S550 underwelming...

[Czs550]

So I have now owned two S550 mustangs, a 2015 gtpp base and now a 2018 gt 10r80. After driving these cars every day for the past 3 years now I must say they are great cars with a lot of power and performance and great handling compared to other gen mustangs but I find myself having more fun/better time driving in other mustangs I have owned. I have had a 1990 lx hatch 5.0, a 1996 mystic cobra and a 2004 mach 1 in comp orange. Althoug all three of those stangs are no where close performance wise to the S550 platform, in my opinion they were just more of a blast to drive. They had more of a muscle car/ raw feeling that the S550 lacks and they actually felt like a proper mustang. Dont get me wrong, I love my S550 but the other gen mustangs I have owned are just more fun and exciting to drive and they actually feel like proper muscle cars. Anyone else feel this way or am I crazy? Lol. Maybe I just need a whipple.

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[ChitownStang]

Intake, exhaust and a tune = much more fun s550!

 

[Brian V]

Your just all alone surrounded by other peeps in their slower than a good fuck in yer way vehicle's . Try to break out of the crowd once in awhile .

 

[LETHAL]

Having owned two Fox bodies, a Sn95 and now two S550's...

I get what you are saying. The 550 is just refined and modern. It is not a light weight tin can anymore LOL. The rawness of previous live axle cars is gone.

 

[Ecoboosted]

I’ve owned many other cars including various Camaro generations and a C6 Corvette Ive owned several other Mustangs including
68 Mustang
89 GT auto convertible
87 LX 5.0 M5 convertible
94 GT M5
15 EB PP A6 premium
15 GT M6 premium
And my new 18 A10, PP1, Magneride active exhaust

I have fond memories of the former stangs especially my 94 but I love my 18 the best of them all because it’s so refined and composed. It handles like it’s on rails and is the quickest of them all especially with the A10. It is just so damn sexy looking. Very beautiful from every angle. For the money I spent and the performance I got in a modern muscle/pony car there isn’t another car out there that I would rather have.

 

[TruBlu16GT]

I can understand what you're saying but like other people are pointing out; is that it's a much more refined, civilized, dare I say more politically correct hot-rod.
Gone are the days of the brutish 5-speed, live axle and 15" wheels with tires that couldn't grip even on a warm summer day.

Having owned other Performance cars myself, I can say that the S550 is not as visceral as some automobiles of the saintly days of yore. It's a machine that can do almost everything and can do almost everything well and with little protest. You simply point it in the direction you want to go and suddenly, there you are.

It's like comparing an old Lamborghini to a new Lamborghini. A new Lamborghini will lovingly cradle your testesatchel, offer you a latte, kiss you on the forehead and take you where you want to go. An older Lamborghini will try to kill you and won't have any qualms about making that a well-known fact. It literally IS trying to kill you.

 

[NoVaGT]

So I have now owned two S550 mustangs, a 2015 gtpp base and now a 2018 gt 10r80. After driving these cars every day for the past 3 years now I must say they are great cars with a lot of power and performance and great handling compared to other gen mustangs but I find myself having more fun/better time driving in other mustangs I have owned. I have had a 1990 lx hatch 5.0, a 1996 mystic cobra and a 2004 mach 1 in comp orange. Althoug all three of those stangs are no where close performance wise to the S550 platform, in my opinion they were just more of a blast to drive. They had more of a muscle car/ raw feeling that the S550 lacks and they actually felt like a proper mustang. Dont get me wrong, I love my S550 but the other gen mustangs I have owned are just more fun and exciting to drive and they actually feel like proper muscle cars. Anyone else feel this way or am I crazy? Lol. Maybe I just need a whipple.

If you want the same experience in your S550, put narrow, shitty tires on it, tear-out the sound-deadening and most of the interior, remove your mufflers and roll NASCAR style, stay on the base suspension and brakes, and super charge it to 800HP.

Then grow a mullet, wear wife-beaters and jean shorts, and chew Skoal like me and most of my kin-folk;

Also, please put me in your will. Got any guns?

 

[66Bronc1]

I think the cars of today have just gotten too luxurious- and heavy. People want luxury and some want luxury and performance. It's not too easy to buy a "base" car anymore. My GT is "base" but to me it's loaded- power windows, power door locks, cruise, etc. I wish so much Ford would do what Mazda did with the latest ND Miata. The Miata started out in the first Gen "NA" as a very light weight and raw sports car, roadster. It got bigger, bigger and heavier and more luxurious- just like the Mustang and Camaro. The current gen Miata went on a diet and back to the Miata's roots- light weight. It has only 160 HP but it's a blast to drive- I know I had one.

I can't help but wonder if the Mustang lost 1000 LBS and kept the current 460 HP Coyote engine what it would be like........even if it lost 500 or 700 LBS.....WOW.

I'll take performance over luxury- roll down windows, lighter seats, less refinement, etc.

 

[Hack]

It's scary driving a car with bad brakes and crappy suspension, even on the street. Relatively poor design and construction makes the car feel fast even if you are barely moving. I don't own a Fox any more (I swore off them), but I was daily driving a modified Fox up until 2011. I remember the feeling well. Especially the tension of constantly being ready to react on an icy morning. Even with snow tires, the pucker factor was often quite high. My '70 convertible was even worse, especially before I improved the suspension and brakes.

Take your S550 to the track if you want it to be exciting. On the street a car should be relaxing to drive, not scary.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Change the rear gear ratio in your S550 to a more aggressive ratio, tune it and you’ll feel the same “torque” as you would if in a 5.0 pushrod Fox Mustang.

You’re comparing totally different platforms of the past Mustang to today’s Mustang. The body shell, suspension and drivetrain in the S550 is far advanced beyond the prior models, which does diminish the “raw” factor you’re craving.

I still own a 5.0 Fox that’s just in SN95 shell with my 94 Cobra - it’s an entirely overall different feeling between it and the S550.

I also owned a prior 96 Cobra - again totally different feeling from a Fox 5.0, to the 96 and to the S550...

If you want a Fox from an S550:
1) Gut all the sound deadening material so you get that classic tuna can sound when closing the doors and the rickety creaky noises while driving.

2) Convert the IRS rear back to the straight axle setup

3) Remove the S550 Coyote engine and plop in either a worked 5.0 EFI or carb’d setup.

And there you have it - you’re back into that world of raw, unrefined 80’s muscle car feeling...

For those who recall the original 5.0 movement of the 80-90’s - you all remember when the 86 5.0 EFI Mustang debuted and all the “muscle car” guys blasted the EFI setup and gutted the EFI back to carb, because “a carb’d 302 is faster them thar EFI”! LMAO.... those were the days.

 

[DoubleX]

Try turning off traction control and all the other assists and get back to us with pictures. Sure it’ll be a lot more “raw.”

 

[BmacIL]

Some chassis and suspension mods to remove a lot of the isolation and a tune will wake the car up dramatically. Stock, even with the PP, the car is kinda numb and far too isolating to continue to be enjoyable if you DD it. Taking away the stick just makes that worse.

 

[thehunterooo]

Yikes

 

[CEHollier]

Some chassis and suspension mods to remove a lot of the isolation and a tune will wake the car up dramatically. Stock, even with the PP, the car is kinda numb and far too isolating to continue to be enjoyable if you DD it. Taking away the stick just makes that worse.

Agree with Brian. I listed all of my mods on my signature and enjoy my commute every day. I use the paddle shifters and make the Corsa pipes pop and gurgle. Also revving to 7750 rpm is a blast. If I had very limited dollars I would do a tune and exhaust. Best fun bang for the buck.

 

[LETHAL]

Man I miss the days of eleven inch rotors and one piston calipers in a 400hp car...Don't forget torque boxes too..LMAO

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