Test Drove 16 GT w/PP and 16 SS, Now What?

[mumbles]

It's about a lack of feel of a friction point of engagement/clutch take up.

I haven't removed the assist spring yet, but figured out that the clutch engagement point was roughly 5 inches out from fully depressed and adjusted my seat accordingly.

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[ForTehNguyen]

I haven't removed the assist spring yet, but figured out that the clutch engagement point was roughly 5 inches out from fully depressed and adjusted my seat accordingly.

people who have removed the spring almost always say they wish they had done it sooner. Definately remove it. I removed it the 3rd day of ownership

 

[Martman GT]

This debate could go on forever. Like some previous posters, I would have called myself a life long Chevy guy. Some of my favorites were my 69 SS 396 Camaro, 70 Chevelle SS, all 3 of my Corvette's and so on.
This battle between Mustang and Chevy has gone on for decades. I remember driving my mid 80's and early 90's Camaro's. The car magazines would always pic the Mustang as their choice even though (at that time) the Chevy just destroyed the Mustang performance wise. It would infuriate me. So I head down to my local Chevy dealer to pick up the 98 Z28 Camaro I had been drooling over. Took a test drive and the car SUCKED OUT LOUD. It drove worse than my 98 GMC 4x4. I left the dealership so disappointed. On the way out of the auto mall, I passed a Ford dealership and pulled in to see what all the hype was on the Mustang. 1 test drive was all it took. The Mustang was so much more refined and drove so much better. I had to buy the Cobra to get the power level I wanted.
Fast forward to the release of the Transformers movie. When Bumblebee converts from the 70's Camaro to the new one, I just knew I had to have the Camaro. Again, test drive proved fatal for the Camaro. Visibility was just crap and the interior sucked.
What really convinced me 1 made the right choice to stick with the Mustangs, was having the ability to ride in multiple new Camaro's and Mustangs. My wife is on the demo program with her job and can choose pretty much whatever car she wants to drive as long as price is below $40K, so she has chosen a number of Mustangs and Camaros including convertible version of each.
In the end, the Mustangs have been tighter feeling, less rattles in the interior, better fuel economy, and just plain more enjoyable to ride around in.
Now I can't speak to the 2016, since she hasn't brought one of those home yet, but looking over the redesign, it again looks like Chevy dropped the ball on interior design, and outward visibility. Even with Chevy "slightly" edging out the Mustang in performance (and color choices "I love the bright blue they have") I just think the Mustang remains the superior car to "live with on a daily basis".
Sorry for the long post, but hope this is helpful.
I've owned 5 Camaros and 8 Mustangs just for reference.

 

[daytripper]

Why drive an auto SS and then a manual GT? Try driving a faster,smoother,less prone to breakage and more fun GT auto.

 

[BBB]

Why drive an auto SS and then a manual GT? Try driving a faster,smoother,less prone to breakage and more fun GT auto.

Here we go folks. The bait has been set

 

[daltron]

Why drive an auto SS and then a manual GT? Try driving a faster,smoother,less prone to breakage and more fun GT auto.

So I walk into this bar, and this guy... He says an auto is more fun than a manual.

 

[4wheelpilot]

Why drive an auto SS and then a manual GT? Try driving a faster,smoother,less prone to breakage and more fun GT auto.

I would ONLY get the Mustang GT 5.0, especially since it loves to rev, with a manual tranny.
Now the reports of too many owners having problems with their Getrag 6 speed troubles me.

I really appreciate all the feedback!!!

My background includes growing up with only GM cars.
And with the GM experience came just too many problems...ironically, my brother got a new Cadillac in the early 80s with cylinder deactivation and it was a nightmare.
So I have never owned or leased a GM product.
I did have a '94 SHO manual (GREAT Yamaha V6, but so many other problems) and a '99 SVT Cobra manual (some problems that included the fact that Ford overestimated the hp numbers on the hand built V8).
But I have driven mostly foreign cars from toyota, nissan, infiniti, kia and a tuned '07 BMW 335i sport manual.
I wanted to get an American car for so long but my disappointing experiences kept haunting me.

Well, now I'm interested again and am open minded to either coupe (I've never been a Mopar fan).

This car will be my daily driver, about 30/70 city/hwy, 4 seasons and including days that have many short rides.

So back to "Now What?"

 

[Joshg120]

To me the camaro is just hideous to look at, beyond all the performance numbers and driving impressions, I just could not drive home in that joke of a design. Mustang on the other hand is in many ways one of the best looking cars on the street, and certaintly can hold its own in the performance department. I just think Ford makes a better overall product at this current point in time, and I really didn't even consider the camaro

 

[paul123]

I would ONLY get the Mustang GT 5.0, especially since it loves to rev, with a manual tranny.
Now the reports of too many owners having problems with their Getrag 6 speed troubles me.

anyone following the Camaro / Challenger forums to see if people have any problems with their Tremecs? I would expect complaints in any of these manuals, when you combine them with 400+ HP and at least some percentage of noobs. This is way beyond the spec of a Honda or Mazda. Question is does the MT82 have a higher percentage of problems than the Tremec.

 

[Kevin70]

people who have removed the spring almost always say they wish they had done it sooner. Definately remove it. I removed it the 3rd day of ownership

Then why does Ford put the spring in? It sounds like just about everyone likes the feel better without the spring. Was it just an idiotic decision on Ford's part? Hopefully they didn't make a lot of other ridiculous decisions that aren't as noticeable.

As for the Camaro vs Mustang, I think Chevy did awesome except the styling and visibility. I hope Ford tries to catch up on making the Mustang as good from a sports car perspective. I I couldn't buy a Camaro because of the styling and visibility. I actually think the pre-refresh of the previous generation looked a lot better. Ford got the styling right.

 

[LHousePhoto]

The Camaro SS is going to perform better than the Mustang in, as far as I can tell, every single performance benchmark. I considered a 2015 Camaro SS 1LE over my Mustang, but I wasn't sold on the looks, weight, cost or outward visibility.

Now the '16 Camaro is lighter than the Mustang, it is still priced a bit higher, but you do get a lighter, more powerful platform with better suspension in the 1LE package with Magnetic Ride. I'd love to see one in person and get some behind the wheel time to make a new comparison 6G Mustang vs 6G Camaro. But either way they are both great cars that need each other. Without the Camaro, Mustangs stagnate. Nothing against the 3 Valve, but let's be honest, the early S197 had no competition and it showed compared to what the S197 was transformed in to with the reintroduction of the Camaro.

To answer you questions more directly, as others have said, the clutch return spring should be removed to get a real feel for the clutch. I felt like someone just learning to drive a manual until I removed it. The stock GT PP is a bit bouncy, but it can be remedied for cheap, but Magnetic Ride is typically going to provide a better ride over all.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I wanted to get an American car for so long but my disappointing experiences kept haunting me.

Well, now I'm interested again and am open minded to either coupe (I've never been a Mopar fan).

This car will be my daily driver, about 30/70 city/hwy, 4 seasons and including days that have many short rides.

So back to "Now What?"

I think you have to give equal time to the two combinations that you haven't tried yet - S550 with the automatic and the new SS with a manual. It's the only way I can think of to eliminate the transmission and how it might affect everything else as a variable.


Norm

 

[berserker_sid]

Hi guys, i might not be as extensively as you all are just my two words on this debate.

1. I am not camaro or mustang hard core lover( MY dad is die hard mustang lover).
2. Before getting my Eb in oct 2015 , i was in same debate. I test drove camaro did not like it.
3. 2 Months back, i felt i need more power . So i was in same boat again. 2016 camaro or go to mustang way. Camaro 2016 i drove 2 ss at imperial ford here. Car is definitely light no doubt about it. BUt when i put more than 40k in a car, which is entry level performance car, i also look for comfort factor, and for me interior etc play very imp part and also the visibility. Camaro sucked at it. Mustang is a better overall option. It might be heavy but that 10k difference can get you hell lot of stuff to compensate for it. I ended up ordering roush stage 3.

 

[4wheelpilot]

I think you have to give equal time to the two combinations that you haven't tried yet - S550 with the automatic and the new SS with a manual. It's the only way I can think of to eliminate the transmission and how it might affect everything else as a variable.


Norm

Several days ago I test drove an SS with the manual transmission because it was the first SS in the area. It feels very similar to the manual in the S550.
I considered and drove the 8S in the SS because it has more speeds and cylinder deactivation. But the paddle shifters have a delay that is unacceptable to me. So, if I go with the SS, it will be a manual.

I have not driven an automatic S550. I would only order the manual.

 

[Blk2015GT]

The Camaro will be a few thousand bucks more expensive. You'll be at $37,090 with a GTPP (no other options just base GT with PP and stick) and $40,485 on the 1SS with auto and magaride (no other options either). That's almost $3,500, not pocket change.

Also, people (the public) seems to think magnetic ride is some holy grail of suspension. It's going to feel EXACTLY the same as a normal car suspension daily driving. It really shines when you track the car in it's adjustability etc.

If you aren't tracking the car regularly, then don't let magnetic ride influence the decision over looks and price; the typical 2 biggest factors.

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