Wider Rear Track

[scottpe]

It still looks really high:


http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2975 - vs 197

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=992 -All S550 "official" pics.

1. That photo is a little misleading. The front clip is higher than the rest of the body to clear curbs. If you look at what little there is of the right side, you can see that it's noticeably lower. It's also a super low angle, which, depending on the lens being used, could be exaggerating the height. I've seen low angle shots of the Vette that make it look similarly tall.

2. It's a Mustang, not a Ferrari. Need to keep expectations in check. They have clearly improved the dimensions and overall handling of the car significantly.

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[nite]

what scottpe said ^

and, the photo in your link is comparing it to a lowered s197. compare a s550 to a stock height s197 and you'll see just how much lower it is...

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1030

 

[Stuntman]

It's still a bit hard to tell. The S550 is a much smaller car and the wider stance, flared side skirts, and big wheels give the illusion of a lower car. You need to measure the ground-rocker/jack points for a true 'ride height' difference. The S197's smaller wheels and especially the side skirts which tuck inward give the illusion of a higher ride height similarly to how LX Foxbodies look like they have a foot of ground clearance when the lowest hanging part of the chassis can be closer to 4" of ride height.

We won't know for sure until someone actually measures it...

 

[Grimace427]

It's still a bit hard to tell. The S550 is a much smaller car and the wider stance, flared side skirts, and big wheels give the illusion of a lower car. You need to measure the ground-rocker/jack points for a true 'ride height' difference. The S197's smaller wheels and especially the side skirts which tuck inward give the illusion of a higher ride height similarly to how LX Foxbodies look like they have a foot of ground clearance when the lowest hanging part of the chassis can be closer to 4" of ride height.

We won't know for sure until someone actually measures it...

Except the S500 is not a much smaller car, not even slightly. It's .12" longer than the S197 and only 1/2" wider overall.

 

[Stuntman]

Except the S500 is not a much smaller car, not even slightly. It's .12" longer than the S197 and only 1/2" wider overall.

1.5" lower roof, 1.3" lower hood, and 2.8" lower decklid is a decent difference.

 

[scottpe]

1.5" lower roof, 1.3" lower hood, and 2.8" lower decklid is a decent difference.

Yet for some reason you seem very fixated on the ride height. Personally I don't care if the distance between the ground and the chassis has been reduced (though I'm almost sure I heard a Ford rep indicate it was as well). By all indications they have done lots of other things to improve the CG, roll stability and overall balance of the car, not the least of which are the very changes you listed. They have also stated that the occupants sit lower in the vehicle, and that the passenger compartment has been moved back slightly.

The fact that Ford used the M3 and 911 as the performance benchmarks for their design of this car, and the fact that they have already said the car outperforms the current Boss -- a special edition bred for the track -- gives me a lot of hope that this car will be well sorted out from a handling perspective.

 

[scottpe]

However the new M3 has a lot more carbon (roofs for both 2 and 4door now), aluminum, and weight reduction in the new F30 so the bar has been raised even further for that target to be met.

And I have to believe Ford expected that such improvements would be coming. I doubt they thought BMW would just rest on their laurels, especially when the S197 got way too close for their comfort from a performance standpoint. That is why I'm cautiously optimistic that the rumors of weight reduction in the S550 may be true.

 

[OzS550]

This is a great comparison pic.

Thanks for this picture. It really shows nicely that the width in the new car is all in the hips. I was concerned about fitting one of these in our garage next to our Kluger (Toyota Highlander I think in the US) as the Mustang is actually 1/4" wider than the SUV! But the middle of the car is substantially narrower so we should be able to carefully open doors.

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