Mod 2017 GT or 350R or ZL1 1LE or?

[Thereitis]

Hi all! Due to life, I haven't had the opportunity to mod my 2017 Mustang GT (Grabber Blue, manual, cloth Recaro's, PP1). I now find myself in a new job that pays very well, but it will be overseas for a year (with a 6 month break in between). Anywho, I'm torn with what to do with my new-found loot. Let's say I have 20K to either A: Mod the '17 GT B: Use it toward the purchase of a 350R C: Use it toward the purchase of a ZL1 1LE D: See below

I follow this forum pretty close, I truly enjoy the tech part and honesty of those involved. I have no allegiance to Ford nor the Mustang...I consider myself a 'car guy' regardless of manufacturer, but I will admit they've (Ford) gotten a fair share of my $ over the years...I like to say no manufacturer has ever given me a car.

I love cars that can handle. Power is nice, 1/4 mile times are nice, but I like to DRIVE. Spoiled because I come from Corvette country, but my first base was 10 miles from Willow Springs, and OMG the Cali coast redefined what I thought I knew of a iconic road. I don't need a back seat, nor do I have to worry about NVH. Suspension would take priority over HP if I'm being honest. I'm 45 miles from the damn Corvette track or whatever the hell it's called in Bowling Green, KY. God I hate those cars but man, bang for the $ is hard to ignore. Sigh. Grand Nationals vs Mustangs was/is a sight to behold though!

That being said help!

A: Mod the '17 GT: The most appealing part of this would be IT WOULD BE MINE. I love the idea of win or lose, my mods would be my mods. I get the appeal/reward of aftermarket (and more betterer) bushings, braces, links, crossmembers, rims, shocks, TIRES, camber plates, springs, swaybars, exhausts, headers, etc.

B: A 350R would kinda make up a whole lot listed in A, but it seems...impersonal? That being said, impersonal with a warranty is fairly motivating Plus Voodoo. Plus, I mean DAMN. Gun to my head, this would be my choice.

C: Oh Lord please baby Jesus, I hate the Camaro. It's ugly, and Camaro owners are mostly terrible until you consider Corvette owners (disclaimer, I'm sure there are really cool guys and girls that own both). That being said, the ZL1 1LE is a beast. I doubt it will have the resale value of the 350R (I'm not concerned with resale value). Today on Autotrader, I found a ZL1 1LE @ 62K vs. a 350R @ 68K, both sorted by 'lowest price'. With GM being GM, I'm sure I can get the dealer to budge on the Camaro, not so much on the 350R.

D: So the Toyota Supra is a thing now. Supposedly 350 HPish @ 3000 lbs. I'm also curious about the next Z, rumors are 475 HP and AWD. HAHAHAHA I'll sell all 3 kidneys and both livers for that car if that's true, but hey, I can dream.

Any suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks guys and gals for a kick-ass forum!

Edit: Let's just say I track sometimes on tracks *There are some amazing roads here at 4 a.m.*

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[combustor]

Clarify some more what your intentions are. Go to the track a fair amount? 350R or 1LE. In addition to the mods you mentioned for your GT, you'll also need to add heat exchangers for the engine oil, tranny, and diff if you want to got fast for more than 10-15 minutes. For street car/canyon carver I think the GT would serve you just as well unless you just have money to burn. 1LE is going to be faster on a track but not necessarily more fun or engaging, basically a street legal race car that is the least civilized off of the track.

 

[Thereitis]

Clarify some more what your intentions are. Go to the track a fair amount? 350R or 1LE. In addition to the mods you mentioned for your GT, you'll also need to add heat exchangers for the engine oil, tranny, and diff if you want to got fast for more than 10-15 minutes. For street car/canyon carver I think the GT would serve you just as well unless you just have money to burn. 1LE is going to be faster on a track but not necessarily more fun or engaging, basically a street legal race car that is the least civilized off of the track.

Thanks for the reply, didn't even consider cooling mods for my current car. Intentions would be daily driver 2x/week with track days 2x/month at most.

 

[Austinj427]

350R or 1LE

 

[combustor]

Thanks for the reply, didn't even consider cooling mods for my current car. Intentions would be daily driver 2x/week with track days 2x/month at most.

There's a perception that the GT350/R is overpriced for a car that's not much faster than a GT but it's not the whole story. The engine is my favorite thing about the car but setting that aside, consider the amount of upgrades you get in the 350 to withstand track conditions...the car is a bargain. On the street it's simply impossible to drive a car hard enough to need the extra cooling for the drivetrain. On the track, without it, the car will either go into limp mode, or if you somehow disable the sensors the you'll be buying some expensive powertrain parts. To my knowledge there isn't a viable way to add cooling to the MT82. If you said track 2x/yr then I'd say don't bother. For your mission I think it's between the 350 and 1LE. Personally the 1LE seems more appliance-like and less inspiring, but it has a lot of trick things out of the box that I wish the 350R had (quick camber adjustment, adjustable rear sway bar, spool valve suspension, etc) How much track engineering will go into the Supra or next Z, it's really anyone's guess.

 

[Thereitis]

There's a perception that the GT350/R is overpriced for a car that's not much faster than a GT but it's not the whole story. The engine is my favorite thing about the car but setting that aside, consider the amount of upgrades you get in the 350 to withstand track conditions...the car is a bargain. On the street it's simply impossible to drive a car hard enough to need the extra cooling for the drivetrain. On the track, without it, the car will either go into limp mode, or if you somehow disable the sensors the you'll be buying some expensive powertrain parts. To my knowledge there isn't a viable way to add cooling to the MT82. If you said track 2x/yr then I'd say don't bother. For your mission I think it's between the 350 and 1LE. Personally the 1LE seems more appliance-like and less inspiring, but it has a lot of trick things out of the box that I wish the 350R had (quick camber adjustment, adjustable rear sway bar, spool valve suspension, etc) How much track engineering will go into the Supra or next Z, it's really anyone's guess.

Thanks again for the well-thought out and intelligent reply. Street wise I get it--all the handling and hp in the world is reduced to gravel, other drivers, road conditions, and stoplights/signs.
I've driven a SS 1LE w/mag shocks and came away kinda 'meh'...I really wish I could've driven a '18 Mustang w/PP2 to have a apples to apples, but such is life. Ideally I could drive a R and 1LE back to back but...
I honestly think you're right, from my research here, YouTube, and other forums, the ZL1 1LE seems...souless. I really want a drivers car (last gen Viper ACR would be ideal, but hey, $$$$), and I think the R fits my (want) need. I'll continue my research but seriously you've brought up some great points.

Good thing is I have *some* time.

Regarding the Supra or Z, the head Supra guy already wants a track version. We both know that won't happen until 2021 if at all ;)

 

[Thereitis]

350R or 1LE

Yeah, leaning toward that honestly.

 

[The_Phantom]

My age is showing, but.......is your '17 paid for? If so, I'd say save the cash and just enjoy the '17 since it's only a year old. Especially if there's nothing wrong.

IMO, the best car is the car that doesn't have payments attached. BUT....out of the cars you listed, I would say 350R. It's a hard one to recommend though, because you COULD get the '17 you have now up to that level for a lot less than buying a new R.

You wouldn't have warranty though.

 

[Fatguy]

I’d say save the cash but that always falls on deaf ears. Buy the ZL1 but only if you get the aero package. That is a car that will turn heads. Goes almost 200mph and has the multimatic dampers the sissies complain about. As close to a real race car out of your lot of contenders.

 

[stevegt]

Renting or buying your home? If renting I would save the new found money to put a nice down payment on a house. Your Mustang is only a year old and a very nice car. Enjoy it!

 

[sigintel]

You need to go to the track to really learn the limits of any of these unless you just get off killing left turning soccer moms, texting teenagers, 4AM drunks in pickups, etc.
Be warned, once you start running track days you may have 0 interest in “touring” for a while.
ZL1 1LE, 1SS 1LE, GT350R, GT350,
or PP1/2 GT w FRPP track suspension ($1k) and 19x11/x11.5 SM-10 w NT01, SC2, etc.

The current GT350 stock tuning is closer to previous GT350R. FRPP track lowering springs and sway bar package for GT350 should be out very soon if not already.

1SS 1LE wins performance per dollar if you can get over looks and the trunk maxes out at a golf bag and 1 dead body, maybe 1.5 to be fair.

 

[Ronp]

Hi all! Due to life, I haven't had the opportunity to mod my 2017 Mustang GT (Grabber Blue, manual, cloth Recaro's, PP1). I now find myself in a new job that pays very well, but it will be overseas for a year (with a 6 month break in between). Anywho, I'm torn with what to do with my new-found loot. Let's say I have 20K to either A: Mod the '17 GT B: Use it toward the purchase of a 350R C: Use it toward the purchase of a ZL1 1LE D: See below

I follow this forum pretty close, I truly enjoy the tech part and honesty of those involved. I have no allegiance to Ford nor the Mustang...I consider myself a 'car guy' regardless of manufacturer, but I will admit they've (Ford) gotten a fair share of my $ over the years...I like to say no manufacturer has ever given me a car.

I love cars that can handle. Power is nice, 1/4 mile times are nice, but I like to DRIVE. Spoiled because I come from Corvette country, but my first base was 10 miles from Willow Springs, and OMG the Cali coast redefined what I thought I knew of a iconic road. I don't need a back seat, nor do I have to worry about NVH. Suspension would take priority over HP if I'm being honest. I'm 45 miles from the damn Corvette track or whatever the hell it's called in Bowling Green, KY. God I hate those cars but man, bang for the $ is hard to ignore. Sigh. Grand Nationals vs Mustangs was/is a sight to behold though!

That being said help!

A: Mod the '17 GT: The most appealing part of this would be IT WOULD BE MINE. I love the idea of win or lose, my mods would be my mods. I get the appeal/reward of aftermarket (and more betterer) bushings, braces, links, crossmembers, rims, shocks, TIRES, camber plates, springs, swaybars, exhausts, headers, etc.

B: A 350R would kinda make up a whole lot listed in A, but it seems...impersonal? That being said, impersonal with a warranty is fairly motivating Plus Voodoo. Plus, I mean DAMN. Gun to my head, this would be my choice.

C: Oh Lord please baby Jesus, I hate the Camaro. It's ugly, and Camaro owners are mostly terrible until you consider Corvette owners (disclaimer, I'm sure there are really cool guys and girls that own both). That being said, the ZL1 1LE is a beast. I doubt it will have the resale value of the 350R (I'm not concerned with resale value). Today on Autotrader, I found a ZL1 1LE @ 62K vs. a 350R @ 68K, both sorted by 'lowest price'. With GM being GM, I'm sure I can get the dealer to budge on the Camaro, not so much on the 350R.

D: So the Toyota Supra is a thing now. Supposedly 350 HPish @ 3000 lbs. I'm also curious about the next Z, rumors are 475 HP and AWD. HAHAHAHA I'll sell all 3 kidneys and both livers for that car if that's true, but hey, I can dream.

Any suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks guys and gals for a kick-ass forum!

Edit: Let's just say I track sometimes on tracks *There are some amazing roads here at 4 a.m.*

Max out your 401k annual contributions with that extra 20k!

 

[Thereitis]

Max out your 401k annual contributions with that extra 20k!

Oh I'll be dead way before I can touch my 401 lol (single, no kids, house paid, plus I'm somewhat of an idiot).

Sigintel: Excellent reply, I get what you're saying.

To all: Thanks for your replies, you've given me a TON of good information and insight. Again, I have some time before I get stupid with either modding the current ride or purchasing a new one. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on new mods and rides as well as the tech forum and the awesome builds that are documented here. Thanks again, you guys are great!

 

[Ed M]

B: A 350R ... Gun to my head, this would be my choice.

There’s your answer.

 

[jhammy49]

There’s your answer.

Yeah.... I think you know what you want. Not that it matters but I'd build up your current 17. I know you said you will track it every now and then but I'm assuming you will spend more time on the street. 17 + a blower and a few other mods would be a lot of fun. That's what I did to my 15.

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