LE as a Driver

[Madlock]

One particularly attractive aspect of owning an LE is the unique opportunity to combine an Automatic Transmission and Performance Package.

Without a whole lot of parts swaps and EPAS and ESC programming that's supposedly exclusive to Performance Package cars, any other GT Automatic simply won't drive as well.

Some of the improvements are obvious like tires, brakes and a more aggressive suspension. Others, like their supposed digital secret sauce, are much harder to discern.

Because some cars are bought as collectable furniture and dealers aren't exactly giving out test drives, objective, empirical opinions are hard to come by.

Before I decide to buy an LE rather than a commodity GT Automatic for daily driving, I'd greatly appreciate input from those who use their LEs for more than occasional driving about how much better they feel the Performance Pack makes their car, especially if they've had a chance to drive a garden variety 2015 GT Automatic with 3.55 gears for comparison.

Thanks in advance for any available insight.

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[SVTFreak]

I daily drive my LE. I never did get a chance to drive a run of the mill auto. The one dyno of an LE puts it in line with standard gt power wise.

Originally, I was going to buy my LE, sell it at a profit then order a yellow gt. Over time, I came to like the idea of the LE. After awhile, that profit number needed went way up. Long before I got it, I knew I wanted to keep it. The fact that I hAve the bigger brakes on an auto was the real big factor. My 2011's brKes, for lack of better word, sucked. They faded quick and got hot fast. I don't want that problem with this car. Now I know you say the gt has bigger brakes than before, but I tend to go overboard when fixing problems. The pp suspension isn't too stiff either. It's firm but not kidney beating. Overall, the car rides better than my 11 gt/cs which has run of the mill suspension.

I love daily driving it. Overall impression.

I will say that being the LE does not garner much attention. Being the new mustang does. Most people don't realize what they are looking at. But I still haven't had but one stop at a gas stAtion (coming up on 2500 miles) where someone didn't stop to talk, look, photo or ask questions)

 

[Madlock]

Thanks for the input. I probably should've painted a bigger backdrop by explaining that I have LEs as collectibles, but am considering another to actually drive - for which I'd give up my loaded '14 GT Premium Coupe with Auto that DOES have the Brembo Pack and only $3K miles which othewise is a very easy car to keep.

But I need to choose between them since I tapped the budget to get the wrapper LEs as outright additions, plus I'm maxed on garage space even with lifts wherever I could fit them.

Thanks again.

 

[SVTFreak]

The 14's brembo package is the same size/spec brakes as what's on the base 15 gt. If that helps at all.

After having both a s197 (two actually) and the s500, I would sit outside and throw rocks at the older one.

 

[101charley]

The GT Performance Package gives you:

Strut Tower Brace
Larger Radiator
Unique Chassis Tuning
Upsized Rear Sway Bar
Heavy Duty Front Springs
K-Brace
Brembo Brakes
Unique Stability Control, EPAS & ABS Tuning
3.73 Torsen Differential

Point is - you can add all this stuff after market to a garden variety GT Premium with Automatic Transmission. I am not sure what "unique chassis tuning" means or " Unique stability control" but all the other parts can be had for not a lot of money and you save $1300 by by dropping the PP (-$2495) and adding the AT )(+$1195). This is what I plan to do.

 

[SVTFreak]

All the chassis stuff is nice but I'm mostly into it because of the brakes. I got auto and the big brembos and I'm happy for that. Lol

Not sure what unique chassis tuning is either. But I know it has a lower k member brace that non pp gt's have.

Keep in mind, we also get better rear brakes over standard pp gt, for what that's worth.

Autos get 3.55's instead of 3.73's even in LE with pp. Frankly, they work better with the auto and it's super deep first gear anyway.

Had I not gotten the LE, I would have gotta an auto gt with 3.55's and added larger brakes if I wasn't happy with them. Brembo kit, if I'm not mistaken, is about 2500$ anyway which is the cost of the pp from factory. So adding the entire pp would be much more expensive. But again, not a option with auto unless you get LE

 

[Siggy550]

SVTFreak is correct, and this is for 101charley too who in another post mentioned the LE has nothing performance enhanced and why anyone would buy. We get upgraded rear brakes from normal GT/PP, we also have an upsized front sway bar from the GT/PP. Still hoping for something "special" with the welcome kit to unlock more power/torque from what is a different engine part number and different computer than the GT/PP. It just doesn't make sense IMO for these to have chassis/brake enhancements to not have something hidden making this the ultimate MY15 car. If not, oh well, it's still awesome looking. Personally, I'm hoping for a track fob.

Now for Madlock, I've driven both my LE and a non-PP GT (although it was manual). The suspension is substantially softer than the LE. You can tell the LE has stiffer springs and is tied down more. The standard GT almost soaks up bumps. I was shocked at how smooth it road over bumps and figure it is great for the person who wants a daily driver with lots of power and looks, but not a rough ride quality. Brakes on standard '15 GT are better than standard GT/CS (not brembo) on my old '12. But never drove brembo S197, so can't help you there. But for daily driver, they are more than enough. The new 15 brembos bite in my opinion. Plus, track testing from numerous sources on YouTube claim to have almost no fade.

 

[SVTFreak]

I haven't run mine around a track, but I have pushed the brakes way way past what I ever pushed my 11. No fade at all. My 11 would have been grinding and vibrating and hot spotted and all screwed and faded. This one didn't even blink.

 

[Madlock]

After having both a s197 (two actually) and the s500, I would sit outside and throw rocks at the older one.

Yeah, but my fully-laden 2014 remains a damned nice car that's essentially new, and the delta to move to an LE driver is nearly $25K after depreciation, taxes etc.

Unto itself, it's not an unlivable proposition. But with other LEs as non drivers already in the stable, it's getting steep and I'm running short of dry powder - especially with a 350R in the offing.

Plus, even with a much-improved S550, let alone LE's unique traits which seems to make it the best automatic to drive by far, having a drivable S197 around still makes for great fun on days when I prefer a livelier rear end that I can predict to keep things interesting.

I realize this is a VERY high class problem to have. LOL

The GT Performance Package gives you:

Strut Tower Brace
Larger Radiator
Unique Chassis Tuning
Upsized Rear Sway Bar
Heavy Duty Front Springs
K-Brace
Brembo Brakes
Unique Stability Control, EPAS & ABS Tuning
3.73 Torsen Differential

Point is - you can add all this stuff after market to a garden variety GT Premium with Automatic Transmission. I am not sure what "unique chassis tuning" means or " Unique stability control" but all the other parts can be had for not a lot of money and you save $1300 by by dropping the PP (-$2495) and adding the AT )(+$1195). This is what I plan to do.

Yes and no, though it's not quite so straightforward. Autos get a more conventional LSD in lieu of a proper Torsen. And yes much else can be bolted on that could improve certain traits and capabilities. But it's almost impossible to know what "unique tuning" actually means. And because the product of ALL its traits are what determine a car's overall performance and handling profile, rebuilding on a component basis without software that's calibrated to them means never quite matching what the maker includes in-house and under warranty.

I grant that any difference may be merely "different" rather than simply "better" or "worse". But I for one have great respect for the balance of traits Mustang engineers generally arrive at as being the best overall package.

 

[Madlock]

Just a quick additional footnote. Although I suspect LEs are likely to hold value better than most flavors, but except for rare buys that happened below MSRP, despite depreciating more slowly, I don't see LEs as a whole appreciating any time soon.

Though, at this point, any that may fall off the carrier, be swept away by flood or just made permanent dealer showroom queens won't be breaking my heart as an owner. LOL

 

[SVTFreak]

I would say you very much have a first world problem. If I could afford it, I would have a kona manual for a toy and white auto for a daily. My second option, if I could afford (rather if I chose that instead of other projects, cars, shop, knives, guns, daughter that should have been listed first), would be a yellow gt auto as a daily driver. Loaded with 20's.

I agree on tuning. I wouldn't piece meal anything together suspension wise. Maybe bigger brakes on gt auto if I found the stock ones wasn't enough (remember, I felt the 11 brakes where at least two steps less than needed).

Either way, I wouldn't have an s197. Loved mine but I feel the s550 is so much improved if I still had one, it would get sneered at.

 

[Madlock]

I know it should be a question of simply moving from a previous dated product version to a new and superior one - a bona fide no brainier that couldn't be a simpler decision to make. And I wish it were.

But the real dilemma for me isn't about the money or even depreciation. It's the fact that I'd be giving up a wonderful example of a car that may have been superseded but I nevertheless love, which would be virtually impossible to replicate or replace at ANY price given the content and combination. Even if another existed, it wouldn't be nearly so nice.

The flip side is a much-improved, newer and limited edition vehicle that also happens to be superior (due to the combinability of an Automatic and the Performance Package) to its current generation counterparts - which also can't be recreated or replaced if I choose not to act during the limited opportunity window that exists.

It's similar to the circumstance that led be to buy and preserve the last remaining 2014 GT500 that's a twin to the '13 Coupe I actually drive. Had I not acted, the same opportunity never would exist to own one of the nastiest, hairiest supercharged factory V8s ever made. And a similar phenomenon exists for each car I bought to collect. Once I start driving it, it never again will be the pristine example I set out to preserve.

Something similar happened with the LE(s). I originally ordered a pair of WW Autos to have one to drive and one to keep. I took delivery of the first car but a different dealer inexplicably did things to the second car which they explicitly promised NOT to do, making it fit as only a driver rather than a car to keep. In my anger and haste, I immediately went searching for an affordable backstop which is an entirely different proposition today than eight months ago. I found an attractively-priced and factory fresh Kona Blue example instead which, despite being neither a color I prefer nor an authentic launch color, would afford having one of each limited edition color - albeit with the result that I'd end up never driving either one.

As an example of the need to be careful what you wish for (lest you actually get it), the pristine Kona took some arm twisting to pursue. So, when I actually confronted the possibility of buying it, I would've been a (much bigger) tool if I had turned it down. So it's mine. And yes, I have two collector LEs that may as well not have ignitions for as much as I'll ever drive either one. They're nostalgic furniture - and the idea of owning, yet never driving, a Limited Edition automatic ALMOST is as bad as collecting Mustangs but not owning an LE at all.

So, that brings be back to the original 2nd LE which still remains available to me at what I must admit to being a very reasonable price. But having much less dry powder after the KB purchase, it truly comes down to giving up something hurts to part with, plus I'm already +1 on available lift slots. And yes, these ALL are truly blessed afflictions to be suffering from, but it doesn't change that I'd be giving up something I like very much when I simply could drive one of the LE's I already own - except for being the ONLY thing I bought them NOT to do.

So that's the entire backstory of why giving up a '14 GT Premum Coupe for a Limided Edition '15 isn't as much of a slam dunk as it otherwise would and should be.

 

[SVTFreak]

Yeah, I'd still do it. But I'm that fond of the s550. Why not drive the white auto LE and get a white manual to keep as a collector?

 

[Madlock]

Yeah, I'd still do it. But I'm that fond of the s550. Why not drive the white auto LE and get a white manual to keep as a collector?

THAT question I can easily answer.

A manual LE differs from commodity versions merely by virtue of paint color, trim and wheels. In fact, because of the asinine decision NOT to include reverse sensors or adaptive cruise, LE manuals aren't even necessarily the best-equipped S550 GT one can buy.

Whereas the combinability of the Performance Package with automatics yields an improved driving capability that garden variety GTs just don't - at least without substantial modification. Ironically, those modifications only serve to drive down a car's value no matter how many get bolted on or how expensive. Although LEs may not appreciate in value any time soon, one may very reasonably expect them to depreciate far more slowly than an S550 GT.

And I too am fond of S550. I'm very fond of it. But I can always expect at least the option of buying an S550 in the future, albeit not one with the unique benefits of the LE automatics, though the S197 is done, done and done. Having added the Ford Racing Power Adder tune to the 2014 GT (which can be undone in minutes), I can attest to how dramatically Ford increased the low-end torque to make it a car that simply hauls ass, even compared to the 435HP S550 motor.

To top-off matters, I'm sure I've fomented no small amount of analysis paralysis as I've focused so intently upon trying to come up with backstops after the dealer threw things into such disarray which I'd been planning toward for so long.

 

[SVTFreak]

THAT question I can easily answer.

One thing I've learned is this is never the case with you, brutha lol

I agree with everything you say. Except the tunes 14. I'm about to tine my LE and can't wait to see how the low end picks up from remapping the throttle (mine is auto also and i decided to keep for same reason, pp with auto)

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