're trying to validate your reasoning for buying a PP2 and that it SHOULD have stuck with the GT350...don't. It doesn't matter. Just enjoy your car because a PP2 is far from a slouch.

 

[nastang87xx]

The increased grip of the PP2 is interesting. Are the Cup 2s on the PP2 a different compound, or is it the increase with 305s vs 295s. Also interesting that they went with 305 fronts on the GT but even during the 19 GT350 refresh they didn't bump up 305s front as well, maybe it would have gotten the 350 too close to the R.

Increased grip is nice but can it sustain it? And doesn't that increased grip actually translate into anything like driver confidence and directional transition capability? I can think of quite a few cars that have insane grip levels but they're light fighting a bull in a real performance application.

And no, I believe the compounds are the same but different from the 350R.

 

[raiderjatt02]

The PP2L Cup 2s are the same compound as the GT350R. And according to Billy Johnson, the GT350 Cup 2s are a harder, longer lasting compound closer to that of the P4S. That's why the grip difference is what it is. I was surprised to see such a difference in lap time given the less grippy tires though. Honestly though it'd be closer. Those sticky Cup 2 tires are no joke!

 

[Droopy1592]

The PP2L Cup 2s are the same compound as the GT350R. And according to Billy Johnson, the GT350 Cup 2s are a harder, longer lasting compound closer to that of the P4S. That's why the grip difference is what it is. I was surprised to see such a difference in lap time given the less grippy tires though. Honestly though it'd be closer. Those sticky Cup 2 tires are no joke!

that makes it even more interesting that it’s 2 seconds faster with a tire with a fair amount less grip.

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