Independent Rear Suspension Rant
1/3/05, 03:45 PM
#1
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New member here. Great board.
-- Rant On
I'm sure this topic has been discussed ad nauseam, but I just had to rant.
I'm the proud owner of a 2005 Mustang GT. Very happy. Yet, more and more I'm scratching my head over Ford's decision to hobble our beloved car with a prehistoric solid rear axle.
I live in downtown Toronto. A city that gets bitterly cold in the winter and is experiencing some road quality degradation in the past few years which, when driving the GT, reminds you over and over just what a crock of s**t the solid rear axle really is. The car 'hops' around over road imperfections, and is just generally not well composed...making for a prematurely 'tiring' ride.
I refuse to buy into Ford's 'market speak' regarding the rear suspension...and anybody who does is delusional.
In the city, I actually prefer to drive my Focus ZX5...the suspension is just tuned so well I hardly notice road imperfection...yet it's not soft...the Focus takes corners like a champ!
I've read elsewhere on this forum that the 2005 Mustang chief engineer indicated that an IRS would have added about $500 dollars to the sticker price. So, it's particularly painful when considering Ford was so close to producing a WORLD CLASS CAR with the 2005 Mustang GT yet managed to utterly chicken it up with that ridiculous solid rear axle to save a measly $500!!! :angry:
Needless to say, should a Mustang be offered with a REAL suspension in the next few years, I will be first to trade up.
-- Rant off
-- Rant On
I'm sure this topic has been discussed ad nauseam, but I just had to rant.
I'm the proud owner of a 2005 Mustang GT. Very happy. Yet, more and more I'm scratching my head over Ford's decision to hobble our beloved car with a prehistoric solid rear axle.
I live in downtown Toronto. A city that gets bitterly cold in the winter and is experiencing some road quality degradation in the past few years which, when driving the GT, reminds you over and over just what a crock of s**t the solid rear axle really is. The car 'hops' around over road imperfections, and is just generally not well composed...making for a prematurely 'tiring' ride.
I refuse to buy into Ford's 'market speak' regarding the rear suspension...and anybody who does is delusional.
In the city, I actually prefer to drive my Focus ZX5...the suspension is just tuned so well I hardly notice road imperfection...yet it's not soft...the Focus takes corners like a champ!
I've read elsewhere on this forum that the 2005 Mustang chief engineer indicated that an IRS would have added about $500 dollars to the sticker price. So, it's particularly painful when considering Ford was so close to producing a WORLD CLASS CAR with the 2005 Mustang GT yet managed to utterly chicken it up with that ridiculous solid rear axle to save a measly $500!!! :angry:
Needless to say, should a Mustang be offered with a REAL suspension in the next few years, I will be first to trade up.
-- Rant off
1/3/05, 04:01 PM
#3
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I use my Stang for business in the greater NYC tri-state area. I'm sure are roads are just as bad if not worse just because of shear volume. I do not experience any hoping or unsettled condition with my car. I drive it hard & it tells me exactly what it is doing all all times. I have also played with a late model Cobra through the twisties & he was actually holding me up. But that's another story.
Yes, this has been beaten to death.
Yes, this has been beaten to death.
1/3/05, 04:12 PM
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I find this interesting. I have experienced road hop, very infrequently......even when I expected it to kick in at times. I live in a metropolitan area; but do not have the day to day city driving where potholes are aplenty. My guess is that I would feel differently if I lived in a downtown area.
But driving a mix of roads, I have not been disappointed in the dinosaur.
But driving a mix of roads, I have not been disappointed in the dinosaur.
1/3/05, 04:16 PM
#6
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IRS-less GT = more room for improvement as far as the cobra is concerned
Ford's sticking an IRS in the cobra will make be twice the car of the GT for a mere $500 (of course theyll add bunches of other stuff and of course it will be much more than a $500 price hike all things considered)
sooo.....enjoy your focus?
Ford's sticking an IRS in the cobra will make be twice the car of the GT for a mere $500 (of course theyll add bunches of other stuff and of course it will be much more than a $500 price hike all things considered)
sooo.....enjoy your focus?
1/3/05, 04:41 PM
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Originally posted by PONY XPRESS@January 3, 2005, 5:04 PM
I use my Stang for business in the greater NYC tri-state area. I'm sure are roads are just as bad if not worse just because of shear volume. I do not experience any hoping or unsettled condition with my car. I drive it hard & it tells me exactly what it is doing all all times. I have also played with a late model Cobra through the twisties & he was actually holding me up. But that's another story.
Yes, this has been beaten to death.
I use my Stang for business in the greater NYC tri-state area. I'm sure are roads are just as bad if not worse just because of shear volume. I do not experience any hoping or unsettled condition with my car. I drive it hard & it tells me exactly what it is doing all all times. I have also played with a late model Cobra through the twisties & he was actually holding me up. But that's another story.
Yes, this has been beaten to death.
A more telling, yet impossible, story would be the same driver testing an IRS shod GT and a solid axle GT and comparing impressions.
As I said, my Focus is incredibly well composed around town and makes the GT feel like a box of rocks.
Ford had a real chance with the 2005 edition Mustang. But honestly, I think they blew it. And we all have the accountants to thank.
1/3/05, 04:53 PM
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The one nicity of the live-axle in bad street conditions is that the hop is predictable. That is not the case with an IRS. That being said, see my comments on the 05 and I'll still be waiting for the cobra.
1/3/05, 04:54 PM
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I"m quite sure you test drove the car prior to buying it......Just curious why you bought it if you hate the way it drives so much....can't say I would have done the same if I felt the way you do....I don't experience anywhere near that degree of hop or aggravation and I've driven all over Houston in mine...might have to look into some suspension upgrades to make it worth your while....
1/3/05, 05:00 PM
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Originally posted by Jack Frost@January 3, 2005, 6:48 PM
I refuse to buy into Ford's 'market speak' regarding the rear suspension...and anybody who does is delusional.
I refuse to buy into Ford's 'market speak' regarding the rear suspension...and anybody who does is delusional.
It always makes a great first impression on me when the first thing a new acquaintance does is call me "delusional". The Boss Hog
1/3/05, 05:11 PM
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Originally posted by swingle007@January 3, 2005, 5:57 PM
I"m quite sure you test drove the car prior to buying it......Just curious why you bought it if you hate the way it drives so much....can't say I would have done the same if I felt the way you do....I don't experience anywhere near that degree of hop or aggravation and I've driven all over Houston in mine...might have to look into some suspension upgrades to make it worth your while....
I"m quite sure you test drove the car prior to buying it......Just curious why you bought it if you hate the way it drives so much....can't say I would have done the same if I felt the way you do....I don't experience anywhere near that degree of hop or aggravation and I've driven all over Houston in mine...might have to look into some suspension upgrades to make it worth your while....
It *is* a great car...my rant really has to do with the fact that it was sooooo close to being a 'perfect' car, and we've been denied by a bean counter.
I did have a '90 GT. Very solid car for all of it's 10 years of ownership. The glaring drawback of it was...the absence of a 'real' suspension. Fast forward 15 years, and that situation hasn't changed in the '05 and I just can't fathom it.
And don't get me wrong...I'm not experiencing very much wheel hop as I may have led all to believe in my initial post. It's the overall composure of the car over less than perfect pavement where the solid rear axle reveals itself.
1/3/05, 05:15 PM
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Originally posted by The Boss Hog@January 3, 2005, 6:03 PM
Welcome aboard Jack Frost and thank you It always makes a great first impression on me when the first thing a new acquaintance does is call me "delusional".
The Boss Hog
Welcome aboard Jack Frost and thank you
It always makes a great first impression on me when the first thing a new acquaintance does is call me "delusional". The Boss Hog
But c'mon...the broshure sez:
"Mustang proves you don't have to compromise handling or ride to enjoy the muscle-car performance only a solid rear axle can provide"
You guys buy that?
w00t!
1/3/05, 05:42 PM
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Originally posted by ZRX4ME@January 3, 2005, 6:40 PM
you sound like you should have bought a GTO.Most of us GT owners wanted a solid rear axle.Wait for the cobra or trade to a 2005 GTO.
you sound like you should have bought a GTO.Most of us GT owners wanted a solid rear axle.Wait for the cobra or trade to a 2005 GTO.
But in 4 years it will be a truly forgettable car much like the ricer cars it attempts to emulate.
The Mustang emulates *nobody*, and will look great 40 years from now like it did 40 years ago.
But tell me...why did you want a solid rear axle? Because it's easier to launch?
That argument is on thin ice...particularly when considering the 1/4 mile, 0-60 times being posted by IRS cars these days.
