Ok, now does anyone remember how MotorTrend launched the 05GT 5speed auto, to get the 13.6.

Go back, read, and come back....
Hint: just cause its an auto, doesn't mean theres one way to launch it.

Now...
All the point we are trying to make is...the car should run good/better times, and a couple races first week in, are NOT a good indication.

Just because you see people run crap times, does NOT mean its a slow car.
I'm just being realistic here.
The car is new, probably hasn't been broken in, is stock, etc.
THe GTO wasn't new, stock and probably has been broken in.

The GTO ran a decent time, good for it. Not knocking it.
The 05GT will run better, once guys learn they are NOT 99-04 GTs/Mach1s.
Its a completely different monster and will take time to adapt to.

 

Well put.

I ran with 2 GTOs last night at the track, and they were running a little higher than what I was, but they looked like they just came off the showroom floor. None of us got below 14.2. Don't know about them, but I couldn't launch my way out of a wet paper bag.

My best 60' time was 2.264. :notnice:

 

Lets also remember that the 350 owner said the track was running 2 mph slower than usual. Add 2 mph to the 05 GT and you have 99.7 mph. It also seems that the auto might be losing steam after 70ish mph due to gearing. The manual should help out on the top end.

 

Exactly Boomer. In a few months when the cars have a few miles on them and drivers have had more wheel time, we'll have a much better idea of how fast the '05 can go.

 

You hit the nail right on the head. You bring up a VERY good point on the 60'. He hit a 2.0 60' (with a high 8sec 1/8)and still didn't hit 13's. Although I don't believe you're an excellet driver if you hit around a 2.0 60', it's definitely a very good measure to see what your car is capable of. So unless the break-in period of this car does work wonders, this car has no top-end.

 

heh

 

You hit the nail right on the head. You bring up a VERY good point on the 60'. He hit a 2.0 60' (with a high 8sec 1/8)and still didn't hit 13's. Although I don't believe you're an excellet driver if you hit around a 2.0 60', it's definitely a very good measure to see what your car is capable of. So unless the break-in period of this car does work wonders, this car has no top-end. [/b][/quote]
The driver in the White GT hit a 1.9 on those 235 pizza cutter tires. That surprised me to be honest. The fact that the car was an automatic and the driver cut a very respectable 60' time, pretty much rules out driver error. That car, that day, probably would not have run much better than that. The MPH was low, and I really dont believe break in will do much. Maybe .2 and 1mph tops after a few thousand.

On a side note, there is someone over at Stangnet claiming a 5-speed running 13.5 @ 102. This does seem like its more on par with what I was expecting from the new GT. However that means that the car that ran the 14.04 at 1.9, was a half a second slower. Somethings not adding up here :scratch:

 

who said the white mustang was an auto????
as far as i know, that car is a 5 speed one, same goes for the black one.
check the thread over stangnet.com or ls1gto.com
the driver showed up, the weight of the car with driver was 3770lbs, the guy went into the traps in 3rd gear, he was shifting at 6000rpm every time and he said the car was loosing steem after 5500rpm. people were asking him if he tried to shift earlier, cause according to a friend of a friend , someone hit 13.5@102mph shifting at 5400rpm. the driver of the white mustang is driving a high 11's cobra according to the gto guys, he knows how to drive, as you guys can see on the 60 and 330ft. the car just need a break in, it should run better that 14's, again, we would see more future runs that would confirm exactly how fast this car would go
have fun

 

This guy says he got 13.5s...

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/index.php?showtopic=7938

 

Rhumb...well analyzed and well said!! I'd rather ride a pony than a goat any day!!!

 

Sounds like a few patterns/trends MIGHT be emerging from very early strip results:

> '04 Goats and '05 Ponies are very close overall.
> Ponies come out of the hole like a Champagne cork then peter out a bit towards the end. Results: equal trap times.
> Goats come out of the hole a touch slower but then pour on the steam at the end. Result: higher Goat trap speeds.

My preliminary guesses as to what's going on (VERY tentative at this point):

Ponies are popping out of the hole incredibly well due to much improved live axle rear suspension and weight distribution on the new '05. Also, at least on the ATXs, the gearing is favored more for out-of-the-hole acceleration, but to some detriment to top end acceleration. After the first three tightly packed gears, ATX acceleration fall off the torque curve a bit and also, perhaps the lower hp and, perhaps, higher drag also start tacking a toll.

Goats are a bit slower out of the hole, probably due to IRS not being fully optimal for drag racing nor is the gearing, both of which are probably balanced a bit more for on-road, roll-on type acceleration. The MTX Goats keep a tighter packed ratios into their upper gears, keeping their motors in the sweet spot better. Also, their greater power and soap-bar slippery, if bland, shape might be giving some benefits here, too, down the second half of the strip.

Of course, this is all very preliminary conjecture at this point, but there does seem to be emerging at least some fuzzy trends at this strip and also some other early strip results. The fact that at this strip the Goats 'n Ponies were starting nose to muzzle in the same conditions adds some comparitive credibility.

But this competition, especially for the fresh out of the paddock Ponies, is just starting and hardly settled by any means. The Pony jockies are still on the steep part of the learning curve for their new rides on one hand. On the other hand, the Goats are bringing 50 more steeds to the table for '05.

Also, the Pony drivers have about 5 big in their pockets to splurge on go-fast goodies compared to their beans and water fasting Goat owners, so the street Ponies might well end up better muscled in a few months compared to the typical Goat. And their saddle bags aren't as heavy as compared to the Goat carts.

But then the Goat simply has bigger (5.7, soon to be 6.0) lungs to start with and more gears, MTX at least, to puree all that power.

Though, if the future Special Edition Ponies add another valve to each heart chamber, deal in some extra lung capacity themselves and/or add another gear with which to keep on full boil....

 

I'm sure the 05 Gt's will get better times I remeber a guy in canada ripping a 13.6 or 13.7 in a bone stock M5 2000 GT a few years ago.

I ran a best of 14.00 @ 99 in my 02 GT (stock except for T-body and flows which add like .0000000000000000000000000000000000000001 horspeower)

 

I'm hoping the winter weather will give this car more air to breathe up top, because their is no reason you shouldn't get into the 13's with a 2.0 60' on this car!

 

The guy with the white GT has been posting a bit on stangnet and has now hit a 13.71 on a crappy day. He just needed a little seat time. You can read the thread here.

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?...d=1#post4705328