Too many people think this is about comfort...and it's not, has nothing to do with a Lincoln ride ( which is just silly). It has to do with confidence behind the wheel and how the car behaves to the limit...as good as this upgrade from the past is , it's too bad they didn't go the way of independant suspension...would have made a great car, into an awesome car.

I do look forward to the 2015 , and this upgrade....the driving characteristic would put it at world class level , which the mustang should be , as it is fords primer sports car right now.

 

I know my car, both stock and with the its current aftermarket set up performs worlds above stock audi's, camaros, benz's, and other cars in its price bracket.

I'm not sure what you're looking for in terms of confidence. Maybe you just need to drive it harder to get used to it. It's not a German car. Stop thinking it's going to behave like one. (That is just silly)

 

Are you talking about how the car behaves on the track when you say "to the limit"? Because there is no way in hell I can push mine anywhere close to its handling limit on the street without endangering the lives of myself or others, or going to jail.

 

The Boss 302 has beaten the M3 on the tracks, and it has an SRA.

I personally hate the IRS, adds weight, does not do well at drag racing, and costs way more than a live axle.

 

A lot of the guys in our local Mustang club goto Auto-X competitions / fun times with the local Corvette and BMW clubs. You'd be amazed at how well a nicely set-up mustang with SRA can get around the course and **** off a few Vette and BMW owners. We even have had a few push their cars even harder trying to match our times that they end up four wheeling off-course...... I'll keep my SRA thank you.

Also... i think the ride is fine just as it is...maybe could even be stiffer

 

Part of my reasoning for going with the 2013 was the Solid Real Axle. I love the way it drives. To me part of a muscle car is the SRA, it just wouldn't be right without it.

 

The '14 Mustang truly will be the last of the American muscle cars. The Mustang has always been the prototypical muscle car. As soon as motorheads all over the country figured out what you could do with the car, including people like Shelby, they took the chains off and unleashed one of the most iconic periods of time in the American automotive industry: they started building cars that gave people a reason to want to get up the next day. When you take the SRA out of that, it takes away one of the most identifiable aspects of the genre, and while progress dictates that it happen just like prop engines like the Rolls Royce powerplant in North American's P51 were replaced by the technology that powers the F22 and others, the SRA is now seeing its swan song. Ford kept the SRA because of cost and design limitations (meaning they didn't want to have to refit the assembly lines, redesign the suspension/drivetrain/power distribution for a frame and chassis that have just under two years of run left in them), not because they felt it was absolutely necessary. But look at the car: it's STILL, even today, comparable to some of the best IRS cars on a track despite the "handicap" of having a SRA. The Mustang and the muscle car in general won't be around when the Mustang is changed in 2015 MY. It is going to turn into a sports car, not a muscle car. Muscle cars are simply put, inexpensive horsepower factories. Don't believe me? Go drive one of the 1st generation Camaros and try and turn the thing going faster than 40mph. Compare that to the handling you'll get in the '13 GT, and you'll see just how far the muscle car and its engineers have come. To me, the muscle car just won't be a muscle car with an IRS out back. It's part of what makes it a muscle car.

 

My 2011 GT convertible had a very nice ride, better than my 2006 Accord V6 sedan. But that was mostly because the structure was close to half as stiff as the coupe's so the springs were softer.

There was a BIG difference between that and my 2012 GT Coupe. The springs felt MUCH stiffer on the coupe, yet it still felt a little under-damped ("floaty"). The structure is definitely robust tho. So at 1200 miles I switched to Steeda Ultralite springs and Koni STR-T dampers. It's still a stiff ride, but now it has "cat-like" reflexes. And it's definitely still more difficult on the bicuspid attachment than my erstwhile Honda.

Sounds to me like you may benefit from the GT convertible's springs and Koni STR-T dampers. I've wondered what that combo would feel like to my old plush bottom. Might be the best of both worlds....

 

All very valid points, and well said !

 

This is such a weird argument all around. The reason for a muscle car, cheap power and speed. The reason for a pony car cheap power and handling but not quite a sports car. So I'd say the Mustang is exactly what it claims to be. At the time the Camaro and Mustang had debut, the Corvette was using and independent rear end, the Camaro with leaf springs and Chevelle with a 4 link. The times may or may not be a changing if you look at it that way. Personally a live axle is easy to live with. Independent suspension is marginally better on the worst of roads but an IRS doesn't save you from everything. Own a truck? Then you'll know what true axle hop is. Until then this all sounds like needless nitpicking. There are plenty of cars on the market to suit anyone's needs. Just understand what that car is built for and why. That will help out in figuring if it's to your style or not.

The driver confidence thing is BS argument. If your hot ridding over broken pavement then you understand the consequences. I just never understood this. Slow down and drive properly. The car will do fine, if you are not a confident driver then take a course. Autox is a good way to get really familiar. Solid axle isn't perfect but it's incredibly reliable. The Mustang as a car has a big role to fill and much more so than just about any other car on the road. Thus the reason there are so many tuners out there. Just my rant.