The Trofeo tires that come with the Dark Horse HP are stickier. I suspect that's what accounts for most, if not all, the difference. The rear brakes are clearly better, too, but Ford really didn't upgrade the platform in a material way for the S650.
Yeah, the tires were a point of discussion by the drivers at TH. Tires, rear 4 piston brakes, and 20 HP over the Mach1. Jason Camissa from Hagerty did a cool episode on the mustang and DH too. He loves it as well. Not sure why people always talk about DH hate when it seems the car mags love it?
I suspect most S550 owners would find the DH a rewarding car to drive if they actually tried it. However, expectations were raised by the release of a "new generation." For the price of a DH, people expected more, especially when looking at what Chevy did with the C8. The S550 blew the S197 out of the water.
For most people it's more important how it looks than how many fractions of a second faster it is ;-) Objectively it is better, but looks are subjective, so there you have it.
What are you going to trade your Mach 1 in for?
I just don't know. I'm a bit confused at the moment.
The brakes are larger and 2-piece on the dark horse and it is also brake by wire which is an advantage over the Mach 1. Of course tires are the limiting factor in max grip and will affect 60-0 stopping distances. Why are we talking about 60-0 stopping distances? It is only one measure of braking performance. This is a track car. One time stopping distances mean very little. Both of these models are designed for track usage and the ability to dissipate heat and provide consistent performance is paramount. It has technology that can optimize brake usage beyond what a conventional system can do combined with larger brakes.
I like old cars.
I used the 60-0 test comparison because that was the most readily available comparison info on the Google machine.
Sorry Ford, but those wheels are disgusting, CF or not.I like new cars too. So my salesman called me and sent me these pics on a dark horse they got in trade. I told him I wasn't interested but I had to find out for myself. I drove a carbon HP. It had 800 miles on it so I was able to really drive it. I don't don't if it's the carbon wheels or the pirrellis but turn in felt quicker lighter. I can't say it was any faster. It felt as fast. I can see where the screens could be set up for track and have lots of information easily readable for the focal impaired. I don't mind saying after driving I'd own one. If only it was a few grand less. The carbon on this one is 9k.
