saleen367
Well-Known Member
2015 was the 1st MY for the GT350 first off. GT350R's were unchanged until MY2020. MY2019 was the 1st update on the GT350.What year was the GT350R in the comparison lap time? Ford has been updating the GT350’s since 2016. The current GT350 supposedly received upgrades and better than ever while the GTPP2 is just a GT. Ford is trying hard for people to pay premium and buy the GT350 over the GTPP2. They had to open up the gap somehow to justify the performance and value difference.
Here are both Lightning Laps ... I see nothing that stands out as to why one "should be faster" than the actual timed lap.Lightning lap has never compared those two cars in the same year so you're talking different conditions and different drivers. Each car is driven by multiple writers and the best times are taken from each. If you've ever read an article or listened to a podcast from the writers involved this means that the fastest driver may not be in the car when the weather, track temp, and vehicle condition are optimal for the best possible lap time.
The GT350R was run back in 2016 while the Performance Pack 2 wasn't run until 2018.
Here's an excerpt from the article about the Performance Pack 2 and just how sticky those tires really are.
According to the results on Lightning lap 2016, the GT350R went through turn 1 at less than 1.12G, failing to make their list of highest corner grip through that corner at that point in time. While I can't explain why this is, the fact of the matter is that it seemed the GT350R had less grip on this day in 2016 than the PP2 had in 2018 when it ran. I would wager that given that they both run the exact same tires on the front of the car, that particular number on the same day should be closer and certainly not lower for the GT350R. I'm guessing it wasn't the best day and time for setting an all out hero lap in the GT350R and that had it run on the same day in 2018 as the PP2 the gap would be larger than 2 seconds.
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15101334/lightning-lap-2016-results-historical-lap-times-and-more-feature/
The 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 pulled 1.10G in the same turn(Horse Shoe) on Cup 2 tires. Should the Porsche have been faster as well? Maximum lateral grip is not an equal measure of lap times.
C&D quote; "What started as a handful of Car and Driver employees with a couple of toolboxes has grown to an army of staffers, along with factory-supplied coaches and support squads bearing more spare tires than a Rascal-scooter meet."
"As we have done since the first Lightning Lap, in 2006, C/D editors set the lap times. Each of our five drivers is assigned vehicles to lap, but we cross-check our work by cycling into one another's cars. Doing it ourselves allows us to bring you an unfiltered firsthand experience."
^^^^ Purely speculative .... Even IF the compound is changed, both Cup 2's have the same wear and temp ratings. The notable difference is load rating because, after all it is a 35 aspect ratio tire (Michelin does not make "regular" Cup 2's in 295/35/19). Here is what you might have missed;@saleen367 I don't know why you singled me out here, but let it be known that I'm not a detractor of the PP2, I think it's a great car for back road adventures and autocross and can deliver similar grip levels to the GT350R for 20k less. With that money saved you could most certainly makeup the horsepower deficit and probably even match it NA if you're willing. You could also solve the cooling issues it has with all of that leftover cash as well. I merely came in here to clear up 1 thing that Ford and Michelin confused the world on, that there are two different type of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's mounted to Mustangs.
The grippiest version is the standard Cup2 mounted to the GT350R and the PP2, the GT350 get's the less sticky FP branded Cup2's so that owners who buy the GT350 still have good traction in less then ideal situations as that car is meant to be driven in a wider range of conditions than the all out top of the range GT and GT350 are.
Tread width for the FR Cup 2's is .4" wider than the 305 Cup 2's on the PP2 and .1" less than the 315's on the R. Yes, both the FP305/35/19 and the FR295/35/19 are 11.4" tread width. So the MY19-20 GT350's have essentially the same tire but molded @ 6/32" vs 5.5/32" (increased tread life and water channeling capabilities), but also .4" wider at every corner.
Here's my take .... The factory PP2 is an amazing car. The factory GT350 even more amazing and it should be considering the additional investment. How much more so is up for debate, but it doesn't take much to change either one of these into even better track cars. Its all dependent on how deep one's pockets are. On any given track day (HPDE) you will find base GT's passing GT350's, Corvette's etc ... everyone has different abilities to use the tool that the manufacturer or yourself has built. We are not all Randy Probst and very few will ever experience our cars being pushed to their absolute limits ... correctly.
On the track you will most likely never encounter one of these cars with factory rubber. Most serious HPDE guys I see not only run better/bigger tires, but lighter & wider wheels. On the street, there is no where you can legally use the tires or car to their full potentials. So in the end, its all bench racing banter, unless of course Probst shows up at my front door calling me out. If that happens I can almost guarantee my day will be better than yours.
Sponsored