Tech Pack Lawsuit

[swish77]

If it's in the 30s you could probably get 10 minutes out of a tech pack on the track - mostly due to lack of traction preventing putting any power down. I doubt you could if it's in the 40s. I know my car limped fairly quickly with ambient temperatures in the 50s.

I don't think the tires are supposed to be run under 40 degrees.

I realize that us GT350 owners don't use their own cars for the "Track Attack," but my previous point was, why did Ford bother inviting the tech car owners to the event knowing that they couldn't track their own cars later. I thought the event was supposed to be like track school, a practice session. It doesn't make a lot of sense if some of the GT350 owners invited to the event could never actually go to the track with their own car. What would be the point? It would be like going to culinary school to learn how to bake bread, but then never having access to the ingredients once you got back home.

Sponsored

 

[Bladex10]

Are the tech packs that bad where you cant even drive them somewhat aggressively on backroads on say 90 degree days?

 

[Tank]

Are the tech packs that bad where you cant even drive them somewhat aggressively on backroads on say 90 degree days?

I wouldn’t say bad...Trans temps rise based on ambient temp, load in the car, style of driving. Thanks to activating the trans temp gauge that Ford deliberately turned off, I can drive to avoid limp mode by driving in granny mode. When I see my temp get into the 260s, I back off. How quickly I get there is based on the three variables I posted above.

 

[Tank]

I think we all agree that Ford was idiotic on the 2015/2016 years, trying to pinch pennies rather than simply putting the same transmission and cooling system on all versions.

One thing that's interesting, is that if you look at the initial pamphlets, they note that the Track Pack cars add ENGINE oil coolers, transmission coolers, and differential coolers (implying that the tech and base cars do not have any of those features). Yet the final product included the engine oil cooler on all cars.

This makes me wonder if Ford was caught off-guard a bit on the heating issues, after the product planning was already in place. Perhaps they had already ordered a crap-ton of base and tech pack transmissions, and weren't able to meet production if they had tried to convert all vehicles to the version with the integral pump. Since the oil cooler was more modular, it could be more easily added-on to all versions late in the game (maybe also leading to poor quality control and the need for the recall on that item, due to a sudden increase in demand).

In any case, I think it is clear that Ford dropped the ball on those first two years, and should have simply offered the 2017 model lineup from the beginning. I (along with many others) made that same statement when the first leaks of the lineup arrived, even before order banks opened.

I feel bad for the Tech Pack owners who aren't able to fully enjoy their car, but I do not think Ford has any legal obligation, and I don't think the lawsuit will result in anything tangible for the Tech Pack owners.

It is just a very unfortunate situation due to some cheap decisions by Ford initially, forcing people to choose between some desirable options.

-T

Thanks [MENTION=7132]Trackaholic[/MENTION]. You bring up a good point on the Engine Cooler. Me and the folks at my dealership were surprised to find it.

I’m ambivalent about the lawsuit and am not a party to it. I agree the owners will see nothing to minimal. What I do think is reasonable, given the anomaly of trans/diff coolerless GT350s, would be for Ford to warranty the trans swap (that I pay for) and warranty an integrated, fully OEM operating diff cooler(again on my dime).

 

[CSL]

Are the tech packs that bad where you cant even drive them somewhat aggressively on backroads on say 90 degree days?

Lemers was going 150 on the autobahn passing a cop in his tech pack. No limp mode there.

 

[Zitrosounds]

Lemers was going 150 on the autobahn passing a cop in his tech pack. No limp mode there.

Doh! Hahaha!

 

[Tank]

Lemers was going 150 on the autobahn passing a cop in his tech pack. No limp mode there.

Doh! Hahaha!

Common guys, no one said it didn’t have the 5.2 :lol:

 

[Zitrosounds]

Common guys, no one said it didn’t have the 5.2 :lol:

It was low-hanging fruit ripe for the taking ; )

 

[Tank]

It was low-hanging fruit ripe for the taking ; )

Yup, totally understand :clap2:

 

[Hack]

Are the tech packs that bad where you cant even drive them somewhat aggressively on backroads on say 90 degree days?

You could definitely hit limp mode driving on the streets aggressively on a 90 degree day. It all depends on how aggressive. You don't have to break the law to get into limp mode on a day like that, though.

 

[swish77]

Are the tech packs that bad where you cant even drive them somewhat aggressively on backroads on say 90 degree days?

As a former tech GT350 owner, I can say that I think the off-the-track issues are rare. Yes, a few guys on this forum have posted going into limp mode off the track in extreme heat or aggressive driving, but the vast majority of drivers never have any issues. Again, that’s off the track. If street/highway driving was a big problem with this version of the GT350, you’d hear a lot more about it.

I drove my car hard at times, including in the heat, highways, backroads, stuck in horrible summer traffic at the GW Bridge near NYC frequently, including after hard driving, etc .... I never had a hint of a problem with the car during 9500 miles.

 

[barstowpo]

Maybe Ford should have deleted the track apps from the tech packs too. And not suggest adding coolers would be a simple option.

 

[TheDeadCow]

Lemers was going 150 on the autobahn passing a cop in his tech pack. No limp mode there.

If it's in the 30s you could probably get 10 minutes out of a tech pack on the track - mostly due to lack of traction preventing putting any power down. I doubt you could if it's in the 40s. I know my car limped fairly quickly with ambient temperatures in the 50s.

You could definitely hit limp mode driving on the streets aggressively on a 90 degree day. It all depends on how aggressive. You don't have to break the law to get into limp mode on a day like that, though.

So which is it? Can't drive unless it's freezing, moderately warm, or straight up balls out?

 

[lemers]

So lets break down my 150mph passing of a cop.

Its February in Germany and the temps are still in the 30s.

The distance was less than a few miles; so not 10 mins.

And I wasnt doing a lot of gear changes. Just 3, 4, and 5; for the bit of the driving.

 

[autobahnGT350]

So lets break down my 150mph passing of a cop.

Its February in Germany and the temps are still in the 30s.

The distance was less than a few miles; so not 10 mins.

And I wasnt doing a lot of gear changes. Just 3, 4, and 5; for the bit of the driving.

How long were you sustaining that speed? With all of the impromptu staus lately due to construction, and the multiple 130kph zones, it’s only a few stretches, A61 or A62 from Ktown to Wiesbaden, A5 towards Frankfurt, and A8 and A6 Stuttgart and Grafenwohr.

Sponsored