Sebring Track Tour

[Myshelby3425]

I'm here and waiting to get in. I have a funny feeling that my wait at the gate will be longer than my seat time - lol.

They won't let you in until your registered. But yea, the wait at the gate is longer than your seat time lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sponsored

 

[mustangfanatic]

Thanks to Drum and PP0001 for a great write up, what a once in a life time experience! Like everyone else, I cannot wait to get my hands on the wheel of my own GT350! Magnetic all the way!

 

[Nataphen]

I wish they were bringing the tour through Texas. :/

 

[RoadRacer]

Anyone think the 350R cars had more negative chamber than the GT350's? I noticed that at Lime Rock and was thinking they may have squeezed a track tune into the front end.....or the stock geometry is different.

 

[Nataphen]

Speaking of that, every car I buy goes straight to the road racing shop for an alignment. Always, always, always get your alignment checked by a shop that cares about specifics, i.e., usually not the chain tire shops that work on minivans most of the time. It's amazing what a proper alignment can do to a car.

 

[ohtobbad]

I Would agree with all that PP0001 and Drum reaper have written.
It was a great pleasure to meet, PP0001, Drum Reaper & Smitty all great guys.
The car was more impressive than I thought, based on all the feedback to date.
Its true you think shift and still have a long way to go, the Brakes are simply amazing.
The clutch is light and shifting is smooth, the pedals set up is good for heel & toe.
that car pulls hard right to 8000, the feed back from the car is great.
I drove the R and I also did hot laps with pro driver in the R.
This car is far and above my expectations. Now the waiting is even harder.

Ford Performance put on a first class event. Every person their was great to talk to,
answered ever question, to the best of their ability.
These people are as passionate as we are about this car.
I am still grinning

 

[chief135smitty]

Thanks Ford! First car I have ever purchased where the manufacturer invited me to drive the car on a race track before I purchased it. Can't really compare the car to anything since I have not owned prior performance cars. I was blown away by the GT350 and the car will far exceed my skill level. It was nice to meet all the fine people in attendance for the Monday morning session. This event, car, and the people in attendance have reignited my passion for cars. Thanks!

 

[Schu]

when is the tour coming out west?
is there a listing of tour stops?

 

[krt22]

You missed it, it was the first stop at laguna back in august. This was the last leg I beleive

 

[chief135smitty]

when is the tour coming out west?
is there a listing of tour stops?

August 27-28: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, California
September 9-10: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
September 30-October 1: Lime Rock Park, Salisbury, Connecticut
October 12-13: Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida

Already came out west. Sebring was the last event for the year.

 

[Schu]

damn...

 

[Bossing]

And Jim announced non-R's will be shipped out real soon... as in by next week via rail/convoy. Plus a likelihood that all GT350 1st owners will be able to experience a track school similar to what they did with the Boss Track Attack program. It may be at the newly renamed Utah Motorsports track (previouly Miller Motorsports). Still unconfirmed but a good chance... we'll see.

 

[Readfast]

^^^ Awesome, would love to be able to do that!^^^

 

[jmimac351]

I also attended the event yesterday and it was a lot of fun. I have a lot of time at Sebring, and have ridden in MANY different cars. Some driven well, some not. Street cars, track cars, race cars... everything in between. I have my own short list of "special" cars that I like and am impressed by for various reasons.

2014 Porsche Cayman S with PDK... from the factory, you put on a set of Nitto tires and you've got a great, fast track car. The PDK is "cheating" and that, along with the brakes, makes you look better than you are. And it is somewhat obtainable, money-wise.

Porsche GT-3... (no explanation necessary)

Nissan GT-R... A car that heavy should not be able to stop and turn and go like it does. It's a spaceship that defies physics.

At the Track Tour event, I wanted to drive the "regular" GT350, because just in case it was something that I wanted, it's the one that I could rationalize from a money standpoint. I'll tell you this, I was shocked by the performance of the car. The grip the car generates is phenomenal. It reminded me of the GT-R in that it is not a light car, but that doesn't seem to matter. It does not feel light a heavy car in any way. You can chuck this 3,700lbs car into a corner. The car is forgiving, predictable, and CONFIDENCE INSPIRING <--- important on a race track. The brakes are as good as you need them to be, and they are awesome. The brakes and tires may actually be able to fix "crazy". I had the good fortune to be riding with Gunnar Jeannette, so I also saw what the car could actually do from an actual Pro driver with time in the car. To consider that this was a "stock" setup from a tire standpoint, we were braking later into 7, 10, and 13 much later than I normally see. It's obvious to see that the wide wheels / tires / Michelin compound effect that, but what was even more surprising to me was what happened over things like the curb at 7. Normally that will upset a car and cause it to skip a bit as you're turning-in an trying to get on the gas with traction. The curbs do not seem to effect this car the way they do other cars. The Magneride shocks should be called "Magicride". If you order a GT350 without the Track Pack, you've made a mistake.

The car is kick azz. Period. Any other Mustang ever made is simply not in the same league as this car (yep, I've ridden in several 2013 GT500s, not even close on a road course) and it will totally rewrite what you think performance is from a Mustang. You'll notice that I haven't said anything about the engine / power. The powerband is linear and long, and there's a lot of it. You need to wait to shift. It's the perfect amount of power for this car on a race track. It's the proper amount of power for this car on a race track. That's not the deal with this car... Mustangs have made power before, but they have never stopped and turned like this. AWESOME!

There are 2 things that concern me about the car, are legitimate questions, and need to be considered for anyone who plans to track the car frequently:

1) Cost of replacement rotors.

2) Cost / source of replacement tires. These tires are unique to this car, and as I understand it, can only be purchased from a Ford dealer. The sizes also appear to be unique. How many track days can you get from the tires?

What is the daily cost of consumables?...something to consider and know before going in; although, the performance of the car is such that you will rationalize many things...

 

[chopsui]

2) Cost / source of replacement tires. These tires are unique to this car, and as I understand it, can only be purchased from a Ford dealer. The sizes also appear to be unique. How many track days can you get from the tires?

The tires are available from Tirerack although they aren't exactly cheap.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?tireIndex=0&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2016&autoModel=Shelby+GT350+Mustang&autoModClar=&frontWidth=295%2F&frontRatio=35&frontDiameter=19&frontSortCode=58100&rearWidth=305%2F&rearRatio=35&rearDiameter=19&rearSortCode=58155

Sponsored