Long distance commuting GT350

[FranzVonHoffer]

My job requires me to drive between Houston, Dallas, Austin Beaumont and San Antonio at least once a month. I used to fly SWA but then security and delays got to be too much of a hassle so I opted to expense out the mileage and drive it. That's a lot of hours in a car so I opt to drive something rewarding on the highway.

My 16 GT is about to cross 75k miles so right before I hit 100k next year she'll be traded out for something new. This was my first Mustang and it has performed flawlessly the last three years.

I've had two Corvettes (C5, C6) which handled the interstate duty very well. So I've been contemplating getting back into a C7 Corvette next year but then I'll be around GT350 money.

I have been really impressed with the performance and reliability of my base GT. Do you guys think a GT350 could handle 25k a year driving? Just curious. Thanks

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[Austinj427]

Yeah I think it could.

Keep an eye on oil level, it's a really good highway car. It will tramline if the road crown is bad, but on most of our highways it's an easy driver.

I would say my GT350 rides better in normal mode than my GTPP did.

 

[Nfs1000f]

Highway miles on any vehicle causes significantly less wear and tear than let’s say mixed driving and of course tracking. I see no reason why the GT 350 would not give you many miles of reliable service. As with the previous poster, I agree that checking your oil religiously is a must. My GT350 has the Recaros and I have no problem sitting in them for up to four hours at a time. As far as gas mileage is concerned, I typically see between 21 and 23 mpg with the cruise set at about 72 to 75 mph. Don’t let the naysayers on his forum convince you otherwise.

 

[Sagittaria]

Magneride makes all the difference on the GT350. I haven't compared to a GT but I get folks that say mine rides very well for such a sport car... and this is in an R!

But I love driving mine long distances. As mentioned before the Recaros are very comfortable. And I generally prefer something with some soul than something strictly boring. GT350 is a pretty good combo of comfort and pizzaz.

 

[Tank]

Re: creature comfort, you should spend some time in one. Sofa seats and Recarros are two different beasts.

Re: overall durability, as those above have mentioned, keep up w the maintenance and checks. You definitely should consider PPFing the car.

Personally, I’d love to do your monthy route!
Good Luck!

 

[CANTWN4LSN]

Ditto. Up to 1000 miles in a day in the Recaros and very comfortable. Have used mine almost exclusively for long road trips. Plus the fun factor...if you get bored and it's safe, nothing like dropping down a few gears and winding it out, up to over 100mph in 3rd. Just fill up the gas tank before you head out and every 250+ miles.

 

[FranzVonHoffer]

Re: creature comfort, you should spend some time in one. Sofa seats and Recarros are two different beasts.

Re: overall durability, as those above have mentioned, keep up w the maintenance and checks. You definitely should consider PPFing the car.

Personally, I’d love to do your monthy route!
Good Luck!

Actually I'll be in one in about an hour. My co-worker has a 17 GT350 and we go to lunch every other Friday. I've driven his car and really like the upgrade in performance. I've asked him about daily driving it and he's confident it's up to the task but he's also a desk jockey so only puts about 10 miles a day on it. Demanding 25k miles a year from a 520hp car leaves kind of a question mark. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Tank]

Actually I'll be in one in about an hour. My co-worker has a 17 GT350 and we go to lunch every other Friday. I've driven his car and really like the upgrade in performance. I've asked him about daily driving it and he's confident it's up to the task but he's also a desk jockey so only puts about 10 miles a day on it. Demanding 25k miles a year from a 520hp car leaves kind of a question mark. Thanks for the responses.

Comvince your co-worker to let you drive at least one way to/from your lunch spot..


The member that comes to mind with a high mileage GT350 is @UnhandledException ...Somewhere in the mid to high 30k range.

Maybe he can weigh in

 

[honeybadger]

I road tripped mine from Seattle down to San Diego and back. It was pretty comfortable and a blast along the coast lines. But the interior rattles/road noise was a bit much at times. Seems like you're pretty married to the idea of American Muscle? Have you looked into Hellcats? They're stupid comfy and the perfect highway cruiser.

Honestly, if I was in your position and not deadset on a Mustang, I'd be looking at more comfortable highway cars - Raptor is my current road trip machine and it's incredible outside of gas mileage. There are some serious nice cruisers from Europe as well. If you can stand an SUV, they choices are pretty cool right now. Wife and I have been looking at a few options to replace her car. Struggling a bit with sticker shock, though.

 

[Wine dude]

I would suggest adding DSC controller it has made a huge difference in bumps in the road especially railroad tracks

 

[torque124]

I drove mine from South Carolina to Boston... it was a pleasure to do so.

 

[FranzVonHoffer]

I road tripped mine from Seattle down to San Diego and back. It was pretty comfortable and a blast along the coast lines. But the interior rattles/road noise was a bit much at times. Seems like you're pretty married to the idea of American Muscle? Have you looked into Hellcats? They're stupid comfy and the perfect highway cruiser.

Honestly, if I was in your position and not deadset on a Mustang, I'd be looking at more comfortable highway cars - Raptor is my current road trip machine and it's incredible outside of gas mileage. There are some serious nice cruisers from Europe as well. If you can stand an SUV, they choices are pretty cool right now. Wife and I have been looking at a few options to replace her car. Struggling a bit with sticker shock, though.

Yep, you nailed it. I was a BMW tech years ago so obviously the M4 is on the table and the Audi RS5 as well if I can find a good used sample. However what I really grew to love about this Mustang was it's character. It's has this kind of analog quality that missing from the BMW and the Audi.

Dodge Challenger/Charger 392 is on the list. For no other reason than I'm old and do all my own service I distrust superchargers but I could probably get past that.

I don't need a truck or SUV so I haven't looked at them at all. All I've ever owned are sports cars. When I had the Porsche C4 they gave me a Cayenne as a loaner a few times and I didn't much care for the elevated driving position. On that point Porsche is out when they officially became six figure cars I had to let them go. Great cars but not that great.

 

[honeybadger]

Yep, you nailed it. I was a BMW tech years ago so obviously the M4 is on the table and the Audi RS5 as well if I can find a good used sample. However what I really grew to love about this Mustang was it's character. It's has this kind of analog quality that missing from the BMW and the Audi.

Dodge Challenger/Charger 392 is on the list. For no other reason than I'm old and do all my own service I distrust superchargers but I could probably get past that.

I don't need a truck or SUV so I haven't looked at them at all. All I've ever owned are sports cars. When I had the Porsche C4 they gave me a Cayenne as a loaner a few times and I didn't much care for the elevated driving position. On that point Porsche is out when they officially became six figure cars I had to let them go. Great cars but not that great.

Makes sense - especially given your propensity to wrench on your own cars. Go check out the Raptor and/or Jeep SRT. Live in Texas as well and they're REALLY hard to beat when you're putting the miles down. They're not nearly as fun to open up and carve some twisties, but in Texas those roads are few and far between

I drove the GT350 a lot when I lived in the PNW. Now that I am down in TX, I mostly drive the Raptor. Just hard to beat. Cruises at 90 without a struggle, quieter than any car I have owned, super soft suspension because Baja, and trolls other trucks/sports cars very well!

 

[JAJ]

My job requires me to drive between Houston, Dallas, Austin Beaumont and San Antonio at least once a month. I used to fly SWA but then security and delays got to be too much of a hassle so I opted to expense out the mileage and drive it. That's a lot of hours in a car so I opt to drive something rewarding on the highway.

My 16 GT is about to cross 75k miles so right before I hit 100k next year she'll be traded out for something new. This was my first Mustang and it has performed flawlessly the last three years.

I've had two Corvettes (C5, C6) which handled the interstate duty very well. So I've been contemplating getting back into a C7 Corvette next year but then I'll be around GT350 money.

I have been really impressed with the performance and reliability of my base GT. Do you guys think a GT350 could handle 25k a year driving? Just curious. Thanks

I'm with everyone else on this - the GT350 is very good as a highway car. As someone said, the DSC magride controller can give you a great ride and great handling (better than stock on both situations) and there are some tricks you can do to tame it a bit, like switching to tires that are less inclined to tramline, for instance. As for reliability, well, it's a Ford and it meets Ford's standards and it's covered by a great warranty that Ford's been honoring very efficiently for those who've had problems.

It's a win all the way around - go for it!

 

[geepaw]

If your heart is set on a 350 ..I would switch out the tires to an all season set to minimize tramming. Gets old to not be able relax on long drives.

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