Handling package - Adjustable strut top mounts?

[460Fred]

Is there a specific built date / Vin where these may already be on... I am guessing mine are not ( or not even part of package).. is it best to order a factory set or something maybe better?

I’d like to here someone chime in on this question as well.
I‘d assume they are not needed unless you’re hitting the track pretty hard.
I know there are aftermarket alternatives that are just as good if not better than OE adjustable plates for the track.

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[Epiphany]

Whether they are needed or not is up to you. If you just wanted a factory alignment and are likely to never want more aggressive settings then the non-adjustable plates will work. If you want more aggressive settings than stock, the factory adjustable plates get the job done (within limits). If you are likely to change settings at any time to better match a given track, different tires, etc, then a user friendly aftermarket plate is the way to go. It isn't any more complicated than that.

 

[Joe Mac]

This chain is the exact reason I didn't want the handling pack. Zero dealer installed options. I did have to take the Shelby cover as that was a window sticker item. I hope everyone that paid for them gets what they paid for. Save the gurney for the track though.

why? I put mine on the day I bought my car (Gurnney Flap)

 

[dps]

why? I put mine on the day I bought my car (Gurnney Flap)

Gurney flap adds drag (in day to day driving) unless you are high speed on track turns where it adds downforce to help keep the tail planted. Around town even with spirited driving just adds resistance. But all up to the owner (you) from an appearance perspective. Enjoy.

 

[Joe Mac]

Gurney flap adds drag (in day to day driving) unless you are high speed on track turns where it adds downforce to help keep the tail planted. Around town even with spirited driving just adds resistance. But all up to the owner (you) from an appearance perspective. Enjoy.

Thank you , I just like the way it looks.

 

[Epiphany]

Gurney flap adds drag (in day to day driving) unless you are high speed on track turns where it adds downforce to help keep the tail planted. Around town even with spirited driving just adds resistance.

That's a bit of a contradiction. If it is "adding resistance" (or drag) it is adding downforce. The reality is, at city or highway speeds, the amount of drag (or added downforce) is relatively small. You'll need to be well above the legal limit in order for it to have much of an impact on vehicle dynamics or fuel economy.

 

[460Fred]

That's a bit of a contradiction. If it is "adding resistance" (or drag) it is adding downforce. The reality is, at city or highway speeds, the amount of drag (or added downforce) is relatively small. You'll need to be well above the legal limit in order for it to have much of an impact on vehicle dynamics or fuel economy.

Yes, this has come up a few times in the past.
Some just like the way it looks and that’s enough for them.
Someone in the know told us the effect on fuel mileage was minuscule but possibly enough to effect EPA standards. Kind of a big deal for manufacturers.
I consider myself a pretty practical guy but sometimes fall into unpractical moments. You know like buying a GT350 without tracking it. Tracking a few days per year was my intention originally but reality set in for me.

 

[Epiphany]

.00001 mpg is an "effect on fuel mileage." So is .02 mpg. Rolling your windows down or being 1 psi low in tire pressure has an effect as well.

If anyone here bought this car with fuel economy in mind they missed the purpose of the car.

 

[460Fred]

.00001 mpg is an "effect on fuel mileage." So is .02 mpg. Rolling your windows down or being 1 psi low in tire pressure has an effect as well.

If anyone here bought this car with fuel economy in mind they missed the purpose of the car.

Not my point at all.
How much it effects mileage I don’t know. Read your manual. Why does it state track use only in reference to the Gurney flap? Page 39 in your owners supplement. Some in the know speculated it was fuel mileage related.
You know the gas guzzler tax we all paid when we bought our cars, would you like it to be as high as the GT500?
That’s my point.

 

[Caballus]

You know the gas guzzler tax we all paid when we bought our cars, would you like it to be as high as the GT500? That’s my point.

Good point, but funny question to ask a guy who gave up his GT350 and got a GT500

 

[Epiphany]

Gas Guzzler Tax sort of gives you the impression that the car doesn't have the best mpg numbers, doesn't it? Yet the people that wanted the car bought it anyway.

I don't need to reference the manual with respect to drag/downforce and the effect on fuel efficiency.

I can only tell you that drag and downforce are in proportion to speed, however simplified. If using a Gurney Flap on the street concerns you that much you may want to consult an attorney as opposed to your owner's manual.

 

[Classic Muscle]

nope. those are normal ones, not adjustables

@jmn444 I've been back and forth with my selling dealer about this recently. I live in NC, bought the car new out of state from a dealer in Iowa. Took it to Mooresville, NC Ford before going to VIR, they said "we can't do the performance alignment, because you don't have the plates installed." Selling dealer isn't being very responsive. Do I have these plates or not? Photos below.

 

[jmn444]

those look like the adjustable ones to me. jack it up, loosen the 3 nuts (do not remove them though) and see if the strut moves inboard/outboard. it takes some effort to move it even with the wheel off the ground, maybe mark where it is currently 1st unless you live very close to where you will get it aligned. those nuts probably have a torque spec too so you will want them torqued to spec before driving it again as well.

 

[Classic Muscle]

those look like the adjustable ones to me. jack it up, loosen the 3 nuts (do not remove them though) and see if the strut moves inboard/outboard. it takes some effort to move it even with the wheel off the ground, maybe mark where it is currently 1st unless you live very close to where you will get it aligned. those nuts probably have a torque spec too so you will want them torqued to spec before driving it again as well.

Thanks. Should there be a part #/sticker visible somewhere as well? At this point, I'm leaning towards the fact that selling DID INSTALL them and Mooresville Ford didn't know what they were talking about.

 

[jmn444]

i don't think the part number sticker is always visible, but not certain on that. here's a pic of the part off the car, so that you can understand how it allows the strut to slide when the nuts are loose...

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