S550 Performance on Road Trips & Great Driving Roads

[DRaider86]

Without getting into a rant/overly long essay, what I enjoy most about owning a Mustang is taking my '16 out on the open road. Going out to explore new places, and take in some of the best driving roads out there through some spirited driving. So far I have nothing but good things to say about the S550 on the open road, and tackling the corners of the Tail of the Dragon, Devil's Triangle, Moonshiner 28 Run, just to name a few.

I can't speak for the current gen Cyclone or Ecoboost, but my Coyote based S550 being a "Grand Touring" model has lived up to my expectations so far. I made many trips in my S197 Cyclone and I will say road trips weren't an issue (albeit bumpy), but the solid axle and lack of power (even modified) did leave something to be desired during periods of spirited driving in the mountains. Using the Tail of the Dragon as an example, I pushed the S550 as hard as my S197 and I could feel there was still room to push harder. And biggest thing is I didn't have any issues (not having to jump into the higher RPM range) making it up inclined sections.

So how has your S550 fared on the open road? I have yet to take mine on any coastal adventures (as I did in the S197); but I am sure if it can handle the mountains better than my S197 the coast shouldn't be an issue.

Attached a couple pictures of our break in run less than a week after taking delivery back on May 1st. Had a buddy with his S95 New Edge V6, and a Stage 2 Roush S550 with us. Hit Highway 441, The Devil's Triangle, and The Tail of the Dragon that day.

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[zxd9]

I did a trip from Asheville, NC to Athens GA via NC 64, Hwy 28 and Warwoman Rd. Had a great time with the GT in the twisty sections. Really impressed. A few month ago I did a trip from GA to IN and back and it makes a great long mile car too. Really happy with my purchase.

 

[DRaider86]

I did a trip from Asheville, NC to Athens GA via NC 64, Hwy 28 and Warwoman Rd. Had a great time with the GT in the twisty sections. Really impressed. A few month ago I did a trip from GA to IN and back and it makes a great long mile car too. Really happy with my purchase.

Did you happen to hit Six Gap while you were out in GA?

Haven't been out that way yet, but have a trip planned for August if I remember correctly. I have heard Warwoman Road is a good one to take to 76 and then to Six Gap (but haven't been either).

Did the Cherohala Skyway, Scenic 360, all of Hwy 28 (Moonshiner Run), part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Hwy 215, and SC Route 11 (Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway) in the S197. Haven't been back out there since May in the S550, but will be soon.

Attached picture of Bridal Veil Falls off of 64/28 from when I had the S197.

 

[Coolmanfoo]

I bought my mustang for the sole purpose of road trips. I only drive it 2 days a week and it's got 2k miles after a month of ownership.

I have to say I absolutely love my s550 gt. I'm from the bay area in California and the car is amazingly fun around highway 1. It's an extremely windy coastal road with everything from great straight aways to hair pin turns. The suspension in sport mode is so planted and the throttle response is intoxicating.

Even on some of my trips where I drive hundreds of miles in a straight line I find the car incredibly comfortable and fun. One of my favorite moments in life is driving across an empty desert road at night with no sound except the rumbling of that beautiful v8

I'm even in a base model so I can't imagine how comfortable the premium must be. Even tho I'd never buy one haha.

 

[uglygun]

Sadly...

My 2015 GT Perf Pack is an absolute blast on back roads but my rear quarter panels are getting rock chipped to hell.

Thanks ford for using shit paint. The bond to the E-coat is as weak as the paint is thin.

 

[DRaider86]

Highway 1 (or Pacific Coast Highway) and a route up through Canada are two of the biggest trips we have planned. Looking forward to both, even though they are a big undertaking. Our day trips out to the mountains have gotten the groups feet wet so to speak, so more and more in the group are getting on board for the bigger trips.

The S197 was a base model, and served DD duty plus road trips. When we traded it in on the S550 it had 53k miles on it. I thought it was plenty comfortable, but when we ordered the S550 we had made the decision to "do it right this time". Our S197 purchase was rushed, and just the bare minimum that we could afford. I started out pricing a base GT with a couple options, and by the time we added it all up it was only a couple grand more to go with the Premium. Made sense at the time, and no complaints so far.

As far as paint goes we all ready have two nice sized paint chips on the front bumper that I am not too happy about, but after coming to terms with all the paint chips we got on the S197 (very first Mustang for us), I am taking it better this time around.

Overall the GT is living up to its name as a Grand Touring vehicle. We will see how it continues to hold up as we make more trips to the mountains, and then Chicago in September.

 

[uglygun]

I would say do California in late March early April. Wild flowers are generally coming out at some point during spring around that time even if we didnt get much rain.

Attached is an area of the 58 just south of where James Dean died. I was about 2 weeks too early when I took these pics. The oranges were just coming out and the purples were probably a week away. Some years are intensely rediculous.

There are hundreds of roads with similar views in California.

 

[Aarron_M]

I've driven Deal's Gap in a 2012 BMW 335i, great fun...except for all the Harley's that scrape at 20mph in a turn, slowing the entire run down.

I had an S197 when I lived in Colorado, and my only complaint was how it handled mountain road drives. Any little imperfection in the road, and it felt like the ass was about to lead the way. Pretty unsettling mid-turn.

So, I went back to what I knew...STI's. I bought my 3rd(this one a 2013). It gives so much confidence and feedback, and can carry an amazing pace on those type of roads.

Retired from the military, found myself unemployed for a short period of time, and moved back to my home state of NY. Traded in the STI to be financially sound, and picked up a Honda Fit. Not a fun car, but had it's purpose.

Now I'm in a 16 GT w/PP and working on setting up the car for more backroad fun. The S550 is miles and away improved over the S197 chassis, and I couldn't be happier to have it.

I'll have put 8000 miles on the car in less than 5 months of ownership, and that's with still having the Honda for a cheap daily.

 

[Varekai]

I took a road trip up to Gatlinburg last year, then left to do the tail of the dragon. Rained all week. Never got to do it. Really love mountain roads, and I kept my setup squared for better cornering.

 

[wireeater]

It's the only thing I prefer to do with my cars. I love speed, power and modding but I am not into the 1/4/drag because I will never be satisfied with the car because there will ALWAYS be someone faster, quicker and maybe I'm just too competitive. However, putting the car on real roads, with real turns and conditions, it's sometimes almost hard to even utilize what you have and really allows you to see, feel and enjoy exactly how much Ford put into this design. I usually do 2-3 200+ mile mountain cruises with some friends. Can't wait to get some in during the fall season. It's the main reason I got the PP because the large brembos. My last car suffered brake fading quite often coming back down the mountains, although upgrading to better pads and steel lines helped a bit.

 

[mumbles]

Absolutely love Deals Gap and the Cherohala... haven't had a chance to get the S550 there yet, but I will!

 

[DRaider86]

I will admit, between the lack of power of the Cyclone, brake fade going down hill, and the sold rear of the S197 it did make some portions of my mountain runs less than exciting. But in the end I still enjoyed the trips immensely. The only thing I really didn't get on the S550 is the Performance Pack, which I saw as over kill considering how much fun I still had with the Base Cyclone S197 which is a huge step below the S550 Premium Coyote I was stepping up to. We will see if this was a good idea or not.

Picture of the S550 & S197 on the TOTD (same spot & same New Edge behind me), and then a couple more of my favorite pictures from past Mountain trips (Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway, 441, etc)

 

[zxd9]

Did you happen to hit Six Gap while you were out in GA?

I have not done that. I'll add it to my list.

 

[DeLorean17]

I went on a pretty good trip back in April. I somehow put 8,000 miles on, even though the map says 6K. I found some decent mountain roads out west, and some great tunnels. And instead of El Paso, I went to Albuquerque in NM to visit with some friends.

The only real bad mileage that I got was in South Dakota where the speed limit was 80mph. Even then, it stayed close to 20.

My original plan was to come home after Chicago, and pass through the Tail of the Dragon, but I decided to really make a road trip out of it.

I still want to hit the Dragon with this car, as I've only done it in my dad's 2013 convertible V6. Not the best cornering car, and the 2.73 gears didn't help any.

 

[scooter550]

I love the performance and comfort of my '16- really makes road trips fun.
I have taken it to Vegas twice, and have trips lined up for Flagstaff and Southern CA. lined up. It will be interesting to see how she handles on the canyon roads near the coast.

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