2018 Ford Mustang GT Performance Package 1 Review: Blurred Lines

To bridge some of the gap between the regular GT and the Shelby GT350, the GT Performance Package adds a variety of upgrades. Ford’s resident track rats tuned the Mustang GT’s chassis, electronic power steering, ABS, and stability control just for it. The Brembo six-piston front calipers clamp down on larger rotors. Those sit behind black wheels that measure 19″ x 9″ in the front and 19″ x 9.5″ in the back.

According to Ford, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires (255/40R19 in the front and 275/40R19 in the back) made their mass-market North American debut on the 2018 Mustang GT. The automaker said, “Ford and Michelin engineers took learnings from the Ford GT supercar and Shelby GT350 Mustang to develop a custom, high-performance tire designed for optimal wet and dry grip, braking distance, and lateral handling performance.” If they didn’t have enough heat in them, I could feel the tires on the back of the Mustang GT slip and slide around after giving them a dose of gas–in a straight line. During a low-speed turn on a road with a light coat of gravel on it, they were even more squirrely, although they gave me a strong warning early enough that I was able to keep my right foot in check, and the Mustang out of a ditch.

Less visible improvements in the GT Performance Package include a silver strut tower brace, a pair of heavy duty front springs, K brace, and larger rear sway bar. The MagneRide Damping System from the Shelby GT350 is an available add-on to the GT Performance Package. Ford ticked the box for it while building my press loaner. On the street, the various handling improvements didn’t make the Mustang GT any less of a daily driver. It rode with a sporty firmness in Normal mode that was more poised than it was punishing.

I opened up the 5.0 on public roads where I could, but no matter how fast I went, I knew street driving was only going to expose part of the picture I needed to see. To truly get a complete view of the Mustang GT as a performance car, I needed to take it to a track.

Luckily, the folks at Harris Hill Raceway (H2R) in San Marcos, Texas were kind enough to let me run some test laps on their 1.82-mile course. I was far from being an expert on the layout of H2R’s 11 turns and 150+ feet of elevation change so I started out with a few slow laps in Normal mode to re-familiarize myself with the track. Even in its least aggressive setting, the Mustang GT’s steering felt substantial and heavy. As I got more comfortable with the course and started memorizing the positions of the apex and corner guidance cones, I increased my speed and progressed through the Mustang’s increasingly focused drive modes.

While I did engage the Mustang’s most hardcore drive (and exhaust) mode for several blasts around H2R, I ran a substantial amount of laps in Sport mode, a happy medium between the cautiousness of Normal and the fly-at-your-own-risk freedom of Track. With each successive lap, my shoulders ached more and more as I muscled the wheel to where I needed it–and the car’s 3,705-pound curb weight–to go. The Brembos did their job quickly and forcefully, causing the shoulder belt and my body to press against each other in an urgent, unnatural union.

I grew bolder while my understanding of the Mustang GT became clearer. What I saw surprised me. If I missed the right line or went into a corner too hot, my instincts told me to expect the back end to slide out and prepare to catch it. By then, the PS4s had soaked in enough heat to develop the proper amount of adhesion. My lack of familiarity with the track still exceeded their available grip. But when they started to slip, they did it in unison, all four at once. I was able to correct my errors in time, and without any whiplash. When I created chaos, the Mustang GT found a way to control it.

Depleted and sweating, I drove away from Harris Hill Raceway to hang with some Mustang-loving friends. As the smell of broiled brakes and roasted tires faded, I thought more about what I had just experienced. I enjoyed my track time in the 2018 Mustang GT. It pulled hard, turned with a confidence-inspiring flatness, stopped with a self-preservation instinct as strong as my own, and sounded badass no matter how fast it was going.

However, I wasn’t able to say the 5.0 was a fun car. The weight of both its steering and body kept it from feeling care-free and tossable. The Mustang GT was more serious than that. It gave nothing away. All it wanted was respect, to be treated as a partner in our voyage around H2R, not just a vessel. I was happy to oblige. Doing that made me realize that while the 2018 Mustang GT may not offer a light and breezy track experience, it is rewarding in its own way. Every time I kept to the perfect line or nailed an apex, I earned the feeling of satisfaction that followed.

The 2018 Mustang GT may be great at blurring lines, especially when it has the GT Performance Package, and it made that fact absolutely clear to me.

Photos for The Mustang Source by Derek Shiekhi and Christopher Fishback Wright

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.