Hey guys,

I've been shopping for a new car for months now, and I'd like some help with "expectation setting".

I've test driven a GT three times. Each time I expect to say "****, that's awesome, i'll buy one"... but instead each time I find myself thinking the car wasn't as fast or responsive or sporty as I'd expected.

Power delivery isn't all that immediate... like say when I'm cruising at 3000 rpm in 3rd gear and I stomp on the accelerator.

Now, I'm sure they don't have high-octane gas in the car... how much might that matter?

How much sportier would the Brembo package and/or 3.73 gears make the car feel? Is it "a whole different car"?

Thanks for any insight you can give. I can't find a Brembo car around here (Dallas) to test drive.

 

Try that in first or second gear and you may have a different attitude. The Coyote is a rev'er and WOT from 3rd @ 3000 rpm is not going to feel that great considering a stick does not multiply torque like an automatic.

 

I have both brembo and 3.73 on my GT and interestingly I did do the stomping at 3000 rpm, let me just say the beast underneath wakes up and the car feels lighter and screams for higher gear, I tested a conv gt no brembo+3.73 and it felt really bulky and slow responding

 

There is a black premium gt brembo at the lewisville sam pack ford. Not sure the gears though but it was a 6 speed. Maybe you can check that one out.

 

I'm on it... thanks for the tip on the car and the feedback guys!

 

If u need me to try something just let me know, mines a manual

 

No problem....I'm curious about what you think on the manual when you try that one. Keep us posted...I'm still debating myself. Good luck!!

 

This is one reason why I order my cars instead of buying the one off the lot with 35 miles on it.....

 

Agreed... on my test drive of a GT on wednesday, I had trouble getting the car into 4th and did a little grindy-grindy on the gears. :/

Interestingly, that's not the first time I felt I had to be careful when shifting into 4th in a Mustang. I can't tell if that gear is a little odd... or if my brain just isn't used to it.

 

I have a 5.0 with only 2 options on it: Brembo package and 3.73 gearing. That's it. I bought the car this way to get as close as possible to the Boss 302, although I know it's not the same. But as close as possible.

I had the chance to rent a 5.0 a couple of months ago with an auto and, I suppose standard 18" wheel package. I've also driven a Boss 302, so I think I've gotten a feel for the whole range of suspension choices.

Here's my opinion in response to your question: the rented 5.0 with an automatic ( and thus 3.15 gearing ) off the line was slow, slow, slow when compared to a 6MT and 3.73. I was astonished at how just much an axle ratio change affected the pick-up. I don't think the transmission plays that much into this issue at all.

I also really noticed how much softer the standard suspension on the rental was compared to the Brembo car I have. Bumps in the road were not as noticable, and the cornering was quite a bit looser. It's my feeling that the Brembo package should be looked at more accurately as a suspension upgrade first rather than a brake upgrade. This is really the difference that you feel: tighter suspension, harsher ride, better cornering, and yes, I suppose the brakes stop you quicker, but, you don't notice that as much as the other things.

I highly recommend you do drive a Brembo equipped car before you decide what to get. I think Ford is a bit shy to admit how much this option changes the overall feel of the car.

As for the 3.73: I'm not convinced that this is a must have: you're out of first gear in a hurry anyway, and the slightly better MPG with a 3.55 might be useful in the long run. I've never driven a Mustang with this ratio, so I'm just guessing here.

Last obeservation: Driving the Boss 302 is different mostly, again in my opinion, in the area of power and acceleration once you are moving. It just rev's and rev's without you feeling like it's running out of torque. It's a great sensation to experience. I thought the handleing was about the same as my Brembo 5.0, but I do understand that there are different suspension components used in the Boss versus the 5.0. I just didn't notice that much of a difference.

Hope this is helpful, and be sure to drive both a regular and Brembo Mustang if at all possible. Try to do this back to back at a dearlership. It'll be worth the effort in helping you decide what to do.

 

That's really good info White. Now I don't feel so bad opting out of a base boss for a loaded GT (and 4k of savings). You make a good point of the suspension. That I the one of the main reasons I wanted the track pack. aal people talk about were the brakes, I'm glad to know the susp. is well equipped too.

 

Very nice info...now I know what I'm going to be doing when I go test drive and what to look for.

 

I have the 4.6 with 3:73's and 5-speed. I drove basically the same car with 3:31's and it was night and day. The 3:73's are so much "snappier", if that makes any sense. Only downside for me is that you are out of first gear in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks white and crescent_wrench for the feedback.

 

I have only driven my 12 with 3.73s so in all honestly I don't have a proper frame of reference on mustangs since I have only driven 3:73s, however on my wranglers I do. Like others say first gear is almost useless but who cares anyway, I love shifting... Like we used to say about Jeeps, gears are probably the cheapest mod you can do which will give you the biggest increase in speed/torque. I highly recommend it, especially if you have larger rims and tires. I'll gladly sacrifice a few mpg for the benefits in speed. Anyway, if you are buying a GT, mpg shouldn't be the first thing on your mind IMO.

My wrangler used to be 3:73 and I swapped it to 5:13s, talk about low gearing! I used to be able to climb up a vertical wall in that monster.

 

If you're a performance addict, Brembos and 3.73s are the way to go. I owned a Brembo 3.73 car for a year and loved it. Everytime I drove it I had a smile on my face. I recently ordered a 2013 with Brembos and 3.55, it felt down right slow in comparison, so much so I didn't buy the car. You lose the gas mileage, but man the Brembos and 3.73s sure make it one hell of different car!

FYI, I've also driven a 3.31 and a 3.55 without the Brembo package, very different feel. Kind of like a buick with a **** ton of power. Still fun, but different.

BTW if you're getting Brembos and 3.73s order a track pack and get the extra goodies!

 

I havent gone around sharp corners to feel the 3.73 but I should test drive in rain to see how much control it regains

 

So...get the Brembos, 3.73s and track pack...sounds like good advice! What about the Recaros??

 

gears i admit do make a big difference. Honestly to say something felt slow with 355's vs 373's is a bit silly. The difference in quarter mile times would be barley different.

 

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Tom - Ford has publicly stated that the 2011-2012 Automatic GT with the 3.15s is the same to 60MPH, and faster in the 1/4 mile, when compared to the Manual GT with 3.55s. And numerous publications have confirmed this. I'm not sure about the 3.73s, maybe it varies every-so-slightly. So you might have felt "slow, slow, slow off the line", but in reality, it was pretty fast.