Q&A with Dave Pericak

[Darrinm03]

With enough twists and turns and not enough straightaways to make up for a heavier car with more power, of course the 4 cylinder could put up a good fight. He's confirmed it's lighter and has better weight balance and we know it will be more powerful than the V6. With the PP it could be pretty competitive.

Thats exactly what i was thinking. I scoffed at the news when they released the EcoBoost engine in the lineup, but after the info has been trickling out, i might save the ~$10,000 from the GT model and pick up the EcoBoost with the PP. Like i said before...I'm gonna take a guess at 330HP for the EcoBoost, which would be a respectable amount of HP especially when you consider a bit of weight difference between the two

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[Prodigy]

I was under the impression that the regular base GT would beat the Boss 302 around a track. Does this mean that only the PP equipped GT can?

 

[Whiskey11]

Especially with those massive 4/6 piston calipers. Now that the car has big brakes outside of some Brembo or Track package, wheels will definitely have to take into account caliper sizes unlike last model. Only the Brembo, Shelby and Boss wheels fit the big brakes.

There are a lot of 18" wheels that will clear the 4 Piston Brembos. The Enkei PF01 is one of them that would clear all but the most ridiculously wide calipers. There is about a mile between my floating calipers on my 09 GT and the spokes on the PF01!

 

[Grimace427]

There are a lot of 18" wheels that will clear the 4 Piston Brembos. The Enkei PF01 is one of them that would clear all but the most ridiculously wide calipers. There is about a mile between my floating calipers on my 09 GT and the spokes on the PF01!

There are zero factory 18" Mustang wheels that will clear the brakes. I was only referring to factory wheels. The aftermarket is wide open and I am well aware of the wheel fitment possibilities. However people from this thread were wondering about S197 Mustang wheels fitting the S550 model, to which I aimed my previous reply.

 

[Whiskey11]

There are zero factory 18" Mustang wheels that will clear the brakes. I was only referring to factory wheels. The aftermarket is wide open and I am well aware of the wheel fitment possibilities. However people from this thread were wondering about S197 Mustang wheels fitting the S550 model, to which I aimed my previous reply.

That isn't true at all... the GT500 18" wheels will all clear the 4 piston Brembos! ;)

 

[Grimace427]

That isn't true at all... the GT500 18" wheels will all clear the 4 piston Brembos! ;)

Yup I forgot about those. Ok none since at least 2009.


Edit: those wheels fit the 14" Brembos. The 2015 now comes with 15" brakes and even bigger calipers. Are there 18" wheels that fit the '13-14 GT500 brakes?

 

[Fox9350]

Great interviews, I have been impressed with Dave Pericak and other Mustang leaders in what they've had to say and how they've delivered it.

 

[Twin Turbo]

Great interviews, I have been impressed with Dave Pericak and other Mustang leaders in what they've had to say and how they've delivered it.

Team Mustang seem an awesome bunch. How cool would it be to be able to spend time with them, talking S550 over a nice meal and a few beers. Get to learn the story of its birth and hear a few tales. Then, the next day, let them show you what the car can do, with a bit of canyon carving. That'd be an experience to tell your grand kids

 

[Fox9350]

One thing I've learned is just how much of a following the Mustang still has. I took several years away from it (I no longer own one, sadly) but new models and complete overhauls like 2015 always bring me back in terms of interest and checking the forums, etc. Virtually every 2015 Mustang article out there has tons and tons of comments and discussion etc. The following has really grown massive and stayed loyal over the years.

 

[Grimace427]

One thing I've learned is just how much of a following the Mustang still has. I took several years away from it (I no longer own one, sadly) but new models and complete overhauls like 2015 always bring me back in terms of interest and checking the forums, etc. Virtually every 2015 Mustang article out there has tons and tons of comments and discussion etc. The following has really grown massive and stayed loyal over the years.

What is even more surprising is the following and loyalty from people living overseas. Folks in Germany, Sweden, and other countries are just as excited about the Mustang, even more so because soon they will be able to purchase them from dealerships without the hoopla of importation and taxes.

 

[Fox9350]

What is even more surprising is the following and loyalty from people living overseas. Folks in Germany, Sweden, and other countries are just as excited about the Mustang, even more so because soon they will be able to purchase them from dealerships without the hoopla of importation and taxes.

I'd be shocked if it doesn't put up at least respectable numbers overseas. I think combined with here they can really put up some numbers.

 

[let me ride]

Q: Any special metals used in the chassis or side impact barriers to keep the car as light as possible?

A: Yes, we are not disclosing all of that, but I’ll just say generally, we have several high strength materials that we're using throughout the vehicle to manage the roof crush standards, side pole, offset barrier, etc. A lot of the new requirements are very challenging especially when you try to do a car like this. So yes, we very much increased our usage of high strength materials, but we are not disclosing the details at the moment.

I'm going to assume with a car like the Mustang at its price point by "high strength" he is referring to high strength steel in the chassis. He did mention "several" different materials but that would pretty much exclude any heavy use of aluminum judging by his answer.

Woulda loved to see them move up this scale....

 

[Grimace427]

I'd be shocked if it doesn't put up at least respectable numbers overseas. I think combined with here they can really put up some numbers.

Hard to say what a respectable number really is being that this is the first time the Mustang will be officially sold overseas. The U.S is among if not the biggest auto market in the world so numbers sold overseas might still be tiny in comparison.

 

[Whiskey11]

Yup I forgot about those. Ok none since at least 2009.


Edit: those wheels fit the 14" Brembos. The 2015 now comes with 15" brakes and even bigger calipers. Are there 18" wheels that fit the '13-14 GT500 brakes?

The 2015 GT comes standard with 14" brakes with four piston calipers the PP has 15" brakes and six piston calipers. To answer your question, I don't believe the 18" GT500 wheels clear the 15" brakes but they should the 14" brakes.

 

[Grimace427]

The 2015 GT comes standard with 14" brakes with four piston calipers, the PP has 15" brakes and six piston calipers. To answer your question, I don't believe the 18" GT500 wheels clear the 15" brakes but they should the 14" brakes.

Assuming the 15" brakes are legal in the class you want the Mustang to compete in, which setup would you choose?

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