5.Shark

So I'm looking into getting koni yellows to put my eibach pros onto, a whiteline watts link, mbrp h pipe, and possibly a shaftmasters one piece driveshaft.

I'm currently running 3.73 in the rear on rtr 19x9.5 wrapped in hankook ventus v12s no experience on a track with them but I'm thinking I'm going to get some 275/35/19 Bridgestone S04 on all 4 corners. Getting a dyno tune soon if all goes to plan.

Eventually I'd like to get racing seats unsure what brand..and other minor weight reduction in the future..

Is there anything else I should look into or anything I shouldn't be wasting time/money on?

dmichaels

Go get some seat time first - it's the best investment to get faster. But your list is reasonable

Big item I didn't see is brake stuff: track oriented pads, fluid, cooling for the fronts. You'll want that as soon as you track this car. They are fast and heavy!

5.Shark

Yea I definitely want to get in as much seat time as I can.

I forgot to mention I have brembos up front with 14" slotted stop tech rotors and I'm stock out back. I was planning on getting stop tech pads as well.

Bert

D's recommendation for seat time is the best advice.

I have the Bridgestone S04's and I'm not very impressed with them. They get greasy when hot (like on a 90 degree sunny day when the track is good and hot). If you are buying tires with the track in mind, I would look at something better like the RE71R's. But first put some track time on the V12's, there is something to be said for learning on a less sticky and more "forgiving" tire.

I also have the Shafmaster's drive shaft and I like it; but don't expect miracles there.

I used the StopTech Street Performance pads for a while, and I think they are about the best street/track pad available. The held up fine for me on the track; I never got any major fade. They are also quiet on the street, but fairly dusty. I guess a more agressive pad could be better for the track, but we are limited by our tires so more agressive pads just trigger the ABS more. I recently went to Carbotech XP10/8 pads and they are more agressive on the track but they are noisy on the street so now I need to get some street pads and swap pads for track time.

I have gotten away without brake cooling so far, but last time (at Thompson) I checked my front rotors they were about 550 after a cool down lap, that's getting pretty toasty. The larger rear GT500 rotors are a worthwhile upgrade, the rear brakes work pretty hard on these cars and the larger rotors do stay cooler.

Plenty of people track these cars without the Watts link, I'd probably put that pretty low on the list.

And yes seats . . . in the mean time, the "CG Lock" seatbelt locking device does help a bit.

5.Shark

Thanks for all that info Bert

With that being said about the S04s..I need new rears so I was looking at those or maybe conti extremes or would I better off just gettin another pair of v12s for now?

I do plan on the gt500 rotor upgrade for the rear but I'd like to get all the use out of my stocks for now

ford20

+1 for some seat time.

I prefer the Cortex Watts Link over the Whiteline. It is a bit lighter than the Whiteline and I have seen the propeller bolts shear off a few times. If in the future you would like to upgrade to spherical bearings you can do so without having to get a new watts link as well. Although I would focus on wheels and tires first and then build your suspension after that.

As far as pads I was talking with Pete at Track Day Solution and he recommends the Pagid RS-29 for the fronts and the RS-56 for the rears for a dual purpose street/track pad and they are quite good for entry level pads for the Brembos and the Boss. I wouldn't really worry about dusting all that much since no matter what pads you get they will dust.

Since you don't have any cooling what are you going to do with brake fluid or your brake lines? As previously said, these are big heavy cars and as such you need to pay close attention to your brakes and doing your best to keep them cool and have them last fairly long.

As far as the tires go, I would replace all 4 at once or stick with the S04's. Trying to manage 2 different sets of tires that behave differently as they get heat in them and managing the different pressures seems like such a headache. Then there is the differences in grip from each tire which you are going to be contending with at the same time. If you can float it, grab all 4 tires at once IMO. From what I am hearing, the RE-11's or the RE-71R's are currently all the rage in the budget category and provide a good amount of grip. I know that the Rival S is very popular among autocrossers, but I don't know how well they fare during HPDE style events, nor do I know if you are running 18" wheels.

The CG Lock was a great suggestion and I have heard that people love using them with the OEM safety belts.

5.M0NSTER

I'm a bit late to the party here, but here is my $0.02.

There is a lot to be said about seat time. Before you really start moding the car. You have to figure out what handling characteristics you like, and which you want to improve. Then you have to research how to get the car from where it is, to where you want it to be.

Seat time is super important because the most important mod is the Driver mod.

Dampers will make a huge difference, so that's a great mod. Brakes are super important. I think you need to get used to swapping pads. Street pads are just not designed to do repetitive 120-45 mph braking. Brake fluid is possibly the second or even first weak link too. Need to flush the system with DOT4 racing fluid.

I think you can get away with no cooling for the first few years. I did so far.

I have a great experience with the S04s in 275/40-19. They just gave up the ghost after 8 track days and 3 seasons. I have nothing but great things to say about that tire. That said my next set will be the RE71Rs. I'm ready for more grip.

Good luck!

Bert

We've had this conversation before and I can't explain our different perspectives on those tires.

One difference, is you have the 40's and mine are 35's. I don't know if maybe the additional sidewall flex is giving you better results. Or maybe my expectations were unrealistic. I came from Goodyear F1's and was expecting an improvement; but they are about the same or maybe not as good.

I have played with the pressures a little, at about 35 psi hot, I am getting roll-over right to the middle of the triangle marks and that is supposedly "just right" -- but I haven't really explored higher or lower pressures.

From my research, I think they are a little better than the V12's but not a big step up from those. I would not recommend mixing tires, especially for the track. If I was in the OP's shoes, I might try to get a track event or two out of the old V12's, assuming that would be safe. Generally the less tread the better for the track, up to a point.

5.Shark

I'm on 19x9.5 rtr wheels and I'm using dot 4 motul 600 brake fluid right now.
I'll probably stick with the stop tech pads for now since I'm still new to this. I'll go ahead nd take your advice to stick with the V12s all around for now til they're done.
As far as all the other upgrades those will most likely come after some seat time, this is all just to plan for the future and see if everything I'm looking into is in fairly the right direction
I definitely appreciate all the input and advice from you guys.

5.monster do have any pics of the 275/40 s04 on your car?

5.M0NSTER

Yup, got a whole thread with pics and video on those here:
https://themustangsource.com/forums/...review-532159/

And some recent pics with new suspension too

5.M0NSTER

Yeah, this is still puzzling me. According to Tire Rack the S04 was just a hair behind the class leader, the Pilot Super Sport. This is why I chose it. But our experiences seem so different. My only comparison was the Pirelli PZero which the car came with, the the S04 was noticeably better.

I run mine at 28 psi cold so 36 hot.

The best set of rubber I have ever experienced so far was the Pirelli Trofeo R. I got to drive it on a closed course and it was fitter on the Z28. Un-frikkin-real grip levels. It was actually hard to break these tires loose once they warmed up. I guess it helps that both front and rear were over 305 wide . I'd love that tire, but it's waaaaay too costly.