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S550 Performance on Road Trips & Great Driving Roads

PJR202

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KY-627/Paris Rd between Winchester and Paris, KY (fairly close to lexington) is one of the prettiest drives I've ever seen. I saw it on a top 10 list once for all of the USA. It's 15 curvy, sloping miles of horse farms, including the one where they buried Secretariat. My wife is from Paris so I've been through there many times. It never gets old. My favorite thing is the old low stone walls that have been there for who know how long. Some are crumbling and some are still solid. They run the entire length of the road, off and on. I've only had the mustang out there once, since I only got it in April. When the weather is nice you see a lot of motorcycles out there.

US Rt 60 in the Hawk's Nest area in WV is another really nice drive. I've done it a few times in regular vehicles, but it's on my short list to go do it properly.
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DRaider86

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DeLorean17 said:
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.
My first 3 or 4 trips to Deals Gap were in my first Mustang, a '13 V6 with 2.73 gears. So I know all about the fun of riding the Dragon with that set up. Even with about $3k in mods dumped into it, it still was an interesting adventure to say the least.

Lowrider said:
Drove to Door County Highway Wisconsin 42....Last Fall. Tons of Porsches were cruising too.
Doing research on the Tail of the Dragon I came across this road also. I have to make a trip up to Chicago in September, so I am debating on spending a day to drive up there and hit 42 (5hrs each way).
 

Lowrider

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My first 3 or 4 trips to Deals Gap were in my first Mustang, a '13 V6 with 2.73 gears. So I know all about the fun of riding the Dragon with that set up. Even with about $3k in mods dumped into it, it still was an interesting adventure to say the least.



Doing research on the Tail of the Dragon I came across this road also. I have to make a trip up to Chicago in September, so I am debating on spending a day to drive up there and hit 42 (5hrs each way).
There is a lot to see in Door County...it's scenic all through and they also have a drive in Ferry that takes you across to some island...So its worth spending a full day there.
 

ATLalien

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Have done War Woman Rd, Wolf Pen Gap, and the Dragon with it. Car is definitely great fun in the twisties. Grip was eye-popping with newish tires. Good times.

I will defend the S197 a bit here; my 12 GT was also a lot of fun on these same roads too, if a bit more tailhappy. The Only time the SRA was noticeable was with bumps mid corner. My 12 was a non Brembo car, so didn't get the upgraded suspension or tires either. S550 inspires a lot more confidence and is faster through the turns, but the S197 was no slouch!
 
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DRaider86

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Have done War Woman Rd, Wolf Pen Gap, and the Dragon with it. Car is definitely great fun in the twisties. Grip was eye-popping with newish tires. Good times.

I will defend the S197 a bit here; my 12 GT was also a lot of fun on these same roads too, if a bit more tailhappy. The Only time the SRA was noticeable was with bumps mid corner. My 12 was a non Brembo car, so didn't get the upgraded suspension or tires either. S550 inspires a lot more confidence and is faster through the turns, but the S197 was no slouch!
With the S197 I did: Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Scenic 360, Highway 441, Moonshiner 28 Run, Foothills Parkway, Little River Rd, Highway 215, Blue Ridge Parkway (sections), Devil's Whip, Highway 19, and the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway.

I had a blast between all those roads, and would gladly do it all over again. BUT, my primary gripes were with power and braking. I pushed the car till the tires started to squeal around corners, and I will say it wasn't great handling (and the rear end wanting to hop could be un-nerving at times) but I wasn't awful. The power could be attributed to the Cyclone engine (even with some bolt ons), the 2.73 rear gear ratio, and the braking from it being a bare bones base model. Going slower around the curves was kind of annoying because of handling, but when your having issues going up and down the mountain from lack of power/braking that is a much bigger issue (to me at least).

With the S550 (Coyote) I have made one trip so far; hitting Highway 441, The Devil's Triangle, The Tail of the Dragon, and a small part of the Moonshiner 28 Run. We hadn't even owned it a week so I didn't push it too hard in the acceleration area (didn't really have to with the better gearing and power) but I pushed it around the corners as hard as the S197 (using TOTD as a comparison) and could feel I there was still more to go (didn't squeal tires once). And to my surprise no break fade the entire trip, which was a relief.

The S197 was capable for what it was with it's V6, but no comparison when it comes to the S550 with the V8.
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