JeremyGSU
Active Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello,
I am an instructor with Chin Motorsports and was talking to Scott Bartlett recently, who is one of the Chin Event Manager's, and he got to attend a testing at Sebring short course driving both the GT350R and the regular GT350 Track Pack and gave me some feedback comparing the two cars. I wanted to share this as a track enthusiast and since he attends the track so often he has experience driving the Chin Miata's, NSX's, BRZ and Cayman R as a comparison.
"Hey Jeremy,
Long time no see!
Yes, that is me. I was able to drive both the GT350R and the GT350 Track Pack. Hands down, the GT350R is the best track car I have ever driven, and that includes our track prepared Chin cars. HANDLES better than our Cayman R. The turn in is extremely sharp, and you can toss the thing into the corners like a Miata or BRZ. I was absolutely stunned with the performance of the car.
On the R, a lot of the sharpness has to do with the magnetic shocks and the carbon fiber wheels. The wheels are 19x11" up front and 19x11.5" out back, and only weigh 17 lbs! You can also feel the difference on corner exit, as it feels like it revs a bit quicker than the standard GT350.
Bang for your buck, as a dual purpose street/track car, the GT350 Track Pack is the better buy. It still comes with a lot of the neat toys that are on the GT350R (same magnetic shocks, same drivetrain, same body panels except for big rear wing and front splitter on the R) but different wheels and tires, which makes a big difference on the car. The R is on Pilot Sport Cup 2's while the standard GT350 is on Super Sports. I feel that if equal tires were on both, you wouldn't notice too much of a difference. The magnetic shocks are absolutely mind blowing on a track like Sebring.
There are some other neat toys on the car, such as valved exhaust to keep it quiet if leaving the neighborhood early AM on the way to the track, as well as shift lights integrated into a HUD that act similar to a MoTec shift light system (lights come from each side, meet in the middle and flash at peak RPM), and best of all - Ford warranty's track use for this car.
As for weight it hides it's weight extremely well, honestly can't tell that it weighs 3,600lbs. The brakes were actually more impressive than I thought. It's a trackable pad from the factory - we were running short course on stock pads and fluid, which is notoriously hard on brakes. They had incredible bite after the 3 laps, and could brake as late as I do in my BRZ for Turn 7. Apparently Ford is also putting a DOT 4 fluid in from the factory. No sign of fade whatsoever. Both the R and base GT350 are running a 2 piece rotor and 6 piston Brembo caliper. The coolest part is the replacement cost of the 6 piston caliper - $299! Consumable parts seem to be stupid cheap for this car.
Lastly, the Recaros they have put in the car are a big step up from previous Recaro factory seats - had no problem staying planted at all."
And a video of his driving.
[ame]
While I don't own a GT350 I thought this review was worthy of sharing. Hope you guys don't mind. The GT350 is a badass ride.
Jeremy
I am an instructor with Chin Motorsports and was talking to Scott Bartlett recently, who is one of the Chin Event Manager's, and he got to attend a testing at Sebring short course driving both the GT350R and the regular GT350 Track Pack and gave me some feedback comparing the two cars. I wanted to share this as a track enthusiast and since he attends the track so often he has experience driving the Chin Miata's, NSX's, BRZ and Cayman R as a comparison.
"Hey Jeremy,
Long time no see!
Yes, that is me. I was able to drive both the GT350R and the GT350 Track Pack. Hands down, the GT350R is the best track car I have ever driven, and that includes our track prepared Chin cars. HANDLES better than our Cayman R. The turn in is extremely sharp, and you can toss the thing into the corners like a Miata or BRZ. I was absolutely stunned with the performance of the car.
On the R, a lot of the sharpness has to do with the magnetic shocks and the carbon fiber wheels. The wheels are 19x11" up front and 19x11.5" out back, and only weigh 17 lbs! You can also feel the difference on corner exit, as it feels like it revs a bit quicker than the standard GT350.
Bang for your buck, as a dual purpose street/track car, the GT350 Track Pack is the better buy. It still comes with a lot of the neat toys that are on the GT350R (same magnetic shocks, same drivetrain, same body panels except for big rear wing and front splitter on the R) but different wheels and tires, which makes a big difference on the car. The R is on Pilot Sport Cup 2's while the standard GT350 is on Super Sports. I feel that if equal tires were on both, you wouldn't notice too much of a difference. The magnetic shocks are absolutely mind blowing on a track like Sebring.
There are some other neat toys on the car, such as valved exhaust to keep it quiet if leaving the neighborhood early AM on the way to the track, as well as shift lights integrated into a HUD that act similar to a MoTec shift light system (lights come from each side, meet in the middle and flash at peak RPM), and best of all - Ford warranty's track use for this car.
As for weight it hides it's weight extremely well, honestly can't tell that it weighs 3,600lbs. The brakes were actually more impressive than I thought. It's a trackable pad from the factory - we were running short course on stock pads and fluid, which is notoriously hard on brakes. They had incredible bite after the 3 laps, and could brake as late as I do in my BRZ for Turn 7. Apparently Ford is also putting a DOT 4 fluid in from the factory. No sign of fade whatsoever. Both the R and base GT350 are running a 2 piece rotor and 6 piston Brembo caliper. The coolest part is the replacement cost of the 6 piston caliper - $299! Consumable parts seem to be stupid cheap for this car.
Lastly, the Recaros they have put in the car are a big step up from previous Recaro factory seats - had no problem staying planted at all."
And a video of his driving.
[ame]
While I don't own a GT350 I thought this review was worthy of sharing. Hope you guys don't mind. The GT350 is a badass ride.
Jeremy
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