S550 underwelming...

[99Zeus99]

OP, get a Whipple. Then get a classic Mustang and restomod it. Be happy forever.

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[Snook66]

OP, get a Whipple. Then get a classic Mustang and restomod it. Be happy forever.

I like what you have going on there......all of it.

 

[Norm Peterson]

All this conjecture seems silly to me. The cars aren't comparable. The older mustangs weren't shaped and influenced by Obama era regulations. A lot of the cost, and weight, in the s550 is modern safety equipment.

No, they're not. And some of the Mustang's character has been bred out of it in the process. It's gotten 'softer', and I'm not talking about the suspension here. This, even relative to my S197, which has many of the benefits not available in the Fox/SN95 and earlier cars (stiffer chassis - where a lot of the weight comes from, decent brakes, reasonably competent suspension arrangement), and it ultimately got a decent-ish engine in the Coyote.

I'm all for advancements that expand the performance envelope, particularly in regard to cornering and braking. Some may wish to call those aspects 'refinements', but I prefer 'advancements'. Here's why: descriptives such as 'refined' and 'sophisticated' have this snob-appeal aura about them that I find unappealing. I'm better than OK with a little 'roughness around the edges', if that makes sense to anybody.

The luxury-oriented refinements - yes, in the snob-appeal sense - are what I feel have softened the Mustang's character (and most other current sports/sporty cars as well). For some of that can we point a finger at the safety industry for giving us the luxury of not having to learn as much about driving or get as good at it now as we flat-out had to in decades past. The rest of it? Most people need only look in the mirror, though I'm going to blame advertising and even magazine road tests for setting that stage.


Norm

 

[15pgnatsum]

Ugh, you wussies. Back in my day, you couldn't even take your hands of the reigns or else the horse would start going down whatever dirt path it decided! You only had 75% of the say in what town you were trying to travel to and it took a week just to get there!

And shoot, spring and damper system suspension? What's wrong with a good ol' fashioned hinged knee?!

Y'all enjoy your luxuries with "enclosed cabs" and "tires" and "brakes". I want to relive the glory days where you couldn't even leave the house without having to fight off the savages!

 

[Freedom]

As one of the younger guys on this forum, I’ll say this. If the s550 never came out with irs, refinement, and increased interior quality, I would never have bought the car. If I wanted to buy more raw muscle car, I would have bought a old mustang, which is actually what I DONT want to have. I admire their style but not enough to own one.
No one knows this but,I was playing on getting a brz before the s550.

 

[Fatguy]

As one of the younger guys on this forum, I’ll say this. If the s550 never came out with irs, refinement, and increased interior quality, I would never have bought the car. If I wanted to buy more raw muscle car, I would have bought a old mustang, which is actually what I DONT want to have. I admire their style but not enough to own one.
No one knows this but,I was playing on getting a brz before the s550.

The BRZ is a better car for pure driving experience. Keep the engine power where it is.

 

[99Zeus99]

I love the new Mustang. It has more tech and performance than I ever dreamed of. That said, I am rebuilding my 1970 mostly stock because the feel, smell and nostalgia of an old musclecar is an entirely different experience. It's all I ever wanted as a kid and when you sit in one, it's like a time machine, in a good way. I will keep both for their own purposes. Sitting in stock style seats looking at an original gauge cluster is like being a kid again.

 

[wildcatgoal]

Just put Steeda engine mounts in. Relatively easy job. Use the red pucks. That'll add enough NVH (not a lot, but enough) to "unrefine" the engine vibration transfer a wee bit and make it feel more raw - also feels a little more snappy. I actually use the harder black pucks precisely for the reason that I want as much input as I can get on track (within reason... and these mounts don't cause anywhere close to "ridiculous" or "intolerable" NVH... just... more vibration). Can use the other brands if you want, whatevs. If you're daily driving the car, a truck load of suspension mods is a waste of money. I can daily drive in a 1992 Honda Accord just as well as a 2018 Ford Mustang.

 

[Czs550]

I like the S550 but just because it is a new platform doesnt mean it has less squeaks and rattles. Hell my 15 and my 18 have squeaks and rattle from the dash and from the passenger rear c pillar interior plastic trim. In fact they have as many rattles as my 04 mach 1. I am constantly pushing my dash in while driving to get the rattles to stop. There great cars but they still have rattles (at least mine do) and they cost 40k. I guess what Im saying is the S550 is a better performer but the older gens are way less numb and are more of a blast imo.

 

[Zinc03svt]

91 LX 5.0 notch, 1999 GT, 2003 Cobra, 14 GT/CS, 18 GT. I will take the 18 anyday over the others,

 

[Fatguy]

91 LX 5.0 notch, 1999 GT, 2003 Cobra, 14 GT/CS, 18 GT. I will take the 18 anyday over the others,

Yes but if you were in 1991 again and given the choice of driving the 91LX or waiting 27 years for the better 2018 - what would you do?


You would wait for the 2018 (no you wouldn’t...).

 

[SpeedLu]

The BRZ is a better car for pure driving experience. Keep the engine power where it is.

The BRZ feels gutless. It handles well but was not very fun to drive in comparison to the S550.

 

[Fatguy]

The BRZ feels gutless. It handles well but was not very fun to drive in comparison to the S550.

That is the point. Some are into it and some are not. The BRZ may be faster from A to B if it’s not a straight line. I guess you would feel the same about the Miata.


Look at me pitching the old style underpowered sports car!


I love being “V6 Guy”. V8 guy was also fun back in the day but V6 Guy has more layers to his personality. More flexibility in thought - that certain “je ne sais quoi” for want of a better term. I have found my calling: V6 Guy!


Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird? It’s a plane? It’s - V6 Guy!

 

[Hack]

I’ll talk plainer. The old two valve 5.0 put all the torque low down where you wanted it like a real hot rod.

The engine was never the problem, the suspension was. The only car that could beat me was a Corvette and he needed a few blocks to do that. However, if the street we had to cross had ruts in the road from heavy traffic I was toast and the Vette would just drive away from me. On smooth road that car could move and things were different.

Torque down low is ok for a truck motor, but not at all good for a hot rod. If you put a decent set of heads and a cam in a pushrod 302, you will make most of the power and torque up high just like any decent performance engine does.

Extending the engine's RPM range upward in essence make the engine behave like it has more displacement, which is a good thing.

Not sure if directed at me, but my point was there are things that can be done to make it more fun and engaging to drive without breaking the law, not including making it unsafe (skinnies).

I agree that there are mods that can be done. I wasn't really directing my post at you, but I was thinking that you were taking the dumb original thoughts posted here too seriously. I think this entire thread is a joke, and my responses reflect that.

Not off the line. Not from a dig. Same thing for the present GT. Sure given enough room it is faster stock. But on the street you may be surprised. Stop reading the specifications and race one at the traffic lights - In Mexico...

My wife's Escape is quicker off the line than a factory Fox Mustang. The Fox only seems fast if you've never driven an actual quick vehicle and don't know what you're talking about. Yes a car that originally came with a 150 hp V8 can be modified to be fast, but so can any vehicle (yes I know the best years had ~210 hp).

 

[BmacIL]

The BRZ feels gutless. It handles well but was not very fun to drive in comparison to the S550.

The BRZ with a small amount of boost is a riot. A friend has one on 7 lbs and it's exactly what the car should've been: completely on rails handling, perfect driving position and controls, but enough poke to be exciting too. That car needs somewhere between 250-270 hp and 220-250 ft lbs from the showroom and it'd be one of the best cars you can buy if you like driving. Light boost gets it there, and it'd be worth a $4-6k cost hit to get it with a warranty.

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