Street guys: even if you can’t use all you have, do you still want more?

[Strokerswild]

I think I learned my lesson with more than adequate power on the street back when I had my '07 GT500, which was pullied and tuned. Useless on street rubber unless in a straight line, but it was sure fun scaring the shit out of passengers drifting it through intersections. I'll admit that it eventually got old after a while, and I never thought the car handled that well since it was such a nose-heavy pig.

My '15 is sporting a GT350 intake, injectors, and CAI with a flex tune burning corn so it should be in the neighborhood of 500 crank, and it's kind of a sweet spot. It'll still kill you if you do something stupid, and it's on the ragged edge of traction in a straight line at WOT on 305 rears; pedal it through first, stand on it through second, and get a healthy scratch out of third and you're in trouble right now.

Still, I'm watching the market closely for "my" S550 GT500 (10X the total machine versus the S197 500s), but it's not been a priority with too many other irons in the fire. I drive the lowly GT so seldom as it is, just ticked 13K miles...

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[FUN2RIDEFAST]

Sometimes I really wonder if it’s just me. Or maybe it’s just the mentality of true car guys. But I have a hard time being satisfied with what I have. An S550 GT is probably as perfect for most people as a street car gets. In fact, it’s probably more car than I and most have the ability to fully use on the street, and I don’t do track. But, I now also have two Mach 1s and I’m even eyeballing GT500s.

I‘m a logical and reasonable guy so this makes no sense even to me. Seems like if something is out there I want it whether I need and can use it or not. And no, the problem is not what you’re thinking. But it is real.

Anybody else ever deal with this?

Hmmm, maybe just a little FI on one of the Machs…

Every day!

 

[Qcman17]

Those tires must be absolute garbage.....My 500 dead hooks every single time above 70mph down to 40 or 50 degrees....

Yeah they are pretty Goddamn awful in my opinion and I should’ve ditched them a long time ago but I hate throwing away “good tires” even though they weren’t…. I need to trust the new rubber more but yeah I had an incident with the old tires last December on a bright sunny day but just below freezing on dry pavement that made me reel things in a lot.

I pushed it too much and had the living shit scared out of me. Fishtailing at 75 plus mph I’m sure people behind me were thinking that guys f@cked lol.

 

[young at heart]

Yeah they are pretty Goddamn awful in my opinion and I should’ve ditched them a long time ago but I hate throwing away “good tires” even though they weren’t…. I need to trust the new rubber more but yeah I had an incident with the old tires last December on a bright sunny day but just below freezing on dry pavement that made me reel things in a lot.

I pushed it too much and had the living shit scared out of me. Fishtailing at 75 plus mph I’m sure people behind me were thinking that guys f@cked lol.

With all the emphasis on mods and increasing hp it’s easy to forget how darn strong these things run as delivered.

 

[Qcman17]

With all the emphasis on mods and increasing hp it’s easy to forget how darn strong these things run as delivered.

True I had a tuned 5th Gen Camaro SS before this that wasn’t a slouch but this car annihilates it completely. The Gen 3 motor is really impressive IMHO especially with 10 gears at the ready.

 

[LDHunter]

I'm on my second GT in a couple of years (deer totaled the first) and I'm totally happy with the 450hp this one produces and I've had quite a few high performance cars, trucks and motorcycles. My 22GTCS is perfect for what I want but the Pirellis aren't the greatest. I'll eventually wear them out and get something better. For right now I'm a bit easy on the throttle at lower speeds or in corners.

I try to find an excuse to let it breath at least once every few days. It's my daily driver and passing people that don't go the speed limit is a lot of fun and surprising people at stop lights is fun too. I can't remember my gearing but the CS is so quick out of the hole that it's hard to believe and it seems totally effortless.

The GTCS badging is small and not that easy to read and people don't know what it means but they seem to think its like a GT500 in performance. Honestly 450 horsepower is plenty for this light car with the great automatic transmission.

Yes... I want more horsepower but frankly I don't know what I'd do with it and certainly won't pay more to mess up this near perfect combination that the Ford engineers put together. So I'll stick with what I have and being very grateful to have a daily driver that never ceases to put a big smile on my face.

 

[steathv]

I had a 2012 Boss 302 and when driven hard it always felt it was just one step from losing control. As you get older your reflexes slow down and you usually become more risk adverse. On the other hand if you like modifying cars you are always looking for the next improvement. At some point the line between age and risk meet and you can say the car is fast enough. I guess I have reached tha point especially growing up in the 1960's when a fast car was 0-60 in 7 seconds and a qurter mile time of 14.5 was fast. A Camry can beat that now.

I have modified my 2022 C/S to my liking and it is now fast enough to give me a thrill. Any car that runs mid 12's or better is fast enough to get you in trouble with the law, your wife or end up in a ditch.

 

[young at heart]

I had a 2012 Boss 302 and when driven hard it always felt it was just one step from losing control. As you get older your reflexes slow down and you usually become more risk adverse. On the other hand if you like modifying cars you are always looking for the next improvement. At some point the line between age and risk meet and you can say the car is fast enough. I guess I have reached tha point especially growing up in the 1960's when a fast car was 0-60 in 7 seconds and a qurter mile time of 14.5 was fast. A Camry can beat that now.

I have modified my 2022 C/S to my liking and it is now fast enough to give me a thrill. Any car that runs mid 12's or better is fast enough to get you in trouble with the law, your wife or end up in a ditch.

Just curious: what mods have you done to it? Any performance mods?

 

[LDHunter]

Wait! Wait! Can I change my mind? Maybe I DO want more horsepower and track worthiness... ;)

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[Linkster1666]

That could be some of it too. I have punched this car at about 75 mph say around 45F and found the rear broke loose on me which definitely induced some pucker but it was with the crappy OEM tires too.
I need to give it some Hell with these new tires in a similar situation to see if it still slips. I've also had the car cut power on a highway pull about 5500 RPM which I'm sure was TC kicking in on the old tires as well.

I assure you, mine barked em hard punching it on I-10 @75mph on PS4s @ 4500 ft elevation and 110*F.

 

[young at heart]

Wait! Wait! Can I change my mind? Maybe I DO want more horsepower and track worthiness... ;)

It's hard to link to a Facebook post

Dang! I had never before heard one of those things running full tilt boogie in anger.

Mighty, mighty fine!

It‘s impossible to overestimate how important aural pleasure contributes to a particular car’s satisfaction quotient. It’s a huge deal to me even on my lowly ‘Stangs! It’s up there with looks, maybe even more important. And why I’ll never own an EV unless it has turf tires.

 

[young at heart]

I assure you, mine barked em hard punching it on I-10 @75mph on PS4s @ 4500 ft elevation and 110*F.

Wow. My ‘20 GT must be down on power or something. It won’t do anything like that even on the much-dreaded PZero Neros. Heck, for that matter neither will my Mach 1s. They all go like stink but they’re rock solid at 75 mph. Maybe I’m just used to it after a lifetime of fast cars and just subconsciously drive out of it without thinking. Or maybe I need to grease up the bottom of my tires.

 

[stannypack]

every time I take my car out at night even when it's dead empty I slightly panic with how fast I get into impound territory just punching it through 1-2-3 gears boost might land me in jail

 

[1958cyclist]

I'm of the same mindset. I love the straight line stuff but I do like to drive twisty roads and this car has all the power the suspension, brakes and tires can handle. While I might do more power at some point, suspension mods (ie Steeda subframe braces, progressive springs, Magneride controller, better tires, etc) are on my list. I already have a decent start having a PP car with Magneride and must admit the car is WAY more talented than I am, rather my abilities. Some day I might feel more comfortable and want more.

Yes, I know what you mean...I liken it to a dating analogy. Each time you go to that same track or traverse those same favorite back roads, you go just a bit faster through those turns. Braking later, accelerating sooner out of them. Your dead on with the cars ability being beyond ours. That thinking keeps my modifications in check. The lacking aspect is usually the driver, not the car.

 

[308 Cal. Bullitt]

Every 10° F drop in temp = 1% hp increase. Its a surpringly accurate/easy formula to remember.

Then add into a cold road surface at ~40° F, & it creates an illusion of much more than just a 6% hp increase, when throttling up.

A 480hp car going from past perception of 100° driving day feel, to 40° is nearly a ~30hp delta reallity. The fact the tires wont grip well, makes it feel like 100hp+ delta.

We get ~30° F swings from day to nite in our area early & later in the calendar yr, but yeah, low 40s will give you something you get a grin from, unless things get messy.

Thats why they chill the coolant, & heat the oil, between rounds, in some competitive race car classes. Its not free Power, but its easier than spending a wheelbarrow full of money to find 25hp.

Thats exactly what Mobile 1 did for us in the late '80s. An added 25hp in an 1100hp eng. Chilling coolant in a 1470hp mill gets you about 28hp.

I noticed my Mustang really "woke up" when the temperature dropped to 40 degrees. It was like an additional 50hp.

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